LA CONSOLACION UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

CATMON, CITY OF MALOLOS, BULACAN

BASIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

School Year 2019-2020

IMPACT OF LISTENING TO MUSIC ON STUDENTS’ INTEREST

IN RESEARCH WRITING

Submitted in Partial Fulfilment

of The Academic Requirements in
RESEARCH CAPSTONE PROJECT

Submitted by:
Angeles, Nico Angelo B.
Bernardo, Christine Joy D.
Evangelista, Angelo A.
Marquez, Nicholai V.
Tayao, Margarette C.
STEM-2A

Ms. Maricar S. Dimla

February 2020
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ABSTRACT

In modern days, music has been playing a significant role in everyday lives –

because there are studies that stated that music can improve one‟s mood, and cognitive

functions. This study was conducted with the goal of finding out if music can heighten

the interest of student in research writing.

The major problem of the study is to elaborate on how music interests the students

in research writing.

The study utilized the quantitative design. Selected students from different strands

of the Eleventh Grade of La Consolacion University Philippines in the City of Malolos

Bulacan were the target respondents of the study. Uncontrolled Quota Sampling was

utilized by the researchers. Processing of the gathered data was done using the Data

Analysis of Microsoft Excel 2010.

Results of the study have shown that music does help in heightening the interest

of students in research writing, and help boost their productivity. It is also concluded

based on the findings that Pop genre of music interest the student more.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The researchers wanted to express their sincerest gratitude to all the people that

have been a part and contributed a lot for the accomplishment of the study.

First, to Almighty God, for Whom everything that has been stated here is through

His Grace, and blessing the researchers the wisdom and knowledge that is necessary for

the accomplishment of the study. To their parents, for giving their unending support

throughout the accomplishment of the study, the researchers would like to express their

unending thanks to you. To Ms. Maricar S. Dimla, who has been supporting the study

and the researchers as well since the first day, and sharing her unending and priceless

wisdom for the accomplishment of the study. To the statisticians who validated the

treatment and the results of the questionnaires, Mr. Cris Angelo P. Salonga and Ms.

Cynthia B. Angeles. To the whole LCUP Community, for whom the accomplishment of

the study would not be possible.

All unmentioned names that helped and contributed to the accomplishment of the

study directly or indirectly, the researchers would like to express their sincerest gratitude

to all.
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Table of Contents

Introduction .....................................................................................................................5
Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................6
Hypothesis of the Study ...............................................................................................7
Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................7
Relationship between Variables ...................................................................................7
Definition of Terms ......................................................................................................8
Methodology ...................................................................................................................9
Respondents of the Study .............................................................................................9
Methods and Techniques Used .....................................................................................9
Instruments of the Study ............................................................................................ 10
Statistical Treatment ..................................................................................................10
Results and Discussion ..................................................................................................11
Findings ..................................................................................................................... 11
Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 17
Recommendations ......................................................................................................19
References ..................................................................................................................... 20
Appendices .................................................................................................................... 22
Appendix A: Resume .................................................................................................22
Appendix B: Proof of Statisticians‟ Validation ........................................................... 27
Appendix C: Validated Instrument ............................................................................. 29
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Introduction

There is no doubt that music plays a very important role in our daily lives; the

image of a student isolating themselves into a personal study zone has led to arouse one's

curiosity into whether listening to music actually helps studies or not (Baker, 2019).

According to Pelayo III (2010), there are a lot of distractions that could disrupt

study habits, review programs, and research specially when out of the school campus.

Internet, games, media, sports, peers, social problems, and other types of entertainment

play tug of war with the time for reading, research, and review. There is a need for

supplements to aid the education of our youth.

Based on „The Effect of Mozart Music on Social Learning Behavior of High

School Students,‟ a study conducted by J. M. Pelayo III (2010), Mozart Music has shown

an increase in the percentage of students, from 5% to 75% of the population exhibiting

behavior that leads to learning. The study shows that music has indeed, a positive effect

on learning.

However, another study by E. Threadgold, J. E. Marsh, N. McLatchie, Linden J.

Ball claims otherwise. The findings of their study challenge the views of Pelayo‟s study.

