In doing research ethical issues and responsibilities must be considered thoroughly. This consideration aims to discuss how the ethical dilemmas of this study were addressed, DQGDOVRWRUHÀHFWXSRQOLPLWDWLRQVZLWKLQWKLVVWXG\At the time of the data collection RIWKLVVWXG\7KH8QLYHUVLW\RIWKH$UWV+HOVLQNLGLGQRW\HWKDYHDQṘFLDOHWKLFVERDUG regulating research conduct, and therefore the research design, implementation, analysis and reporting has been conducted according to the recommendations from the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity (2012). This research was conducted among volunteering adults in which case the recommendation does not require a permission or obligation to report to the authorities. Nevertheless, the methods and conventions DSSOLHGFRQIRUPHGWRVFLHQWL¿FFULWHULDDQGDLPHGWREHHWKLFDOO\VXVWDLQDEOH
:LWKLQWKHFDVHVHOHFWLRQRIWKLVVWXG\WKHSRVVLEOHSDUWLFLSDQWVZHUHDSSURDFKHGZLWK an email inquiring their willingness to participate and providing them with the research SODQDQGLQIRUPDWLRQUHJDUGLQJWKHHVWLPDWHGXVHRIWLPHDQGH̆RUWGXULQJWKHSURMHFW (appendix 1). The agreeing responses were received via email, and this correspondence was considered an informed consent. The institutions of the participants also signed a letter of intent (LOI) because of the funding applications for the project. After receiving WKHFRQ¿UPDWLRQVDERXWWKHLUSDUWLFLSDWLRQLQWKHSURMHFWP\DLPDVDUHVHDUFKHUZDV
“to work from a position that is continually, ethically sensitive, to those whose lives we investigate, honoring research commitments made” (Birch & Miller, 2012, p. 106).
7KH SDUWLFLSDQWV ZHUH DOVR QRWL¿HG WKDW WKH\ FRXOG ZLWKGUDZ DW DQ\ VWDJH ZLWKRXW FRQVHTXHQFHV0LOOHUDQG%HOODUJXHWKDW³WKHLGHDRIµFRQVHQW¶VKRXOGEHRQJRLQJ and renegotiated between researcher and researched throughout the research process”
(p. 61). This was indeed the case in this study, as one participant withdrew before the project started.
In this study I have been concerned with several ethical issues related to the participants. Firstly, I considered essential that the teachers taking part in the project would be positioned as participants instead of research subjects (Birch & Miller, 2012).
Thus, Schreier (2012) proposes that the participants of a study must be treated in an ethically responsible manner, not hiding information from them, or tricking them into telling more than they feel comfortable with. Secondly, in addition to the anonymity of the participants being a methodological choice, it indeed is an important ethical issue.
The number of vocal teachers of the target group, teachers of popular music and jazz singing in a Nordic higher education institution working in a full-time position, is quite small. The processes and challenges of anonymisation have been discussed by several researchers (Moosa, 2013; Nespor, 2000). Challenges indeed arise as “the information required to make accounts persuasive and true to central participants can identify settings and individuals even to those less fully involved, including outside observers or people who simply know or work with participants” (Nespor, 2000, p. 548).
7KLUGO\LQWRGD\¶VZRUNLQJOLIHYRFDOWHDFKHUVDUHRIWHQSXWLQFRPSHWLWLYHSRVLWLRQV DQGWKHWKRXJKWRIRSHQO\VKDULQJH[SHUWLVHFDQSURYHWREHGL̇FXOW,WZDVWKHUHIRUH very important that the set-up of this research was built in a way that it would not have DQHJDWLYHLPSDFWRQWKHWHDFKHUV¶FDUHHUV4XDOLWDWLYHFDVHVWXG\LVDKLJKO\SHUVRQDO research approach in which personal perspectives and interpretations are encouraged (Stake, 1995, p. 135). The previous knowledge of the researcher implied that openly VKDULQJ RQH¶V RSLQLRQV WKRXJKWV DQG LQVHFXULWLHV PLJKW H[SRVH WKH SDUWLFLSDQWV WR negative public attention. Therefore, in reporting, the names of the participants as well as any clues to the nationality or home institutions of the individuals were anonymised at an HDUO\VWDJH$OVRDQ\VSHFL¿FWHDFKLQJPHWKRGVRISDUWLFLSDQWVZHUHOHIWRXWLQUHSRUWLQJ as individual teachers could have been recognised. Another attempt at concealing the participants identity was to arrange the face-to-face collaborative sessions in Finland where I could organise them discreetly. Still, the physical presence of myself and the participants at a public location could have revealed the identity of the participants.
7KXVHYHQLIWKHLVVXHVRIFRQ¿GHQWLDOLW\RIDOOSURIHVVLRQDOFRQYHUVDWLRQVZHUHGLVFXVVHG with the participants it may be assumed that they have discussed their participation with their families or colleagues.
