Digital literacy as a buffer against technostress: Evidence from the ICT attitudes of in-service music teachers

This study examined the relationships among technostress, attitudes toward information and communication technologies (ICT), and digital literacy, focusing on the mediating role of digital literacy among music teachers. Data were collected from 202 music teachers across different regions of Turkey and analyzed using SPSS and PROCESS Macro. The findings revealed that technostress negatively influenced ICT attitudes, while digital literacy reduced technostress and strengthened positive ICT attitudes. Furthermore, digital literacy partially mediated the relationship between technostress and ICT attitudes. Interpreted through the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) Model, the Transactional Model of Stress, and Cognitive Load Theory, these results suggest that digital literacy functions as a key personal resource that helps teachers manage technological demands, lowers cognitive load, and enables them to perceive technology as an opportunity rather than a threat. The study highlights the critical role of enhancing digital literacy to mitigate technostress and foster positive ICT integration in music education. Practically, the findings imply that teacher education programs and in-service training should prioritize digital pedagogy and music-specific technologies. These findings also offer comparative international implications for teacher education and professional development, especially when aligning local initiatives with global digital competence standards. Policymakers should further align national standards with international frameworks such as DigCompEdu and ISTE. Overall, the study provides novel evidence by demonstrating the mediating role of digital literacy in the technostress–ICT attitude relationship specifically among music teachers.