While Pelayo‟s study claims that music has positive effect on learning, their study claims

that background music has impaired performances on Compound Remote Association

Tests, whether or not the students has studied with background music.

According to Oshin (2019), music can help improve our moods because brain

release neurotransmitters dopamine that can help us feel good and reduce stress. Music
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has the power to improve our mood, which in turn could improve our ability to focus and

concentrate on the task at hand. Not all music is equal. Studies on background music in

the work environment have shown that music with lyrics reduces our mental performance

at work, while instrumental music could boost our productivity.

According to Bailey (2017), while music hinders performance tasks that benefit

from our complete attention, it aids performance in repetitive and monotonous habitual

tasks. The reason for this, according to Daniel Levitin, the author of This Is Your Brain

on Music, is that with habitual tasks “it‟s easy to get bored, so music can increase

people‟s arousal and help people pay more attention to their work.” Another well known

finding in this area is the Mozart Effect, which refers to potential increase in levels of

spatial-temporal reasoning after listening to classical music (Rauscher, Shaw, & Ky,

1995).

This paper examined how the application of different studies about sensory

perception on a particular stimulus, in this case music; affect the interest of students in

writing their research. The researchers also determined what genre of music is more ideal

to listen to in doing research.

This paper focused on the idea that music heightens interest in studying, more

particularly in writing research.

Statement of the Problem

The major problem of the study was to elaborate on how music interests the

students in writing research.

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The study sought to answer the following specific questions:

1. How many of them listen to music while doing research and how many does not?

2. What genre of music does the students listen to when doing their research?

3. What are the effects of music to students in doing their research in terms of:

3.1. Productivity; and

3.2. Momentum?

Hypothesis of the Study

H0 Listening to music does not affect the interest of students in doing their

research.

H1 Listening to music affects the interest of students in doing their research.

Conceptual Framework

Independent Variables Dependent Variable

Interest of Students
Listening to Music
in Research Writing
Figure 1. Conceptual Model of the Study

Relationship between Variables

It has been stated earlier in different studies that music is one of the factors that

may affect the students‟ behavior towards learning and productivity. This study focused

on the idea that music affects the interest of students in doing research positively.

Earlier studies suggest that there is a relationship between music and learning.

Such idea is coined the Mozart Effect. The Mozart Effect is the scientific belief that

music does indeed the cognitive abilities of the students, thus leading to more time of
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learning. It has been shown in earlier studies regarding Mozart effect, particularly of

Rauscher, that students, after listening to music, showed significantly better spatial

reasoning skills. This proves that there can be a relationship between music and learning,

in this case during conducting research. Moreover, according to Oshin, music is known to

improve moods, as it tends the brain to release dopamine, which helps us feel good and

less stressed.

Since different studies suggest that music can indeed influence students in

learning, and have proven that music can improve one‟s cognitive and spatial reasoning

skills, it can be hypothesized that music can also improve one‟s interest in research.

This research moved on the claims that music has a positive relationship with the

interest of students in research.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are all defined with the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

Interest - something or someone that arouses such attention

Research - investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and

interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or

practical application of such new or revised theories or laws

Music - vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or

harmony

Stimuli – something that rouses or incites to activity

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Methodology

This presents the methods and techniques that were used in the study, the

population and subjects of the study, research instruments, data gathering procedures, and

data processing and statistical treatment.

Respondents of the Study

The Grade 11 students of La Consolacion University Philippines in the City of

Malolos, Bulacan were the target respondents of the study. All strands were targeted for

all of them were taking the subject Practical Research 1. Table 1 shows the distribution of

respondents according to strands.

Number of
Name of Section Percentage
Students

Technical-Vocational Strands 7 8.24%

Accountancy, Business and Management 25 29.41%

General Academic Strand 4 4.70%

Humanities and Social Sciences 8 9.41%

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics 15 17.65%

Arts and Design 26 30.59%

Total Respondents: 85 100%

Table 1. Distribution of Respondents According to Strand

Methods and Techniques Used

In this study, the researchers used the quota sampling in order to get appropriate

responses from the population. Quota Sampling, a non-probability type of sampling

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technique, can be defined as a sampling method of gathering representative data from a

group. It also means to take a much tailored sample that is in proportion to some

characteristic or trait of a population. Furthermore, this type of sampling technique is

divided into two; controlled and uncontrolled sample. (Saunders, M., Lewis, P.,

Thornhill, A., 2012).

