Research Study: Effective Teaching Methods in Post-Secondary Performing Arts Education from the Student Perspective
Update: October 31, 2025
This study is now closed.
Thank you to everyone who participated in this survey. The responses were significant and gave important insight into the state of performing arts education in post-secondary institutions in Ontario and the perception of teaching effectiveness. The volume of data was so robust that more work could certainly be done to analyze and interpret the findings. The initial review and analysis of the responses is available in the following presentation, which outlines the results of the multiple choice questions and reveals key themes from the qualitative reflection question; it also notes elements for further inquiry in future. These findings were shared on Wednesday, September 24 at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Posted: June 16, 2025
Here is the information that was originally on this page for survey participants.
Informed Consent Statement Letter
Lead Student Researcher: Amanda Kind, Master’s Student and Contract Faculty Member
Faculty Advisor/Principal Investigator: Dr. Lee Willingham, Professor
Who Can Participate
Former students (graduates and/or students who started but did not complete a program) of Ontario-based post-secondary undergraduate performing arts programs who attended between 2004 and 2024 may participate in this survey. Current undergraduate performing arts students are not eligible to participate.
Do You Meet The Criteria?
You are invited to participate in a research study exploring how former performing arts (dance, film, music, theatre, etc) students who attended a post-secondary undergraduate performing arts training program in Ontario between 2004 and 2024 feel about the ways they were taught.
Who Is Running The Study?
The researcher Amanda Kind is a Laurier Graduate Student and Contract Faculty Member in the Faculty of Music working under the supervision of Dr. Lee Willingham, Professor, Music Education; Coordinator, Music Education; Graduate Coordinator, MA and PhD (Community Music).
Information
In this study, you will be asked to complete an anonymous survey with 25 questions – 24 multiple choice questions and 1 paragraph question. The study will take about 30 minutes to complete. Data from at least 20 to 50 research participants who attended Ontario-based performing arts training programs between 2004 and 2024 will be collected for this study. The study will be conducted via online Qualtrics survey.
The goal of this study is to better understand the effectiveness of teaching according to the students – and how their confidence, skill development, and motivation were impacted by the methods they experienced.
Much of the existing research focuses on effectiveness measured from the perspective of teachers. It is important to gather student perspectives on their perception of the teaching they experienced.
The findings will aim to add balance to the existing body of research, increase teacher awareness, and better equip educators to empower and train performing arts students in the ways that are most effective from the students’ perspective.
All survey questions are presented transparently, and no information is intentionally withheld or misrepresented. This Informed Consent Statement aims to ensure you are fully aware of the nature and purpose of the research, the study’s goals, and procedures before choosing to participate. In keeping with ethical research practices, participation is entirely voluntary and you have the option to withdraw without consequence by closing the survey before you press the submit button.
There is no cost or payment to participate in this study.
Conflict of Interest Declaration
I, Amanda Kind, am currently both a contract faculty member and a masters student at Wilfrid Laurier University. I am a private voice teacher running my own company Vocal Versatility, Inc. and the Artistic Director of Pop Nation Canada. I have held teaching positions at Sheridan College and University of Guelph in the past. With all of these roles, I am connected to lots of performing artists in a variety of disciplines, many of whom have attended performing arts programs in Ontario.
I acknowledge my current position at Wilfrid Laurier University and my past positions at Sheridan College and University of Guelph as potentially perceived conflicts of interest. I believe excluding alumni from any Ontario post-secondary performing arts school from participation could be perceived as biased and potentially impact the integrity and scope of the research. It could also be perceived as shielding those institutions from critique.
To ensure equity, alumni from all Ontario performing arts programs between 2004 and 2024 may participate in this study. To protect the participants, this survey is fully anonymous and collects no identifying information. As such, I will not be able to determine which institution(s) a participant is affiliated with. Additionally, participants are expressly asked not to name their institution in their paragraph answer. All responses will be analyzed within the broader context of Ontario-based performing arts programs.
Risks
Your Wellness Matters To Us
Recalling past experiences can be fun and enjoyable. They can also be upsetting. If you feel the need for mental health support at any time during the survey, please consider talking to someone:
ConnexOntario Helpline
ConnexOntario is a directory of community mental health services in Ontario. You can connect with someone for information and referral to services in your community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
https://www.connexontario.ca/en-ca
Toll-free: 1-866-531-2600
Live web chat https://www.connexontario.ca/Chat
Email https://www.connexontario.ca/en-ca/send-email
211 Ontario
Information and referral for community, government, social and health services, including mental health resources across Ontario.
