Special Issue: Every picture tells a story: Pupil representations of learning the violin

• Main Authors: Andrea Creech, Susan Hallam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University College London 2006-06-01
• Series: Educate~
• Online Access: http://www.educatejournal.org/index.php?journal=educate&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=93

Abstract: 
 The influence on learning outcomes of interpersonal interaction amongst
 teachers, pupils and parents is the subject of an inquiry that took this researcher on a
 voyage from the qualitative to the quantitative side of the “methodological divide”, and
 back again.
 This paper presents findings from first phase of the research, which included a
 quantitative survey to examine how learning and teaching experience for violin pupils was
 influenced by the interpersonal dynamics of responsiveness and control, within pupilparent
 and pupil-teacher relationships.
 As part of the survey pupils were asked to draw pictures of their violin lessons. It was
 thought that the pictures might reveal pupils’ perceptions of their experience of learning
 an instrument and that the pictures would add depth to the quantitative scales that
 measured interpersonal mechanisms and pupil outcomes.
 The pictures were subjected to content analysis and coded accordingly. These codes
 were matched with pupil artists’ scores for control and responsiveness, as well as with
 their scores for outcomes that included enjoyment of music, personal satisfaction, self
 esteem, self efficacy, friendship, motivation and musical attainment. Analysis of variance
 was computed in order to test the null hypotheses that a) pupil-teacher-parent
 interpersonal behaviour (control and responsiveness) was not represented in their
 pictures and b) pupil outcomes were not reflected in their depictions of violin lessons. This
 paper presents the results of this analysis, thus addressing the question of whether the
 pictures could be accepted as telling a credible and coherent story about pupils’
 perceptions of learning the violin.