The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure elementary students’ musical agency and to empirically examine its structural validity. Although student agency is emphasized as a core competency in the 2022 Revise...
The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure elementary students’ musical agency and to empirically examine its structural validity. Although student agency is emphasized as a core competency in the 2022 Revised National Curriculum of Korea, there remains a lack of practical tools to systematically assess and support musical agency in educational settings. Grounded in Bandura’s social cognitive theory and Karlsen’s theory of musical agency, this study conceptualized musical agency across three dimensions: personal, social, and contextual. Through an extensive literature review, ten initial constructs were identified, which were refined and theoretically structured into six core components and 57 preliminary items based on two rounds of expert validation. Drawing on the shared qualities of agentic musical action across these components, the study proposed an original conceptual model named the “6E Theoretical Framework,” comprising Execution (self-regulation), Efficacy (musical self-efficacy), Envision (musical identity formation), Expression (creative expression), Ensemble (collaborative musical activity), and Expansion (extension of musical experience).
A pilot study involving 50 fifth- and sixth-grade students in Seoul was conducted to evaluate the clarity and comprehensibility of the 57 items. The finalized instrument was then administered to 1,322 fifth- and sixth-grade students across Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, and Busan to validate its construct validity and reliability. The collected data were analyzed using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.
The findings revealed the following: First, exploratory and confirmatory analyses supported a five-factor structure comprising self-regulation strategies, musical self-efficacy, musical self-expression, collaborative musical activity, and extension of musical experience. Second, the final instrument, consisting of 35 items across the five constructs, demonstrated strong model fit, high internal consistency, and excellent criterion-related validity.
This study offers important theoretical and educational contributions. Theoretically, it advances a multidimensional understanding of musical agency in elementary students and opens a new academic discourse. Specifically, the empirical finding that musical identity and creativity emerged as a unified factor—musical self-expression—reflects the developmental characteristics of elementary-aged learners, who tend to express their identities through creative practices. Furthermore, the high interrelation and hierarchical nature of the five factors suggest that musical agency is not a mere aggregation of discrete capacities but an integrated, developmental structure linking internal capabilities to practical enactments. This provides a robust theoretical foundation for future studies on musical agency.
Methodologically, the study translates abstract educational discourse into a practical measurement tool with verified psychometric properties. The 35-item instrument serves as a reliable basis for empirical research and offers actionable guidelines for educators. The inclusion of normative data (quartile cutoffs) enables teachers to objectively assess student agency and support individualized development aligned with the 2022 curriculum goals. This contributes to the implementation of process-oriented assessment frameworks that prioritize motivation, self-regulation, and collaboration.
Educationally, the instrument empowers students to reflect on their own growth and develop as autonomous agents through music. By helping students understand who they are musically and identify their strengths and areas for growth, the tool fosters agency in designing their musical lives. Ultimately, it supports the cultivation of ownership, creativity, and collaboration, realizing the core values of holistic music education as envisioned in the national curriculum. In doing so, music education becomes not only a site of artistic learning but also a space for fostering student voice and lifelong identity formation. This underscores the transformative potential of musical agency in cultivating future-ready learners.
The findings and implications of this study suggest future directions for developing integrated educational programs, expanding target populations, conducting longitudinal trajectory studies, validating higher-order factor models, and applying the tool in both policy and classroom settings.