Publication Date

2017-04-25

Availability

Open access

Embargo Period

2017-04-25

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Music (MM)

Department

Music Education and Music Therapy (Music)

Date of Defense

2017-04-05

First Committee Member

Stephen F. Zdzinski

Second Committee Member

Don D. Coffman

Third Committee Member

Corin Overland

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate background characteristics, teacher identity issues, and perceptions of the mentoring process of beginning applied music teachers in an undergraduate teaching program (N=13). The study also aimed to discover whether any of these qualities would determine the teaching success of the undergraduate students. The participants filled out a survey consisting of multiple choice questions, Likert-scale items, and open-ended questions. The survey responses revealed the background characteristics, teacher identity issues, and mentoring process perceptions of the participants. The undergraduate students were also evaluated using a performance-based teaching success rubric. Mann-Whitney U tests and Spearman correlations were run to determine any correlations between the variables and the teaching success outcome. While no highly significant correlations were found, there were useful discoveries throughout the study. While the participants did not identify as performers as strongly as predicted, performance was an important aspect of their identities as teachers. Beginning teachers want knowledgeable, consistent feedback on their teaching, as well as to develop personal relationships with their mentors.

Keywords

undergraduate music; music education; performance majors; background characteristics; mentoring teachers; teacher identity issues

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