Measuring self-regulated practice behaviours in highly skilled musicians

The aim of this study was to explore self-regulated practice behaviours in advanced musicians. An online questionnaire was designed to assess self-regulated practice based on behaviours identified in the literature regarding expert music performance. The questionnaire was completed by 212 musicians. Factor analysis was applied in order to explore the underlying structure of the scale, and reliability and correlation tests showed that the scale was reliable. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used to describe the sample in relationship to self-regulated practice behaviours. Results obtained through factor analysis suggested three self-regulated behaviours in the advanced musicians, namely Practice Organization, Personal Resources and External Resources. In the advanced musicians, Self-Regulation through Personal Resources was most predominant in practice approaches, and Self-Regulation through External Resources decreased with experience. Additionally, Practice Time was negatively related to age and positively related to Practice Organization and Self-Regulation through External Resources, suggesting that the younger the musician, the more reliance is placed on time, organization and external resources. Implications regarding the use of the scale for formal assessment of self-regulated practice behaviours in musicians are discussed.