Ethical considerations connect closely to the data collection as well. Interviews “may imply a certain simplicity, but this simplicity is illusory” (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009, S DV LQWHUYLHZV DUH QRW FRQYHUVDWLRQV EHWZHHQ HTXDO SDUWQHUV EXW GH¿QHG DQG controlled by the interviewer. In using interviews as means of collecting data, I had
to acknowledge that the knowledge produced “depends on the social relationship of LQWHUYLHZHU DQG LQWHUYLHZHH ZKLFK UHVWV RQ WKH LQWHUYLHZHU¶V DELOLW\ WR FUHDWH D VWDJH where the subject is free and safe to talk of private events recorded for later public use” (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009, p. 16). My position in the professional conversations also created an ethical challenge. The use of facilitation and transparently reporting my facilitative choices have been the means to conduct my investigation in an ethical PDQQHU,QJHQHUDO,DFNQRZOHGJHWKDW,FDQQRWOHDUQDERXWSHRSOH¶VH[SHULHQFHVEXW instead about indirect representations of those experiences (Silverman, 2006). In the FDVHRIWKLVVWXG\WKLVPHDQVWKDWWKHGDWDUHSUHVHQWVWKHGHVFULSWLRQVRIWKHSDUWLFLSDQWV¶
thinking and teaching practices, but not direct observations of them.
There were advantages and disadvantages in my role in the data collection. On the RQHKDQGP\SRVLWLRQDVDFROOHDJXHZRUNLQJLQWKHVDPH¿HOGKHOSHGPHXQGHUVWDQGWKH VWUXFWXUHVDQGXQGHUSLQQLQJVEHKLQGWKHXVHGZRUGVDQGDOORZHGPHWR¿QGDGHOLFDWH balance between my concern for pursuing interesting knowledge and ethical respect for the integrity of the subjects (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2009). On the other hand, my own perceptions and preconceptions challenged my ability to perceive matters not familiar to me. I also had to acknowledge that there may have been a risk of social desirability D̆HFWLQJ WKH FRQYHUVDWLRQV DQG WKH UHVXOWV DQG WKH H[LVWHQFH RI D YLGHR FDPHUD PD\
KDYHD̆HFWHGWKHLQWHUDFWLRQEHWZHHQSHRSOH$OODYDLODEOHPHDQVZHUHXVHGWRFUHDWHD WUXVWZRUWK\DQGVHFXUHHQYLURQPHQWIRUWKHSDUWLFLSDQWV$FFRUGLQJWRWKHSDUWLFLSDQWV¶
UHÀHFWLRQVRQWKHSURMHFW,ZDVVXFFHVVIXOLQWKLVSXUVXLW)LQDOO\LQWKHEHJLQQLQJRIWKH project questions concerning archiving and/or destroying the data after my dissertation ZDV ¿QLVKHG ZHUH GLVFXVVHG WRJHWKHU 7KH SDUWLFLSDQWV GHFLGHG WKDW DOO GDWD ZLOO EH removed permanently from any storage devices and all paper documents containing data will be destroyed.
7 Conclusions
I began this investigation with an interest to provide insights into popular music and MD]]YRFDOSHGDJRJ\LQ1RUGLFKLJKHUPXVLFHGXFDWLRQIURPWKHWHDFKHUV¶SHUVSHFWLYHV 7KH1RUGLFFRXQWULHVDUHDVSHFL¿FJHRJUDSKLFDODQGFXOWXUDOFRQWH[WLQZKLFKHGXFDWLRQ of popular music and jazz has already for decades been given in higher music education institutions through degrees in performance, composition, music education, and during the recent decades also in music production and songwriting. The departments of popular music and /or jazz are often small in size, and many teachers work in an LVRODWHGHQYLURQPHQWZLWKRXWFROOHDJXHVIURPWKHVDPH¿HOG$OVRPDQ\RIWKHWHDFKHUV are required to teach several musical styles in these institutions. Being a teacher of this SDUWLFXODU¿HOGP\VHOI,KDGLGHQWL¿HGVHYHUDOFKDOOHQJHVZKLFK,DLPHGWRDGGUHVVLQ this dissertation, such as isolation of teachers, lack of academic research of pedagogy, and lack of collaboration among teachers across the silos created by vocal methods or models.
As a study combining the notions of development of expertise of teachers and popular music and jazz vocal pedagogy this dissertation has covered varied theoretical and methodological grounds including social constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978; 1986), expertise (Chi, 2006; Ericsson, 2006; Ericsson & Lehmann, 2006), development of expertise (Berliner, 1988; Dreyfus & Dreyfus, 1986), collaboration (Barrett, 2014;
*DXQW :HVWHUOXQG 5HQVKDZ FRQWLQXLQJ SURIHVVLRQDO GHYHORSPHQW (Hookey, 2002), peer-group mentoring (Heikkinen, Jokinen & Tynjälä, 2012a; 2012b), conversational learning (Kolb, Baker & Jensen, 2012) and professional conversations.
