Elisa Kupers

A dynamic model that links skill acquisition with self-determination in instrumental music lessons

Music education researchers have sought to clarify two fundamental issues. The first concerns ‘the extent to which musical progress is sequenced and orderly, and why some children’s progress appears to be effortless in contrast to others who struggle’ (McPherson, 2005, p. 5). The second concerns how successful learners are able to acquire the resilience needed to ‘bounce back’ despite stresses and distractions which impact on motivation and a desire to continue learning (West & Rostvall, 2003; Costa-Giomi, Flowers, & Sasaki, 2005). This article aims to contribute to research on these issues in the context of instrumental music lessons, by presenting a dynamic model linking skills acquisition (from the perspective of scaffolding theory) and self-determination theory. We argue that musical development is a transactional, dynamic process in which the scaffolding of the music student’s skills and self-determination are deeply intertwined. Within this conception, teacher-student interactions are conceptualized at the micro- and macro-level time scales, and are viewed as mutually connected. We conclude by discussing the ways in which this model can guide future research.

A mixed-methods approach to studying co-regulation of student autonomy through teacher–student interactions in music lessons

Interactions that occur between teacher and student during instrumental music lessons are complex and multifaceted and embrace a full range of promotive and demotive factors that not only underpin effective learning, but also have an impact on whether children will persist with their learning long-term (McPherson, Davidson, & Faulkner, 2012). Such interactions also provide the context in which students gain a sense of personal control and autonomy over their learning (Evans, McPherson, & Davidson, 2012). In this article, we present new ways of conceptualizing autonomy by taking the teacher–student interaction as a unit of analysis to examine the processes of co-regulation of student autonomy. In Study 1, we performed an in-depth qualitative analysis of four teacher – student dyads in individual string lessons. We found large differences between these dyads in the way autonomy is co-regulated from moment to moment. These differences are theorized to be in part connected to the general need for autonomy of the student. In addition, we found that teachers have different ways of dealing with students’ expressions of autonomy in lessons. In Study 2, we tested whether large moment-to-moment differences between the teacher’s and student’s levels of autonomy (‘out-of-synch’ moments) contributed to macro-level student outcomes. Here, we found a positive relation between the amount of out-of-synch per lesson and, respectively, students’ motivation and progress.

Look Closely at What I'm Doing! Scaffolding in Individual String Lessons: Two Case Studies.

In this article, we provide a process description of scaffolding in music lessons based on the scaffolding model of Van Geert and Steenbeek (2005). Scaffolding is a form of socially mediated learning in which teacher and student constantly adapt their behavior to one another in order to reach a goal. To illustrate this process, data from video-observations of two teacher-student dyads in Suzuki string lessons were analyzed to see how well this data fits the Van Geert and Steenbeek model. Results show the dynamic connection between amount of instruction and instruction type on the one hand and performance level of the student on the other hand. Results also show that the process of socially mediated learning takes the form of an increasing overlap between student and teacher actions, i.e. an increase of the joint action over time.In this article, we provide a process description of scaffolding in music lessons based on the scaffolding model of Van Geert and Steenbeek (2005). Scaffolding is a form of socially mediated learning in which teacher and student constantly adapt their behavior to one another in order to reach a goal. To illustrate this process, data from video-observations of two teacher-student dyads in Suzuki string lessons were analyzed to see how well this data fits the Van Geert and Steenbeek model. Results show the dynamic connection between amount of instruction and instruction type on the one hand and performance level of the student on the other hand. Results also show that the process of socially mediated learning takes the form of an increasing overlap between student and teacher actions, i.e. an increase of the joint action over time.

Changing Patterns of Scaffolding and Autonomy During Individual Music Lessons: A Mixed Methods Approach

Learning implies change. Inside and outside schools, we aim for students to change into people with more skills and knowledge as well as with a growing sense of agency and responsibility. Furthermore, education itself is subject to constant change. In this article, we examine change in 3 case studies in the context of individual music lessons from a complex dynamic systems approach. Three beginning string instrument students and their teacher were followed for 18 months (28 lessons per dyad) by means of video observations. We combine cluster analyses on longitudinal data with qualitative illustrations of moment-to-moment teacher–student transactions to gain insight into how and why change in teaching and learning occurs. The 3 cases show distinct profiles of change: the development of strong suboptimal attractor states, the emergence of optimal attractor states, and a profile that is characterized by falling back into suboptimal attractor states. We discuss how optimal and suboptimal learning and teaching trajectories can unfold over time and how a mixed methods approach can provide valuable new insights for both practice and future research.