Comparing the Inequality of Music Education Resource Distribution Between Urban and Rural Areas and Its Long-term Impact on Students' Learning Achievement
Abstract
Students receiving Western instrumental music education develop cognitive skills, creativity, and academic achievement. This study examines inequalities in resource availability for Western instrumental music education between urban and rural schools and their impact on student outcomes. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining quantitative surveys from 410 students measuring access to music resources, participation in programs, and academic performance, along with semi-structured interviews with 67 music teachers to explore instructional challenges and perceived effects on student motivation. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS for descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis in NVivo. Findings revealed significant disparities in music education resources. Urban schools had more instruments, structured programs, and highly qualified teachers, whereas rural schools faced limited access to instruments, fewer music programs, and a shortage of specialized instructors in Western music traditions. These disparities influence student motivation, proficiency, and long-term academic success. This study’s novelty lies in its comprehensive integration of qualitative and quantitative methods, offering a holistic understanding of educational inequalities in music. The findings highlight the need for targeted policy interventions to bridge the urban-rural gap and ensure equitable access to music education for all students.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Cites
Gruijters, R. J., & Behrman, J. A. (2020) · Sociology of Education · doi:10.1177/0038040720919379 · Cited by 157 · see citing works
Váradi, J. (2022) · SAGE Open · doi:10.1177/21582440211068501 · Cited by 139 · see citing works
Ullah, A., Zhao, K., Ullah, S., Pinglu, C., & Khan, S. (2021) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su13031038 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Bautista, A., Yeung, J., Mclaren, M. L., & Ilari, B. S. (2022) · Arts Education Policy Review · doi:10.1080/10632913.2022.2043969 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Policy strategies to remedy isolation of specialist arts and music teachers
Bautista, A., Stanley, A. M., & Candusso, F. (2020) · Arts Education Policy Review · doi:10.1080/10632913.2020.1746713 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Promise and reality: using ICTs to bridge China’s rural–urban divide in education
Luo, H., Zuo, M., & Wang, J. (2022) · Educational Technology Research and Development · doi:10.1007/s11423-022-10118-8 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Liu, C., Hwang, G., Tu, Y., Yin, Y., & Wang, Y. (2021) · Interactive Learning Environments · doi:10.1080/10494820.2021.1974890 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Music Teacher Recruitment of Precollegiate and Marginalized Populations: A Review of the Literature
Robison, T., Williams, B., Hoffman, E. C., & Erős, J. (2019) · Update Applications of Research in Music Education · doi:10.1177/8755123319884989 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Liu, C., & Olamijuwon, E. O. (2024) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116688 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Ballantyne, J., & Canham, N. (2022) · International Journal of Music Education · doi:10.1177/02557614221124966 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Cui, C., & Xie, X. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1275734 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
West, J. J. (2023) · Journal of Research in Music Education · doi:10.1177/00224294231180084 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Shaw, B. P. (2021) · Journal of Research in Music Education · doi:10.1177/00224294211006415 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Student Retention in School Bands and Orchestras: A Literature Review
Hash, P. M. (2021) · Update Applications of Research in Music Education · doi:10.1177/87551233211042585 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Challenges and Potential of a Diverse Music Teaching Force: A Review of the Literature
Yi, T. S. (2023) · Update Applications of Research in Music Education · doi:10.1177/87551233231198242 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Li, H., Lin, Q., Jian, Z., & Li, S. (2024) · Journal of Industrial and Management Optimization · doi:10.3934/jimo.2024085 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Yende, S. J., & Madolo, Y. (2023) · Journal of African Education · doi:10.31920/2633-2930/2023/v4n1a14 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Analyzing instrumental music education models: a four-dimension tool
Sanchez-Escribano, E., Barrio, F. G., & Bautista, A. (2022) · Arts Education Policy Review · doi:10.1080/10632913.2022.2041139 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Conaghan, D. (2022) · Irish Educational Studies · doi:10.1080/03323315.2022.2093255 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Parents and Group Music Lessons: A Role Theory Perspective for Music Teacher Educators
Ang, K., Panebianco, C., & Odendaal, A. (2022) · Journal of Music Teacher Education · doi:10.1177/10570837221121334 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Trienekens, S., Campos, J. C. E., Schutte, L., & Bremmer, M. (2024) · Research Studies in Music Education · doi:10.1177/1321103x231224229 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Hendry, N. (2023) · Journal of Popular Music Education · doi:10.1386/jpme_00107_1 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Li, X. (2024) · International Journal of Education and Humanities · doi:10.54097/q5mvy859 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Obedling J. T. (2024). School infrastructure utilization and students’ academic performance in selected public secondary schools in Zombo district Uganda [Doctoral dissertation Muni University]. https://dir.muni.ac.ug/handle/20.500.12260/630
- Shelton A. P.Sr. (2024). Hip hop performing arts charter schools: The future of arts education in predominantly non-white low income underserved rural areas of Louisiana [Doctoral dissertation Liberty University]. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5879
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Wang, X., & Su, Y. (2026) · Educational Review · doi:10.1080/00131911.2026.2693794
Character-Level Singing Technique Detection and Evaluation: A Two-Stage Approach
Xue, Q., Wang, Y., Zhou, Y., Duan, H., & Gao, X. (2026) · IEEE Signal Processing Letters · doi:10.1109/lsp.2026.3716909
- Authors
- Xuan, W., & Fitri bin Mohamad Haris, M.
- Affiliations
- Sejong University (KR)
- Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia
- Corresponding author
- Xuan, Wang
- ORCID
- Xuan, Wang
- Venue
- Education and Urban Society
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2025-04-18
- Volume
- 57
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 674-698
- ISSN
- 0013-1245 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-3535
- OpenAlex
- W4409599850
- Cited by
- 2
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2
- FWCI
- 19.42
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Education and Urban Society (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Diverse Music Education Insights
- Social Sciences › Education › Music Education and Analysis
- Social Sciences › Education › Education in Rural Contexts
- Keywords
- music education, educational inequality, urban-rural disparities, music teaching materials, music teacher shortage, academic performance, student motivation, educational equity policy
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
