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Southwest Educational Research Association, 2012

Effect of Background Classical Instrumental Music on Performance in

Algebra Test and Algebra Self-Efficacy of College Students

John Bosco Namwamba, Southern University and A&M College

Abstract

The goals of this research were to investigate the effects of background

classical instrumental music on algebra test scores of engineering college students
and the corresponding algebra-ability self efficacy.. Most of related research
findings are based on comparison of subjects test scores between students for
students that had music instruction and those that had not. Research suggests that
this could be attributed to developed spatial visualization due to exposure to
music. Background music is being used in many places of work to improve
working environment. Music has also been shown to improve the quality of
people’s lives.To meet the objectives of this research the researcher carried out a
study involving a sample of thirty students who were divided into five groups, one
control and four treatment groups. Each group took ten twenty questions’ algebra
test. The treatment group answered the test while listening to music at different
volume levels. The loudness of music varied from minimum (no music) to safe
maximum level. Test scores for the two groups and time used to complete each
test were recorded. Statistical analysis was then carried out on the results. This
research found evidence that correlates the average of students’ algebra test scores
and average test completion time with the volume of background music. The
results and conclusions from this study introduce new dimensions that previous
research had not considered.
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Southwest Educational Research Association, 2012

Introduction
As a result of availability of electronically reproduced music that caters
for a wide range of consumers, the presence of background music world wide has
risen. Such music is very common to extents that an individual may not be aware
of music in their immediate environment. Background music can be defined as
any music played while the listener's attention is focused primarily on a task or
activity other than listening to the music (Radocy & Boyle, 1988). Related
research findings on record are based on comparison of subjects test scores
between students by comparing students that had music instruction and those that
had not. It is explained that this could be linked to improvement in reasoning and
visualization in space due to development of the brain resulting from stimulation
of some senses by music (Azizi, 2008). Previous research has shown that music
listening can enhance productivity and morale at work, and that people use music
listening to manage their well-being in daily life.

Hypothesis 1

H0: Null hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between loudness of

background classical instrumental music played in test room during algebra

testing and algebra-ability self-efficacy.

HA: Alternative hypotheses: There is no significant relationship between

loudness of background classical instrumental music played in test room during

algebra testing and algebra-ability self-efficacy.

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Southwest Educational Research Association, 2012

Hypothesis 2

H0: Null hypothesis: There is no significant relationship between loudness of

background classical instrumental music played in test room during test and

students’ algebra test scores.

HA: Alternative hypotheses: There is significant linear relationship between

loudness of background classical instrumental music played in test room during

test and students’ algebra test scores.

Literature Review
Research by Greenberg (1971) showed that background music had a
statistically significant effect on psychological test scores. Manthei (2006)
carried out study to investigate effects of five popular and classical background
music listening styles on math test scores of seventy two undergraduate students.
The Students were drawn from a required university music appreciation class.
During experimentation, the students were exposed to three different listening
situations for a given span of time. At the same time, they completed three
parallel forms of a math placement test which consisted of sixteen questions.
Additionally, they also completed a questionnaire that would aid in the
determination of their type of response to music. The students, predominantly
from rural communities, represented a cross section of the university community.
Following regression analysis on the collected data, Manthei (2006) suggested
that music listening styles had no effect on the interference effect of background
music. Liu et al (2006) developed an algorithm that used the three feature sets,
intensity, timbre and rhythm extracted from music to represent the characteristics
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of the music clip. They used these to determine the mood induced by the music.
Hence music was shown to induce moods.
Research also shows that music increases memory performance. Boltz,
Kantra, and Schulkind (1991) carried out a study on music and memory
performance by investigating the effects of background music on remembering
filmed events. Participants who heard background music which caused positive
affect had higher levels of memory performance than those who heard
background music that produced negative effect. A study done by Hallam (2002)
showed that elementary school students who listened to mood-calming music
while completing mathematical problems were able to complete more problems
and solve a higher percentage of them correctly than the group who listened to no
music at all. In a research to determine whether background noise had different
effect on introverts and extroverts, a significant interaction was found on reading
comprehension. In both cases, performance was found worse in noisy condition.

