Events
Defense of the Doctoral Thesis | Samuel de Freitas Barros Neto
4.12.2023 | 3h15pm | Aveiro | Department of Environment and Planning of the University of Aveiro | Carlos Borrego Amphitheater
On December 4th, 2023, at 3:15 p.m., the exams for the Doctoral Program in Music, by Samuel de Freitas Barros Neto, will be held at the Carlos Borrego Amphitheatre, Department of Environment and Planning of the University of Aveiro, with the theme "Mapping music performance anxiety: A quantitative and qualitative study of its prevalence in higher education".
The jury for the PhD thesis of Samuel de Freitas Barros Neto
- Marcos Vinícius Araújo, Adjunct Professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
- Armando Humberto Moreira Nolasco Pinto, Full Professor at the University of Aveiro
- Paulo Alexandre Ferreira Chaló, Adjunct Professor at the Egas Moniz University Institute
- Patrícia Sofia Pinhanços Batista, Researcher at the Portuguese Catholic University
- Ana Sofia Almeida de Sá Serra, Equivalent to Principal Researcher at the University of Aveiro
- Helena Paula Marinho Silva de Carvalho, Associate Professor at the University of Aveiro (advisor)
Mapping music performance anxiety: A quantitative and qualitative study of its prevalence in higher education
This thesis aims to understand music performance anxiety (MPA) in Portuguese higher education, quantitatively and qualitatively. MPA appears as a multidimensional emotional manifestation that includes a set of cognitive, behavioral and physiological responses that can lead to impairments in early career performers and occupational-professional and personal impact. Four aims were outlined: (1) to identify and discuss the existing research on the characteristics of MPA among higher education music students; (2) to study and understand the origins and causes of MPA from the point of view of teachers and students of higher music education institutions in Portugal; (3) to develop and validate quantitative measures for the Portuguese higher music education context; (4) to study the impact of MPA predictors on Portuguese university students. Four studies integrate this thesis.
A systematic review discusses studies found in international databases on MPA in higher education. The gaps identified led to a qualitative study of MPA in Portugal. A series of semi-structured interviews were undertaken with teachers and students, and the collected data identified four main themes (perceptions of MPA, strategies, contextual factors and institutional support). This study contributed to the creation of a bank of items for constructing a scale, the Portuguese Music Performance Anxiety Scale (PoMPAS), a reliable instrument with good psychometric qualities to measure the impact of MPA on the Portuguese higher education context. Finally, this research presents the results of applying this scale to assess the impact of MPA predictors (gender, age, performance experience, health problems, coping strategies and medication use) on a sample of 414 higher education students in Portugal. The research highlighted the importance of studying MPA in higher education to promote a better understanding of its aetiology among students, teachers and psychologists.
The results displayed several factors associated with high levels of MPA, namely contextual, situational, individual, and social factors, institutional culture, teaching methodology, lack of institutional support, and other topics such as prevalence, predictors of anxiety, flow experience, and coping strategies. The results of this thesis suggest that preventive guidance and health promotion programs may promote well-being and decrease levels of MPA among higher education students in Portugal.
