Motivation and stress management training for children and teachers in music schools

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Motivation and stress management training for
children and teachers in music schools
Margit Painsi Richard Parncutt Department of
Musicology University of Graz, Austria
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Structure of presentation

• Approach and objectives
• Theoretical background
• Method- Participants- Measures
• - Course structure and content
• Results
• Conclusion
• Further research

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Approach to training

• specifically for music education
• modular course structure
• motivation (attributions, self beliefs)
• pupils subjective beliefs
• pupil-teacher interaction
• teachers feedback style
• stress management

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Project aim

• Evaluate a course to train motivation and stress
  management strategies
• impact on pupils achievement behavior
• practicability
• acceptance by teachers and pupils

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Course objectives

• Improve
• pupils achievement behavior
• belief in malleability of their musical ability
• adaptive attributions
• adaptive coping strategies
• pupil-teacher interaction
• teachers diverse, appropriate feedback
• pupils positive response to feedback

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Theory of attribution

• Weiner (1979, 1985)
• Seligman et al. (1975, 1978)
• Dweck et al. (1975, 1980)
• Maladaptive reactions attribute setbacks to
  global, stable factors (talent).
• Adaptive reactions attribute setbacks to
  unstable, controllable factors (lack of effort).

• Attributions are predictive of these different
  reactions.
• Manipulating peoples attributions can create or
  alter these reactions.

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Meaning System ApproachDweck und Leggett (1988)

• Implicit self-theories involve personal
  attributes such as
• intelligence
• musical ability
• Implicit theories ? motivational framework ?
• meaning system ? attributions

• Implicit self theories can be
• entity theories
• portray personal attribute as relatively fixed
• incremental theories
• portray attribute as relatively malleable

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Influence of implicit self-theories
People who hold an entity theory want to
demonstrate that they have sufficient musical
talent want praise, dislike criticism Peopl
e who hold an incremental theory want to
increase their ability concentrate on
cultivating their ability through effort
FAILURE
is due to lack of ability
FAILURE
is reason to try harder develop new strategies
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Coping StrategiesHampel et al.
(2001)Recommendations to musicians based on
psychological theory of coping and stress

• Performance
• Emotion-focused coping
• MinimizationI say to myself It isnt serious
• Distraction/recreationI think about things that
  I like

• Practice
• Problem-focused coping
• Monitoring the situation I try to figure out
  the problem
• Positive self-instructionI say to myself I can
  make it
• Social supportI ask for somebody's advice

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Participants
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Measures
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Training schedule Pupils
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Course structure and content Pupils

• Sessions 1- 4
• Reformulation of attribution patterns
  reinterpretation of stressful events
• exploration of individual experiences and
  perceptionslearning about the bodily processes
  that underlie stress
• becoming aware of those processes
• discriminating positive from negative processes
• Development of adaptive attribution patterns and
  coping strategies
• practising cognitive strategiespractising
  relaxation techniques
• Sessions 5 - 8
• Transfer to everyday musical activities
• modeling behavior (e.g. role play)
• keeping a diary of stressful situations and
  coping behaviorsapplying relaxation techniques

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Training schedule Teachers
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Course structure and content Teachers
Session 1 Background - theories of attribution,
stress management, self belief Incorporation
into teaching - differentiation between feedback
that promotes motivation and self- worth
- building of an individual vocabulary for giving
achievement feedback Session 2 Discussion and
debriefing - analysis of teachers lesson
diaries - comparison with pupils perception of
feedback - discussion of possible improvements

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Implicit Theory of Musical Ability
Theory of a fixed ability
Scale 0 - 5 N 7
Theory of a malleable ability
Course objective encourage theory of malleable
ability
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Marisa Attribution of Success
Scale 0 - 4
Course objective encourage internal and
discourage external attributions
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Marisa Attribution of Failure
Scale 0 - 4
Course objective ecourage attribution to effort
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Physical symptoms of stress
How often did you experience each of following in
week ending today? Headache, stomach ache,
reduced appetite, tiredness, problems falling
asleep, heart palpitation
Mean of 6 ratings Scale 0 - 4 N 7
Course objective reduction of childrens
symptoms of stress
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Maladaptive Coping Strategies
Scale 0 - 4 N 7
Course objective reduce incidence of maladaptive
coping strategies
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Evaluation by pupils

• The children
• liked the training
• accepted the content
• said they would recommend it to friends
• had the impression they learned a lot
• reported fewer unpleasant feelings than usual
  before and during the final concert

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Conclusion

• The course
• was enjoyed and perceived as useful by teachers
  and pupils
• improved theories of ability and patterns of
  attribution
• reduced stress symptoms
• reduced maladaptive coping strategies
• can be integrated into everyday teaching

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Further research

• control group (with placebo training)
• separation of the different training modules
• modification for younger children