A Content Analysis of Assessment Articles in American Music Education Journals, 2000–2020

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to systematically examine the topics and methods of assessment-related articles published in American music education journals. I reviewed articles from five scholarly journals and five practitioner journals with a journal issue publication date between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2020, to identify peer-reviewed research and interest articles related to student assessment and evaluation. A team of three coders classified each of the admissible articles (N = 210) according to its article type, assessment topic and subtopic, and research methodology when applicable. In the scholarly journals, full ensembles and adjudicated festivals was the most common topic. Individual student assessment represented 79% of the articles in the practitioner journals. The most common scholarly subtopic was quantitative analysis of festival ratings, while the most common practitioner subtopic was classroom assessment practices. Grades and grading represented only eight articles (3.83%) across the entire study period, an average of fewer than one article per journal from 2000 to 2020.