Publication Date

2009-01-01

Availability

Open access

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Music (MM)

Department

Music Education and Music Therapy (Music)

Date of Defense

2009-04-10

First Committee Member

Dr. Stephen F. Zdzinski - Committee Chair

Second Committee Member

Dr. Margaret A. Donaghue - Committee Member

Third Committee Member

Dr. Nicholas J. DeCarbo - Committee Member

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of music teachers in urban elementary schools. Title-I public elementary schools (N = 135) in Miami-Dade County were surveyed for demographic information, and fifty-six of the music teachers from those schools participated in the survey designed for this study. The survey was intended to accumulate data regarding the independent variables of student demographics, teacher demographics, student/teacher demographic differences, teacher training, and teacher support; the dependent variables examined were teacher attitudes about urban elementary music teaching and teacher expectations of their urban elementary music students. Results demonstrated that demographic factors were correlated, and most of the teachers mismatched demographically with their students. Professional support and the percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch correlated with attitudes. The variables did not correlate with expectations, but because of a strong correlation with attitudes, expectations may have been indirectly affected by support and the percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch. Support was the single predictor for attitudes, and when computed as an independent variable, attitudes were the sole predictor for expectations. No significant main effects or interactions between the variables were found.

Keywords

Urban Music Teacher Expectations; Urban Music Teacher Attitudes; Urban Music Teacher Support; Urban Elementary Music Teacher Training; Inner-city Music Education; Urban Music Education

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