Student Teaching in Music: A Content Analysis of Research Journals in Music Education

The purpose of this study was to examine research being conducted on student teaching in four eminent music education research journals (Journal of Research in Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education). A total of 1,103 articles were reviewed for the period between 1997 and 2011. Only 87 (8%) articles met the inclusion criteria. These included 44 articles in Journal of Music Teacher Education (29% of total), 20 articles in Journal of Research in Music Education (5% of total), 18 articles in Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education (5% of total), and 5 articles in Update (3% of total). Consistent with previous research on student teaching, a majority of the publications examined dealt with student teachers' perceptions of their experiences (33%), and the relationship between teacher preparation programs and partner K-12 schools (26%), whereas only one publication (1%) examined the effect of student teachers on students' learning.