Modern Technologies for Developing Musical Thinking in Students Through the Works of Jadid Enlighteners

This article examines how modern digital and pedagogical technologies, when integrated with the pedagogical, aesthetic, and musical legacy of the Jadid enlighteners of Central Asia (late 19th – early 20th centuries), can substantially enhance the development of musical thinking in higher-education music students. Drawing on the theoretical writings of Mahmudxoʻja Behbudiy, Abdurauf Fitrat, Abdulla Avloniy, and the musical-poetical output of Hamza Hakimzoda Niyoziy and Cho‘lpon, we designed an integrative instructional model that combines heritage-oriented source analysis with adaptive e-learning tools, digital score annotation, AI-assisted aural training, and project-based collaborative composition. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 168 bachelor-level students across two Uzbek universities during the 2024–2025 academic year (n = 84 experimental; n = 84 control). Musical thinking was operationalised along six components — perceptual, analytical, intonational, structural, cultural-contextual, and creative-productive — and assessed through a validated 42-item test battery (Cronbach’s α = 0.89). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed statistically significant gains in the experimental group across all six components (F(1,165) range = 18.64–46.12, p < .001; partial η² = .102–.219). The strongest effects emerged for cultural-contextual (d = 1.02) and analytical (d = 0.91) dimensions. Findings indicate that coupling the humanist-enlightenment discourse of the Jadids with contemporary educational technology produces a measurable, transferable, and culturally grounded pathway for cultivating musical thinking in 21st-century conservatoire and pedagogical curricula.