Contributions to Music Education Vol. 45 (2020) - Preservice Music Teachers’ Reactions to K-12 Field Experiences - A Qualitative Analysis of Discussion Board Posts

Oct 15, 2026

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Applied qualitative research investigates how 12 preservice music teachers respond to K-12 field experiences within an undergraduate instrumental music methods course. Six weeks of course discussion board posts are analyzed using iterative constant comparative coding, generating five overarching themes: Reflective Practice, Disequilibrium, On-the-Job-Training, Teaching Experience Valued over Observation, and Buddy System. Findings inform recommendations to strengthen observation apprenticeships, reflective prompts, team teaching, peer communities, and collaboration with cooperating school music teachers.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Literature Review

Reflective Thinking

Preservice Teachers’ Beliefs about Teaching

Contributions to Music Education Vol. 45 (2020), pp. 81-103. NANCY H. BARRY Auburn University LISA R. CARAVAN Eastman School of Music University of Rochester Preservice Music Teachers’ Reactions to K-12 Field Experiences: A Qualitative Analysis of Discussion Board Posts Field experiences are important components of undergraduate music teacher education programs. This applied qualitative study investigated 12 preservice music teachers’reactions to K-12 ﬁeld experiences for an undergraduate instrumental music methods course. Six weeks of course discussion board posts were analyzed via an iterative, constant comparative coding process. This process yielded ﬁve overarching themes, based upon the literature and informing our initial research questions: Reﬂective Practice, Disequilibrium, On-the-Job-Training, Teaching Experience Valued over Observation, and Buddy System. Based upon our ﬁndings, we suggest that engaging preservice music teachers in an apprenticeship of observation prior to their ﬁeld experiences, developing stronger prompts to facilitate deeper reﬂection, promoting more team teaching and communities of reﬂective peers, and developing stronger collaborations with cooperating school music teachers may be appropriate ways to maximize the effectiveness of ﬁeld experiences for preservice teachers’ professional development. Keywords: preservice teachers, ﬁeld experiences, music education, reﬂectivity, professional development Contributions to Music Education Introduction Classroom observation and teaching experiences are essential components of undergraduate music teacher education programs. Traditional music education programs culminate with a comprehensive student teaching, internship, or clinical residency lasting from several weeks to an entire academic year, but short-term ﬁeld experiences prior to internship are also typical requirements in most music education programs (Dennis, 2016; NASM, 2016; Powell, 2020) . The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) expects baccalaureate degree programs in music education to provide “opportunities for various types of observation and teaching” (2016, p. 116) . NASM lists laboratory and ﬁeld experiences in teaching among the “essential competencies and experiences for programs whose published purpose is to prepare teachers”(p. 118) . NASM also recommends: Institutions should encourage observation and teaching experiences prior to formal admission to the teacher education program; ideally such opportunities should be provided in actual school situations. These activities, as well as continuing laboratory experiences, must be supervised by qualiﬁed music personnel from the institution and the cooperating schools. The choice of sites must enable students to develop competencies consistent with standards outlined above, and must be approved by qualiﬁed music personnel from the institution. (p. 120) Field experiences in K-12 schools are key components of university music teacher education programs and are required by accreditation agencies such as NASM. However, much remains to be learned about how best to support optimum preservice teacher learning through ﬁeld experiences. The following section summarizes the related literature on this topic. Literature Review Short-term observation and teaching experiences can provide important opportunities for music education students’learning and professional development (Berg & Miksza, 2010; Campbell & Thompson, 2007; Fredrickson & Pembrook, 1999; Haston & Russell, 2012; Miksza & Berg, 2013b; Powell, 2014, 2020; Schmidt, 2010). However, simply placing university students in a music classroom does not guarantee that they will come away from the ﬁeld experience with an enhanced general understanding of best practice or increased conﬁdence in their own teaching abilities. Factors such as school setting (elementary or Nancy H. Barry and Lisa R. Caravan secondary, urban or rural, large or small program), infr

FAQs

How was the study designed and what data were analyzed?

The study used applied qualitative methods and analyzed six weeks of discussion board posts from 12 preservice music teachers in an instrumental music methods course.

What themes emerged from the analysis?

Five overarching themes emerged: Reflective Practice, Disequilibrium, On-the-Job-Training, Teaching Experience Valued over Observation, and Buddy System.

What recommendations does the article make to improve field-experience effectiveness?

It recommends strengthening observation apprenticeships, creating prompts that foster deeper reflection, encouraging more team teaching and communities of reflective peers, and enhancing collaboration with cooperating school music teachers.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by nayy☆