Choosing to study music in high school: Teacher support, psychological needs satisfaction, and elective music intentions
Abstract
High school students do not value music education highly, nor do they see it as a useful part of their academic pathways. When music becomes an elective subject, low enrolment in elective classes is seen as a challenge for music educators. This study aimed to further investigate this issue by examining the motivational climate of the music classroom, including the perceptions of the music teacher, in the development of student motivation for music. It also examined how these motivational factors influenced students’ intentions to take music as an elective subject. A hypothesized model based on self-determination theory was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM), based on survey data from N = 395 students from 11 schools. The hypothesized model fit the data well. Students’ basic psychological needs fulfillment was predicted by the perceived needs-supportive practices of their teachers. These in turn were predictive of students’ elective intentions. Using multi-group SEM analyses, findings were invariant across gender, school type, year at school, and socio-economic status, and the role of prior music learning was examined. The results indicate that an effective target for increasing students’ motivation and value for music at school may be the motivational climate of the music classroom.
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When general music students in elementary and middle school leave their music class with stronger beliefs in their music abilities, they are more likely to enroll in secondary music classes.
“When general music students in elementary and middle school leave their music class with stronger beliefs in their music abilities, they are more likely to enroll in secondary music classes (Freer & Evans, 2018, 2019).”
From Understanding Participation in Secondary Music Classes: A Literature Review (2020) · cites this paper as Freer & Evans, 2019
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Cognitive load theory and its relationships with motivation: A self-determination theory perspective
Evans, P., Vansteenkiste, M., Parker, P., Kingsford-Smith, A., & Zhou, S. (2024) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-023-09841-2 · Cited by 200 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Freer, E., & Evans, P.
- Affiliations
- UNSW Sydney (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Evans, Paul
- Venue
- Psychology of Music
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2019-08-13
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 781-799
- ISSN
- 0305-7356 (ISSN-L)
- 1741-3087
- OpenAlex
- W2968592844
- Cited by
- 68
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 103.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychology of Music (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Diverse Music Education Insights
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
- Keywords
- music education, student motivation, self-determination theory, basic psychological needs, teacher support, motivational climate, music teachers' perceptions, high school students, gender differences, school type, socioeconomic status
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