A Motivational Sequence Model of High School Ensemble Students’ Intentions to Continue Participating in Music

Abstract

Grounded in a hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (HMIEM), the primary aim of this study was to test a full motivational sequence at the contextual level in a high school ensemble setting (Social-Contextual Factors → Psychological Needs → Motivation → Consequences). I specifically examined the relationships between multifaceted variables within this sequence, including teacher-created social contexts, psychosocial needs, types of motivation, and consequences. A secondary purpose of this study was to determine whether gender would impact the results of the sequence of motivational processes. Structural equation modeling analysis with a sample of 425 high school ensemble students revealed that social-contextual factors provided by the teachers were related to satisfaction of fundamental autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs, which in turn influenced intrinsic motivation, positive motivational outcomes, and persistence in musical activities. The multistep invariance analysis also revealed the model to be invariant for males and females. The results of the study supported the HMIEM and validated the application of the motivational sequence in the context of music education.

An examination of musical instrument practice among collegiate musicians

“…Although researchers have studied practice strategies adopted by pre-college musicians (Austin & Berg, 2006;Christensen, 2010;Hallam et al, 2012;Hamlin, 2014;Miksza et al, 2012;Prichard, 2017;Yoo, 2020) and professional musicians who achieved international recognition (Graaff, 2014;Harnum, 2013), there have been few studies involving collegiate musicians' usage and frequency of practice strategies and the relationship between time spent in practice and motivation (Araújo, 2016). Understanding these aspects of their practice could inform instrumental instructors' teaching practices and help refine their students' musicianship.…”

“…Additionally, motivation orientations play an important role in the persistence of instrumental learning. Musicians who exhibited intrinsic motivation reported more enjoyment and interest in instrumental learning than those musicians who demonstrated extrinsic motivation (Diaz, 2010;Moder, 2013;Yoo, 2020). It is evident that advanced musicians' expertise development involves the use of effective practice strategies, an organized practice routine, and personal motivation.…”

“…Compared with intrinsic motivation driven by determinants such as interests and enjoyment, extrinsic motivation is driven by external rewards including grades and praise (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Researchers found that passion and enjoyment were the main reasons why students continued music participation (Moder, 2013;Yoo, 2020). Additionally, Schmidt (2005) identified that middle and high school musicians' performance achievement was positively correlated with their intrinsic motivation.…”

“…However, professional musicians exhibited extrinsic, intrinsic, and mixed motivation orientations toward instrumental practice (Hallam, 1995). Given these findings, instrumental teachers should provide positive feedback (Hruska, 2011;Sandene, 1997) and promote students' perceptions of competence (i.e., the need to produce desired outcomes and to experience mastery) and relatedness (i.e., the need to feel connected to others) to enhance students' intrinsic motivation in instrumental learning contexts (Yoo, 2020).…”

“…Although researchers have studied practice behaviors and habits used by precollege musicians (Austin & Berg, 2006;Christensen, 2010;Hallam et al, 2012;Hamlin, 2014;Miksza et al, 2012;Prichard, 2017;Yoo, 2020) and professional musicians who achieved international recognition (Graaff, 2014;Harnum, 2013), there have been few studies involving the application of practice strategies and the relationship between practice time and motivation orientations among collegiate instrumentalists (Araújo, 2016). Because these factors are associated with expertise development and may affect collegiate instrumentalists' future careers, it seems important to investigate collegiate instrumentalists' time spent practicing their primary instrument and their application of practice strategies.…”