Music performance evaluation in teachers’ colleges in Jamaica
Date
2016
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
School of Education, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
Abstract
There is need to maintain quality in the offerings of courses at teachers’ colleges in Jamaica, especially in the area of music performance, for which appreciation is largely subjective and low in inter-rater reliability. The purpose of this study was to determine the performance of students in practical music examinations at teachers’ colleges in Jamaica. Practical music examination grades of 226 students in the Primary and Early Childhood diploma programmes of five teachers’ colleges were analysed. Comparisons were made between grades obtained in external and internal practical examinations; similarly, comparisons were made between grades assigned by Early Childhood programmes and those earned in Primary programmes. No statistically significant difference was found between the grades assigned by internal examiners and those assigned by external examiners. Overall, most students were successful in the course, and more grades assigned by internal examiners were maintained during external assessments than were downgraded or upgraded, with downgrades mainly occurring for students in Early Childhood teacher training programmes. Disparities between external examiners’ grades and internal examiners’ grades were largely limited to a few colleges. Finally, the study presents perspectives of internal practical examiners on the quality assurance procedure used in the practical music examinations.
Description
Table of Contents
Keywords
Music education, Music performance, Student evaluation, Teachers colleges, Jamaica
Citation
Mundle, O. (2016). Music performance evaluation in teachers’ colleges in Jamaica. Caribbean Curriculum, 24, 127–140.