The effect of aural instruction with tonal and rhythm patterns from Edwin Gordon’s Music Learning Theory on the aural discrimination abilities of second-grade students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of aural instruction with tonal and rhythm patterns from Edwin Gordon’s Music Learning Theory on the tonal and rhythmic discrimination abilities of second-grade students. The secondary purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a relationship among the extent of music experience, preference for music activities, and the tonal and rhythmic discrimination abilities across four groups of second-grade students. Participants were four intact second-grade general music classes from one elementary school in North Carolina. The classes were assigned randomly to three experimental groups and one control group. I instructed the experimental groups using Edwin Gordon’s aural-based tonal patterns in Music Learning Theory for ten minutes each class period during a treatment week and rhythm patterns the next treatment week. The experimental groups were assigned randomly to one of three conditions: (a) playing instruments only, (b) singing and chanting only, and (c) singing, chanting, and playing instruments. The control group did not receive tonal and rhythm pattern instruction; instead, I instructed participants for ten minutes each class period using classroom activities from the Spotlight on Music second-grade textbook series. At the beginning of the study, all participants were administered the Primary Measures of Music Audiation (PMMA) to measure their developmental music aptitude. Participants were administered a researcher-created questionnaire to determine the extent of their musical experience and their music activity preferences. Some students were selected at random to be interviewed by me to provide additional information about their questionnaire responses. At the end of the study, all participants were administered the PMMA as a posttest. The research study period was August 31 – December 16, 2015, with twelve weeks allotted for the instructional treatment period. Using the pretest as the covariate, an ANCOVA was performed to determine whether there were any significant main effects or interaction effects of instruction. Results of the ANCOVA analyses indicated there were no significant main effects or interaction effects of instruction for any of the PMMA subtests at the .05 level of significance. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine whether there were significant relationships among the extent of music experience, preference for music activities, and the PMMA scores. Results indicated that preference for jazz and the genre labeled “other” (i.e., rap, hip-hop, and “Kidz Bop”) were small, negative predictors for PMMA tonal scores. Preference for singing as a favorite music activity was a small, negative predictor for PMMA rhythm scores, and preference for the pop genre was a small, positive predictor for PMMA rhythm scores. Jazz genre preference was a small, negative predictor for PMMA composite scores, while pop genre preference was a small, positive predictor. The control group, as compared to the three experimental groups, was a small, positive predictor for PMMA rhythm scores only. Based on these results, aural instruction with tonal and rhythm patterns from Edwin Gordon's Music Learning Theory did not have a significant effect on the tonal and rhythmic discrimination abilities of second-grade students

The assessment of dance movement satisfaction of elementary age children participating in a creative dance instructional program

The purpose of this study was to develop a dance movement satisfaction scale to measure the effect of a creative dance program on dance satisfaction in second and fourth grade students. Two phases were established; the first was to assess the validity and reliability of the scale, and the second was to determine treatment effects of the creative dance program for second and fourth grade subjects. An initial pool of 103 items was developed using various sources from elementary physical education and creative dance literature, and several items from the investigator's own dance experiences. The items represented four content areas of creative dance; music/self-accompaniment, movement or dynamic qualities, locomotor/nonlocomotor movements, and choreography. A panel of judges reviewed the scales 103 items, and a total of 33 items was removed from the scale. The 70 items that remained were then used in the preliminary study to assess the reliability of the scale

Action Research and New Media: Concepts, Methods, and Cases

Book revie

The AETZone Experience: A Qualitative Analysis of the Use of Presence Pedagogy in a 3D Immersive Learning Environment

Faculty in the Department of Leadership and Educational Studies at Appalachian State University have utilized AETZone, a 3D virtual world to deliver graduate coursework for the past nine years. Instruction has been guided by the Reich College of Education’s social constructivist conceptual framework, resulting in a learning environment that emphasizes the social construction of knowledge through interaction with others within virtual communities of practice. Over time, certain teaching and learning behaviors and practices that reflect both the tenets of the social constructivist framework and the features of the virtual world have organically developed through faculty and student engagement in this unique learning space and have been referred to as Presence Pedagogy (P2). However, for this new pedagogical approach to serve as a model for future instruction, a more articulate operational definition of this model is needed. Therefore, the research question discussed in this paper is: To what extent is the Presence Pedagogy framework reflected in the actions and behaviors of students and faculty in the AETZone? The authors conclude that while the overall characteristics of P2 are supported, a gap exists in the model regarding interactions that are more social in nature. While social interaction may be implied in the P2 framework, more attention and emphasis is needed in terms of creating and maintaining this AETZone experience

