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INVESTIGATING MUSICAL BEHAVIOUR TEST AT UPPER BASIC 

SCHOOLS IN SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA  

 

Calista A. N. Ugwu Ph.D. 

 

Abstract 

est or assessment is inseparable from human endaviour as a 

bedrock for attaining success. It is a core component of the 

curriculum. Musical behaviour is not without test in indigenous 

tradition nor in the Western perspective as we have in the school. The 

slight difference is that in the indigenous tradition no failure is 

produced unlike what happens in the classroom. This qualitative study 

gathered data from literature and interview from the pre-service 

music teachers at the upper basic schools at the South-eastern part 

of Nigeria. The study revealed among others that paper pencil type of 

test focusing on multiple choice and essay are the most widely used 

test type adopted by the interviewed teachers. The result also 

concurred with literature on the lopsided nature of test that upheld 

majorly the cognitive domain at the neglect of the psychomotor and 

affective domains. The study concludes by recommending that the 

teacher should test both for the subjective and objective musical 

learning of the students. Furthermore, the researcher through the 

study recommends organization of workshop or training for the 

teachers on test construction. 

Key words: musical behaviour, test, measurement, evaluation, upper 

basic schools. 

 

Introduction  

Musical behaviors have always been judged by music teachers, 

performers, and critics; however, the application of systematic 

testing, measurement, and/or evaluative procedures is crucial for 

educational decisions. Decisions from test influence learner’s 

T 

 Awka Journal of Research in Music and the Arts (AJRMA) Vol. 13 2019 



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37 

instructional opportunities and experiences. These decisions have 

consequence for the musical development of the learners that is vital 

and long-ranged. Not only do instructional and curricular decisions 

affect individuals, but they also affect broad school, community, and 

societal goals for music education. It is therefore pertinent that 

decisions be made from a strong information base. 

 

An information base from two realms of knowledge: subjective and 

objective should be complementary for better decision making. Music 

as an art form impact as recognized by many philosophers and 

psychologists, and educators. As upheld by Dewey (1934) and Merriam 

(1964) in their writings that music is, at an intellectual and emotional 

level, a construct of culture, and as such, a product of society. It is 

most potent when testing response to music to involve a strong feeling 

component as well as the cognitive. The worrisome state is whether all 

evaluation of musical behavior and music programmes is undertaken to 

strengthen the information base for instruction and programmatic 

decisions. It has been reported that individual teachers and music 

directors in schools and conservatories occasionally use test for 

spurious reasons while other test for “window dressing” because it is 

expected of them, whereas others may use test as punishment (Boyle 

& Radocy, 1987). An objective music teacher should test for the 

musical behaviour of the student to enable him/her develop the 

expected musical understanding and not to victimize nor to fulfil all 

righteousness. The teacher ought to have a strong philosophical base 

for testing the students’ musical knowledge else s/he will be toted 

about with any school objectives though might not cover all the crucial 

components of musical behaviour that ought to be tested. 

 

The upper basic also known as junior secondary is very crucial to any 

subject in the curriculum. It is a base on which the student develops 

and decides which carrier to pursue. Hence both instruction and 

medium of assessment is very crucial.  The students’ instruction as 

well as test should more importantly focus on the musical development 

of the students’ creativity, listening and observing, performing music 



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38 

and not on music facts only. The curriculum is made for the teacher 

and not the teacher for the curriculum hence the facts about music as 

we have in the curriculum should be taught within real music 

(performing, creating, listening, analyzing), and so is the test. If the 

students develop positive attitude to music at the upper basic, there 

is every tendency they will choose writing it at the Basic Education 

Certificate Examination (BECE) and National Examinations Council 

(NECO) and sequel might decide to study music at the senior 

secondary.   

 

Theoretical Base 

The cardinal objective of education is learning. Every school subject in 

the curriculum contributes to the total development of the child via 

the cognitive, psychomotor and affective as an agent of behavioural 

change. Music educators are concerned with the musical learning 

towards understanding and changing musical behavior of the learner. 

An understanding of the attainment of these behaviours can only be 

achieved through test. The test has to be measured so that 

judgement can be passed on else the test is useless. The test as well 

has to be encompassing so that different musical behaviours has to be 

tested towards learning in the three main educational domains. Hence 

to understand the discourse better some concepts like musical 

behavior, test, measurement and evaluation will be defined. 

