Contextual and dispositional predictors of student teachers’ intended use of singing in the classroom: A national survey in Norway

This study explores the contextual and dispositional factors influencing student teachers’ intended use of singing in their future classroom practice. Utilising a national survey of 466 final-year student teachers in Norway, we examined the impact of early experiences, teacher education, and attitudes towards singing using regression analysis. Drawing on Blömeke and Kaiser’s and Kunter et al.’s models of teacher professional competence, we investigated how contextual and dispositional factors contribute to student teachers’ self-perceived competence and motivation to incorporate singing into classroom activities. The results indicate significant differences between music-specialist (MUS) and generalist (PSE) student teachers, with MUS students reporting stronger intentions to include singing than PSE peers. Across both groups, two predictors were consistently associated with higher intentions: the personal relevance of singing during primary schooling and beliefs about the value of singing. The findings emphasise the importance of both formal and informal educational experiences in shaping the readiness of future teachers to integrate singing into their practice.