Understanding ethnic minority students’ motivations to pursue higher music education over time

Abstract

This longitudinal case study aimed to explore changes in ethnic minority students’ motivations to pursue higher music education during the transition from high school to university. The participants were recruited from the Yi, Mongolian and Tibetan ethnic groups in a remote mountainous region of southwest China. Data were collected through participant observation and semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study indicated that the ethnic minority students were driven both by intrinsic motivations, including a love of and interest and persistence in music, positive musical experiences and musical ability, and by extrinsic motivations, including the desire to earn a university degree by way of studying music, meet the expectations of their local music teachers and family members and repay their hometowns by serving as local music teachers. However, most of the participating ethnic minority students exhibited a shift in their motivations to study music after 2 years of university education. This shift was attributable to various elements, including peer competition, employment pressure, mentor support and the university environment. Based on these findings, we suggest ways to support ethnic minority students transitioning smoothly from high school to university and continuing their music studies.