Reports on a study designed to assess burnout levels among college music professors as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory and to determine potential demographic and job related factors that may be related to various levels of burnout. Concludes that significant relationships exist between burnout and job satisfaction, recognition, career…

Describes William G. Perry, Jr.'s stages of student development (dualism, multiplicity, relativism, and commitment within relativism), examining their possible applications to undergraduate music education majors and implications for research. Concludes that the model provides a "philosophical map" of student changes and encourages exploration of…

Summarizes and critiques a study designed to investigate and identify factors that contribute to the attrition of high school band directors. Stating that Nimmo should have addressed the issues of success and merit pay more fully, Cowden concludes that the dissertation's findings reveal the need for serious discussions and actions toward reducing…

Critiques a study comparing the effects of reality therapy to the effects of two other disciplinary systems--removal from class activity, and assigning extra work--on student perceptions of classroom behavior and on student attitudes. Greenberg commends Faber's use of reality therapy regarding music education but identifies weaknesses in research…

Summarizes and critiques Kramer's dissertation which compared the Gould Specialized Program in Singing with the New Providence K-5 Music Curriculum Guide on the premise that various types of imagery (aural, visual, and kinesthetic) play a vital role in developing vocal accuracy. States that despite complexity, the topic and Kramer's…

Summarizes and critiques a dissertation that assessed the relationship between job satisfaction of music performance faculty in doctoral degree granting institutions and their perceptions of their work; departmental chairperson, and peers. Weerts criticizes the dissertation's title, grammar, writing style, and recommendations, characterizing it as…

Introducing a special bulletin issue about the role of research in music education, the editor discusses policies regarding the printing of material, stresses the importance of publishing and evaluating dissertations, and outlines the purposes of doctoral study. Concludes by emphasizing the need for not only research, but researcher-scholars. (GEA)

Responding to Dennis Johnston's criticism of his review of Horning's dissertation, the author discusses the inappropriate tone and focus of Johnston's remarks. States that, in reviewing dissertations, both technical presentation and scholarship are important. Argues that good scholarship, as the ultimate goal, should not be down-graded because of…

Outlines essential elements of critical reviews and presents findings of a study which examined the format of dissertation reviews in previous issues of the BULLETIN. Presents guidelines for writing the summary and critical evaluation sections of a dissertation review. (GEA)

Explores the nature of a critique and forms a theoretical schema for analyzing past critiques found in the BULLETIN. Presents proposals for greater uniformity in the format, scope, and focus of BULLETIN critiques, including examples of abstracts and critiques from previous issues. (GEA)

Discusses the importance of reviewing doctoral dissertations so that research findings will be spread throughout the academic community. Identifies generally accepted practices for reviewing scholarly studies and examines three recent reviews of their effectiveness. (GEA)

Reviews U.S., British, German, and Scandinavian research on factors influencing the degree of liking or disliking music. Focuses on research relevant to such factors influencing musical preferences among young people receiving general music training as: specific characteristics of music; the effect of familiarity with music; the effect of…

Provides a nontechnical explanation of the family of multivariate statistical techniques known as multidimensional scaling (MDS). Explains the purpose of MDS, and the advantages of using these techniques in the study of musical perception. Discusses two approaches to the interpretation of MDS solutions. Lists examples of musical studies using MDS.…

Summarizes and critiques Berberich's dissertation on cognitive effects on music perception. Comments on the study's unusual data analysis and presentation. States that the main arguments are presented elegantly and clearly, but the study overlooked other issues such as a chapter on related literature. (LS)

Critiques an investigation of the possibility of applying a Neo-Piagetian task to music. Contends that the task could be used as a criterion measure in determining a developmental sequence for auditory pitch discrimination. Details the Neo-Piagetian positions that make Piaget's theory more compatible with current cognitive psychology trends. (LS)