Factors that affect performance proficiency

Achieving proficient performance is a central goal in§learning, and §educators often set expectations for what forms it§should take. But §strategies need to be learned in order for students§to complete the §journey to proficient performance, and effective§teaching of these §skills is often given much less attention. The result§is that teachers §easily overlook or minimize the significance of§deficiencies in §students' ability to use appropriate learning§strategies, and instead §"teach to the test." Piano practice is one domain§within which factors §that affect performance proficiency can be assessed.§The practice §strategies used by intermediate piano students having§different §learning styles are identified and assessed by§external examiners. §Relationships that exist between strategies used in§practice and §other areas of learning are investigated, as well as§to the effects of §attitude, motivation, and ownership of learning on§practice. This §investigation should be useful to educators and§students interested §in a case study of the influence of formative§learning strategies on §proficient performance. Achieving proficient performance is a central goal in§learning, and §educators often set expectations for what forms it§should take. But §strategies need to be learned in order for students§to complete the §journey to proficient performance, and effective§teaching of these §skills is often given much less attention. The result§is that teachers §easily overlook or minimize the significance of§deficiencies in §students'' ability to use appropriate learning§strategies, and instead §"teach to the test." Piano practice is one domain§within which factors §that affect performance proficiency can be assessed.§The practice §strategies used by intermediate piano students having§different §learning styles are identified and assessed by§external examiners. §Relationships that exist between strategies used in§practice and §other areas of learning are investigated, as well as§to the effects of §attitude, motivation, and ownership of learning on§practice. This §investigation should be useful to educators and§students interested §in a case study of the influence of formative§learning strategies on §proficient performance.