Attitude of first-year Thai music major undergraduate students studying in universities in Bangkok metropolis and vicinity towards western music theory courses
Abstract:
This research was aimed at studying the attitudes of first-year Thai music
major undergraduate students in universities with respect to 4 criteria: value of the
subject, subject content, learning-teaching process, and measurement and evaluation
of the courses. The research also compared attitudes towards Western music theory
courses between students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (or Fine Arts) with those
pursuing a Bachelor of Education. The sample was first-year Thai music major
undergraduate students in the academic year 2006 in universities in Bangkok
metropolis and vicinity, in which Thai music and Western music theory courses are
taught. There were 7 institutions, consisting of 8 faculties and 108 students, chosen as
samples. The tool used for collecting data to evaluate the attitude towards Western
music theory courses was measured using arithmetic mean and standard deviation
according to the Likert scale.
The research found that, overall; the students scored their level of satisfaction
as medium. When each of the four criteria was analyzed separately, it was found that
students considered the first criterion, i.e. subject value, to be good. With regard to the
other criteria, students’ attitudes were at a medium level. Using the t – test to compare
the attitudes between the students of the two majors, the research found that there was
a significant difference, amounting to a statistical level of 0.05, in that the students
pursuing a Bachelor of Education scored higher in their attitude towards western
music theory courses