Factors Influencing The Teaching Of Instrumental Music In Rural Ohio School Districts PDF Download

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors involved in and influencing the teaching of instrumental music in rural school districts in Ohio. Five overarching research questions guided the study: 1) what do instrumental music teachers cite as factors that influenced their choice to teach in a rural setting, 2) do teachers report that their undergraduate teacher licensure programs prepared them to teach in a rural school environment, 3) how do the background experiences of instrumental music teachers influence their future teaching setting choices, 4) what are common factors that teachers report as affecting their work in rural school districts, and 5) what are some of the characteristics that teachers report as necessary to be successful instrumental music teachers in rural school districts? The study was broken into two phases: Phase I consisted of interviews of teachers who were teaching or had taught instrumental music in rural school districts; Phase II consisted of a grounded survey, based on themes derived from Phase I analysis, that was sent to a random sample of Ohio instrumental music teachers. Results indicated that teachers with personal backgrounds in rural schools were more likely to desire to teach and obtain employment in rural school districts. Also, teachers who moved out of rural school districts altogether were more likely to move to suburban districts rather than urban districts. Respondents who taught in rural districts reported they remained in their first rural school teaching position for three to ten years. No significant difference was found between teachers with and without rural teaching experience in their opinions of teacher licensure preparation as pertained to rural school instrumental music issues. Phase I participants and Phase II respondents agreed that teachers need to be versatile in rural districts, as a portion reported having their job descriptions modified after beginning employment in rural schools. Participants and respondents also lamented a lack of resources affecting the teaching of instrumental music in rural school districts.