Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs The Listening Practices Of Secondary School Students Whilst They Are Studying Thesis How to cite: Malibha-Pinchbeck, Memory (2020). The Listening Practices Of Secondary School Students Whilst They Are Studying. PhD thesis The Open University. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c 2019 The Author https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Version: Version of Record Link(s) to article on publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21954/ou.ro.00011189 Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk Doctor of Philosophy March 2019 The Listening Practices of Secondary School Students whilst they are Studying Memory Malibha-Pinchbeck Supervisors: Dr Janet Soler, Dr Byron Dueck and Dr Felicity Fletcher-Campbell Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies Disciplines: Cultural Studies, Sociology of Education and Ethnomusicology Funding: Full-time Open University Scholarship 1 Memory Malibha-Pinchbeck The Open University Abstract This thesis discusses why and how fifteen to twenty-one year old students in formal education listen to music or religious scriptures during study. The fieldwork for this research was conducted in two educational institutes in London: a large further education college (FE) and a small fee-paying academy of Islamic faith. My study combines sociological and ethnographic approaches, most notably from sociology of education and ethnomusicology. The theoretical framework used merges Bourdieusian critical theory and Wengerian social theory to analyse student learning experiences, listening practices and personal contexts within a critical sociocultural frame. This involved analysing how students enact their agency within the parameters of educational, social, economic and cultural structures. A mixed- method ethnographic methodological approach was used, which consisted of short- term classroom observations, in-depth narrative interviews, and a mixed survey using both open- and closed-ended questions. Data collection resulted in a total of 30 surveys returned, 7 classroom observations, 5 teacher interviews, and 10 student interview transcripts from 20 student interviewees. Interviews were conducted face- to-face, at institutes and one-to-one or in groups. The data collected was analysed using narrative inquiry and thematic analysis. Findings showed that the practice of listening during study is connected to a student’s learning and personal contexts. In addition to this, students were found to use different listening strategies to manage different economic, social and cultural conditions, and to use their recordings to enact accommodative agency within each learning context. They adopted this strategy to fit in, and conform, rather than resist authority and rebel against commonly accepted institutional and societal educational aims and objectives. Keywords: music, religious scriptures, listening practices, secondary education, agency, Bourdieu, Wenger, identities, learning narratives 2 Memory Malibha-Pinchbeck The Open University Acknowledgements I would like to thank my parents for their support over the last four and half years through the countless phone conversations we shared that were uplifting. I thank my husband for encouraging me to embark on a PhD, and also supporting me throughout the duration of my studies. I thank my proofreader Dr Sigrun Lange for reading, commenting and questioning my final drafts. On the academic side, I am grateful to my supervisory team that has worked hard over four and a half years to ensure that this thesis is completed and produced to a high standard. To each of my supervisors, thank you for the time and dedication you have taken reading and rereading several times over my work, and not relenting until it was ‘good’. I am also very grateful for all the participants and facilitators that were generous enough to give their time, effort, resources and experiences to make this study possible. Lastly, I thank Fifi and Otis - my two spaniels, that have been my constant companions throughout the journey of this project. 3 Memory Malibha-Pinchbeck The Open University Contents The Listening Practices of Secondary School Students during Study ............... 1 Abstract .............................................................................................................. 2 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... 3 Contents ................................................................................................................ 4 List of Tables ......................................................................................................... 7 List of Figures ....................................................................................................... 7 List of Interviews ................................................................................................... 8 List of Classroom Observations .......................................................................... 8 Glossary................................................................................................................. 9 Chapter 1: Study Introduction and Rationale ................................................... 11 1.1 Teaching experiences and research inception ....................................... 12 1.2 Preliminary research questions ............................................................... 22 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 25 2.2 Music, digital practices and young people .............................................. 27 2.3 Agency, communities of practice and student listening practices ....... 41 2.4 Bourdieusian applications of agentive listening and agency in education .......................................................................................................... 49 2.5 Structures, capital, learning conditions and listening practices ........... 54 2.6 Creating key terms and meanings ........................................................... 66 2.7 Evolution of research questions .............................................................. 70 2.8 Conclusions ............................................................................................... 71 Chapter 3: Research Methodology and Methods ............................................. 73 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 74 3.2 Application of research questions ........................................................... 74 3.3 Methodology .............................................................................................. 76 3.4 Methodological tools, analysis and issues: surveys, classroom observations/ visits and interviews ............................................................... 78 3.5 Justification of methodological tools and how they complement theoretical frames .......................................................................................... 108 3.6 Recruitment procedures, revisions and issues .................................... 110 3.7 Student participants and sampling ........................................................ 121 3.8 Data collection sites ................................................................................ 123 3.9 Consent, ethics and other considerations ............................................ 125 3.10 Methodological conclusions and future improvements ................... 129 4 Memory Malibha-Pinchbeck The Open University Chapter 4: Listening, Reflexivity and Managing Positionalities for Narrative Construction ...................................................................................................... 132 4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 133 4.2 Reflexivity: reflections and expressions of positionalities, struggles and experiences ............................................................................................. 134 4.3 Managing positionalities, tensions and experiences ........................... 144 4.4. Discussion ............................................................................................... 156 4.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 159 Chapter 5: Listening, Managing the Self and Spaces for Learning .............. 161 5.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 162 5.2 Educational expediency and listening to manage reduced agency .... 163 5.3 Managing emotions and focus for study ............................................... 178 5.4 Managing spaces for learning ................................................................ 185 5.5 Discussion ................................................................................................ 193 5.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................... 203 6.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 205 6.2 Cultural identity and role models