The researchers used the uncontrolled quota sampling technique, where in

researchers are free to choose sample group members according to will.

Instruments of the Study

For the research, the researchers employed the use of one type of questionnaire to

get answers for the study. It was a validated questionnaire. This questionnaire was used to

determine the respondents‟ interest in research while playing music. Furthermore, the

questionnaire was also divided into two parts. The first part was an 8-item test in a Likert

Scale format. 5 means strongly agree, while 1 suggests disagreement. Higher scores mean

agreement for most questions, while lower scores suggest otherwise.

The second part aims to know the respondents‟ choice on music and how to listen

with it. It was a five-item test describing the type of music and style of listening.

Statistical Treatment

The researchers processed the results from the survey from using the Data

Analysis of Microsoft Excel 2010. Data from the survey were presented in the form of

tables, graphs, and texts. Responses to the questionnaire were statistically analyzed in

accordance to the data requirements of the study. Descriptive Statistics such as frequency

count, mean, and percent were also considered by the researchers.

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Results and Discussion

This chapter presents, analyzes and interprets the data gathered through the use of

questionnaires. Results of the data analysis are interpreted in relation and in the order of

research questions stated in Statement of the Problem.

Findings

Scale Mean
Questions Total
Score
5 4 3 2 1

Statement 1: I always listen to music when I

28 24 23 4 6 85 3.75
do my research

Statement 2: Listening to music while doing

my research makes me do it without noticing 20 28 24 8 5 85 3.59
the time.

Statement 3: Listening to music improves my

16 24 30 10 5 85 3.42
appetite in doing research.

Statement 4: In doing research, music is a

10 28 29 12 5 84 3.27
must.

Statement 5: Listening to music does not

12 21 31 13 6 83 3.16
affect my will to do my research.

Statement 6: Music just poses a distraction for

6 14 23 23 19 85 2.59
me when I do my research.

Statement 7: Listening to music does not set

6 14 26 25 14 85 2.68
my mood up to do my research.

Statement 8: Listening to music does not

16 16 25 19 9 85 3.13
affect my performance in doing research.

Table 2. Listening of Music to Students' Interest

Table 2 shows the certain number of responses each scale has received. It also

presents the total number of responses in each question and the mean score.
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Numerical Coefficient Equivalent Value

4.01-5.00 Strongly Agree

3.01-4.00 Agree

2.01-3.00 Neutral

1.01-2.00 Disagree

0.01-1.00 Strongly Disagree

Table 3. Value Interpretation

Based on table 2, the mean scores for the statements range from 2-4. The mean

score for statement one is 3.75, 3.59 for the second statement, 3.42 for statement 3 and

3.27 for statement 4.

The mean score for statement one is 3.75. As it was cited in Oshin‟s study (2019),

music has a great impact on one‟s mood, because listening to music releases

neurotransmitters like dopamine that can help people feel good and reduce stress. This

premise shows that music has the power to improve our mood, which in turn also

improves our ability to focus and concentrate on our given tasks. This was evident in the

study for more respondents choose to listen to music while doing their research.

Table 2 also shows the mean scores for the rest of the statements. Statement 5 has

a mean score of 3.16, while statement 6 has a mean score of 2.59. 2.68 is the mean score

for statement 7 and 3.13 for statement 8.

Statement 6 has a mean score of 2.59. As cited in (Threadgold, E., Marsh J. E.,

Neil, M., &Ball, L. J. 2019) Background music stints creativity: Evidence from
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compound remote associate tasks., music has impaired performances on Compund

Remote Associate Tests. Background music while studying has not helped students

improve their performances and thus provided distraction for some. This contradicts with

the findings of the study. The study shows that most respondents disagree that music

poses a distraction when doing their task.

