In this study, we conducted a small-scale case study with six pre-service teachers enrolled in a music teacher training programme at a comprehensive university in China. Participants engaged in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews after hands-on experiences with an AR-based piano learning app. Thematic analysis revealed that the participants were generally aware of the potential of this instructional approach but doubted its efficacy and exhibited weak intention to adopt it in their future classrooms.
Implications of the findings for music teacher training are discussed. Therefore, music education is commonly incorporated into educational curricula worldwide Hallam et al. Meanwhile, prior studies McCarthy and Goble, ; Bowman, ; Regelski and Gates eds , also reveal that music education is under the joint influence of shifting economic, social, and cultural realities.
With the exponential growth of information and communication technology ICT in recent years, the ways to experience music have undergone a noticeable change towards growing reliance on digital methods King and Himonides eds , ; Tuuri and Koskela, In view of this trend, technology-assisted music education has been embraced by educational policy makers in China, who hope that this initiative will help to reform and reshape music education in the country Ministry of Education, , Recently, with the rapid development of augmented reality AR technologies, interest has emerged in linking AR to musical instrument learning Johnson et al.
Considering the key role of pre-service music teachers in supporting the initiative of technology-assisted music education Conway et al. We hope that our findings will offer new insights for the ongoing exploration of technology-assisted music learning and elucidate the future development of music teacher training programmes in China.
As of , China had approximately , primary and secondary schools and about 45,, students Ministry of Education, Thanks to the rapid social, economic, and cultural development over the past four decades, music education in China has progressed significantly Ho, It is currently mandated that students at primary and secondary levels should have 1β2 music classes per week.
