Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-xtgtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T10:15:04.342Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Choral possible selves: The interaction of Australian males’ past, present and future identities in shaping decisions about participation in choir

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 October 2016

Sarah J. Powell
Sarah J. Powell*
Affiliation:
Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South NSW 2750, AustraliaSarah.Powell@westernsydney.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper reports on the findings related to the possible selves of males who participate in choir. It focuses on the perceptions of participants’ past, present and future identities and the way these interact to influence decisions about choir. The paper is derived from a larger study, set in Australia, which investigated the perceptions of success, notions of masculinity and the impact of possible selves on male choral participation. Four choirs of different age groups were involved: junior school, secondary school, university and community. Data were collected through interviews, focus groups, surveys and observational video analysis. Findings demonstrated that the strength of possible selves was influenced by past experience and present self-perception, which impacted future projections of self and subsequent decisions about choir. The research points to the importance of providing positive and fulfilling experiences of choir in school because of its positive impact on individual well being and the active pursuit of desired goals.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Music Education , Volume 34 , Issue 1 , March 2017 , pp. 57 - 69
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

ANTHIS, K. S., DUNKEL, C. S. & ANDERSON, B. (2004) Gender and identity status differences in late adolescents’ possible selves Journal of Adolescence, 27, 147–152. DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2003.11.010 Google Scholar
BARRETT, M. S. (2012) Mutuality, belonging, and meaning-making. Pathways to developing young boys’ competence and creativity in singing and song-making. In Harrison, S.D. (Ed.). Male Voices: Stories of Boys Learning through Making Music (pp.167–187). Melbourne, Australia: ACER Press.Google Scholar
CARROLL, P. J., SHEPPERD, J. A. & ARKIN, R. M. (2009) Downward self-revision: Erasing possible selves. Social Cognition, 27 (4), 550–578. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/229571327?accountid=36155 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
COHEN, L., MANION, L. & MORRISON, K. (2000) Research Methods in Education (5th Edn.) London: RoutledgeFalmer.Google Scholar
COLLINS, A. (2009) Boy's music ecosystem. In Harrison, S. D. (Ed.). Male Voices: Stories of Boys Learning through Making Music (pp.33–47). Melbourne, Australia: ACER Press.Google Scholar
CONNELL, R. (2008) Masculinity construction and sports in boys’ education: A framework for thinking about the issue. Sport, Education and Society, 13 (2), 131–145. DOI: 10.1080/13573320801957053.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CREECH, A., HALLAM, S., VARVARIGOU, M., GAUNT, H., MCQUEEN, H. & PINCAS, A. (2013) The role of musical possible selves in supporting subjective well-being in later life. Music Education Research, 16 (1), 1–18. DOI: 10.1080/14613808.2013.788143 Google Scholar
CRESSWELL, J. W. (2007) Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (2nd Edn.) Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
CROSS, S. E. & MARKUS, H. R. (1994) Self-schemas, possible selves, and competent performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86 (3), 423–438. DOI: 10.1037/0022-0663.86.3.423 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ELMORE, K. C. & OYSERMAN, D. (2012) If ‘we’ can success, ‘I’ can too: Identity-based motivation and gender. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 37, 176–185. DOI: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2011.05.003 Google Scholar
ERIKSON, M. G. (2007) The meaning of the future: Toward a more specific definition of possible selves. Review of General Psychology, 11 (4), 348–358. DOI: 10.1037/1089-2680.11.4.348 Google Scholar
FREER, P. K. (2009) ‘I'll sing with my buddies’ – Fostering the possible selves of male choral singers. International Journal of Music Education, 27 (4), 341–355. DOI: 10.1177/0255761409345918 Google Scholar
FREER, P. K. (2010) Two decades of research on possible selves and the ‘missing males’ problem in choral music. International Journal of Music Education, 28 (1), 17–30. DOI: 10.1177/0255761409351341 Google Scholar
FREER, P. K. & TAN, L. (2014) The self-perceptions of young men as singers in Singaporean pre-university schools. Research Studies in Music Education, 36 (2), 165–178. DOI: 10.1177/1321103X14556575 Google Scholar
HARRISON, S. D. (2001) Real men don't sing – or do they? A report on some explanatory research into issues of males’ non-participation in certain musical activities. Australian Voice, 7, 31–36.Google Scholar
HARRISON, S. D. (2007) A perennial problem in gendered participation in music: What's happening to the boys? British Journal of Music Education, 24 (3), 267–280.Google Scholar
HARRISON, S. D. (2010) Boys on the outer: Themes in male engagement with music. THYMOS: Journal of Boyhood Studies, 4 (1), 39–53. DOI: 10.3149/thy.0401.39 Google Scholar
HARRISON, S. D. (2012) Singing, men and Australian culture. In Harrison, S. D., Welch, G. F. & Adler, A. (Eds.), Perspectives on Males and Singing (pp. 65–75). London: Springer.Google Scholar
KNOX, M. (2006) Gender and possible selves. In Dunkel, C. & Kerpelman, J., Possible Selves: Theory, Research and Application (pp.61–77). New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.Google Scholar
MARKUS, H. & NURIUS, P. (1986) Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41 (9), 954–969. DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.41.9.954 Google Scholar
OYSERMAN, D., BYBEE, D., TERRY, K. & HART-JOHNSON, T. (2004) Possible selves as roadmaps. Journal of Research in Personality, 38, 130–149. DOI: 10.1016/S0092-6566(03)00057-6 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
OYSERMAN, D. & JAMES, L. (2011) Possible identities. In Schwartz, S. J., Luyckx, K. & Vignoles, V.. (eds.). Handbook of Identity Theory and Research (pp.117–145). New York: Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-7988-9_6 Google Scholar
OYSERMAN, D. & MARKUS, H. R. (1990) Possible selves and delinquency. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59 (1), 112–125. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.59.1.112 Google Scholar
PATERSON, B. L., BOTTORFF, J. L. & HEWAT, R. (2003) Blending observational methods: Possibilities, strategies, and challenges. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2 (1), 29–38.Google Scholar
POWELL, S. J. (2013) Musical and personal success: Perceptions of Australian males in choir. Australian Journal of Music Education, 1, 53–63.Google Scholar
POWELL., S. J. (2015) Masculinity and choral singing: An Australian perspective. International Journal of Music Education, 33 (2), 233–243. DOI: 10.1177/0255761414533307 [First published online May 2014].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SICA, L. S. (2009) Adolescents in different contexts: The exploration of identity through possible selves. Cognition, Brain, Behavior: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 13 (3), 221–252.Google Scholar
STAKE, R. E. (2000) Case Studies. In Denzin, N. K. & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.), Handbook Of Qualitative Research (2nd Ed.) (Pp.435–454). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
STEVENSON, J. & CLEGG, S. (2011) Possible selves: Students orientating themselves towards the future through extracurricular activity. British Educational Research Journal, 37 (2), 231–246. DOI: 10.1080/01411920903540672 Google Scholar
STRAHAN, E. J. & WILSON, E. (2006) Temporal comparisons, identity, and motivation: The relation between past, present, and possible future selves. In Dunkel, C. & Kerpelman, J., Possible Selves: Theory, Research and Application (pp.1–15). New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.Google Scholar
VAN MANEN, M. (1997) Researching Lived Experience: Human Science for an Action Sensitive Pedagogy. Ontario, Canada: The Althouse Press.Google Scholar
WELCH, G. F. (2007) Addressing the multifaceted nature of music education: An activity theory research perspective. Research Studies in Music Education, 28, 23–37. DOI: 10.1177/1321103X070280010203 CrossRefGoogle Scholar