On the use of the metacognitive strategy of self-questioning while studying music of a culture

A pilot study investigating the use of the metacognitive strategy of self- questioning while studying music of a culture was conducted in four high schools in New South Wales. Contemporary Chinese rock and film music was chosen as an intentionally different stimulus, since many high school students in New South Wales would have little access to this music. Researcher-devised activities in the project required students to engage with higher order thinking processes such as decision-making and synthesising of information. The findings show that students participating in the project observed the differences in the music studied and were able to critically evaluate how those differences were created. There are suggestions in this study that indicate students’ openness to developing predispositions to interpret unfamiliar melodic contours and rhythms. There is also evidence that the strategy of self-questioning, especially the questions targeting the recall of feelings, thoughts and actions, helped students identify and acknowledge their own progress.