# Performance anxiety, wellbeing, and cultural factors in Chinese music conservatories: a two-study research of student experiences

## TL;DR

This study explores how performance anxiety affects wellbeing in Chinese music students, highlighting the roles of perfectionism and cultural factors.

## Contribution

The research introduces a novel examination of how perfectionism and collectivist orientation moderate performance anxiety and wellbeing in Chinese music conservatories.

## Key findings

- Performance anxiety was negatively linked to wellbeing, with perfectionism and collectivist orientation acting as moderators.
- Individual success conditions increased anxiety, while collaborative settings showed partial protective effects.
- Wellbeing outcomes varied, with individual success conditions showing higher wellbeing than control groups.

## Abstract

Performance anxiety poses significant challenges for music conservatory students, especially in high-pressure educational contexts such as China. This research examined the link between performance anxiety and wellbeing, focusing on the moderating roles of perfectionism and collectivist orientation.

Study 1, using a correlational design with 1,364 students, assessed these relationships within the PERMA model. Study 2 employed an experimental design with 218 students randomly assigned to individual success, collaborative success, or neutral conditions.

Results from Study 1 revealed that performance anxiety was negatively associated with wellbeing, with both perfectionism and collectivist orientation moderating this relationship. Study 2 showed that individual success conditions elicited the highest levels of anxiety, while collaborative settings offered partial support. Wellbeing outcomes were more complex: students in the individual condition reported higher wellbeing than those in the control group, whereas the collaborative condition did not differ significantly.

These findings suggest that perfectionism can intensify anxiety in individual contexts, while collectivist orientation and collaborative performance settings may provide some protective effects depending on context. The study offers critical insights for music education and highlights the need to balance performance pressure, social support, and cultural factors when designing interventions to promote wellbeing among conservatory students.