Effects of presentation mode on community college students' perception of performance quality and self-reported level of musical engagement.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of presentation mode on community college students' ratings of a choral performance and self-perceived level of engagement with the music controlling for age, gender, and previous musical training. The following research questions were explored: (a) what effect, if any, does presentation mode have on participants' ratings of the quality of a choral performance; (b) what effect,if any, does participants' age, gender, or previous musical training have on participants' ratings of the quality of a choral performance; (c) what effect, if any, does presentation mode have on participants' ratings of their engagement with the music during a choral performance; (d) what effect, if any, does participants' age, gender, or previous musical training have on participants' ratings of their engagement with the music during a choral performance; (e) why do participants rate the quality of a choral performance of one presentation mode higher than others, if at all; and (f) why do different presentation modes make participants feel more or less engaged with the music, if at all. Community college students (N = 71) enrolled in four music appreciation courses at two community colleges rated their perceptions of the performance quality and their level of engagement with the music on four-point Likert-type scale for three presentation modes. Participants provided written responses explaining their ratings. Quality and engagement ratings were analyzed using a three-way repeated measures MANCOV A controlling for age, gender, and years of training. Results indicated that presentation mode was a significant predictor of participants' ratings of quality (p < .001) and level of engagement (p < .001). There was a significant within-subjects effect (p < .05) for age and quality, and between-subjects effect (p < .05) for years of training and engagement. Qualitative data were analyzed, coded, and themes were identified. Themes included focus of attention, environmental factors, technology, and preference affected perceptions of quality. Technology and perception of performance quality affected level of engagement. It was concluded that the presentation mode used to present a listening experience to community college students had a significant effect on students' perceptions of performance quality and level of engagement with music during a listening experience. Moreover, students' perceptions of quality and engagement were most often related to a variety of factors the influenced their focus of attention during the listening experience.