Designing Authentic Performance Assessment in Primary Music Education: A Framework for Evaluating Musical Creativity and Performance

Abstract

Authentic assessment has increasingly been recognised as an effective approach for evaluating complex learning outcomes in arts education, particularly in music education where learning is demonstrated through performance, creativity, and artistic interpretation. Despite its pedagogical relevance, many primary school teachers encounter difficulties implementing authentic assessment due to the absence of structured frameworks that guide systematic evaluation of musical performance and creative learning. This study aimed to develop and validate an authentic performance assessment framework for primary music education that supports the evaluation of musical creativity and performance-based learning. A Design and Development Research (DDR) approach was employed consisting of three phases: needs analysis, framework development, and expert validation. Survey data were collected from 130 primary school music teachers to examine current assessment practices and challenges. The proposed framework was subsequently validated using the Fuzzy Delphi Method with eight experts in music education and educational assessment. The results indicated strong expert consensus (97%) regarding the relevance and practicality of the framework. The validated model conceptualises authentic music assessment as an integrated cycle involving authentic musical tasks, multidimensional evaluation criteria, structured documentation tools, and reflective feedback mechanisms. The study contributes to music education scholarship by proposing a process-oriented framework that aligns assessment with the experiential and creative nature of musical learning. The framework provides practical guidance for teachers and offers policy implications for strengthening performance-based assessment in primary music education.