Students’ motivation to engage in music lessons: The Cypriot context

Abstract

Students’ motivation has often been the subject of discussion in the field of music education. This article reports on an exploration of students’ motivation during their first year of attending music lessons in Cypriot lower secondary schools (Year 7). This study was a longitudinal study tracking the students ( N = 170) over one academic year. The first questionnaire was completed as students entered secondary school and the second at the end of their first year when students had encountered the new Cypriot music curriculum for the first time. The findings indicate that students’ overall motivation by the end of their first year at secondary school had diminished. As noted in previous research, problems with student motivation in school music were persistent, notwithstanding changes to the curriculum. The implications of the findings to enhance students’ motivation were examined, and future research directions are discussed.