Thinking About Think Alouds in Music Education Research

Abstract

Verbal protocol analysis or think alouds have emerged as a useful research methodology for studying a wide variety of human problem-solving skills. Think aloud methodology has only recently been applied to the study of the cognitive processes involved in music listening, composing, performing, and conducting. This article highlights this growing body of music education research studies and provides detailed discussion of the issues involved in data collection and analysis when using think alouds in music education research.