Factors Affecting University Music Students’ Perceptions of Lesson Quality and Teaching Effectiveness

The purpose of this study was to determine what effect, if any, music teacher classroom delivery skills or lesson content had on university music students’ perceptions of lesson or teacher appeal by student academic standing. Subjects were 511 university students studying music at three moderate-size universities located in the American Midwest and East. Subjects viewed one of two videotapes that contained four randomly placed teaching episodes of approximately 4 minutes in duration. Each of the two tapes contained four lessons, as follows: one lesson with good classroom delivery skills and good lesson content, one with good skills and poor content, another with poor skills and good content, and one with poor skills and poor content. Subjects were directed to evaluate each teaching episode immediately after it was viewed using a researcher-developed questionnaire. Significant differences found among subject responses indicated that student interest and preference ratings varied not only by student academic standing but also by music teacher classroom delivery technique and lesson content quality.