For the identification of usage levels, an analysis of clusters was performed on the results obtained. These results provided three clusters. The first cluster contains subjects that are positioned with low values in the responses to the scale’s items. A second cluster brings together subjects with average scores in the items, and a third group, characterised by high scores.

Items corresponding to the dimension b) are recorded in Table 1 and Table 2. The dimension c) of the questionnaire is specified in the items listed in Table 3.

Content validation is made through experts’ assessment (2). The internal reliability or consistency of these scales is estimated through Cronbach’s α. A Cronbach's α of 0.915 is obtained in the first case and 0.925 in the second scale; this means that reliability is very good.

3.4. Data sources and data analyses

Data were collected online, and we obtained information from teachers who wanted to participate and collaborate in this research work. We analyzed data using different statistic tests through the SPSS V.23 program. We applied descriptive statistics and statistical comparison of the null hypothesis. The research hypotheses were confirmed through ANOVA statistics and the Kruskal Wallis test. The Independent Variable (IV) registered the three levels of use of ICT made by teachers in music education. The Dependent Variables (DV) included items referred to teachers’ beliefs on the ICT utility in music teaching and students’ learning.

4. Results

The data presented in this section intend to give an answer to the research questions posed.

Regarding the levels of use of ICT by music teachers, Figure 1 expresses the following results.

Figure 1. Percentage of teachers who make use of ICT in different levels (low use, medium use and high use).

This figure shows us that more than 50% of music teachers make a low use of ICT. A medium use represents 21.4% of teachers and an intensive use represents 16% of the total of music teachers.

4.1. Incidence of level of use of ICT in teachers’ beliefs on their value for music teaching

The Variance Analysis test of an ANOVA Factor permits to confirm if there are differences between groups with a different level of use of ICT in the classroom. The results obtained are exposed in Table 1.

The results show us that the null hypothesis has been rejected, as the p value obtained is p ≤ 0.05, in all the items referred to the value of ICT in music education and therefore the alternative hypothesis that says that the levels of use of ICT mark significant differences in the value granted by music teachers has been accepted. There is just one variable, the “Time devoted to ICT is worth it”, in which the null hypothesis has been accepted, as the p value is 0.227, p ≥ 0,05. Therefore, we can interpret that the level of use of ICT in the classroom bears significant relation to the beliefs on the value of ICT for music education. In this sense, upon observation of the averages obtained by the groups, we confirm that, the higher the level of use, the higher the positive assessment of ICT for music education. In short, the results obtained show us that all the items, except one, are significant p ≤ 0.05; therefore, the null hypothesis of no difference between groups has been rejected and the alternative la hypothesis has been accepted.

As an example, we show the relationship of these variables in two of the items (see Figures 2 and 3).

Figure 2. Relationship between the uses of ICT (low use, medium use, and high use) and music teachers’ beliefs with regard to their improvement of teaching practice.

Figure 3. Relationship between the uses of ICT (low use, medium use and high use) and teachers’ beliefs about its benefits for didactic–methodological development.

However, the behavior is inverse when items are referred to negative aspects, as illustrate in Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 4. Relationship between the uses of ICT (low use, medium use, and high use) and music teachers’ beliefs about the disadvantages of ICT for methodological development.

Figure 5. Relationship between the uses of ICT (low use, medium use, and high use) and music teachers’ beliefs about the fact that ICT are a waste of time.

As the variables are registered in an ordinal scale, we confirm the previous results with the Kruskal-Wallis Test. The results obtained are showed in Table 2. In this case, we obtain results converging with the previous test applied (ANOVA), rejecting the null H in all cases, except in the variable “Time devoted to ICT is worth it”.

4.2. Incidence of level of use of ICT in music learning

In this paragraph we show the results that allow us to corroborate the initial hypothesis of checking if there are significant differences among the three established groups regarding the beliefs on learning that facilitate ICT. To that end, we apply the Kruskal Wallis test. The results obtained can be seen in Table 3.

These results confirm the alternative hypothesis in all items except in “retards the learning process”, obtaining a “p” value of 0,117 (p ≥ 0.05). In the rest of items, the null hypothesis H=0 was rejected, as values less than p ≤ 0.05 are obtained. Therefore, we can conclude that there are significant differences among the three groups of music teachers regarding the perception of ICT value in students’ learning. The relation between ICT use and an improvement on students’ attitude towards learning converge with results of other research works (Biasutti & Concina, 2021; Crawford, 2017; Stowell & Dixon, 2014).

