The Effects of Type of
Instructional Web Support and Instructional Mode on the Knowledge and
Discrimination of Musical Texture among Undergraduate Elementary Education
Majors
Kenneth L. Liske, PhD
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of
varying types of out-of-class web support media and active (performance) versus
passive (listening) modes of in-class instructional activities on the ability
of university level non-musicians (N = 58) to define and identify
specific characteristics of music texture from printed and recorded musical
excerpts. Near and far transfer of learning was also examined. Three web
support treatments consisted of investigator-designed supplementary web sites,
available for out-of-class access, containing visual content only, audio and
visual content, or progressively disclosed text, graphics, and sound. Two
instructional mode treatments consisted of participation in children's song
performance activities or listening to illustrative excerpts representing a
wide variety of standard musical styles, genres, and performance media. Both
treatments were administered in conjunction with a musical texture unit
consisting of six consecutive lessons within the context of a music
fundamentals/methods course for undergraduate elementary education majors.
Pretest and posttest definition, printed excerpt, and listening excerpt scores,
along with post-treatment near and far transfer listening test scores were
recorded. Post-treatment subject attitudes were assessed, and web use time was
reported.
Although posttest gains were significant, results indicated no
significant effect on content mastery resulting from variations in web support
medium or mode of in-class instruction (p > .05). Participation in
children's song performance activities was as effective as listening
experiences for texture instruction. Near and far transfer test results were
also similar among all subgroups, however, there was a significant interaction
between transfer response and instructional mode (p = .0002). Subjects
in both the performance group (n = 29) and the listening group (n
= 29) were able to identify texture characteristics for recordings of standard
literature better than for recordings of children's songs. Self-reported web
use time suggested that increased use of web support materials did not result
in increased posttest gains, and use of web materials decreased as technical
complexity and file size of media increased. Student attitudes toward
out-of-class web support were generally positive, but reflected some
frustration with home access difficulties and lengthy download times for
multimedia files.
Dr. Kenneth
L. Liske
Coordinator
of Choral and General Music Education
Department of
Music
University of
Wisconsin Oshkosh
800 Algoma
Blvd.
Oshkosh,
WI 54901
(920)
424-7029