The Effects of Monaural Beat Technology on Learners' Experiences of Music Performance Anxiety (MPA)
- Authors: Flanagan, Jayson Edward
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Performance anxiety Alternative treatment , School music South Africa Makhanda , Music students South Africa Makhanda Examinations , Beats (Acoustics) Psychological aspects , Monaural Beat Technology
- Language: English
- Type: Masters theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/188419 , vital:44752
- Description: Music performance anxiety (MPA) is related to the experience of persisting, distressful, apprehensions about and/or actual impairment of performance skills in a public context, to a degree unwarranted given the individual’s musical aptitude, training and level of preparation (Salmon 1990). This research project set out to investigate learners’ subjective experiences of the effects of monaural beat (MB) vibrational frequencies on their experiences of MPA. The research project was a qualitative study based on a phenomenological research paradigm, which fundamentally aims to explore an experience in its own terms (Smith et al. 2009). The research participants consisted of four subject music pupils at St Andrew’s College and The Diocesan School for Girls and were interviewed through in-depth, semi-structured interviews over two practical examinations. The results suggested that various factors contribute to the experience of music performance anxiety, such as the performers’ perceptions of audience reactions, as well as the context of the performance. Self-esteem and the performer’s fragile sense of self-worth and self-confidence also play an important role in influencing their music performance anxiety. However, listening to monaural beats during a performance has the ability to lower levels of music performance anxiety by eliciting the following effects: an improved sense of confidence within the listeners; a sense of calm; the monaural beats working on a passive awareness level that allows the beat to operate at a sub-conscious level; the ability to focus better on the task at hand as well as benefit the listener in non-musical contexts such as studying; general concentration or ordinary tasks such as gardening or going for a run. The research suggests that listening to monaural beats during a musical performance can benefit the performer by lowering levels of MPA. As a result, the performer will experience an improved sense of confidence, calmness and the ability to focus better on the task at hand. Monaural beats have also shown to be a useful method of dealing with MPA instead of resorting to pharmaceutical drugs or other methods of coping such as playing games for distraction. , Thesis (MMus) -- Faculty of Humanities, Music and Musicology, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-10-29
A system review of higher education admissions testing practices in Israel: implications for South Africa
- Authors: Cronje, Johan Herman
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Universities and colleges -- South Africa -- Admissions , Universities and colleges -- Israel -- Admissions , Universities and colleges -- Entrance requirements , Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa -- Validity , Education, Higher -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- Israel
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9910 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/937 , Universities and colleges -- South Africa -- Admissions , Universities and colleges -- Israel -- Admissions , Universities and colleges -- Entrance requirements , Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa -- Validity , Education, Higher -- South Africa , Education, Higher -- Israel
- Description: Internationally, the practice of admissions entry testing in Higher Education (HE) has gained momentum over the past few decades, sparking ongoing research on its effectiveness. On a national level, three factors have signalled a timeous evaluation of admissions practices at HE institutions. Firstly, changes in the school curriculum and the new format of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) have impacted on the admissions criteria of HE institutions. Secondly, with the merging of HE institutions an alignment in admissions practices between the institutions involved were necessitated. Thirdly, South Africa has embarked on the development of National Benchmark Tests (NBTs). The primary aim of this research study was to develop a set of recommendations to guide admissions testing practices in the South African HE context. These recommendations had to place special emphasis on the multicultural and multilingual context of this country. To achieve this aim a systematic review was conducted on HE admissions testing in Israel, as it was identified as a multicultural and multilingual country that had successfully implemented national HE admissions testing. More specifically, a retrospective systematic review was performed on research regarding the national HE admissions test, the Psychometric Entrance Test (PET), used in Israel. The systematic review also contained a narrative overview on the educational landscape in Israel and the specifications of the PET, from which themes were also extracted. Eight broad themes emerged through the systematic review and narrative overview as being of critical importance to an effective national HE admissions test. These were the components of the test, the implementation of the testing programme, the method in which the test results are used to make HE admission decisions, the reliability xi of the test, the validity of the test, bias inherent in the test, other psychometric aspects related to the admissions test, and the effect of coaching or specialized preparation on test results. These themes, together with their sub-components, were used to develop eight recommendations that can guide the development and implementation of the National Benchmark Test (NBTs) in South Africa. Both the themes that emerged during the systematic review and narrative overview as well as the recommendations that were made to guide the development and implementation of a national admission test, represent an important contribution to the field of admission testing and decision-making in South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2009
The identification of criteria to be utilised in mathematical diagnostic tests
- Authors: Wagner-Welsh, Shirley Joy
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Mathematical ability -- Testing , Ability -- Testing , Guidance test battery for secondary pupils , Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: vital:10501 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/708 , Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Mathematical ability -- Testing , Ability -- Testing , Guidance test battery for secondary pupils , Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- South Africa
