Over the past year, I have been working on a national survey of high school technology-based music classes. With the help of four great undergraduate research assistants at Rowan, we have contacted 10% of high schools in the United States. The study has two parts: 1). a survey for principals that addresses whether or not the high school has a technology-based music class and the principal’s attitudes about these classes; and 2). a survey for the music technology teachers (identified in the first survey) about their classes, professional background, and students.
The first survey is basically complete (although a few more envelopes may trickle in). After contacting the school principals online three times and a fourth time via snail mail, 518 out of 1832 have responded – or 28.4%. I had hoped for a higher response rate, but given the size of the sample, I have enough to examine the data with confidence. The second survey should be complete in a few weeks, and then I can really dig into the data. It will be fun to see how this set of data compares to the findings from the survey I completed in New Jersey two years ago, in which 28% of New Jersey high schools had tech-based music classes. Any guesses what that percentage will be nationally?
The findings won’t be released until I present the study at ATMI in Minneapolis in September, but I’ll hint that the attitudes toward technology-based music classes are interesting.
[...] Survey Update:Dr. Dammers gives a brief update concerning his latest research with high school teachers teaching technology-based music classes. [...]
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