Factors affecting pre-service teachers' ability to recognize creativity in music teaching

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate what factors affect pre-service teachers' ability to recognise creativity in music teaching among selected variables, which were formal musical experience, informal musical experience, music teaching experience, non-music teaching experience, age, and gender. Participants were 45 pre-service teachers attending universities in Sydney, Australia. The pres-service teachers were asked to present 10-minute music lessons individually in class, and their peers commented on what they could see as creative in the music teaching. Their comments were coded and quantified using a scoring system that used different value points. 'ANOVA' and 'Scheffé F' tests were computed to examine significant differences the selected variables. The result showed that non-music teaching experience was the single significant factor for the pre-service teachers' ability to recognize creativity in music teaching among the selected variables. The result seems to suggest that non-music teaching experience could transfer into a music context and facilitate the ability to recognize creativity in music teaching.