Experimental Procedure
For this study, the researcher drew randomly a sample of thirty
undergraduate students out of from an engineering mathematics class of
population one hundred. The experiment was conducted at an engineering college
in one of the historically black universities. The students in the sample group
were randomly assigned to five groups, one control and four experimental.
To measure the effect of loudness of music on the students’ mathematics
achievement, each group of students sat for a ten questions’ algebra non multiple
choice test. It is argued that multiple choice questions may not be able to examine
a student’s depth of knowledge while at the same time allowing the student to
perform well by taking advantage of test smartness (Lukhele, 1994).
The problems to be solved were set in formats that allowed different levels
of Bloom’s taxonomy to be examined during testing. The test measured 10 areas
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(four topics and six applications of algebra in the domains of Physics and
Chemistry). Each treatment group sat for the test in the presence of music of
similar genre but different volume levels ranging from 0.0 decibels for the control
group to 25 decibels. According to Williams (2005), a weighted, eight hour
equivalent of continuous sound exposure level of 79.8 dB (80.6 dB in males and
75.3 dB in females) had no significant increase in risk of loss of hearing ability in
the majority of listeners. The development of the algebra test involved test
moderation by experts from mathematics and physical sciences fields.

Data Analysis and Results

Significant difference in mean scores of algebra tests given were found
between groups (see Table1). Post Hoc test on the results showed that as the level
of volume was increased from minimum to 0.5 maximum levels; algebra scores
were observed to increase significantly. When background classical instrumental
music was raised from 0.5 times maximum volume to 0.75 maximum volume, the
means resulting algebra scores of groups were not observed to change
significantly (0.669) (see Table1). However an increase in volume from 0.75 was
associated with a significant decrease in groups mean algebra test scores
(significant level 0.001). A polynomial curve of order 2 gave the best curve of fit
for mean group scores in algebra tests. For the mean of percentage algebra test
based on attempted number of problems, the equation of best fitting curve was
given as, y=-108.58x2 + 103.01x+55.425, with R2=0.9742 (See Figures1and2).
The curve of best fit for the means of percentage scores in algebra tests based on
maximum possible score, the equation was, -108.57x2 + 125.24x + 34.873 with
R2=0.9949. Change of volume has stronger association with change in mean for
algebra test scores based on maximum possible number of problems than on
scores based on number of attempted problems. The gradient of the polynomial
associating mean algebra test scores based on maximum possible scores was -
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217.14x+125.24 as compared to -217.16x+103.01. The correlation between the

volume of classical instrumental music and algebra-ability self-efficacy is -90%
(significance value 0.058).

Conclusion and Recommendations

The results showed that at low volume of instrumental music, the students’
mean scores in algebra test were lowest. As the volume of music was gradually
increased, the corresponding algebra mean test scores increased. Increase in
volume of instrumental music above 0.5 times the maximum volume was found to
be associated with decrease in the mean scores in the test. The improvement in
algebra test scores observed as the volume of music was increased from 0
decibels to 0.5 decibels could have been caused by the effect music had on the
mood and stress of students by providing a relaxed environment. This is a
possible explanation since the testing was done late in the afternoons when
respondents were tired. These results were limited to a small sample from the
engineering students’ population in the college and may not be generalized. It is
recommended that larger samples be drawn for testing and validation. However
the results serve as an eye opener on positive effects that background classical
instrumental music can have on students taking an algebra test. Further research
should be carried out to investigate the effect of background instrumental music
on students studying algebra. If studies yield positive, then colleges could
promote the use of background music in study places to boost students’ scores in
algebra.
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Tables and Figures of Results from the Study

Table 1 Oneway Anova

ANOVA

SCORE
Sum of
Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 4934.815 4 1233.704 18.651 .000
Within Groups 1653.704 25 66.148
Total 6588.519 29

