The Use of Music As a Pedagogical Tool in Higher Education Sociology Courses: Faculty Member Perspectives and Potential Barriers

Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses Spring 6-20-2013 The Use of Music as a Pedagogical Tool in Higher Education Sociology Courses: Faculty Member Perspectives and Potential Barriers Jerry C.L. Loveless Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Educational Methods Commons, and the Educational Sociology Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Loveless, Jerry C.L., "The Use of Music as a Pedagogical Tool in Higher Education Sociology Courses: Faculty Member Perspectives and Potential Barriers" (2013). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 1100. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.1100 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. The Use of Music as a Pedagogical Tool in Higher Education Sociology Courses: Faculty Member Perspectives and Potential Barriers by Jerry C.L. Loveless A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Sociology Thesis Committee: Peter J. Collier, Chair Martha Balshem Randy Blazak Portland State University 2013 © 2013 Jerry C.L. Loveless Abstract Previous research has identified student engagement as an important antecedent to student learning in higher education. Although student engagement is viewed as important for learning, a significant number of college students still report frequently feeling bored in their courses. The use of music as a pedagogical tool is believed to be beneficial for promoting student engagement and student learning in higher education sociology courses, yet it has been suggested that sociology faculty members do not commonly incorporate the technique into their courses. The purpose of this comparative interview study is to explore higher education sociology faculty members’ understandings of the use of music as a pedagogical tool, and the perceived importance of student engagement to student learning among higher education sociology faculty members. In this study, it is found that higher education sociology faculty members believe student engagement can lead to increased student learning. It is also found that higher education sociology faculty members generally identify music as an effective pedagogical tool for promoting student engagement and learning in higher education sociology courses. Interestingly, participants believed the use of music as a pedagogical tool to be an uncommon practice in higher education sociology courses in the United States. As part of their efforts to explain their choices to use or not use music as a pedagogical tool, faculty participants described potential barriers that may impact faculty member choices to use music in their higher education sociology courses. i Sociology faculty participants in this study agreed that a lack of discussion of pedagogical tools among colleagues and in teaching courses might serve as a potential barrier for the use of music as a pedagogical tool. Higher education sociology faculty participants also identified a lack of knowledge of how to use music as a pedagogical tool as a potential barrier for the use of music in sociology courses. This research suggests that the lack of faculty knowledge of music as a pedagogical tool may be due to the lack of discussion of pedagogical tools both among colleagues and in the teaching courses completed by higher education sociology faculty members. Past research has suggested that sociology faculty members need to create an environment that encourages students to be active and engaged participants in their own learning through building a community of learners. This study suggests that higher education sociology faculty members may successfully build a community of learners through using music as a pedagogical tool in their courses. This study recommends that changes at the departmental level need to occur in order to make it easier for sociology faculty members to gain the knowledge required to use music effectively in their courses. Suggestions for practice and future research are provided. ii Dedication For those who challenge the potential “iron cage” of bureaucratic structures with creativity, innovation, and art. iii Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to thank all my friends and family for their on- going support during this life transition. I am especially indebted to my Mom and Stepdad Byron, Aunt Sue, Uncle John, Cousins Sarah and Bobby, the Hinchen Family, Molly Day, Heather Guevara, Lisa Baumann, and fellow musicians Stuart Smith, Liam Mullaney, Jon Rydman, Keith Walker and Wade Newman IV for helping me stay sane throughout this academic endeavor. Second, I would like give high praise to the members of my thesis committee for their on-going guidance and amazing intellect. Specifically, I would like to thank Dr. Randy Blazak for the awesome inquisitions, Dr. Martha Balshem for the numerous insightful and jovial conversations (go Party Committee go!), and my thesis chair Dr. Peter Collier for being a constant maestro at providing feedback and helping me see “the big picture.” Finally, I would like to thank the Federal Student Aid Program, the Oregon TUI Program, and the Portland State University Sociology Department for their financial support. Without their assistance I would have not had the monetary backing needed to complete this program. iv Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................... i Dedication ............................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... iv List of Tables ....................................................................................................... vii List of Figures ..................................................................................................... viii Chapter One Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 Chapter Two Review of Literature ............................................................................................. 10 Chapter Three Methodology ......................................................................................................... 35 Chapter Four Findings ................................................................................................................ 56 Chapter Five Discussion ............................................................................................................ 87 Chapter Six Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 107 References .......................................................................................................... 123 Appendices A: Recruitment Email I .......................................................................... 129 B: Recruitment Email II ........................................................................ 130 C: Recruitment Telephone Script I ........................................................ 131 D: Recruitment Telephone Script II ....................................................... 132 v E: Informed Consent Document ............................................................. 133 F: Interview Guide I .....…...................................................................... 135 G: Interview Guide II ............................................................................. 139 H: Codebook ……....……….................................................................. 143 I: Figure of Potential Barriers to Inform Future Research ..................... 145 J: Human Subjects Approval ................................................................. 146 vi List of Tables Table 1: Participant Demographic Characteristics ............................................... 40 Table 2: Participant Graduate School Characteristics ......................………........ 42 vii List of Figures Figure 1: Similarities and Differences Between Faculty Groups; Student Engagement, Student Learning, and Pedagogical Tools ...................................... 57 Figure 2: Similarities and Differences Between Faculty Groups; Benefits and Costs of Using Music as a Pedagogical Tool …..…...................................... 61 Figure 3: Similarities and Differences Between Faculty Groups; Potential Structural Barriers Associated With Using Music as a Pedagogical Tool ........... 71 viii Chapter One: Introduction Do higher education sociology faculty members and departments view student engagement as an important precursor to learning? While recent studies suggested student engagement is indeed important for learning outcomes, there has been a lack of literature discussing specifically whether sociology faculty members believe this to be true. Do higher education sociology faculty members and departments view the use of music as a legitimate pedagogical tool? While past studies in sociology and other disciplines have suggested college faculty members hold a relatively negative view of the use of music as a pedagogical tool, there is a lack of literature focusing on whether or not

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