ERIC Number: EJ1138685
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-May
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0255-7614
EISSN: N/A
A Survey on Weifang Teachers' Attitudes toward Teaching Chinese Folk Music
Han, Ruochen; Leung, Bo Wah
International Journal of Music Education, v35 n2 p202-215 May 2017
In mainland China, the implementation of the junior secondary school's music curriculum is highly dependent on music teachers' attitudes towards music and music education. This study investigated the possible relationship between teachers' attitudes towards teaching Chinese folk music and their music teaching practice in junior secondary schools in Weifang, China. A total of 72 secondary school teachers responded to a questionnaire regarding their attitude towards teaching Chinese folk music and their perception of students' attitudes to learning the genre. Six semi-structured interviews with voluntary teachers were conducted to explore the constraints of teaching Chinese folk music. Findings indicate that most respondents have a positive attitude towards teaching Chinese folk music although they spent limited time teaching the genre. Teachers' attitudes are not only related to their personal musical preference and students' responses, but are also shaped and modified by the educational context of China, including music teachers' professional training, teaching responsibility, and the needs of the job market. Promoting Chinese music through education requires both music teachers and teaching policy makers to have an appropriate understanding of Chinese folk music which should not be supplementary to the main content; rather, it should be an imperative part of the music curriculum. Learning Chinese folk music is beneficial for nurturing students' musical identities. Balancing the ratio of Western classical music and Chinese folk music in music classes is helpful in cultivating students' multicultural perspectives.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Teacher Surveys, Teacher Attitudes, Folk Culture, Music Education, Music Teachers, Teaching Methods, Secondary School Teachers, Questionnaires, Semi Structured Interviews, Classical Music, Western Civilization, Cultural Pluralism, Secondary Schools, Musical Instruments, Mixed Methods Research
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A