Date of Award
7-2022
Document Type
Action Research Project
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Education
Department
Education
First Advisor
Diana Hawley
Department/School
Curriculum and Instruction
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of student-centered practices on the ownership and belonging of seventh-grade orchestra students. The student-centered practices, based in the theory of social constructivism, consisted of a project in which students worked in small groups to teach a vocabulary term and skill to the class, as well as the routines of class discussions, classroom jobs, and a seat-rotation system. The implementation of the study was documented in a daily teacher journal. Data on students’ ownership of the musical process and sense of belonging in the orchestra was collected through a bi-weekly student survey, observations of an audio recording of students’ small-group work time, and student interviews at the completion of the study. This study led to the conclusion that student-centered practices can positively impact students’ sense of belonging in the classroom, and may also impact their ownership of the musical process. In the future, similar student-centered practices could be implemented that would reduce the intensity of the intervention while still producing similar results.
Recommended Citation
Dill, Claire. (2022). Examining the Impact of Student-Centered Teaching Practices on Ownership and Belonging in a Middle School Orchestra Classroom. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/maed/465