Post Hoc Tests

Multiple Comparisons

Dependent Variable: SCORE

LSD

95% Confidence Interval

Mean
Difference (I-
(I) VOLUME (J) VOLUME J) Std. Error Sig. Lower Bound Upper Bound
control 0.25Volume -22.22222 4.69568 .000 -31.8932 -12.5513
0.5Volume -35.55556 4.69568 .000 -45.2265 -25.8846
0.75Volume -32.77778 4.69568 .000 -42.4487 -23.1068
Max Volume -15.55556 4.69568 .003 -25.2265 -5.8846
0.25Volume control 22.22222 4.69568 .000 12.5513 31.8932
0.5Volume -13.33333 4.69568 .009 -23.0043 -3.6624
0.75Volume -10.55556 4.69568 .034 -20.2265 -.8846
Max Volume 6.66667 4.69568 .168 -3.0043 16.3376
0.5Volume control 35.55556 4.69568 .000 25.8846 45.2265
0.25Volume 13.33333 4.69568 .009 3.6624 23.0043
0.75Volume 2.77778 4.69568 .559 -6.8932 12.4487
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Max Volume 20.00000 4.69568 .000 10.3291 29.6709

0.75Volume control 32.77778 4.69568 .000 23.1068 42.4487
0.25Volume 10.55556 4.69568 .034 .8846 20.2265
0.5Volume -2.77778 4.69568 .559 -12.4487 6.8932
Max Volume 17.22222 4.69568 .001 7.5513 26.8932
Max Volume control 15.55556 4.69568 .003 5.8846 25.2265
0.25Volume -6.66667 4.69568 .168 -16.3376 3.0043
0.5Volume -20.00000 4.69568 .000 -29.6709 -10.3291
0.75Volume -17.22222 4.69568 .001 -26.8932 -7.5513

Figure 1 % Score based on attempted number of problems

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Figure 2 % Score based on maximum possible number of problems

Relative Volume versus Self-Efficacy

Volume db Self-Efficacy

30 90
40 95
50 95
60 80
70 75

Relative Volume versus Self-Efficacy

Relative Volume Self-Efficacy

0 90
0.25 95
0.5 95
0.75 80
1 75
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Algebra-Ability Self-Efficacy (Absolute)

Algebra-Ability Self-Efficacy/Relative Volume

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References

Azizi Yahaya. (2008). The Role of Music and Young Children: The Brain Development.
University Technology Malaysia Institutional Repository.
Boltz, M., Kantra, S., & Schulkind, M. (1991). Effects of background music on the
remembering of filmed events. Memory and Cognition, 19, 593-606.
Dan Liu, Lie Lu, Hong-Jiang Zhang. (2006). Automatic Mood Detection from Acoustic
Music Data1 http://jhir.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/14

Furnham, A., & Strback, L. (2002). Music is as distracting as noise: the differential
distraction of background music and noise on the cognitive test performance of introverts
and extraverts. Ergonomics, 45(3), 203-217.

Greenberg, R.P., & Fisher, S. (1971). Some differential effects of music on projective and
structured psychological tests. Psychological Reports, 28, 817-818.

Hallam, S. (2002). The effects of background music on primary school pupils’ task
performance. Educational Studies, 28, 113-121.

Lukhele, R., Thissen, D., and Wainer, H. (1994). On the relative value of multiple choice,
constructed response, and examinee selected items on two achievement tests. Journal of
Educational Measurement, 31, 234–250.

Manthei, Mike. (2006). Effects of popular and classical background music. Campus Articles,
14,
210-219. Omaha, NE: University Press.
Radocy, R.E. & Boyle, J.D. (1988) Psychological Foundations of Musical Behaviour
Springfield, Illinois: Charles Thomas
Williams W. (2005). Noise exposure levels from personal stereo use. Int J Audiol 2005;
44(4):231-6.