Evaluation of a Competency-Based Approach to Teaching Aural Interval Identification

Abstract

Twenty-four music majors participated in an evaluation of a competency-based approach to teaching aural Interval Identification. The students were taught ascending Intervals using a traditional learning sequence from the Benward ear-training series. Twelve continued to learn descending, mixed ascending and descending, and harmonic intervals by the same methods in a sequential control group. The other twelve learned in a competency-based experimental group. Whereas there was no significant difference in the amount of learning between the two groups on the basis of ascending intervals, the competency-based experimental group learned significantly more on subsequent materials than did the sequential control group. Although students in both groups spent the same amount of learning time, the competency-based format caused students in the experimental group to spend a greater proportion of their time on the more difficult materials than did students in the control group. Students in the experimental group were unaware of the beneficial effects that the competency-based approach was having on their achievement scores.