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The purpose of this study was to determine the status of composition as a teaching tool in the US and UK and to compare the findings of the two countries. In order to achieve this purpose, the following research questions were formulated: How common is the teaching of composition in US and UK schools? How does composition compare to other classroom activities in US and UK schools in terms of instructional time, variety, and emphasis? What kinds of compositional activities are used most frequently? What reasons do teachers cite for teaching or not teaching composition in their classrooms, and how do these reasons differ by country? How do teachers overcome challenges to composition and how do these practices differ by country? For each country, what combination of teacher characteristics best predict the use of composition as a classroom teaching technique? Data were collected using an online survey instrument developed by the researcher based on that used in a more localized study by Strand (2006). Findings were based on responses from three hundred and nine participants from the UK (n = 117) and the US (n = 192). Results indicate that composition teaching is far more prevalent in the UK, with a greater variety of activities, focus on experience and creativity, group work and integration with other curriculum areas. US composition teaching is characterized by notation-focused highly-prescriptive tasks, with the favored mode being individual composition. Needs identified include: a greater provision of technology in US music classrooms, more extensive training and support for UK general teachers who teach music and the further promotion of composition in the US, highlighting its integration with listening and performing in order to provide a more rounded curriculum.

This thesis is about a journey that begins as an investigation into "good citizenship", develops into an analysis of the meaning of "good", and then evolves into an exploration of issuesc oncernedw ith the nature of "good research". In essence,t he thesis can be split into two interlinked parts. Both "halves" serve a dual purpose in that they represent findings and data in the journey. The first "half' explores the theme of "good citizenship" within the context of the cross-curricular themes. It adds to our understanding of these issues by demystifying the ideological tensions existing within and between guidance documentation suggested by the National Curriculum Council to deliver the "whole curriculum" for English and Welsh schools after the 1988 Education Reform Act. These findings later serve as data in providing a context from which to reinterpret and advance our understanding of "good research". The epiphany in this journey occured when the meaning of "good" in "GOOD citizenship" was placed under scrutiny. In discovering that "good" has a multifarious meaning, which is not reducible to a single definition, the substantive focus of the thesis changed. This change is reflected in the upper and lower case lettering displayed within the title. By deemphasising the importance of "good" in "good RESEARCH", a paradigmatic shift in thinking is symbolized. The second "half' of this thesis investigates the nature of "good research" and makes two contributions to our knowledge of interpretive research. Using three perspectives of a single set of data as a working apparatus, the philosophy of Gadamerian (1979) hermeneutics is explored and taken beyond our current understanding. Part of this exploration involves applying the criteria of authenticity and coherence to the research. However, in discovering the inadequacy of these predetermined guidelines, the idea of situationally derived criteria is developed. Finally, it is suggested that the criteria for judging the quality of research can never be determined in advance of meaning coming into being. Instead, such criteria are contextually bound and can only be seen as post-hoc rational guidelines.

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