Research Summary: Turning tension into educational momentum: a ten-year action research study of music-integrated ideological and political education in higher education

A ten-year action research study from 2015-2025 investigates the integration of music into ideological and political education (IPE) within a Chinese higher vocational institution. The research aims to understand how music can transform IPE from mere knowledge transmission to value identification by addressing the tension between aesthetic autonomy and educational intent. Data collection involves anonymous questionnaires from 428 students and self-reported psychological data from 96 volunteers across multiple time points.

Why it matters

This research is significant for understanding innovative pedagogical approaches, particularly in higher education, and the potential of non-traditional methods like music to achieve educational objectives. It addresses a fundamental challenge in educational design: effectively instilling values rather than solely imparting information, which has broad applicability across various educational contexts.

Key insights

• The study explores the use of music as a novel pedagogical approach within ideological and political education in higher education.
• It seeks to transition IPE from knowledge dissemination to genuine value identification among students.
• The research investigates the inherent tension between the aesthetic value of music and its educational application.
• The methodology involves a decade-long action research study, using model-building and theory-generating approaches.
• Data includes anonymous paired questionnaires from 428 students (T1, T2, T3) and voluntary non-clinical SCL-90 self-reported psychological state data from 96 volunteers.

Source

Frontiers in Education — https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1890682