Promoting Reflection Through Action Learning in a 3D Virtual World

An international cooperation between educators in Australia and the US has led to a reconceptualization of the teaching of a library science course at Appalachian State University. The pedagogy of Action Learning coupled with a 3D virtual learning environment immerses students in a social constructivist learning space that incorporates and supports interaction and reflection. The intent of this study was to build a bridge between theory and practice by providing students with a tool set that promoted personal and social reflection, and created and scaffolded a community of practice. Besides, action learning is an educational process whereby the fifty graduate students experienced their own actions and experience to improve performance

A Virtual World for Collaboration: The AETZone

Participation in learning communities, and the construction of knowledge in communities of practice, are important considerations in the use of 3D immersive worlds. This article describes the creation of this type of learning environment in AETZone, an immersive virtual environment in use within graduate programs at Appalachian State University since 2000. Both student and faculty perceptions of elements such as presence, co-presence, and the forging of active community are presented, along with examples of formal and informal activities which serve as the base for teaching and learning in the Zone

Shared Decision-Making: Case Study Analysis to Promote Cross-Programme Dialogue Between Administrators and Media Coordinators

There is a general lack of cross-course and cross-programme dialogue in US colleges of education. Few, if any, opportunities are provided to engage graduate students in authentic dialogue about real school problems and issues. A grant-funded initiative has been launched at Appalachian State University to utilise case studies and web based communication tools to create authentic learning environments that support interaction between school administration and library science students to discuss real school problems and develop lasting solutions. This paper discusses a research study in which case study analysis was used to promote online cross-programme dialogue and assist students in developing their professional voice

Medical Technology: A Critical Perspective - Learning to Become Loving Resistance Fighters

Medical technology has embedded itself in our culture and has been a positive and powerful force in the improvement of life for millions of people. However, for every yin there is a yang, and with all things that are positive, there is also a negative component that must not be ignored. Most Americans are familiar with the benefits of technology, specifically medical technologies; the media reports on these benefits every day. However, it is not often that physicians have the opportunity to discuss what has been given up or lost as a result of using these same technologies. This commentary is about those unintended consequences resulting from our use of technology, in particular, physicians’ use of medical technologies

Symbolic Interactions in a Virtual Learning Community: Understanding the Creation of Shared Meanings in a Mediated Environment

Abstract not available

Effects Of Land Cover And Riparian Buffers On Cold-Water Fish Assemblages In Upper South Fork New River Headwater Streams

Climate change combined with expanding urbanization and changes to land-use pose a serious threat to many cold-water species as temperature continues to increase. This study focused on the effects of biogeophysical components on cold-water fish assemblages within headwater sub-basins that vary widely in ability to support sensitive and endemic fish species. The relative abundance of cold-water fish were sampled by electrofishing 16 sites during the spring and summer then compared to riparian corridor density and height measurements, the percentage of sub-basin wide impervious surfaces, Bank Erosion Hazard Index (BEHI), Wolman Pebble Count, water temperature, and specific conductivity. The monthly maximum stream temperature did surpass static laboratory determined thermal suitability limits for brook and brown trout; and diurnal fluctuating laboratory determined limits for rainbow trout (20.0-22.5 °C) in 14 sites. However, the regression analyses of riparian heights (R2 = 0.05) and densities (R2 = 0.07) within each sampling reach did not significantly reduce stream temperature between sites. Temperature and conductivity were not found to significantly impact cold-water fish conditions, however; bank erosion, benthic substrate, riparian height, and impervious surfaces did. The relative abundances of cold-water fish were found to increase with the quality of the habitat