Harada Yuki, Takeishi Saho
Faculty of Education and Human Studies, Akita University, Akita, Japan.
Graduate School of Education, Akita University, Akita, Japan.
Front Psychol. 2025 Jul 16;16:1441572. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1441572. eCollection 2025.
Research in music psychology suggests that attentive music listening cultivates deeper understanding and creativity. However, many children engage with music primarily in informal settings, so a high level of motivation for formal music learning does not necessarily translate into everyday music-listening behavior. This study examined whether motivation for formal music learning predicts students' out-of-school music-listening behaviors, even after accounting for their motivation for informal music engagement.
Participants were 1,382 elementary school students (Grades 4-6) in Japan. First, we developed a new scale to measure expectancy belief for formal music learning across five domains: instrumental performance, singing, composing, listening, and studying musical terminology. Second, we conducted a main study using structural equation modeling to test whether motivation for formal and informal music engagement (each with expectancy belief and task value) would explain two type of everyday music-listening behaviors: intention to access music and attention to musical elements.
Factor and correlation analysis supported the validity of the new expectancy belief scale. Structural equation modeling showed that while the intention to access music was primarily predicted by motivation for informal music engagement, the attention to musical elements was significantly explained by both informal and formal music motivation. Notably, an interaction emerged in which higher expectancy beliefs reinforced the positive effect of task value on attention to musical elements.
Although motivation for formal music learning showed little association with the intention to access music, its significant association with attention to musical elements suggests that school music education and everyday music listening are not entirely disconnected. Motivation for formal music learning may foster more analytical engagement with music in daily life, supporting broader educational goals of musical understanding and creativity.
音乐心理学研究表明，专注地聆听音乐有助于培养更深入的理解和创造力。然而，许多儿童主要在非正式场合接触音乐，因此对正规音乐学习的高度积极性并不一定能转化为日常的音乐聆听行为。本研究探讨了正规音乐学习的动机是否能预测学生在校外的音乐聆听行为，即使在考虑了他们参与非正式音乐活动的动机之后。
参与者为日本的1382名小学生（4至6年级）。首先，我们开发了一个新的量表，用于测量在五个领域进行正规音乐学习的期望信念：乐器演奏、唱歌、作曲、聆听和学习音乐术语。其次，我们进行了一项主要研究，使用结构方程模型来测试正规和非正式音乐参与的动机（均包括期望信念和任务价值）是否能解释两种日常音乐聆听行为：获取音乐的意愿和对音乐元素的关注。
因素分析和相关性分析支持了新期望信念量表的有效性。结构方程模型表明，虽然获取音乐的意愿主要由非正式音乐参与的动机预测，但对音乐元素的关注则由非正式和正规音乐动机共同显著解释。值得注意的是，出现了一种交互作用，即较高的期望信念增强了任务价值对关注音乐元素的积极影响。
虽然正规音乐学习的动机与获取音乐的意愿关联不大，但其与对音乐元素的关注的显著关联表明，学校音乐教育与日常音乐聆听并非完全脱节。正规音乐学习的动机可能会促进日常生活中对音乐更具分析性的参与，支持音乐理解和创造力等更广泛的教育目标。
