The state of music education in the basic general public schools of Ecuador: The administrators’ perspective

Abstract

This study examines the state of music education in the public schools of Ecuador from the perspective of school administrators. A survey that was distributed to 1800 school administrators (27.4% response rate) was used to answer the following research questions: What are administrators’ perceptions of the current national policies for arts education? What are administrators’ perceptions of the current state of the music curriculum? Is there a difference between administrators’ perceptions of current and ideal states? What are administrators’ perceptions of the degree to which numerous variables impact on the music curriculum in their schools? What are the obstacles and challenges that administrators’ face in supporting the music curriculum? Are there differences by political zone in the ways administrators implement policies and oversee arts education instruction in their schools? Findings show that despite the creation of a national curriculum for arts, there is limited access to music. Moreover, there is a generalized lack of familiarity with policy and curricular implementation, especially among administrators who do have music. Despite this, significant differences between current and ideal conditions showed that administrators believe improvement is possible. The administrators also indicated budget and lack of music teachers were factors that had a negative impact on their music programs.