 

Musical Behaviour 

“Musical behaviour is an integral and important part of human 

existence” (Boyle & Radocy, 1987, p.3); that facet of human 

psychological behaviour through which people, either individually or 

collectively, interact with musical phenomena. These behaviours 

includes: musical performance (singing or playing an instrument), 

reading or writing music, improvising or composing music, listening to 

music, moving to music, reading about music, having a feeling response 

(affective/aesthetic) to music, or analyzing music. Any of these 

and/or any observable human activity related to music is termed 

musical behaviour. These overt manifestations of a myriad of 



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39 

psychological, physiological, and neurological processes that an 

individual has in relation to music sound and/or other music-related 

events or phenomena are determined through test. It is therefore 

hoped that a summative test for upper basic should have exercises or 

questions that will test for the music performance ability, perception, 

and conceptual. Changing musical behaviour is the essence of music 

teaching and the study of musical behaviour is the subject matter of 

the psychology of music (Boyle et al). Musical behaviours can be 

understood by both subjective and objective information. 

 

Test 

Test is an application of systematic method for gathering data that 

indicate the extent to which an individual or group of individuals 

demonstrate a specific behaviour or sets of behaviours. Cronbach 

(1970) stated that test “is a systematic procedure for observing a 

person’s behaviour and describing it with the aid of numerical scale or 

a category system (p.5). Test includes a series of questions, exercises, 

or other tasks designed for a specific function.Some common 

functions of test include assessment of knowledge, achievement, 

skills, ability, aptitude, attitude etc. Every test must be purpose 

driven and systematic. Its intention primarily is towards obtaining 

objective information about individual’s behaviour relevant to specific 

purposes, and a test’s real value is dependent upon the extent to 

which it serves the purpose for which it was administered. Technical 

criteria for evaluating music test include validity and reliability. In 

designing a test therefore, the test designer should systematically 

include items, questions, exercises that require the test taker to 

perform or demonstrate bevaiours reflecting the knowledge, skill, 

ability, attitude, or whatever is being assessed. The form, format, and 

general characteristics of educational or psychological tests, may vary 

greatly as these characteristics are dependent on many variables. 

These includes the function of the test, the nature of what is to be 

measured, the characteristics of the individuals, time, costs and so 

forth. Regardless of whatever characteristics format and function, a 

basic principle of measurement and evaluation is that the testing 



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40 

procedure involve a systematic method for assessing the test takers’ 

behaviour relevant to the questions and exercises specified in the 

test. 

 

Some test types include: Multiple choice, Matching, True-False, 

Completion, Short Answer, and Easy. Music tests techniques include 

instrument playing, paper-pencil, response etc; whichever test type or 

technique is determined by the purpose of the test, subject matter 

and the learner.  

 

Measurement  

This deals with quantification of test data. Just as test involves a 

systematic method for assessing musical behaviour, procedures for 

quantifying behavioural responses to test must also be systematic. 

Payne (1982) defined measurement as the “comparison of something 

with a unit or standard or quantity of that same thing, in order to 

represent the magnitude of the variable being measured” (p.1182). 

Measurement attempts to improve precision and objectivity and as 

well a base for subsequent objective, statistical treatment of test 

data. Measurement in music teaching is quite challenging because of 

the subjectivity of musical behaviours and this has endangered music 

test as the educational authorities are after quantifiable scores. In 

order to meet the demand, the test has majorly focused on the 

factual information about music at the neglect of the affective. The 

onus is on the test maker to design evaluative tools to test for the 

affective experience and assign values to them. 

 

Evaluation 

Evaluation is the use of test and measurement towards making some 

judgment or decision regarding the worth, quality or value of 

experiences, procedures, et cetera, as they relate to educational 

endeavor. It ought to be an ongoing, systematic process that is an 

integral part, of any educational endeavor. Evaluation in music has 

majorly focused on the cognitive and psychomotor at the neglect of 

the affective, humanistic qualities of the students’ educational 



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41 

experiences which are very crucial. These authors contend that 

evaluation in music education will approach their best when decision 

makers (a) have a strong, relevant information base, including both 

subjective and objective information, (b) consider affective and, 

where appropriate, aesthetic reasons of (or to) the individual, group, 

or endeavor being evaluated, and (c) be made with primary goal of 

improving quality of the learner’s educational experiences (Boyle & 

Radocy, 1978, p.8). Evaluation is broader than test and measurement, 

as it makes judgement based on the test measurement. However, all 

of them are systematic. Crucial from the above views, all the three 

concepts discussed must be purpose driven and more importantly for 

music education is a more focus on the test, measurement, and 

evaluation of the affective experience of the music student. Testing 

musical behaviour focusing on the psychomotor and cognitive domains 

is more objective than the affective domain that is subjective 

notwithstanding efforts should be made towards testing the affective 

experience of the students. The subjective experience of the learner 

can be inferred from the overt behaviour of the learner towards its 

testing. 

