string specialists' and non-string specialists' content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge of string-specific techniques in the intermediate strings class
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Abstract
This study examines the pedagogical content knowledge of music
teachers who teach in or out of their field of expertise. The primary goal of this
study was to observe string specialists' and non-string specialists' content
knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and the instructional strategies used to
teach vibrato, shifting, and spiccato bowing technique in an intermediate string
class. The study provided an in-depth understanding of string specialists' and
non-string specialists' (a) content knowledge of vibrato, shifting, and spiccato
bowing; (b) content and pedagogical knowledge to teach vibrato, shifting, and
spiccato bowing technique; and (c) how pedagogical content knowledge is used
to teach vibrato, shifting, and spiccato bowing technique.
A multiple case study design was used to examine how pedagogical content knowledge was used by string specialists and non-string specialists to teach string-specific technique. A purposeful sample of 6 cases was selected for the study. String specialists and non-string specialists were purposefully chosen to understand how pedagogical knowledge is used to teach string-specific technique. In order to perform a cross-case analysis, similar cases (e.g., location, level, program size) were chosen.
Data were collected through observations of rehearsals and interviews
with string specialists and non-string specialists. Each participant was observed
teaching three rehearsals, and three interviews were conducted with each
participant. Through the coding process, emergent themes were explored to
provide detailed insight into the pedagogical and content knowledge of string
specialists and non-string specialists. Interview transcripts were coded using
WEFT QDA 1.01 software (Fenton, 2006).
The findings suggest that non-string specialists in this study have a limited
understanding of the fundamental general principles for vibrato, shifting, and
spiccato bowing technique. The non-string specialists' content knowledge of
vibrato, shifting, and spiccato bowing had more misconceptions, more
misunderstandings, and a less organized understanding of the content when
compared to string specialists. Additionally, non-string specialists with limited
content knowledge chose less challenging instructional strategies than string
specialists. This research will help to inform the string profession regarding the
importance of string-specific content knowledge and pedagogical strategies, and
assist non-string specialists who teach string classes in better understanding the
knowledge and approaches they might presently be lacking.
Description
Thesis (D.M.A.)--Boston University