Webinar: Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice

Presenters: Dr. Emily Mercado, Michael Draut

University of Utah Assistant Professor Dr. Emily Mercado and West Hills Middle School chorus teacher Michael Draut discuss the process of collaborating on an action research project designed to help middle school students learn more about female vocal development. This session was organized by NAfME’s Society for Research in Music Education (SRME) as part of a series to support all NAfME members in learning more about opportunities to connect research and practice.

Learning objectives: 1. Introduce the Cain (2008) cycle of plan, act, and evaluate as a way to consider the purpose of action research. 2. Distinguish between action research and other types of research methodologies. 3. Review research design, curriculum design, and findings from Mercado and Draut’s (2023) action research study. 4. Identify challenges and benefits to university/school collaborations in action research, particularly with the goal of bridging research and practice.

Watch the video of the webinar below.