CHRIS WOLLERUW-LA CROSSE

ME -PD

The Impact of Self-Assessment in Band Lessons

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect that student self-assessment has on student-directed learning, student feelings of self-efficacy, and student performance ability in band lessons.

As a director, I hope to have students think more critically about their performance, rather than waiting to be told what they are playing correct or what to fix.

Participants

Midwestern rural school11 instrumental music students4 boys and 7 girls, ages 14-18All WhiteAll students participated in concert band

This study was conducted during the Third Quarter of the 2009-2010 school year

Research Questions

How do self-assessment tools like student-generated rubrics and student-set goals help students to direct their own learning in private band lessons?

How are student feelings of self-efficacy and self-directed learning affected through the use of these self-assessment tools?

How do these self-assessment tools impact individual performance ability of students?

Data Collection Tools

1) Self-Assessment Rubric with a Goal Teacher-set criteria with student-created descriptors

for each level of performance

Students set a performance goal for the term

Students used this rubric early and late in the term to assess their musical performance.

Data Collection Tools

2) Recordings of student performance

An initial and final recording of each student was collected for comparison to observe any changes in performance ability.

One who showed much change:Initial Performance: Final Performance:

One who did not show as much changeInitial Performance: Final Performance:

Data Collection tools

3) Surveys Completed by students at the beginning and the end

of the research. Questions were related to feelings of self-assessment,

self-directed learning, and performance ability.

4) Teaching Journal I made notes regarding my observations of student-

directed learning, student self-assessment and performance ability.

Findings

Question 1: Do self-assessment tools like student-generated rubrics and student-set goals help students to direct their own learning in private band lessons? At the end of the study, 3 more students felt that they could

add their own ideas into their performance (or direct their own learning)

Nearly all felt a strong connection between self-assessment and performance ability exists, with 2 students showing an increase in positive attitude toward this relationship.

However, there was no observed increase in self-directed learning as a result of this study.

Findings

Question 2: How are student feelings of self-efficacy and self-directed learning affected through the use of these self-assessment tools? 3 students also showed that their self-efficacy were

positively impacted 2 students had a more positive attitude toward rubric

use at the end of the study than at the beginning. So then, a positive impact to the feelings of self-

efficacy and self-directed learning was observed in a small number of students as a result of this study.

Findings

Question 3: Do these self-assessment tools impact individual performance ability of students?

They do not. The number of students who showed noticeable improvement in performance ability is consistent with those who tend to be self-directed.

Where I will go from here

Based on my results, I will continue to implement a rubric within my band lessons.

With more facilitation, I believe that the rubrics will have a more positive relationship with improvement of performance ability.

Based on some of the survey results, I will incorporate a smaller version of the rubric to be more easily used on a weekly basis.