Abstract
In music education, women are present in great numbers. In professional settings, however, women musicians are not as predominant. With some exceptions, such as Scandinavian countries, women still pursue gender equality in professional music practice. To inquire about the causes of this, we considered if gender-differences in amotivation in conservatoire instrument practice could be associated with aspects of learning environment. Self-determination theory (SDT) posits that learning environments may influence motivation, by satisfying or thwarting students’ psychological needs and by selectively endorsing specific extrinsic goals. Thus, we analysed if–women and men–amotivation variations could be explained by differences in behavioural regulations and satisfaction of their psychological needs for competence and autonomy. Participants (67 women and 74 men, 18–47 years old) completed validated scales for amotivation, behavioural regulations, and needs satisfaction. Students exhibited high intrinsic and introjected regulations, and high autonomy and competence needs satisfaction. Students’ identified regulation levels were modest, and external regulation and amotivation levels were low. Women students’ perceived competence was lower, and their amotivation was higher than men’s. Amotivation variations were explained positively by identified regulation and negatively by context-derived satisfaction of the psychological needs for competence (and autonomy, only among women). Results suggest that internalization of extrinsic goals can pose difficulties and that psychological needs satisfaction may counteract amotivation (autonomy being potentially more important for women musicians).
Highlights
IntroductionGender-differences in music practice: Contextual goals, psychological needs satisfaction and amotivation (co-funded by the Ministry of Sciences, Innovation and Universities of Spain and the European Regional Development Fund) and PsicoSAO Research Group in Social, Environmental, and Organizational Psychology (2017 SGR 564; Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement, Generalitat de Catalunya)
To inquire about the causes of this, we considered if gender-differences in their motivation in conservatoire instrument practice could be associated with aspects of learning environment from the perspective of self-determination theory (SDT), in amotivation–a lack of intention to act
Participants’ scores for introjected regulation were quite high, did not correlate negatively with intrinsic motivation, and were positively related with competence need satisfaction. These results suggest that, in performancebased studies, such as conservatoires, where performance is often judged by other-referenced external standards, controlled motivation may play a role in shaping students’ access to competence need satisfaction, which is indispensable to persevere and counteract amotivation and dropout tendencies [23]: in other words, students first and foremost need to feel competent, and this perception is mediated by the validation from their teachers
Summary
Gender-differences in music practice: Contextual goals, psychological needs satisfaction and amotivation (co-funded by the Ministry of Sciences, Innovation and Universities of Spain and the European Regional Development Fund) and PsicoSAO Research Group in Social, Environmental, and Organizational Psychology (2017 SGR 564; Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement, Generalitat de Catalunya)
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