Resumen de Field-generated research agenda in music education: a qualitative study of music supervisors and music teachers
The aim of this study was to create a field-generated research agenda in music education based on the viewpoints of practitioners in the field. The main research question being: What knowledge could research create that would help music teachers in the schools? I interviewed four music teachers and three music supervisors individually across three school districts in the southeastern United States. I used a guided interview approach. All participants had over ten years of music teaching experience. Interview data were analyzed using an inductive approach. Close examinations of the suggested research agenda revealed four themes (advocacy orientation, need to understand, best practices, and interest to change). This study clearly shows that the practitioners have strong desires to use research as a tool for advocacy. Findings also suggest that the practitioners desire to improve in dealing with issues at hand. They are attracted to research that can provide immediate application. While the practitioners suggest a research agenda with a heavy emphasis on applied research, researchers must read the agenda beyond the surface to see what basic research questions are needed to support studies addressing the concerns of these practitioners.
