The Well-being and Instructional Experiences of K-12 Music Educators: Starting a New School Year During a Pandemic

Abstract

In adapting to remote emergency teaching modes during pandemic-imposed conditions, teachers’ instruction has changed dramatically. Early research indicates that the well-being of music teachers has suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic and that high levels of depression are widespread. The purpose of this survey study was to assess the continued psychological well-being of music teachers working amid a global pandemic based upon previous research we conducted during the Spring 2020 semester when most teachers in the United States were forced into emergency remote teaching. A secondary purpose was to explore the ways that pandemic conditions have affected music teachers’ sense of safety at work and their current teaching situations. Our questionnaire consisted of sections pertaining to (1) demographic and institutional information, (2) well-being and depression, (3) instructional format and preparedness, (4) teaching efficacy compared to the start of the pandemic, and (5) potential positive outcomes of the pandemic-imposed adjustments. In total, 1,325 music teachers responded to our survey. Overall, the participants reported poorer well-being than both published norms and the sample of participants in our previous study. In addition, 17% reported mild depression, 25% reported moderate depression, and 24% reported severe extremely severe levels of depression. Summaries of the participants instructional experiences and their implications for music education are discussed within.

Relationships Between Well-Being and Teaching Adaptability Among Music Teacher Educators: A Snapshot of the 2020–2021 Academic Year

“…Specific to music education, there appears to be little extant research regarding psychological well-being among K-12 and university music teachers (e.g., Kang & Yoo, 2019; Kelley et al, 2022; Miksza et al, 2021; Parkes et al, 2021). As far as we can determine, there is no research that specifically explores the well-being of music teacher educators.…”

“…In contrast to competence and relatedness, work engagement was not found to be a predictor of well-being; a finding that Kang and Yoo describe as inconsistent with other research. Miksza and colleagues (2021) and Parkes and colleagues (2021) explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers’ psychological well-being. In both studies, the researchers found that teachers reported lower levels of well-being and higher levels of depression than published norms.…”

“…As positive psychology has gained traction in educational settings, there has been increasing research interest in the wellness of teachers (Avsec et al, 2009; Ilgan et al, 2015; Kang & Yoo, 2019; Kelley et al, 2022; Kurt & Demirbolat, 2019; Liang et al, 2017; Miksza et al, 2021; Özü et al, 2017; Parkes et al, 2021; Sisask et al, 2014). Flourishing is a metric of well-being, which can be described as “the experience of life going well.…”

Students' Attitudes Toward Online Music Education During the COVID 19 Lockdown

“…Teachers were also part of the Emergency Remote Teaching process, and their experience is discussed in recent articles (Alqabbani et al, 2020), as well as compared to the students' perceptions (Zhao et al, 2021). In one article, the purposes was to explore the ways that pandemic conditions have affected music teachers' sense of safety at work and their current teaching situations, and conclusions indicate that the teachers' well-being has gotten worse from the start of the pandemic through the start of a new school year in fall 2020 (Parkes et al, 2021).…”

Research-to-Resource: Two Motivation Frameworks for Encouraging School Choral Participation

“…D. Shaw, 2014). These concerns deepened as large ensembles were restricted or moved online during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (Hash, 2021; Parkes et al, 2021).…”