Music students’ experienced workload in higher education: A systematic review and recommendations for good practice

Abstract

While there is extensive research on student workload in higher education, research-based findings relating to music students’ workloads are, to a great extent, lacking. In this study, we aim to review the literature systematically (a) to identify the factors that have an impact on students’ experiences of workload ( experienced workload) and (b) to better understand music students’ experiences of their workloads in relation to their studies. The overall aim is to offer recommendations for students, teachers, administrators, and student health and well-being services as to how to deal with music students’ workload. We conducted a systematic search of literature in 23 electronic databases and 19 music research journals following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews guidelines. Eligibility criteria consisted of design, sample, phenomenon of interest, evaluation, and type of research. Twenty-nine qualitative, quantitative, and multistrategy studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted and the quality of the studies was appraised. Extended meta-ethnography was used to create a synthesis revealing specific themes offering recommendations for good practice to (a) increase music students’ ability to cope with their workload, (b) provide tools for teachers to support music students to manage and cope with workload, and (c) develop learner-centered environments in higher music education. In addition to presenting recommendations for good practice, we conclude that more research using high-quality designs is needed to investigate music students’ discipline-specific experienced workload.

Music students’ workload, stress, and coping in higher education: Evidence-based policymaking

“…After selecting the studies, we conducted an extended meta-ethnography (EME)-a method of systematic review developed by Booker (2010)-to create a synthesis. The process and results were reported in the systematic review (i.e., Jääskeläinen et al, 2022b).…”

“…The inter-rater agreement of the two independent coding choices was calculated by using Holsti's (1969) method and Krippendorff 's (1980) alpha, and was favorably calculated as 0.924 and 0.918, respectively, with both values indicating very high levels of reliability. A thematic coding framework (see Figure 3) was built based on the 13 codes, four categories, and three overarching themes that were derived from the deductive systematic review (Jääskeläinen et al, 2022b). Next, an additional 14 themes that were extracted from the interview data using inductive analysis were added to the framework, to contextualize the music students' responses relative to the existing literature on workload experiences in higher music education.…”

“…The systematic review (i.e., Jääskeläinen et al, 2022b) revealed three overarching themes, offering a total of 24 recommendations for good practice for students, teachers, administrators, and student health and wellbeing services, as to how to deal with music students' workload. As a result, a framework of music students' experienced workload was constructed based on three contexts where developmental actions could be recommended in higher music education: (1) music students' studying and coping strategies, (2) teachers' interaction with music students; and (3) aspects in teaching and learning environments, such as university institution and livelihoods.…”

“…2. Systematic review: Good practices are needed (a) to increase music students' ability to cope with their workload; (b) to provide tools for teachers to support music students to manage and cope with workload; and (c) to develop learner-centered environments in higher music education (Jääskeläinen et al, 2022b).…”

“…The data were collected in seven higher music education institutions in Finland and the United Kingdom. Over 4 years, a total of seven studies were conducted in the MSW Project (see study characteristics in Table 1): (1) a theoretical study scrutinizing diverse higher music education systems in connection with equality and cultural reproduction (Jääskeläinen, 2021); (2) a systematic review mapping international research on music students' workload (Jääskeläinen et al, 2022b); (3) a methodological study discussing the transcendental phenomenological approach as a method for obtaining a meaningful understanding of music students' experiences in higher education (Jääskeläinen, 2022b); (4) a qualitative study exploring music students' workload experiences in connection with their meaningful engagement in music (Jääskeläinen, 2022a); (5) a mixed-method study shedding light on music students' proactive coping styles in connection with workload and stress (Jääskeläinen et al, 2022a); (6) a mixed-method study examining music students' experienced workload, stress, and livelihoods (Jääskeläinen et al, 2020); and (7) a qualitative study exploring teachers' ways of supporting music students' workload and stress (Jääskeläinen and López-Íñiguez, 2022).…”