K–12 Music Educators’ Perceptions of Social Media Use and Social Justice Engagement

Abstract This study explored how kindergarten through 12th grade music educators perceive their engagement with social media platforms and their engagement with social justice when using social media. Research questions were (a) How frequently do music educators use social media and what platforms do they use? (b) How do music educators perceive their engagement on social media? (c) How do music educators perceive their engagement with social justice via social media? and (d) What differences exist among music educators’ demographics regarding professional and social justice engagement on social media? We used descriptive analyses to examine teacher characteristics, social media types, and frequency of use, along with frequency data from 5-point Likert-type items concerning engagement on social media both generally and related to social justice. Open and axial coding techniques were used to inductively analyze open-ended questions asking teachers to elaborate on their social media use in general and with social justice. Findings suggest that music teachers frequently use social media and interact online through more passive, consumer-based behaviors in regard to professional learning and social justice engagement. Quantitative results indicate significant group differences in social media use related to social justice in music education based on gender, race/ethnicity, age, years of teaching experience, grade level, and content area. Results from open-ended responses found that participants argued about the appropriateness of social media for professional learning as well as social justice's place both online and in the music classroom. Implications are offered for music teachers and music teacher educators.