Factors Related to Non-music Majors’ Intentions to Continue Participating in Ensembles - The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) - A Study Using the Extended TPB

Oct 15, 2026

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This study examines psychological factors linked to non-music majors’ intentions to continue participating in performing ensembles, using the extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The final sample comprised 200 non-music majors who previously participated in ensembles in the southeastern United States. An online survey gathered TPB scale responses plus open-ended reflections and demographic data. Quantitative results show attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and value of music as significant predictors, with patterns consistent across academic year. Qualitative themes connect attitude, value, norms, and self-efficacy and controllability beliefs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Theoretical Framework: Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)

Contributions to Music Education Vol. 46 (2021), pp. 133-153. Hyesoo yoo Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Factors Related to Non-music Majors’Intentions to Continue Participating in Ensembles: The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which variables proposed by the extended TPB (i . e . , attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and value of music) were associated with non-music majors’ intentions to continue participating in ensembles . The final sample included 200 non-music majors (62% return rate) from performing ensembles in the southeastern United States . Participants took an online survey that involved an open-ended question, the TPB Scale, and demographic information . The results of the quantitative data analysis indicated that all four predictor variables appeared to be significant indicators of non-music majors’ intentions to continue music participation . These results appeared to be the same when examining contributors of non-music majors’ intentions by their year in school . The responses to the open-ended question showed relationships between predictor variables across the data set: (a) attitude, value of music, and subjective norms; (b) perceived behavioral control (self-efficacy) and subjective norms, and (c) perceived behavioral control (controllability), attitude, and value of music . The findings have potential for music educators seeking to understand non-music majors’ psychological decision-making processes, as well as for predicting attitudes and behaviors related to continued participation in ensembles . Keywords: intention, motivation, non-music majors, retention, Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) Introduction In the field of music education, educators have long discussed musical engagement and lifelong participation in music (Brown, 2016; Mantie & Dorfman, 2014; Schultz, 2018) . In the United States, the Tanglewood Symposia I & II Contributions to Music Education (Mark, 2020), the Music and Lifelong Learning Symposium (2016), and the Vision 2020: Housewright Symposium (Madsen, 2020) supported the importance of music as a lifelong learning activity. The National Standards in the Arts (1994) and the National Core Arts Standards (2014) have also stressed the importance of lifelong music learning. These symposia and standards emphasized that people of all ages deserve to continue experiencing and seeking out musical participation throughout their lives. Furthermore, extensive research in the area of music as a lifelong activity has demonstrated that continued music participation contributes to self-confidence, quality of life and well-being, escape or stress relief, moralemotional development, mental health, social interaction, and cognitive development (Brown, 2016; Mantie & Dorfman, 2014; Schultz, 2018) . In spite of the importance of music as a lifelong activity, numerous researchers have discovered that many students who had joined an ensemble did not participate in a collegiate performing ensemble after high school graduation (Bowles & Jensen, 2012; Creech et al., 2013; Mantie & Dorfman, 2014; Vial, 2015) . In particular, Mantie and Dorfman (2014) described that approximately 75-80% of non-music majors with high school music involvement did not join ensembleson college campuses. They also noted that only 14.6% of participants reported partaking in regular music making activities. Given these low music participation rates after high school, it seems that the college years represent an important transition point in many young adults’ lives. Particularly for non-music majors, music programs must compete with rigorous academic schedules and other extracurricular activities that might be more interesting or valuable to students’ needs and future careers. Accordingly, numerous scholars have drawn attention to the importance of examining factor

FAQs

What was the purpose of the study on non-music majors’ ensemble participation?

To identify how variables from the extended TPB—attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and value of music—are associated with non-music majors’ intentions to continue participating in ensembles.

What variables predicted intentions in the quantitative analysis?

All four predictor variables were significant indicators of non-music majors’ intentions to continue music participation.

What relationships emerged from the open-ended question responses?

The open-ended responses linked attitude, value of music, and subjective norms; connected perceived behavioral control (self-efficacy) with subjective norms; and related perceived behavioral control (controllability) with attitude and value of music.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by nayy☆