Abstract:

The crisis of adolescence is related to weakening motivation to learn among pupils. This paper presents the study which aims to analyse the factors that influence the motivation of upper secondary school pupils to learn music. The study was conducted in 2023 and involved 151 pupils in grades 9-12 in different regions of Lithuania. The research was conducted applying several methods: written survey (closed-ended and open-ended questions) and qualitative content analysis. The results of the empirical study showed that all upper secondary pupils in the study were highly motivated to engage in music learning when a good emotional environment and an unexpected musical context were created in the lesson. They were also strongly motivated to learn music when given clear criteria for assessing or evaluating a task, the opportunity to take part in a wide range of live music-making activities "here and now", and to present project activities to classmates. Pupils of grades 9-12 identified external factors influencing their motivation to learn music in the classroom: involvement in musical activities where the pupils can make their own choices; satisfaction with music lessons; enjoyment of live singing, active listening to the music; presentation of interesting tasks through modern music technology; unexpected actions by the teacher; use of unconventional teaching methods and techniques; organisation of varied musical activities; musical activities in unusual and unexpected learning environments. And interest in music, the desire to improve musical skills, concentration, diligence, hard work, success, praise, internal reinforcement - these are the intrinsic factors that influence pupils' motivation to learn music in upper secondary grades.

Keywords:

Music education, music learning, upper secondary school pupils, motivation factors.