A Comparison of Preferences for Instructional Objectives Between Teachers and Students

Abstract

The preferences of a group of 92 fifth-grade students were compared with the preferences of a group of 14 music teachers for 20 common instructional objectives. Each objective was demonstrated for the students, who indicated on Likert-type scales how much they would like to achieve that objective. Teachers' responses on similar scales were obtained through written questionnaires. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests revealed significant disparities between students and teachers for 10 of the objectives. The students' most favored objectives included instrumental playing within a tune context. Teacher-preferred objectives for which students' attitudes were generally negative included those that required listening and knowledge of harmonic and melodic rhythm and formal structure. In order that achievement may be demonstrated through student-preferred activities, it seems that restatement of objectives low in preference is desirable.