Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Charles D. Hale
Committee Member
Thomas J. Thompson
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
AELMTCT, assessment instruments, clinical supervisors, clinical training, coaching protocol, content validity, curriculum, Dumas, experiential learning, expert validation, face validity, field testing, formative evaluation, gap analysis, graduate education, implementation, internship, inter-observer reliability, internal consistency reliability, Kolb, longitudinal studies, music therapy, participant evaluations, performance based assessment, pilot studies, practicum, problem-solving methodology, reliability measures, scoring protocols, Slippery Rock University, student learning, supervisor evaluations, teaching strategies
Abstract
The purpose of this applied dissertation was to provide a method for evaluating and improving performance in music therapy pre-internship clinical training. Some students were not transferring relevant learning from one practicum context to another or to the internship. The study focused on developing a tool that would facilitate the student’s learning from experience. An Assessment of Experiential Learning in Music Therapy Clinical Training (AELMTCT), based on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle and a preexisting instrument (Dumas’ tool), was developed for assessment and teaching purposes.
Utilizing the development problem-solving methodology, criteria to evaluate an experiential learning assessment instrument were established by the researcher and validated by a panel of experts. An evaluation and gap analysis of the Dumas’ tool provided input data for the AELMTCT design. The AELMTCT was developed by the researcher with formative committee input, then validated by the external experts. Following training of clinical supervisors in the AELMTCT administration, scoring, and coaching protocol, a pilot test was conducted for one semester with sixteen practicum students. Validity and reliability measures for data collection instruments and the AELMTCT included content and face validity, inter-observer reliability, and internal consistency reliability indices.
The AELMTCT was found to have content and face validity, and to meet acceptable levels of reliability estimates. Field test interviews with clinical experts and pilot test supervisor evaluations provided positive evidence of the AELMTCT’s potential practicality. It was concluded that the AELMTCT was an effective teaching strategy as measured through pilot-test AELMTCT score comparisons and participant evaluations.
Recommendations included implementation of the AELMTCT within the Slippery Rock University music therapy curriculum and dissemination of pilot study results to study participants and interested stakeholders. Further evaluation of the AELMTCT was recommended through a longitudinal study, implementation during the internship, and utilization in graduate music therapy education.