Orff Schulwerk in Chinese Primary Music Classrooms: A Qualitative Study of Teachers’ Teaching Self-Efficacy and Work Engagement

Abstract Background: This study explores primary school music teachers’ experiences of implementing Orff Schulwerk in Chinese classrooms and examines its associations with teaching self-efficacy and work engagement. Methods: Using purposive sampling, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 primary school music teachers in Shandong Province who routinely integrated Orff Schulwerk. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Results: Three themes emerged: teachers’ understandings and enactment of Orff Schulwerk; its links to teaching self-efficacy; and its contribution to work engagement. Teachers typically accessed Orff Schulwerk through professional training, school-based teaching research activities, and peer learning, translating its principles into experiential and stepwise lesson routines. Orff-informed practice was accompanied by stronger self-efficacy, reflected in improved classroom management, greater instructional confidence, more observable student learning and assessment, and ongoing pedagogical reflection and adjustment. In parallel, Orff Schulwerk was associated with higher work engagement, manifested as more positive classroom affect, heightened teaching enthusiasm, and a stronger sense of instructional accomplishment. Conclusions: Drawing on self-efficacy theory and the Job Demands–Resources model, the findings suggest that Orff Schulwerk and related supportive conditions can function as salient job resources, potentially activating positive work states by strengthening personal resources such as self-efficacy. This study provides contextualized evidence for the practical value of Orff Schulwerk in Chinese primary school music education and offers implications for teacher professional development and support systems. Keywords: primary school music teachers; Orff Schulwerk; work engagement; teaching self-efficacy; qualitative research