Off-campus UNL users: To download campus access dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your NU ID and password. When you are done browsing please remember to return to this page and log out.
Non-UNL users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this dissertation through interlibrary loan.
The effect of grade level, gender, and learning style on responses to conservation type rhythmic and melodic patterns
Abstract
This study examined the abilities of third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders on the performance of conservation-type tasks in music, using the musical tasks developed by Webster and Zimmerman (1983). The learning styles of the students, specifically their perceptual mode preferences, were determined by the Dunn, Dunn, and Price Learning Style Inventory (1986). Students with visual, tactile, and kinesthetic preferences were chosen for the study. Specific reinforcement was given to the experimental groups during the musical testing. Visual preference students received graphic visual representation of the melodies or rhythms they heard; tactile and kinesthetic preference students clapped rhythms and shaped melodies after hearing them. The control groups received no reinforcement for the auditory tasks. The distribution of the students perceptual mode preference scores was unexpected. Instead of a large number of tactile or kinesthetic preference students in the lower grades, there were very few; the largest number were in the sixth grade. Because of small numbers, third and fourth graders were grouped together for data analysis. Visual learners were more prevalent in the third grade than any other, again contrary to expectations based on learning styles theory. The ANOVA indicated that reinforcement was of significant help to the experimental groups ($p <$.001). No significant differences were found for grade level or gender, even though girls' scores were generally higher than boys'. There was no clear evidence of linear progression of higher scores by grade. Melodic tasks were easier than rhythmic tasks, with a significant difference ($p <$.01 or $p <$.001) shown for all grades but the sixth. The mode and meter of the tasks had a significant effect on students' scores ($p <$.05). The highest scores were produced by duple meter and major mode on melodic tasks, and duple meter and pentatonic mode on rhythmic tasks. Most of the students who received the melodic tasks first had better scores, but test order was significant only for the fifth grade.
Subject Area
Music education|Educational psychology|Curricula|Teaching
Recommended Citation
Zikmund, Annabell Blincow, "The effect of grade level, gender, and learning style on responses to conservation type rhythmic and melodic patterns" (1988). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8904520.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8904520