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Ripley Dissertation.pdf (2.64 MB)

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Surviving Set Theory: A Pedagogical Game and Cooperative Learning Approach to Undergraduate Post-Tonal Music Theory

Ripley, Angela N.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1437583773

Abstract Details

2015, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Music.
Undergraduate music students often experience a high learning curve when they first encounter pitch-class set theory, an analytical system very different from those they have studied previously. Students sometimes find the abstractions of integer notation and the mathematical orientation of set theory foreign or even frightening (Kleppinger 2010), and the dissonance of the atonal repertoire studied often engenders their resistance (Root 2010). Pedagogical games can help mitigate student resistance and trepidation. Table games like Bingo (Gillespie 2000) and Poker (Gingerich 1991) have been adapted to suit college-level classes in music theory. Familiar television shows provide another source of pedagogical games; for example, Berry (2008; 2015) adapts the show "Survivor" to frame a unit on theory fundamentals. However, none of these pedagogical games engage pitch-class set theory during a multi-week unit of study. In my dissertation, I adapt the show "Survivor" to frame a four-week unit on pitch-class set theory (introducing topics ranging from pitch-class sets to twelve-tone rows) during a sophomore-level theory course. As on the show, students of different achievement levels work together in small groups, or “tribes,” to complete worksheets called “challenges”; however, in an important modification to the structure of the show, no students are voted out of their tribes. Challenges are graded individually, and these grades are averaged together to yield a score for each tribe. At the end of the unit, each member of the tribe that earned the highest cumulative average score on the challenges receives a modest gift card as a non-academic prize. While students’ grades are based solely on their own work, the game element promotes peer mentoring through cooperative learning (Johnson and Johnson 1999; Slavin 2012) and inspires constructive peer pressure that motivates all students to do their best. Aspects of the game designed to enhance student enjoyment and build tribe unity include tribe names, a customized logo, and an opening credits video. I present empirical results of implementing Set Theory Survivor in the classroom and discuss student responses to questionnaires exploring their attitudes toward post-tonal music, their self-perceived abilities to use set-theoretical analysis to study post-tonal music, and their views of Set Theory Survivor as a framework for studying pitch-class set theory. The self-reported ability of students to perform specific set-theoretical operations increased to a statistically significant extent during the unit, and the majority of students enjoyed the game-like format. By combining the peer support of cooperative learning with the motivational force of constructive competition and the fun of a pedagogical game, Set Theory Survivor provides an innovative approach to a subject that often sparks student resistance and presents a valuable tool with which to enhance the pedagogy of pitch-class set theory.
David Clampitt, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Anna Gawboy, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Johanna Devaney, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
184 p.
Education; Educational Theory; Music; Music Education; Pedagogy; Teaching
music theory; theory pedagogy; teaching music theory; pedagogical game; Survivor; pitch-class set theory; post-tonal music; atonal music; twentieth-century music; cooperative learning; constructive competition; intergroup competition; challenge; tribe

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Ripley, A. N. (2015). Surviving Set Theory: A Pedagogical Game and Cooperative Learning Approach to Undergraduate Post-Tonal Music Theory [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1437583773

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Ripley, Angela. Surviving Set Theory: A Pedagogical Game and Cooperative Learning Approach to Undergraduate Post-Tonal Music Theory . 2015. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1437583773.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Ripley, Angela. "Surviving Set Theory: A Pedagogical Game and Cooperative Learning Approach to Undergraduate Post-Tonal Music Theory ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1437583773

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1437583773
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.