Formal and informal music learning profiles in higher education

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the motivational profiles of university students in relation to the use of formal and informal musical learning strategies, and to analyze their training trajectories and how they influenced their preferences and musical activities they perform inside and outside of school. A total of 132 undergraduate music students from two Mexican universities participated in this study. Participants were classified into three groups according to their previous musical experiences and training: formal, informal, and mixed. Based on Eccles et al.’s Expectancy-Value Theory, a scale was adapted to examine students’ motivation to use formal (music reading, strict score-based interpretation, solo practice by playing alone) and informal learning strategies (playing by ear, improvisation, playing with others). Their motivational profiles suggest statistically significant differences among groups in their perception towards various learning strategies: playing by ear, improvising, and playing in groups were favored by informal and mixed groups, while the formal group favored strategies such as music reading and score-based performance. Perceptions of difficulty about these tasks were also different among groups. These results suggest the need of including a wider range of learning strategies and musical genres within formal higher education that meet students’ needs and interests.