Fostering self-regulated practice: Development and testing of an internet-based practice intervention for teritary piano students

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BackgroundTertiary music students pursuing a musical career invest thousands of hours in practice (Macnamara & Maitra, 2019) but many students are unable to use this time effectively (McPherson et al., 2019). To practise effectively, students must learn to self-regulate their practice using skills such as goal setting, strategic planning, and self-evaluation, yet these are rarely taught at conservatories (McPherson et al., 2017).Several studies have aimed to improve tertiary students' practice by teaching these key self-regulatory processes (Clark & Williamon, 2011; Hatfield, 2016; Kegelaers & Oudejans, 2020; Miksza et al., 2018). While these studies have demonstrated the feasibility of teaching these skills, they have a crucial limitation: such interventions are not widely available, largely due to financial cost, time constraints, and the unavailability of experts to deliver appropriate courses.An internet-based intervention (IBI) could address these issues. No experts would need to be present, students could learn in their own time, and outcomes and adherence could be monitored easily (Miller et al., 2021). IBIs have been shown to be effective in clinical psychology (Miller et al., 2021). Online health courses for musicians have been reported (Su et al. 2012; Wijsman et al., 2019) but an IBI for music practice remains unexplored.The aim of this PhD is to develop and evaluate such an intervention for tertiary piano students. It will consist of three main studies: 1) a review of existing interventions; 2) the development of an evidence-based IBI; 3) an evaluation of the IBI in a randomised-controlled trial (RCT), once the IBI has been pilot-tested.Study 1: Evidence gatheringAims and methodsThe purpose of Study 1 is to amass the evidence on which the IBI will be based. The following research questions (RQ) will be investigated:RQ1. What support for individual practice is currently available to tertiary music students?RQ2. What strategies can promote effective practice and how can they can best be delivered in an IBI?RQ1 will be answered via a survey of music conservatory curricula including a questionnaire on programmes to support practice. RQ2 will be answered in a literature review on effective practice, practice interventions, and IBIs in various domains.Study 2: Development of IBIAims and methodsOn the basis of the answers to RQ1 and RQ2, I will develop the IBI. Based on a systematic review by Ford and Arvinen-Barrow (2019), I expect the IBI to nine-weeks long.Study 3a: pilot studyAims The acceptability of the IBI will be evaluated, and the IBI will be improved on the basis of participants' feedback. DesignA multi-strategy approach will be used. Data will be collected pre- and post-intervention, and include questionnaires, practice diary, interviews, performance evaluations, and practice recordings.ParticipantsThree piano performance students at RNCM.MaterialsQuestionnaires administered pre- and post-intervention will include the Self-Regulated Learning in Music Questionnaire (Hatfield et al., 2017), the Self-Efficacy for Musical Performing Questionnaire (Ritchie & Williamon, 2011), the revised Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (Kenny, 2009), and the revised Sport Motivation Scale (Pelletier et al., 2013), adapted for motivation for music.ProcedureParticipants will record practice quantity by writing the time and duration of practice sessions for a week in a practice diary at pre- and post-intervention. They will be asked to undertake a quick study task at both pre- and post-intervention, in which they will learn a set piece in two hours over two consecutive days for a recorded performance. They will be asked about their goals, strategies, and self-evaluation in a structured interview after each practice session. Transcripts and practice recordings will be analysed to determine practice quality, while performances will be evaluated by an