Abstract
There is need to maintain quality in the offereings of courses at teachers' colleges in Jamaica, especially in the area of music performance, for which appreciation is largely subjective and low in inter-rater reliability. The purpose of this study was to determine the performance of students in practical music examinations at teachers' colleges in Jamaica. Practical music examination grades of 226 students in the Primary and Early Childhood diploma programmes of five teachers' colleges were analysed. Comparisons were made between grades obtained in external and internal practical examinations; similarly, comparisons were made between grades assigned by Early Childhood programmes and those earned in Primary programmes. No statistically significant differences were found between the grades assigned by internal examiners and those assigned by external examiners. Overall, most students were successful in the course, and more grades assigned by internal examiners were maintained during external assessments than were downgraded or upgraded, with downgrades mainly occurring for students in Early Childhood teacher training programmes. Disparities between external examiners' grades and internal examiners' grades were largely limited to a few colleges. Finally, the study presents perspectives of internal practical examiners on the quality assurance procedure used in the practical music examinations.
