Female music educators’ stress and well-being in the height of a global pandemic in the United States

Abstract

Stress can affect teachers’ mental and physical health, student-teacher relationships, and energy levels. During the COVID-19 pandemic, educators around the world experienced stress in terms of worry for their students and for their own well-being in terms of energy levels, sleep and anxiety. The purpose of this study was to examine female music educators’ stress, stressors, and well-being during 1 year in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined these factors with participants, approximately 1 year into the pandemic in spring 2021 and this study explored the same educators’ stressors 1 year later in spring 2022. Through this comparative case study, eight self-identified female music educators completed a questionnaire and participated in focus groups. We approached data collection through the theory of wellbeing and uncovered four themes; (a) self-care and mental health; (b) pressure and frustration; (c) scheduling and reprioritization; and (d) accommodation. Results suggest female participants experienced personal and professional stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic that impacted their well-being, with feelings of burnout, anxiety, and desires to possibly leave the teaching profession.

The mediating role of technostress in the relationship between social outcome expectations and teacher satisfaction: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic in music education

“…The COVID-19 pandemic forced many educators, including music teachers, to transition to remote teaching and learning, increasing the use of digital technology. While technology can bring many benefits to education, such as improved access to information, it can also create new sources of stress for teachers and educators (Koner et al, 2023). During the pandemic, teachers had to constantly adapt to new technologies and keep up with changing trends (Myyry et al, 2022), with the risk of experiencing anxiety about the reliability and functionality of technology tools (Jelińska & Paradowski, 2021).…”