The development of self-regulation in instrumental practice during late childhood

Instrumental practice has frequently been viewed as a self-directed, and goal-oriented activity – as deliberate practice. The process of self-regulation, rooted in Bandura’s social cognitive theory, is strongly connected with such practicing. General self-regulation is viewed as a three-phased process, undertaken in six different areas (Zimmerman, 2001), and has recently been applied as a concept to music and instrumental practice (e. g. Miksza, 2012). However, hardly any study has dealt with the development of self-regulation in practice over time. In this contribution, the development of self-regulation in late childhood (Grade 5 to 7) was tested in a repeated-measures design over the course of two school years in 17 schools in Northrhine-Westphalia, Germany (n=395). The results show that the students’ self-assessments of their self-regulation decreased in some of the subscales applied, while others remain stable. No positive development was measured at all. It is argued that the evolution of experience in practicing may be counteracted by the growing realism of the children, a process resembling the development of musical self-concepts.(DIPF/Orig.