Affect of Music on Students Learning

This chapter discusses the findings that we obtained from the study and also their social implications. Besides that, some recommendations for future research on the topic also will be put forward. The findings will be summarised according to the aims of the research as stated in chapter 1 (refer to 1. 2). .In this research, researchers are interested to find the effect of music on students’ performance, the type of music that affects students’ performance and the teachers’ opinion on using music in their lessons. .

The effects of music on students’ performance Students performed worsewhen they used music while doing their work. Most of the students scored higher marks when music was not played while they did the test compared to those who did the test without music. Furthermore, the time taken by the students who did the test without music was shorter compared to those who did the test with music. Although those in the control group finished the test earlier they still performed better compared to the students in the experimental group.

The type of music that affects students’ performance Majority of the students stated that the type of music that they think can improve their performance while studying is instrumental. Because of that, we used instrumental music during our experimental researches. Students felt that the music with lyrics (vocal) could not improve their performance while studying. Students stated that the lyrics distracted them and they could not improve their performance. 5. 2. 3 Teachers’ opinions on using music in their lessons

The findings show that all teachers agreed that music could aid students’ learning process. However, most of them did not use music in their lessons. There are a few reasons for this. Music seemed to distract students’ attention. Completing the syllabus is another reason given. The teachers were quite reluctant to give some of their teaching time to music. Some were of the opinion that music was not suitable with their teaching subject. Some teachers, however, did use music in their lesson.

Learning would become more interesting by incorporating music. Students were found to be more motivated when music is played. Not only that, students’ comprehension had improved.The findings of the research can be applied by all students. They may use the findings to decide whether they want to incorporate music while studying or not. The findings are also applicable to students who used to learn with music. They can choose the type of music that is more effective to aid learning.

This could avoid choosing music that is a disturbance to learning. Data from this research can be used in future researches relating to the effects of music on students’ performance. The findings will guide other researchers to do further research on this topic. The data may be taken by various parties to organize talks to students about the effects of music on students’ performance. Our findings also could guide teachers on whether to use music in their lessons and to choose the type of music that is effective to improve their students’ comprehension.

Due to the research constraints, the researchers had to limit the sample. This research was carried out on 12 Form Six teachers and 23 Form Six students in SMK King George V Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. It was not large enough to represent all the students and teachers in Malaysia. A bigger sampling from students and teachers in all schools in Malaysia would make the findings more reliable. This research should be carried out among teachers and students from other districts and states to obtain a bigger scope of findings.

This will give more accurate findings. Another suggestion is to widen the scope of the topic to other areas. A detailed research on how music can improve memory, for example, can provide a better understanding on using music on students’ learning.

From our findings, we can conclude music has a negative impact on students’ performance. Therefore, it is for students not to use music while doing their work if they want to perform well. Besides that, the type of music that can improve students’ performance while studying is instrumental.

So, students should use instrumental music if they want to use music while doing their work. Furthermore, researchers also found that teachers stated that music could aid their lessons but they do not prefer using music in their lesson. Teachers ,therefore ,should find some ways to overcome the problems when using music while learning. In conclusion, all parties should take necessary steps to improve their performance when using music while learning.