Thus, this thesis connects the data to the notions of adult learning and the nexus of formal, informal and nonformal learning. I chose instrumental single-case study with an exploratory design as a design as it enabled drawing a large and rich data through PXOWLSOH VRXUFHV IURP WKH FDVH 7KLV VWXG\ R̆HUV XSFORVH DQG LQGHSWK LQVLJKWV LQWR popular music and jazz vocal pedagogy, as well as provides new understanding to processes which support the development of expertise of teachers.
As representatives of the rapidly changing profession, the popular music and jazz vocal teachers are required to take on new knowledge and skills provided for example by educational research, emergence of new musical styles, voice science, and new technology.
This current situation brings forth the need for adequate continuing professional development programs for vocal teachers through which they are enhanced to further develop their professional expertise. I was particularly interested in investigating the notion as a socially constructed process. By organizing a series of peer-group mentoring
sessions in which the participants engaged in professional conversations my aim was to enhance sharing of knowledge and skills among the participants. The qualitative research DSSURDFK DOORZHG PH WR LQYHVWLJDWH ¿UVWO\ KRZ WKH SDUWLFLSDWLQJ WHDFKHUV DUWLFXODWHG their development of expertise within the collaborative project. The results derived from this data support the previous research on the importance of learner-centered learning opportunities for teachers, as well as professional development of teachers at all stages of their careers. All participants emphasised the importance of having the time and possibility to engage in professional conversations with their colleagues in a VDIHDQGFRQ¿GHQWLDOHQYLURQPHQWDGGUHVVLQJPDWWHUVWKDWWKH\KDGFKRVHQWKHPVHOYHV According to this data, collaborative processes can be used successfully in overcoming teacher isolation, be it due to national boarders, institutions, or vocal methods or models.
7KHSDUWLFLSDQWVUHÀHFWHGRQYDULRXVSD\R̆VDVUHVXOWVRISDUWLFLSDWLRQLQWKHSURMHFW VXFK DV LPSURYHG WHDFKLQJ SUDFWLFHV LQFUHDVHG DZDUHQHVV RI SHGDJRJ\ FRQ¿GHQFH LQ WHDFKLQJDQGFOHDUHUXQGHUVWDQGLQJRQRQH¶VSUHYLRXVO\DGDSWHGWHDFKLQJSUDFWLFHV2Q WKHEDVLVRIWKHVH¿QGLQJV,HQFRXUDJHDOOSRSXODUPXVLFDQGMD]]YRFDOWHDFKHUVWRWDNH SDUWLQSURIHVVLRQDOFRQYHUVDWLRQVZLWKFROOHDJXHVDQGVKRXOGDVDIHFRQ¿GHQWLDODQG non-judgemental environment emerge, share their knowledge, skills and pedagogical concerns with others and search for solutions together.
Secondly, my interest was focused on how the participants articulated their pedagogical thinking and teaching practices within the project. The data illustrates a PXVLFDOO\DQGSHGDJRJLFDOO\ULFKDQGYDULHG¿HOGLQZKLFKWKHWHDFKHUVKDYHWRPDNH challenging decisions in relation to for instance the content of teaching, evaluation, and according to what or whose aesthetic values the teaching is given. On the basis of the conversations concerning the eight compiled questions derived from the individual interviews, a paradigm shift from master-apprentice model to learner-centered teaching FDQFOHDUO\EHLGHQWL¿HG$FFRUGLQJWRWKLVGDWDWKHSDUWLFLSDQWVKDYHDSSOLHGOHDUQHU centered ideals creatively in their teaching practices and they emerge as contemporary teachers applying the latest knowledge of learning and singing, use their professional reasoning in choosing what content and concepts to apply with individual students, and HQKDQFHVWXGHQWV¶UHVSRQVLELOLW\DQGRZQHUVKLSRIWKHLUOHDUQLQJSURFHVV
The project organised in this study presents one possible structure for a developmental SURMHFWZKLFKFDQEHDSSOLHGLQDQ\HGXFDWLRQDOFRQWH[W7KLVSRVVLELOLW\ZDVFRQ¿UPHG in the data as one participant mentioned having organised a similar project crossing the boundaries of musical styles in her home institution. According to this data, a reasonably ODUJHDPRXQWRIZRUNRQWKHRUJDQLVHUV¶EHKDOIDQGDGHTXDWHIXQGLQJDUHUHTXLVLWHVIRU organizing similar projects in the future. On the other hand, the cost of this project was rather high because of the chosen geographical context: had the anonymity of the