Facilitators and barriers to the Music College Entrance Examination among Chinese ethnic minority students

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1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

The question of how to better prepare ethnic minority students to access higher music education has raised concerns around the world in terms of educational equity and cultural diversity. In China, despite similar concerns, little is known about the preparation process and experiences of ethnic minority students to take the Music College Entrance Examination (MCEE). In this qualitative case study, we investigated the facilitators and barriers faced by 22 high school students of Yi, Mongolian and Tibetan backgrounds while preparing for the MCEE in a multi-ethnic school in Sichuan province, southwestern China. The methods included participant observation and semi-structured interviews. The facilitators identified in the study were support from family members, local teachers’ devotion, positive peer influences and nationally renowned ethnic musicians as role models. The five main barriers were financial difficulties, parents’ misconception of the value of the MCEE, limited expertise of local music teachers, exam-oriented school climate and the MCEE’s structure based on Western classical music. Based on the findings, suggestions for adopting affirmative action and reforming the structure of the MCEE are proposed. Copyright © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)479-496
JournalMusic Education Research
Volume26
Issue number4
Early online dateApr 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Citation

Guan, T., Luo, N., & Matsunobu, K. (2024). Facilitators and barriers to the Music College Entrance Examination among Chinese ethnic minority students. Music Education Research, 26(4), 479-496. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2024.2334724

Keywords

  • Music College EntranceExamination (MCEE
  • Higher music education
  • Equity
  • Ethnic minority student
  • Ethnic music
  • Policy

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