According to Campbell (2001), music can serve many different purposes and functions. These functions are said to include: entertainment, the venting of emotional expression, comfort, improvement of physiological functioning, inducing changes in mood, arousal and emotions, and intellectual stimulation. In terms of students and education, Campbell (2002) reports that research indicates that music may have the properties to increase students verbal-emotional spatial intelligence, inspire right-brain creative thinking processes, strengthen intuitive thinking skills, induce relaxation and sleep, improve body movement and coordination, enhance mood, improve memory, and increase concentration.
The problem, however, with the existing research on the benefits of music is according to Campbell (2002), the fact that a good deal of the studies showing benefits to students from music have not been well controlled. The research proposed here focuses on investigating one claim as to the benefits of music, namely that it increases student concentration. The proposed research will add to the existing literature in that attempts will be made to determine the validity of this claim using controlled experimental methods.
The effects of music on concentration are, at best, mixed. Barr, Ditmar, Roberts and Sheraden (2002) found that by teaching students how to concentrate on music, they found that students' general ability to concentrate improved and that this, in turn, led to improved academic performance. In another study, Anderson, Henke, McLaughlin, Ripp and Tuffs (2000) found that music helped students to concentrate on spelling tasks because it helped them to relax and improve their visualization of the words.
Kaniel and Dorit (1998) conducted a study of the effects of background music on children's (K-6) concentration as it related to performing a visual discrimination task. Interestingly, the authors found that music improved concentra...