Call 2-1-1
Toll-free: 1-877-330-3213
Live web chat: https://211ontario.ca/how-can-i-help/
Your Consent, Your Choice
You are free to discontinue the study at any time and to choose not to respond to any question by selecting “prefer not to answer.” You can withdraw your participation by closing the survey form and not submitting your responses. Once you submit your responses, we cannot withdraw your data as this survey is entirely anonymous and your answers cannot be tied back to you. We would have to compromise your anonymity to be able to extract your responses after the fact.
The data collected through this survey will be stored securely for 7 years in a password protected One Drive.
Benefits
Some people may find that reflecting on and sharing their educational experiences is personally meaningful or even cathartic.
Discussing the teaching they experienced, may bring back positive memories of their time in performing arts programs. It may also feel like a celebration of their achievements. Recalling experiences can also be freeing for those who have had some negative experiences.
From a broad perspective, the study aims to benefit future performing arts students by giving voice to past students’ experiences and insights. The feedback gathered will aim to contribute to a better understanding of effective teaching practices and help educators improve the quality of instruction in post-secondary performing arts programs in Ontario. This feedback has the potential to enhance learning environments, support student wellness and engagement, and positively impact the performing arts sector as a whole by contributing to the body of knowledge of performing arts education, particularly at the post-secondary level.
This research is intended to assess the potential gap between educators’ and students’ perceptions of effective teaching methods in post-secondary performing arts training programs in Ontario. It will broaden the research available on student perspectives in education particularly in arts-based training.
Privacy and confidentiality
No personally identifying information will be collected, and participation will remain anonymous to protect the confidentiality of the participants. Some demographic information is being collected to support the research goal of understanding how students from various backgrounds and generations perceive the effectiveness of teaching methods in post-secondary performing arts programs differently. Information is being collected to explore whether groups of participants with similar identity information experienced teaching practices differently or had unique needs that may or may not have been met in their programs. This aligns with current efforts in education research to assess equity, inclusion, and representation in pedagogy.
Generational cohort (via year of birth ranges) is being collected because the study spans a 20-year period and aims to examine whether generational differences (e.g., Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z) influence the students’ expectations and perceptions of teaching effectiveness. Including the start year of the program helps contextualize responses over time (for example: changes in staffing, program curriculum, or broad cultural shifts in the performing arts industry such as a greater focus on mental health support, or the rise of intimacy coordinators in the field). The type of program attended (General, Dance, Film, Musical Theatre, Classical Music, Contemporary Music, Theatre, Technical or Production, etc.) is important for analyzing how teaching practices may vary and how students’ experiences differ based on the focus of their training. All questions are optional, and participants may select “Prefer not to answer” for any item. The data will be used to identify patterns or trends across groups and cannot be linked to any individual participant because the survey is anonymous.
Only authorized research team members will have access to identifying information. This survey is conducted through Qualtrics and IP tracking is turned off; we will not collect or use internet protocol (IP) addresses or other information which could link your participation to your computer or electronic device.
The data will be stored on a password protected OneDrive through Wilfrid Laurier University and will only be accessed by authorized research team members. It will be stored for 7 years.
Incentives
There is no incentive to participate in this research study.
Contact
If you have questions related to this study or the procedures, or you may contact the researcher, Amanda Kind, at akind@wlu.ca.
This project has been reviewed and approved by the University Research Ethics Board (REB #9277). If you feel you have not been treated according to the descriptions in this form or your rights as a participant in research have been violated during the course of this project, or if you have any questions for the board, you may contact Jayne Kalmar, PhD, Chair, University Research Ethics Board, Wilfrid Laurier University, +1 548 889 3518 or REBChair@wlu.ca.
Participation
Your participation in this study is voluntary; you may decline to participate without penalty. If you decide to participate, you may withdraw from the study at any time without penalty by closing the survey form and not submitting your responses.
You have the right to refuse to answer any question by selecting “prefer not the answer.”
Due to the anonymity of the data if you withdraw from the study, it is not possible to have your data removed or destroyed.
Feedback and publication
The results of this research will be published and presented in a course project report, book, journal article, conference presentation, and/or class presentation.
The results of this research may be made available through Open Access resources.
An executive summary of the findings from this study will be available by no later than October 31, 2025 at www.vocalversatility.com/research.
Consent
It is advised that you print or save this consent form and/or record the researcher contact information in the case that you have any questions or concerns.
I Do Not Wish To Proceed.
If after reading and understanding the above information, you do not want to participate in this study, please close this page now.
Yes, I Consent and Wish To Complete The Survey.
If after reading and understanding the above information, you agree and wish to participate in this study, your consent will be given by opening the survey link below. You can revoke consent at any time by closing the survey without submitting it.
