Olav Renolen Aasbø: The digitization of the music subject in Norwegian primary school

Field of study: Music Education

The aim of this study is to conduct a mapping of the digitalization in the music classroom in primary and lower secondary schools and gather information about how often various digital devices are used, what activities they are used for, the solutions employed, and how teachers evaluate the opportunities and challenges associated with this. The study also addresses areas such as teachers' attitudes toward the use of digital technology, digital competence, professional development, access to digital tools, and issues related to privacy.

In addition to the mapping, a central part of the project is to examine and discuss how the digitalized society we live in affects traditional practices and ideas within music education. It also explores how digitalization in a school subject can entail challenges related to privacy and an increased direct and indirect presence of commercial actors who gain the opportunity to influence the conditions for teaching, collect data on students, and advertise in schools.

The project employs a multi-method approach, starting with a questionnaire and followed by interviews with music teachers from grades 5 to 10. The questionnaire is addressed to all primary schools in Norway in an effort to reach a large number of teachers and thereby achieve a broader scope in the mapping. The interviews are conducted with a smaller selection of music teachers recruited through the survey. The results are analyzed and discussed in relation to previous research on the use of digital tools in music education, as well as research and theory related to digitalization in schools and society from a broader and more general perspective.

Theoretical frameworks include models such as TPACK and PEAT, affordance, views and perspectives on music education, practice architecture theory, critical media literacy, surveillance capitalism, media ecology, and theories on the "post-digital age."

The project will contribute to the development of knowledge about the impact that increased access to and use of digital tools in school has had on music education. It also seeks to identify areas for further research and development.