Publishing Preparation, Experiences, and Expectations of Music Education Faculty in Higher Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore research and publishing preparation, experiences, and expectations of music education faculty members employed at higher education institutions. We developed the Publishing Preparation and Expectations Survey (PPES) to examine music education faculty members’ current areas of research, peer-reviewed journals they read and published in, and their experiences with peer reviewers. Utilizing the Directory of Music Faculties from the College Music Society, we distributed the PPES to 1,081 music education faculty members across 487 higher education institutions in the United States, resulting in 179 responses. The participants self-reported as predominantly White ( n = 157, 87.7%), female ( n = 101, 56.4%), and possessing a PhD ( n = 145, 81.0%). Additionally, 83 participants (46.4%) initially submitted a research article for publication in a peer-reviewed music education journal during their doctoral programs. Participants anticipated publishing an average of 11.44 articles ( SD = 8.89) for promotion to associate professor and had an average of 9.81 ( SD = 11.02) peer-reviewed research articles previously published. Finally, participants shared their experiences with peer reviewers using descriptors such as “discouraging,” “harsh,” and “cruel.”