SUCCESS ATTRIBUTES IN TEACHING MUSIC AS PERCEIVED BY ELEMENTARY-EDUCATION MAJORS

The purposes of this study were to (a) develop an instrument, using attribution theory models, to measure perceptions of elementary education majors related to success in teaching music; (b) determine those factors that elementary education majors believe contribute to success in teaching music; (c) determine the relative strength of each factor; and (d) compare the factors with traditional and music-related attribution theory models. A researcher-developed instrument directed 306 elementary education majors to rate the degree to which they believed positive attributes contribute to success in teaching music. A principal-factor analysis produced four factors, accounting for 53.13% of the total variance. Factor 1 (understanding and organizing for individual differences in children) and Factor 3 (proactive personality characteristics) were consistent with literature on teacher effectiveness. Factor 2 (musical ability and positive feelings for music) and Factor 4 (external factors affecting music teaching), however, were similar to traditional attributional models. © 1993, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.