ABSTRACT
In 1993, Schmidt and Zdzinski examined landmark studies in music education to identify areas of concentrated research activity. One of the most neglected areas in the music education research literature identified in this study was that of “Environment of Instruction,” which refers to non-instructional influences that may impact instructional outcomes. Research has been conducted which has examined various factors external to instruction that may impact upon instructional outcomes in music. A number of external influences not directly associated with instruction may impact upon instructional outcomes in music education. Potential external environmental influences that may impact upon music instruction include home and family environment, school environment, and the social environment outside of the home or school. While the music teacher is an important ingredient in the process of music learning, other social influences also impact upon the effectiveness of music instruction, providing opportunities for informal learning that supports formal music study. These factors can be thought of as a “Social Environment of Instruction” (Zdzinski, 2005). The American Psychological Association (2007), as cited in Davis (2006), states the following learner-centered psychological principles related to the social environment of instruction:
My research to date-which I started with my mentor, Charles P. Schmidthas focused on one aspect of this social environment of instruction, namely the role of parental involvement in music education. I have recently examined the underlying structure of parental involvement, identifying seven distinct parental involvement/home environment factors: family musical background, family musical participation, musical home environment, provision of a home musical
structure, music program support, positive parental attitudes about music, and parental expectations for music study (Zdzinski, 2008). These factors were related to various instructional outcomes in music in different ways, demonstrating that parental involvement is not a unitary construct (Zdzinski, Gumm, Orzolek, Cooper, Dell, Rinnert, Yap, & Keith, 2008).
