Pandemic Perspectives on Tertiary Music Distance Education: A Systematic Review

The purpose of this qualitative systematic literature review was to identify the patterns and nuances in the perspectives of tertiary students and educators on how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the incorporation of educational technology in tertiary music distance education. This study leveraged the influx of field-specific research that emerged during the pandemic. An initial review of the research literature identified the field issues of self-efficacy, infrastructure, networked performance, collaboration, community, digital literacy, music distance pedagogy, mobile learning, and mental health. These issues were identified through a combination of the educational frameworks technological pedagogical content knowledge and community of inquiry. The study sample was selected through the PRISMA screening and inclusion process. Subsequently, the data analysis was built on three rounds of coding through a constant comparative design. A total of 802 unique records were screened for inclusion at the abstract stage. The final study sample included 27 reports of 26 empirical qualitative studies in tertiary music distance education, each directly referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study's findings revealed four converging themes: access, perception, design, and interaction. A constant comparative analysis revealed field issues pertaining to any combinations of these themes. Based on these findings, the four converging themes were preliminarily labeled as an APDI framework. A four-ellipse Venn diagram highlights thematic intersections through categories and sub-categories. In conclusion, the preliminary APDI framework serves as a tool to analyze tertiary music distance education issues and to articulate field research questions with greater granularity.