Descriptions of expert middle school band teachers' decision-making processes before, during, and after instruction
Authors:   , Sims Wendy 
Published: December 2024

Teacher decision-making is a cognitive activity in which teachers identify problems, extract relevant cues from the environment, and evaluate potential strategies to decide the most appropriate action (Calderhead, 1981; Clark & Peterson, 1978). According to Clark and Peterson (1986), teachers' decisions are informed by thought (e.g., planning, interactive decisions, reflection, and beliefs) and action (e.g., teachers' classroom behavior, students' classroom behavior, student achievement). Teachers make decisions in three stages: before, during, and after instruction (Colton & Sparks-Langer, 1993; Jackson, 1968; Westermann, 1991). These stages are cyclical and reciprocal (i.e., reflection from a lesson can contribute to future planning of instruction) (Hayes, 1996; Yinger, 1977). The study of expert music teachers is of great value to the music education profession as it provides clear models of successful instructional practice. Although research exists about the observed behaviors of expert music educators, there have been few investigations about the decisions behind their behaviors and the connections between them. In an attempt to fill this gap, I utilized a multiple case study approach to gain an in-depth understanding of expert music teachers' decisions within the real-life context of expert teachers' teaching environments. The purpose of this study was to describe expert instrumental music educators' instructional decision-making processes. Specifically, I sought to describe the thought processes underlying expert middle school band teachers' decisions before, during, and after instruction. Participants were three expert middle school band teachers. I collected data via semi-structured interviews, researcher observation, participant observation through verbal protocols (i.e., think-aloud and stimulated recall,) and physical artifacts (i.e., written lesson plans, copies of music scores with teachers' annotations, photos and/or diagrams of the classroom environment). Data analysis revealed cross-case themes for participants' decision-making processes as they planned, while they taught, and as they reflected on their rehearsals. Findings indicated that these expert middle school band teachers' decision-making processes were consistent with previous research related to expert teachers' decisions. The themes that emerged about expert middle school band teachers' decisions before instruction were (a) Forming Expectations, (b) Learning Goals, and (c) Time. The themes that emerged about expert middle school band teachers' decisions during instruction were (a) Reacting and Responding, (b) Filters, and (c) Emotional Intelligence. The themes that emerged about expert middle school band teachers' decisions after instruction were (a) Self-focus, (b) Short-term vs. Long-Term Goals, and (c) Reflection is Ongoing. Future research into the decision-making processes of both expert and novice teachers in additional contexts (i.e., beginning, high school, and collegiate ensembles) and continued use of verbal protocols to study music teacher cognition is recommended.