Pupils’ Perceptions of Attainment in Music at the Start of Secondary School in England: A Descriptive Analysis

The provision of constructive feedback gives meaning to educational assessment and is an important requirement in every good educational system. In addition to the value of summative and formative judgements about a learner’s progress, when pupils are given opportunities to assess their own work, they can develop a sense of ownership and responsibility towards their work that can help promote a proactive and critical learning attitude. The present study aims to explore the issue of self-assessment in music learning and to contribute to the discussion about the importance of pupils’ involvement in evaluating their musical skills. It particularly looks at pupils’ views on their musical progress during their first year in secondary school (N=530). The findings suggest that equal attention needs to be given to pupils’ development in all areas of musical achievement. Furthermore, pupils’ sense of musical progress seems to be related to their overall enjoyment of music.