An Exploratory Investigation of Self-Regulatory and Motivational Variables in the Music Practice of Junior High Band Students

Abstract

This study examined dimensions of self-regulation and motivation in the music practice of junior high school band students. A volunteer sample of 7th- and 8th-grade students (N = 175) completed a 43-item, researcher-adapted questionnaire designed to measure the constructs of intrinsic motivation, attribution of success and failure, self-regulation, metacognition, and concentration as related to practice habits and beliefs. The questionnaire designed for this study drew from previous research in music education (e.g., McPherson & McCormick, 2000; Schmidt, 2005), educational psychology (e.g., Pintrich & DeGroot, 1990), and psychology (e.g., Nowicki & Strickland, 1973). Data were also collected regarding subjects' self-reports of practice efficiency, practice time per-day/per-session, and percentages of formal/informal practice. Factor analysis revealed five factors explaining 48% of the total variance: Concentration, Intrinsic-Goal Motivation, Intrinsic-Challenge Motivation, Metacognition-Reflective Strategies, and Commitment to Improve. Significant correlations were found between factor scores and self-reports of practice efficiency (r = .28 to .43), practicing time (r = .16 to .32), and formal/informal practicing (r = -.31 to .33). The amount of research regarding self-regulation and motivation in music practice has grown considerably in the past 10 years (e.g., Hallam, 2001; McPherson & Zimmerman, 2002; Smith, 2005). Self-regulated learning occurs when an individual is able to initiate, monitor and sustain the personal (e.g., cognitive or affective states, motivation), behavioral (e.g., self-observing and adjusting behavior), and environmental processes (e.g., observing and adjusting environmental influences) that affect their learning (Zimmerman & Kitsantas, 2005). Studies have examined self-regulation in music practice by means of behavioral observation (Hallam, 2001; Killian & Henry, 2005), survey (McPherson & McCormick, 1999; McCormick & McPherson, 2003), interview (McPherson, 1997; McPherson, 2005), and case study (Renwick & McPherson, 2002). Using research in general education as a base for developing a model of self-regulated learning in music, McPherson and Zimmerman (2002) highlighted the following dimensions: 1) motivation 2) strategy use 3) time management 4) self-evaluation/monitoring 5) environment and 6) social factors. Although a theoretical foundation for future studies has been proposed, the measurement of self-regulatory and motivational variables in music practice is less developed. Results from several studies suggest that self-regulation regarding music learning may develop as students gain experience and may be more frequently used by high achieving students. In a longitudinal study, McPherson (1997) found that (a) subjects tended to use a wider range of practice strategies in their third year of playing when compared to their first and (b) high achievers reported greater use of metacognitive strategies (e.g., mental rehearsal) than did low achievers. Similarly, a longitudinal study of seven beginning band students (McPherson & Renwick, 2001) revealed that off-task behavior and amount of parental guidance decreased over a three-year period, implying a developmental trend of self-regulatory behavior. In addition, Killian and Henry (2005) observed that the behaviors isolating problem areas and scanning through easier materials occurred significantly more for high achievers than for low achievers. Self-regulatory strategies have also been shown to be predictors of musical performance achievement. McCormick and McPherson (2003), in a study with instrumentalists ages 9-18, found significant relationships between self-report measures of cognitive strategy use, self-regulation, self-efficacy, and objective measures of performance achievement. Self-efficacy was found to be the best predictor of performance achievement while self-reports of amount of practice time and formal/informal practice were found to be indirectly related to performance achievement. …

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