Improving Music Teaching and Learning Through Assessing the Music Classroom Environment

Abstract

Teachers often speak of a classroom's climate, environment, atmosphere, tone and ethos as important in their own right as well as being influential in terms of students' learning. Although classroom environment has been shown to be a subtle concept, considerable progress has been made over the last two decades (Fraser 1986, 1989, 1994) in conceptualising, assessing and researching it. Research into classroom learning environments can answer important questions such as the following: How does a classroom's environment affect student learning and attitudes? Can teachers conveniently and reliably assess the climates of their own classrooms and can they change these environments? Is there a difference between actual and preferred classroom environment as perceived by students, and does this matter in terms of student outcomes? Much of this research has attempted to answer such questions in the areas of maths and science teaching. There have been few applications of this work to music classrooms in schools or universities. This paper presents data from research with general primary teachers undertaking music as part of their teacher training at Griffith University, Mt Gravatt Campus. The instrument used was the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) (Fraser, 1986a). The paper concludes that, while there is considerable difference between students' perceptions of actual and preferred music environments, the music classroom environment can be reliably assessed and improved, with demonstratable gains in students' attitude towards music.