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Cited by 9Diverse Music Education InsightsEducation, Achievement, and GiftednessMotivation and Self-Concept in Sports

The musical self-concept of Chinese music students

Open access
Petersen, Suse, Camp, Marc-Antoine·2016·Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00776PMC PMC4882319
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Abstract

The relationship between self-concept and societal settings has been widely investigated in several Western and Asian countries, with respect to the academic self-concept in an educational environment. Although the musical self-concept is highly relevant to musical development and performance, there is a lack of research exploring how the musical self-concept evolves in different cultural settings and societies. In particular, there have been no enquiries yet in the Chinese music education environment. This study's goal was the characterization of musical self-concept types among music students at a University in Beijing, China. The Musical Self-Concept Inquiry-including ability, emotional, physical, cognitive, and social facets-was used to assess the students' musical self-concepts (N = 97). The data analysis led to three significantly distinct clusters and corresponding musical self-concept types. The types were especially distinct, in the students' perception of their musical ambitions and abilities; their movement, rhythm and dancing affinity; and the spiritual and social aspects of music. The professional aims and perspectives, and the aspects of the students' sociodemographic background also differed between the clusters. This study is one of the first research endeavors addressing musical self-concepts in China. The empirical identification of the self-concept types offers a basis for future research on the connections between education, the development of musical achievement, and the musical self-concept in societal settings with differing understandings of the self.

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  • A positive self-concept enhances participation through pathways like metacognitive frameworks for musical understanding and sustained behavioral motivation.

    “Research indicates that a positive self-concept enhances participation through pathways like metacognitive frameworks for musical understanding and sustained behavioral motivation [11,41].”

    From Attitudes and Behaviors toward traditional music among Chinese students: the role of individual, family, and school factors (2026) · cites this paper as [11]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) says self-concept moderates students’ activities, thinking, and behavior, and the Discussion suggests that valuing music could lead to greater achievement motivation. The paper does not establish that a positive self-concept enhances participation through metacognitive frameworks for musical understanding or sustained behavioral motivation; it presents the motivation link as a possibility, not a demonstrated pathway. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Younger students often develop an interest in music through sensory engagement, while older students require contextualization and real-life applications to sustain their motivation.

    “Notably, younger students often develop an interest in music through sensory engagement, while older students require contextualization and real-life applications to sustain their motivation—needs that are often inadequately addressed in current curricula [11].”

    From Attitudes and Behaviors toward traditional music among Chinese students: the role of individual, family, and school factors (2026) · cites this paper as [11]

    The Introduction discusses cultural context and dimensions of musical self-concept, while the Discussion mentions a younger student cluster in relation to career expectations. Neither passage addresses sensory engagement as a source of younger students’ interest or older students’ need for real-life applications to sustain motivation. Searches for those age-related claims found no supporting passage in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Petersen, S., & Camp, M.-A.
Affiliations
Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (CH)
Corresponding author
Petersen, Suse
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2016-05-27
Volume
7
Pages
776-776
ISSN
1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00776
PMC
PMC4882319
OpenAlex
W2408411858
Cited by
9
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2
FWCI
0.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Diverse Music Education Insights
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports
Keywords
musical self-concept, music students, Chinese music education, musical ability, emotional response to music, sociodemographic differences, Beijing

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