 

Criticism of Music Testing 

Testing generally has been critiqued in literature on the following 

points: (a) Lehman (1968) noted two points which are test inadequacy 

and test misuse; Ebel (1979), spotted out test validity and 

overdependence on objective test because they are easily scored 

regardless of serious shortcomings of triviality, ambiguity, and 

guessing; labelling students as a result of test scores and that may 

cause teachers to abandon sound, long-rang instruction in order to 

teach for the test;  harmful stress and unnecessary experiences of 

failure to which students are exposed, thus destroying self-

confidence and undermining of joy of learning (Boyle et al, 1978,p.23). 

 

Music testing is not exempted from the above mentioned criticisms of 

testing. But very peculiar to music testing are the global versus the 

specific approaches to music testing. Two of them may be 



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42 

complementary however the function for which the test is being used 

should serve as the determinant. Further is that the purpose of the 

assessment and the use to be made of the data as well as the degree 

of inference to be made from the behavioural assessment. Tests 

generally assess behaviours, but the extent to which test makers and 

users infer that the behaviour reflect covert cognitive or affective 

constructs varies greatly. Behaviour versus cognition or affect 

inference issue is some worth related to the global versus specific 

issue. Users of music tests must understand and define clearly what 

they are attempting to assess and select and develop tests or other 

evaluative procedures appropriate to obtaining the desired 

information. Responsible test use demands a strong theoretical basis 

for inferring covert cognitive or affective constructs; otherwise a 

test user should be cautious in making such inference. 

 

 

Purpose of the Study 

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of music 

teachers at the upper basic about how they have been conducting 

music tests generally. What challenges they have been encountering 

that informed their test types and procedures. 

 

Objectives of the Study 

The objective is mainly to ascertain the test types used and their 

reasons for the choice. Test construction is both philosophically and 

psychologically based hence the interest to ascertain what informs 

the test makers’ objectives in constructing their tests. Two 

objectives guided the study. 

1. To ascertain the most widely used music test type at the basic 

schools. 

2. To explore the rationale for the choice of the used music test 

type. 

 

Research Questions 

Two research questions guided the studies. They are: 



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43 

1. What is the most used music test type at the upper basic 

schools? 

2. What informed the choice of the used music test adopted? 

 

Methodology 

The research design adopted for this study is qualitative. The area of 

study is the South-eastern Nigeria. The population of the study 

comprised all the 2016/2017 music students on sandwich programme. 

The study adopted purposive sampling techniques and sampled 12 

music teachers teaching music at upper basic.These respondents were 

music teachers at the upper basic schools. These respondents passed 

through the National Certificate in Education (NCE). They attended 

Colleges of Education and are now in the University in pursuit of their 

bachelor’s degree in Music Education at the University of Nigeria 

Nsukka under sandwich programme. The method of data collection was 

interview. The interview was conducted in 2017 from September to 

October at the University of Nigeria Nsukka during the Sandwich 

programme in the University.  

 

Presentation of Result 

The result to research question one which sought to know the music 

test type mostly applied by the music teachers at the upper basic 

schools shows that multiple choice test type and assay were the 

mostly used. Out of the twelve music teachers interviewed there was 

a unanimous answer of the choice of these test types. 

 

The research question two sought to explore the rationale for the 

choice of the test type used. They had so many reasons for their 

choice. Some of them adopted multiple choice test and essay test 

type because that is what the school authority requires them to use. 

Some said they chose the multiple choice music test type because 

they don’t want their student to fail. They want all the students to 

pass their subject as multiple choice test will help the students who 

do not know the correct answer to select correct answer by chance. 

Others chose multiple choice because it is easier tomark. 



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44 

 

The followings are some of their responses for the rationale for the 

choice of the music test type adopted in their assessment. A 

respondent stated thus: “multiple choice is frequently used because I 

don’t want my students to fail”. Another respondent said that “assay 

and multiple choice is what the school encourage”. A respondent 

concurred thus: “assay and multiple choice gives the students more 

room to pass their exams so that even when they don’t know the 

correct answer they can by chance pick the correct option to the 

question”. 

