The worst is yet to come: the psychological impact of COVID-19 on Hong Kong music teachers

Cheng, L.; Lam, C. Y.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has made online and distance learning the new normal at all levels of education. Music as a school subject that relies heavily on multimodal sensory and auditory-motor interactions has been dramatically affected. Music teachers may not be coping mentally or psychologically with these drastic changes. This study examined the psychological impact of COVID-19 on music teachers’ (N = 120) mental health and well-being through a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews (n = 10). The Fear of Coronavirus-19 Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale and a shortened version of the Chinese Teacher Stress Questionnaire were used to measure Hong Kong music teachers’ experiences of psychological pressure and problem behaviours linked to the outbreak of the infectious disease. The findings revealed that music teachers are experiencing stress, fear, and anxiety in response to the pandemic. They are concerned about the effectiveness of online music teaching, parental expectations, students’ adaptability to online learning, technological integration and maintaining transformative teaching professionalism.

Citation

Cheng, L., & Lam, C. Y. (2021). The worst is yet to come: the psychological impact of COVID-19 on Hong Kong music teachers. Music Education Research, 23(2), 211-224. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2021.1906215

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 17, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Mar 24, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021-03
• Deposit Date: Aug 10, 2021
• Journal: Music Education Research
• Print ISSN: 1461-3808
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-9893
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 23
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 211-224
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2021.1906215
• Keywords: COVID-19, music teacher, anxiety, fear, teacher professionalism
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2792463