Thai pre-service music educators and their future in music education and its role in society

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to acquire a better understanding of the decision-making process of Thai pre-service music education students and their expectations of their post-graduation professional activities. Demographic data was gathered as well as self-reported participant influences regarding choosing to major in music education. A free response question sought participants’ perception of their role as a music educator in their community. Results tended to mirror those of previous research. Emergent themes from the free response question included teacher behaviors, teacher traits, and student outcomes. These data may help to provide a better understanding of the pre-service music educators’ influences to become music educators, and their post-graduation expectations, as well as providing important information that may lead to possible revisions in current music education curricula in Thailand. Immediate and future relevance of the data and areas for further research were discussed.