The importance of selected variables in predicting student participation in junior high choir
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a set of variables that best predicted choral or music participation at the middle level, and if these variables changed by gender or junior high school.This study consisted of 504 sixth-grade students from 7 of 8 elementary schools within one school district. Prior to seventh grade registration sixth-grade subjects were administered three measurements during their regularly scheduled general music classes. These measurements consisted of the Children's' Sex-role Self-concept Inventory (Stericker & Kurdek, 1982), the Junior Eysneck Personality Questionnaire (Eysneck, 1975) and a research-devised Student Music Questionnaire. The three measurements contained seventeen variables that prior research has suggested may have an impacted on student decision making in regards to music participation at the junior high level. In addition to student variables which may have contributed to the subjects' participation choices, teacher and school variables were evaluated using the Bems Sex-role Inventory (Bems, Bems, 1974), the Eysneck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ, Eysneck, 1975), and a researcher devised Music Teacher Questionnaire.After seventh grade registration, the subjects individual measurement scores, their percentile ranking on three categories of the ITBS, and a rated score of their musical and singing ability by their general music teacher were analyzed using direct discriminant function analyses. The first analysis was based on the subjects participation choice of Choral Music, Non-choral Music, or No-music. This analysis found a significant difference between predictor variables for Music Participants verses Non-music Participants with the most significant predictor variables being a high musical self-concept, a positive attitude towards music, a greater positive impact of peer influence, and a lower perceived cost of participation.Separate discriminant function analyses by gender and school resulted in a variance of predictor variables. Choral and Non-choral female music students were similar to the total analysis with musical self-concept being the strongest predictor, however, actual ability was more significant predictor for Female Music Participants. Male Choral Participants' predictor variables were similar in structure to the female music participants, whereas Male Non-choral Music Participants' strongest predictors were family musical background and a lower than average score in psychoticism.
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