- Description: School-related mistakes and low pass rates have led this researcher to perceive that some students are not adequately prepared for Mathematics 1. To address the problem of under-preparedness overseas universities use placement or diagnostic tests. Diagnostic testing identifies areas of weakness and provides information to guide the development of appropriate remedial support. This researcher embarked on a study to identify the sub-domains (criteria) that should be included in a diagnostic Mathematics test battery at the NMMU. An analysis of first-year curricula was undertaken to determine the required Mathematical pre-knowledge and skills entry-level students should have. Thereafter, the required pre-knowledge and skills were reflected against the standard grade school syllabi. From this it was determined that the school learners should acquire the necessary pre-knowledge and skills for university success as part of the school syllabus. However, in reality this is not the case as the researcher and other Mathematics lecturers identified a number of basic errors that incoming students make. This suggests that they have not developed all the required knowledge and skills. Furthermore, their performance in the matriculation examinations does not provide an adequate measure of the requisite Mathematical pre-knowledge and skills necessary for success at university-level Mathematics. No suitable existing diagnostic Mathematics test could be found. By utilizing both an action research as well as a test development methodology, the researcher thus proceeded to delineate the sub-domains that should be included in a diagnostic Mathematics test battery. Thereafter, test specifications were developed for two pilot tests and items were developed or sourced. The constructed response item-type was chosen for the pilot tests as it was argued that this item-type was more useful to use in a diagnostic test than a multiple-choice item format, for example. The pilot test battery, which consisted of a pilot Arithmetic and Algebra and Calculus tests, was administered to a sample of first-year students at the NMMU in 2004 and their performance in Mathematics at the end of the first year was tracked. Tests were scored holistically and analytically to provide a rich source of information. Thereafter, the test results were analysed to obtain evidence on the content validity of the pilot tests, including the item difficulty values and the item-total correlations; to determine the predictive validity of performance on the pilot tests with respect to final first-year Mathematics marks; and their reliability was determined using the Cronbach’s Alpha statistic. These findings suggest that appropriate sub-domains (criteria) were delineated and the items appropriately covered these sub-domains (i.e. the content validity of the pilot tests is acceptable). Furthermore, the predictive validity of the pilot ix tests was found to be acceptable in that significant correlations were found between the pilot tests and performance in first-year Mathematics. Finally, the pilot tests were found to be reliable. Based on the results, suggestions are made regarding how to refine the diagnostic test battery and the research related to it. The final diagnostic Mathematics test battery holds much potential to be able to assist in the early identification of at-risk students who can be timeously placed in developmentally appropriate Mathematics modules or provided with appropriate remedial intervention.
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- Date Issued: 2008
The learning styles of first year university students
- Authors: Vawda, Aamena
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Learning, Psychology of , College students -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Learning ability
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9849 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/358 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1005817 , Learning, Psychology of , College students -- South Africa -- Evaluation , Learning ability
- Description: There has been a shift in the South African education system from a purely grade-oriented system to that of a learner-centred outcome-based system of education which challenges higher educational institutions and their faculties to adjust their goals to this system. In South Africa there is evidence of poor academic performance at higher education institutions. Among other things, noncognitive factors may be important mediators of academic success. With the expansion of higher education and the increased emphasis on access, retention and life-long learning, it is a good reason to explore the nature of different learning styles (Healey & Jenkins, 2000). Learning styles and personality types has been identified as significant predictors of academic performance. The present study aimed to contribute to this body of research in general and to Kolb’s (1981) theory of experiential learning and his conceptualisation of learning styles in particular. The aims of the study were to explore and describe the learning styles of first year university students (Aim 1), to explore and describe the learning styles of first year university students per faculty (Aim 2), and to explore the relationship between learning styles and academic performance for students in the various faculties (Aim 3). The study used an explorative descriptive and correlational research method and was conducted within a quantitative framework. Participants were selected using a non-probability convenience sampling technique. The sample was comprised of 391 first year university students to whom Kolb’s Learning Style Indicator was administered as part of the Explore programme during orientation week. Descriptive statistics were used in order to explore and describe the learning style of the learners for the sample as a whole and per faculty. Data for the learning styles and academic performance categories were cross tabulated so as to comment on the relationship between learning styles and academic performance per faculty. Small cell sizes made it impossible to analyse the latter data statistically. Across the six faculties the Accommodator learning style was the most represented, followed by the Diverger learning style. No significant relationship was found between learning styles and academic performance. The implications of the findings for counselling and teaching students are highlighted and suggestions to expand the research through using larger samples are also made.
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- Date Issued: 2005