 

Discussion of Findings 

The findings of the study revealed that music tests at the upper basic 

schools at the South-eastern states of Nigeria are lopsided. This 

finding agrees with the test criticism spotted by Ebel (1979) on the 

overdependence on objective tests. The subjective information that 

need complement the objective information for quality information 

base is sacrificed. More crucial to music teachers’ understanding of 

the students’ attainment of musical behaviour was not tested. Judging 

the degree of the students’ attainment of some musical behaviour only 

on the objective statistical score is a disservice to the subject as well 

as the students. Boyle and Radocy (1987) listed the taxonomy of 

musical behaviours which out of the four musical behaviours they 

listed in their taxonomy was the least which is “other cognitive 

behaviours” was the teachers focus at the upper basic schools in the 

five states that make up the South-eastern states in Nigeria. Worst 

still, this focused test type deals with “knowing about” only. Other 

aspects of musical behaviours which are crucial to attaining music 

behavioural change were neglected. These neglected musical 

behaviours which in the words of Reimer (2003) “knowing within” are 

the core of musical behavioural change which teachers are supposed 

to focus on while testing. These musical behaviours include 

performance, reading and writing, and listening behaviours. This 

omission in test is deleterious to the subject as well as students 



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45 

because we will have certified students that can talk about music but 

will not be able to perform music as highlighted by Adeogun, (2006). 

The teachers’ rationale for the choice of the music test type is bias; 

basing the choice of their music test type on wanting their students 

to pass and also for easy marking of multiple choice test, lack strong 

philosophical base. Another worrisome state was the conscripting of 

the teachers including music teachers to adopt only two test types – 

multiple choice and assay by the school authority. These two music 

test types adopted were too narrow compared to test varieties like 

typical versus maximum performance, item type, norm-versus 

criterion-referenced, nature of the behvaiour required in the testing 

tasks, taxonomic domains of educational objectives, and specific 

versus global behvaiours (Boyle, & Radocy, 1978, p.103). 

 

Summary 

This study investigated the music test type and the rationale from 

the perspective of the music teachers at the southeastern states in 

Nigeria. Crucial concepts like musical behaviour, test, measurement 

and evaluation were reviewed. The findings of the study revealed two 

major types of test which are multiple choice and assay type test. The 

teachers tended to focus more on the paper and pencil at the neglect 

of the observation on the performance that would have taken care of 

the subject nature of the music tests. The study revealed that 

majority of the musical behaviour is not tested by the teachers. More 

so, the lowest in the hierarchical order of musical behaviour which is 

the cognitive was the most measured. Upholding the theoretical base 

of this study therefore, the psychomotor and the affective domain of 

the students’ musical learning were least examined.  

 

Conclusion 

This study concludes by stating that the music test types at the 

upper basic of the southeastern states are too narrow. The lowest 

level of musical behaviour was being assessed which were facts about 

music whereas the core musical behaviours that occurs with 

interaction with musical stimulus were not tested. If really the 



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46 

instructional objectives inform test type it implies that the musical 

performance, reading and writing music, and listening to music were 

not emphasized in class instruction. The teachers’ rationale for the 

choice of the music test type lack strong philosophical base hence 

their rationale is bias. 

 

Recommendations 

The following recommendations are proffered towards having more 

strong information base of music instruction evaluation at the basic 

levels. The music test type should involve objective and subjective 

test, more importantly, that the subjective nature of music that 

accrues from the affective should be tested. This test is best done 

through observation on how they students respond to music. Music 

tests should focus more on the core musical behaviours and less on 

the musical facts. There is a need for workshop or retraining of the 

music teachers on imports of music tests and test construction so 

that they can construct music test that will test for the core musical 

behaviour and as well have strong philosophical bases for the choice of 

the test type they are adopting so they can stand their ground and 

convince the school authority why they should adopt a particular test 

type. The school authority should not enforce a test type on the 

teacher so that they can adopt the appropriate test type that can 

measure what they are set to measure. 
 

References 

Adeogun, O. A. (2006). Music education 1842 – 2001, content and 
policy evaluation towards a new dispensation. Unpublished PhD 

Thesis. University of Pretoria, South Africa. 

Boyle, J. D. & Radocy, R. E. (1978). Measurement and evaluation of 
musical experiences. London: Collier Macmillan Publishers. 

Cronbach, L. J. (1970). Essentials of psychological testing (3rd ed.). 

New York: Harper and Row. 

Ebel, R. L. (1979). Essentials of educational measurement (3rd ed.). 

Englewood Cliffs, N. J: Prentice Hall. 

Dewey, J. (1934). Art as experience. New York: Minton Balch. 



Investigating the Musical Behaviour.....                                           Calista A. N. Ugwu 
 

 
 

47 

Lehman, P. R. (1968). Test and measurement in music. Englewood 

Cliffs, N.J: Prentice Hall. 

Merriam, A. (1964). The anthropology of music. Evanston: North 

Western University Press.  

Payne, D. A. (1982). Measurement in education. In H.E. Mitzel (Ed.), 

Encyclopedia of educational research (5th ed.) (Vol. 3). New 

York: Free Press. 

Reimer, B. (2003). A philosophy of music education, Advancing the 
vision. (3rd ed.) Prince Hall: New Jerssry. 

 


