Derrington 2012 thesis.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

questionnaire. Teaching staff also completed questionnaires and data were retrieved
from school log-books and attendance registers. Qualitative data were collected
before and after each student’s block of music therapy. Their honest comments about
its influence are persuasive and add strong evidence to support the researcher’s
hypothesis that music therapy can address students’ emotional needs.
5.2.1 Pilot study
The methodology arose from closely monitored clinical practice over a number of
years using efficacy questionnaires (3.5.1). These questionnaires, which were
completed by teachers, aimed to evaluate changes in the student’s emotional
awareness, sense of self, attitude to school, communication skills and behaviour
(appendix 3.5.1b). Due to this practice, it was decided that it would not be necessary
to complete an additional pilot project for this study. Nevertheless, the specific
questionnaires proposed for this study were trialed before the project began with a
few older students who were not invited to take part.
5.2.2 Control group
A control group of students receiving no music therapy could have been included in
the design of a study which aims to distinguish the effect of therapy over and above
random variation or the natural improvement or decline in behaviour. However, it
was unethical to deny students therapy for research purposes as they had already been
identified as being in need of extra support, in a school where music therapy was
funded and available. Another option for collecting control data, considered at the
beginning, was to ask the young people, who chose not to have music therapy, to
complete the questionnaires at the same time of data collection as those who did.
However this was not appropriate and not applied.
Where a control group is unethical, comparison to a gold standard can be recognised
as a valid assessment. In this field of behaviour and evaluation of self-esteem, there is
not a recognised standard therapy or care so this was also not an option (Hanser and
Wheeler, 2005).
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