Therefore, considering these results, we can point out that the level of use of ICT by teachers influences their educational perception regarding the value of ICT in students’ teaching and learning. This information confirms other scientific results (Eyles, 2018; Stowell & Dixon, 2014), as teaching praxis is linked to teachers’ conceptions and perceptions.

To summarize the results obtained we prepared Figures 6 and 7, which reflect the measures obtained in items related to teachers’ beliefs on the incidence of ICT in their teaching and students’ learning, respectively. They show how the highest average corresponds to teachers who make a more intensive use of ICT and the lowest to the group of teachers who make a less intensive use of ICT.

Figure 6. Average scoring of each group of teachers in the variables of beliefs on ICT in teaching.

Figure 7. Average scoring of each group of teachers in the variables of beliefs on ICT in learning.

In view of these results, we are considering analyzing which beliefs on music education are associated to the different levels of use of ICT.

The results obtained are reflected in Figure 6.

Upon reading Figure 6, it shows us profiles of beliefs of music teachers according to the level of use of ICT. Thus, teachers who make an intensive use of ICT in their classes grant high valuation levels to the idea that they improve the teaching practice and enhance students’ learning, besides favoring the didactic-methodological development and students’ motivation and interest. However, these beliefs show up in the group who makes a less intensive use of ICT. And more negative beliefs prevail than in the group that makes a more intensive use, such as that they are distracting and retard methodological development, with the consequent waste of time. The average use group is between both groups in these valuations.

We have shown below in Figure 7 how the level of use of ICT influences teachers’ beliefs on learning aspects.

In this figure we can observe a correspondence between levels of use and conceptions on the value of ICT for learning. The group with a higher level of use of ICT obtained higher average values regarding the use of ICT in students’ learning, fostered knowledge acquisition, boosted collaborative attitudes among students and attitude towards Music, besides facilitating the learning process. These evaluations are reversed in the variable that states that ICT hinder the learning process.

Therefore, the results obtained in this research work leads us to conclude that the use of ICT influences teachers’ conceptions and beliefs about their integration in music education. Teachers who make a more intensive use of ICT have a more positive conception of their value in music teaching and learning than those who do not use them often.

In short, a high percentage of music teachers do not use ICT very often when teaching. They have identified three levels of use: low, medium, and high. These levels are related to pedagogical beliefs on ICT value, both for teaching and for students’ learning. They have detected significant differences between groups regarding their conceptions about these aspects. The highest levels of ICT use by music teachers are linked to higher valuations regarding the belief that ICT foster their teaching practice and the methodological didactic development; and also, that ICT benefit students, improving learning processes, a positive attitude towards Music and students’ collaboration. Teachers who use ICT less often have more negative conceptions of ICT regarding their teaching and learning potential.

5. Discussion and conclusions

On the basis of the results obtained and taking as a reference the objectives marked in this study, specifically insofar as aim A) is concerned: identifying usage levels of ICTs in secondary education used by Music teachers in Andalusia (Spain), we can conclude that Music Education teachers of Secondary Education in southern Spain make a heterogeneous teaching use of ICT that shall have a certain impact on their integration in the class. More than 50% of such teachers rarely use ICT and only 16% use ICT intensively. Therefore, we can see that the use of ICT is not extensive yet in music teaching. However, we understand that this information is dynamic and diverse factors, amongst others the digitization of society, may foster increasingly more extensive use of digital tools on the part of Secondary Education teachers as part of the Music syllabus, alongside continually enhanced development of digital skills in teachers (Camlin & Lisboa, 2021). Plus, these practices mean a shift in the beliefs held by teachers of the educational value of ICT is foreseeable.

With regard to the hypothesis of the relation between ICT uses and conceptions about their value for teaching and learning, we conclude that there is a significant difference between the established groups based on their levels of ICT use with respect to music teachers’ beliefs on the educational use of ICT, the higher the levels of use of ICT, the higher the positive valuation. These results coincide with the contributions of other related studies (Ertmer, Ottenbreit & Tondeur, 2015; Eyles, 2018; Nelson & Hawk, 2020; Shifflet & Weilbacher, 2015; Teo & Zhou, 2016). Therefore, it can be concluded that, responding to the second of our aims, there is a relationship between the educational usage of ICT and the instructional value the Music teachers bestow upon this.

