The Effect of Instruction on the Perceived Degree of Liking for Opera in Upper Elementary Music Students

This study examined the effect of instruction on upper elementary music students' degree of liking for opera. Twelve intact music classes were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. All students were administered a pretest, utilizing a five-point Likert-type scale, to determine initial degree of liking for each musical excerpt. Following the pretest, experimental subjects (n=134) received twelve periods of opera instruction. Control subjects (n=130) received regular music instruction. Following the treatment period, all subjects were administered a posttest. Statistical t-tests were utilized to investigate significant gain differences (p=.05) between experimental and control groups. Overall, results indicate a significant increase in degree of liking for the Italian and English operas. Analysis by student gender shows no significant gain differences between male and femaie students. Analysis by grade levels shows no significant gain differences for fourth-grade students, significant gain differences for the Italian opera with fifth-grade students, and significant gain differences for the English opera with sixth-grade students. Additional research possibilities and educational implications have been included.

Grantor dc:publisher

Drake University

Year dc:date.issued

1994

Author dc:creator

• Zaugg, Penny E.

• School children
• Opera--Instruction and study
• Music in education--Evaluation
• School music--Instruction and study

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Dc Identifier Other

1994 .Z19

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:escholarshare.drake.edu:2092/466