Problems and Expectations of Students Regarding the Management of Learning in the Subjects of Thai Music Theory and History within the Thai Undergraduate Music Education Curriculum

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the problems and expectations of students regarding the management of learning in the subjects of Thai music theory and history within the Thai undergraduate music education curriculum. The exploratory and descriptive research methodology was employed. The data was collected from 103 students who enrolled in the Thai Music Education curriculum at the undergraduate level. Instruments include a documentary analysis form, and an online questionnaire (Google Form). The results showed that: (1) teaching method was lecture-based, resulting in disengaged learning and limited knowledge acquisition; (2) content was the lack of clear delineation between the content of the two subjects; in many cases, instructors mixed Thai music theory with Thai music history which made students confused and mis-concept; (3) instructional media failed to captivate students and did not facilitate comprehensive learning; (4) instructional materials, each university had different approaches to managing its teaching resources, which were both uninteresting and overly academic; and (5) context consists of the diversity of students, assignments, classroom conditions, and instructor’s preparedness. From the results, this research proposes the guideline for the management of learning in Thai music theory and history through Outcome-based education (OBE) and a blended learning approach that can apply to traditional music teaching which is familiar with the Thai culture.