Another significant difference comes of their beliefs regarding ICT incidence in students’ learning; the certainty of the value of ICT for students’ learning in the groups of teachers who make a more intensive use of ICT is also higher. These results also coincide specifically with other research works focused on the motivational dimension for learning (Aróstegui et al., 2021; Crawford, 2017; Cronenberg, 2019; Hedden, 2020). These studies concluded that the use of technology in Music Education fosters stimulating and motivating teaching and learning situations. Other contributions, such as those of Stowell and Dixon (2014), Crawford (2017), Ruthman and Mantie (2017) or Biasutti and Concina (2021), corroborate that ICT enhance creativity, facilitate learning, and boost independent exploration and learning. In this way, the results obtained in this research work provide a response to the study’s third aim, duly verifying the existence of beliefs on the students’ learning that are linked to the different usage levels of ICT in the teaching of Music in Secondary Education.

Therefore, the levels of use of ICT in music education are linked to differenced profiles regarding teachers’ valuation of aspects related to music teaching and learning. The highest levels of use are linked to higher valuations in positive aspects, whereas the lowest levels get a lower scoring in the most positive aspects and higher in the negative aspects.

Finally, considering that this use of ICT in teachers’ training depends on their knowledge and, therefore, their training in this field, an aspect that has also been endorsed by other research works on this subject (Colás-Bravo & Hernández-Portero, 2017; Eyles, 2018; Niedderhauser & Stoddart, 2001; Valverde et al., 2021), we concluded that teachers’ initial training is a key factor for ICT integration in the school syllabus (Burke et al., 2018; Englund et al., 2017; Ruthmann & Mantie, 2017; Somekh, 2008). The still not extensive use of ICT in Music teaching could be fostered reinforcing teachers’ initial and continuing education training. Educational practices using ICT are, as we have proven in this research work, a relevant factor for the transformation of beliefs held by teachers.

The results of the study are limited by the selection of the subjects of the sample, which is not probabilistic and, therefore, the data obtained cannot be generalized to a larger population. The cultural context can also be regarded as a limitation, and the results obtained could be different in other cultural contexts. The specificity typical of music teachers’ education also limits the results to this population and cannot be transferred to teachers from other subjects and fields.

5.1. Educational implications and further developments

The knowledge of ICT integration in Music Education has not had many contributions. However, it is relevant to propose enhancement plans in teachers’ training. In this research work, we have detected a poor use of ICT in music teaching and learning processes, which leads to consider the need of boosting teachers’ training in ICT. In this sense the European Union and member states aim to foster digital citizenship through different strategic lines of action, such as the “Digital Competence Framework for Educators” (DIGCOMPEDU), published in 2020, or the “Action Plan for Digital Education” (2021-2027) that offers references to guide teacher training. In Spain we have the “Reference Framework for teaching digital competence” of the Ministry of Education and Professional Training (published in 2020) that guide teachers’ training for ICT integration in their professional skills as teachers.

The results of this study are valuable to help to offer training programs to Music teachers that help to develop the pedagogical use of ICT, as well as the contents and knowledge necessary to make an effective use of technologies to develop citizens’ digital skills.

On the other hand, the study provides data for understanding the relation between the ICT uses and the teachers’ beliefs on their educational value for music teaching and learning. For this reason, it is possible to think that the increase in the use of ICT, to which teachers have been forced because of the pandemic, will lead to a modulation of teachers' beliefs in relation to their pedagogical value for the teaching of music. It would be useful to contrast this fact with further research.

There are several educational implications of the findings of the current study. First, we find that the use of ICT is related to the beliefs of teachers about their educational value. Therefore, it would be useful to establish exchanges of experiences with teachers who make greater use of ICT to know the benefits they provide for teaching practice and student learning. Secondly, the study provides data on the scarce use of ICT by Music teachers in Andalusia. This could also be promoted with the proposals for collaborative exchange between teachers and even with the orientation towards the didactic uses of ICT in teacher training programs to show its usefulness for teaching and learning music.

Finally, the research approach adopted in this study based on a quantitative methodology could be completed including research designs with a qualitative approach, after the effects of the covid pandemic in the teaching methods of teachers. This perspective would allow to deepen and delve into numerous aspects on the incidence of forced use of ICT in Music teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and conceptions. In addition, ethnographic designs, based on classroom observations, might support, in praxis, data indirectly obtained through questionnaires. The narrative methodology could also illustrate Music teachers’ educational transformation processes, because of these new ways of teaching.

The extension to other cultural contexts and professional teaching specialization areas may also be object of interest for future research works.

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