PERCEPTIONS OF PRESERVICE MUSIC EDUCATORS CONCERNING THEIR PREPARATION TO TEACH STUDENTS WITH EXCEPTIONALITIESByAshley Grace Moss The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of teaching practices in higher education on the perceptions of students in those programs of their preparation to work with students with exceptionalities. I collected data from undergraduate music education students attending institutions in the Big 10 Conference who were student teaching during the spring semester of the 2014-2015 academic year. I collected data using a researcher-generated questionnaire informed by the survey tools used in the related research. I analyzed the data using descriptive statistics, frequency distributions, t tests, and ANOVA. I calculated reliabilities using Cronbach’s alpha. The results suggest that the majority of respondents felt adequately prepared to teach students with exceptionalities; however, the degree of preparation varied. There were statistically significant differences between respondents who had personal experiences with individuals with exceptionalities and those who did not have personal experiences with individuals with exceptionalities, as well as respondents who participated in coursework pertaining to the education of students with exceptionalities and those who did not participate in such coursework. Trends in differences between teaching area and teaching level preference groups suggest that preparation may vary by specialization; however small sample size may have attenuated statistical significance. The results suggest a need for more interactions between preservice music educators and students with exceptionalities, as well as a sequenced approach to teaching music educators about exceptional learners.
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