The primary purpose of this study was to compare two methods of instruction for teaching music listening to upper elementary children--an experimental approach utilizing the 4MAT instructional model of Bernice McCarthy and a conventional approach based on textbook materials. The investigator employed the 4MAT model for incorporating a holistic and whole-brain approach into music listening instruction. The study compared mean differences on two dependent variables, attitude and achievement test scores, between two groups (teaching methods) and two grade levels (fourth and fifth grades). Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to assess both primary and secondary data regarding gender, grade, and teacher. The researcher also analyzed subjective observations of participating teachers.Subjects were 440 fourth and fifth grade students from two suburban schools randomly assigned to intact classes and equally divided between grades to 4MAT or conventional instruction. Each class heard three classical music selections within a six-lesson framework. The investigator assessed subjects' attitudes toward classical music and their music knowledge after instruction.No significant effects resulted for instructional method. Further investigation of gender, grade, and teacher suggested some interactions for attitude: attitudes of 4MAT-instructed males of Teacher A tended to be more positive than those of conventionally-instructed males; the fourth grade sample produced greater gains for Teacher A in the 4MAT condition and for Teacher B in the conventional condition; three-fourths of the fifth grade cells in the 4MAT condition showed gain, and three-fourths in the conventional condition showed decline.Regardless of instructional method, males showed a significantly more positive attitude than females; fifth grade subjects tended to be more positive than fourth grade subjects; significant difference in attitude between students of the two teachers might be ascribed to socioeconomic standard or academic achievement level.Conclusions: (1) furnishing students with opportunities for hearing classical music is likely to produce improved attitudes toward classical music; (2) if the goal of music listening instruction is to provide students with cognitive and affective experiences, and to benefit from findings regarding musical behavior, brain research, and individual differences, the 4MAT instructional model offers a viable approach for listening lessons. / School of Music
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/179460 |
| Date | January 1993 |
| Creators | Paxcia-Bibbins, Nancy |
| Contributors | Alvarez, Barbara J. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | x, 179 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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