Development of An Attitude Scale towards the Course of Music Education Teaching Methods

Problem Statement: Music teacher training programs comprise courses on the field, courses on teaching as a profession, and courses aimed at increasing the genearal information of the student. The course of "Music Education Teaching Methods" included in the program differs from the other courses as it includes both field instruction and teaching instruction. The fact that music is an abstract field that requires different arrangements and that the criterion of evaluation differs from other fields increases the importance of the course "Music Education Teaching Methods". In order for this course to fulfil its purpose, the students who take the course need to grasp its significance and develop a positive attitude towards the course. Purpose the Study: The purpose of the study is to develop a scale to measure the attitude of the prospective music teachers towards the course of "Music Education Methods" included in the music teacher training programs. Methods: The study group consists of 194 people who pursue or have obtained a bachelors degree in music education in Turkey in the universities of Dokuz Eylul, Selcuk, Marmara, Uludag, Adnan Menderes and Balikesir, and who have taken the course of Music Education Teaching Methods I and Music Education Teaching Methods II. The factor Structure and the realiability of the scale have been studied respectively through factor analysis and item analysis and the Cronbach alpha (alpha) internal consistency coefficient of the scale has been computed. Findings and Results: The Cronbach alpha (alpha) internal consistency coefficient of the final scale, which consists of 25 items selected following item and factor analyses, is computed as 0.90. The scale consists of a single factor. Recommendations: It is recommended that this attitude scale, which was been determined to be valid and reliable, be used by the academic staff teaching the course of Music Education Teaching Methods and by researchers who conduct studies in this field. Conclusions and Results: The Cronbach alpha (alpha) internal consistency coefficient of the final scale, which consists of 25 items selected following item and factor analyses, is computed as 0.90. The scale consists of a single factor.