Dictation Tutor: The effectiveness of a curriculum-specific tutorial in the acquisition of aural discrimination skills at the college level

A computer-assisted instruction program for aural skills development was written to complement the freshman music theory program at the University of Northern Colorado. During the fall semester of 1994, an experiment was conducted to determine if the program could be used as a replacement for the method currently used in the curriculum.; Two intact classes were selected. The control group received a pretest in aural skills, regular classroom instruction including dictation drills, a posttest and were encouraged to use commercial ear training software. The experimental group received the same pretest, posttest and classroom instruction, but were required to use the custom computer program to replace the in-class dictation drills. Students were expected to use the computer two hours per week, with the program tracking the time and performance. The experiment lasted ten weeks. To determine if the method was an acceptable substitute, students' scores on the final exam and attitudes towards ear training and computers were compared. An analysis of covariance using the posttest as dependent variable and the pretest as covariate, showed there was no significant difference in achievement between the two methods. No differences were found in the subjects' attitudes towards ear training or the computer before and after the treatment period.; Correlations performed between the final exam score and the average scores earned in the program and between the number of levels attempted in the program, found significant relationships at the p {dollar}<{dollar}.05 level. Students receiving the treatment felt the program was effective and attributed more of their improvement to the use of the computer, significant at the p {dollar}<{dollar}.01 level.; The experimental group felt they spent more time and effort practicing ear training outside of class, significant at the p {dollar}<{dollar}.05 level. In addition, the control spent less time than they originally planned. However, no correlation existed between the amount of time spent in the program, or any particular section of the program, and the final exam score.