Classical
Opera
0% 7% 18%
12% Electronic
Jazz
3%
6% Hiphop
6%
Pop
10% Reggae
27% Rock
11%
Traditional
Others

Figure 2. Music Genre Preferences of Grade 11 Students

Figure 2 shows the preferences of the students in music genres which are

expressed in percent. According to the figure, Pop is the most popular genre that makes

student interested in doing their research, having 27% of the total responses, followed by

Classical (18%), and Rock (12%). No student preferred traditional genre of music (0%)

while doing their research, while the second least preferred genre is Opera (3%). Others

(6%) include Korean Pop, Japanese Pop, Indie, OPM, Rhythm and Blues, Slow Rock,

Worship Songs, Mumble, and songs from anime.

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According to Rauscher, Shaw & Ky (1995), there is a phenomenon called the

„Mozart Effect.‟ It refers to potential increase in mental capabilities after listening to

Classical Music. As shown in the figure, 18% of the responses for the music genre

preferences are Classical Music. While Pop got the majority (27%), classical music also

got a high percentage of responses.

27%

Lyrical
Non-Lyrical

73%

Figure 3. Lyrical or Non-lyrical Preferences of Grade 11 Students

Figure 3 shows the lyrical or non-lyrical preferences of Grade 11 Students.

According to it, more students prefer lyrical music while doing their research, garnering

73% of the responses, while a number of 27% prefers non-lyrical music.

As cited in (Oshin, 2019), Why music affects your productivity, not all music is

considered equal. Studies related in background music at the work environment have

shown that lyrical music impairs mental performance, while non-lyrical music boosts the

productivity. Still, the study have shown that majority of the respondents (73%) prefer

listening to lyrical music while doing their research.

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9%

Single, Repetitive Song

Random

91%

Figure 4. Song Selection of Grade 11 Students

Figure 4 shows the lyrical or non-lyrical preferences of Grade 11 Students.

According to it, more students prefer random music while doing their research, garnering

91% of the responses, while few students prefer listening to a single, repetitive song.

As cited in (Levitin, D., 2006) This is Your Brain on Music, it is easy to get bored

on a repetitive songs, so more people prefer many songs to listen to so they can pay more

attention to the tasks they have at hand. This agrees with the findings of the study, which

have shown that 91% of the responses are for random songs, while only 9% prefer to

listen on a single, repetitive song.

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9%

By myself through Earphones

34% By myself through Speakers

57% With Others

Figure 5. Listening Styles of Grade 11 Students

As shown in figure 5, 57% of the respondents prefer to listen by their selves

through earphones while doing research. 34% prefer listening by their selves through

speakers, while 9% prefer listening with others.

5%

36%
High
Mid
Low
59%

Figure 6. Volume Preference of Grade 11 Students

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Figure 6 shows the volume preference of Grade 11 Students. This shows that

majority (59%) of the students prefer listening to music in mid-volume. 36% prefer

listening to high-volume music. A few (5%) prefer listening to music in low-volume.

Conclusions

Based on the findings and information acquired from the study, the following

conclusions were drawn:

1. How many of them listen to music while doing research and how many does not?

A mean score of 3.75 was calculated from the data and results from the

questionnaires. Out of 85 respondents, the responses that agree and strongly agree

that they listen to music have a total of 52 respondents. Those that do not listen to

music are 10.

2. What genre of music does the students listen to when doing their research?

Based on the data gathered and presented, Pop genre garnered the most, acquiring

27% of the responses and Classical genre comes in second, with 18% of the

responses. Most respondents also listen to lyrical music, which garnered 73% of

the responses. Moreover, almost all (91%) respondents prefer to listen to random

songs, and only 9% listen to a single, repetitive song.

3. What are the effects of music to students in doing their research in terms of:

3.1. Productivity; and

3.2. Momentum?

Music improves the productivity of students. This is backed by the study‟s

gathered and interpreted data. More students listen to random songs to help them
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stay focused, and forget about the time. The data gathered by the study also

proves that music helps the students to do their research for a longer time, thus the

momentum of doing their research does not stop.

The findings also show that the null hypothesis should be rejected:

H0 Listening to music does not affect the interest of students in doing their

research.

The data presented and gathered show that music does improve the students‟

interest in doing their research, more particularly in writing it.

The findings of the research support Pelayo‟s study, The Effect of Mozart Music

on Social Learning Behavior of High School Students. This can be said because the

findings of these studies contribute to music having a positive effect on learning.

Findings of the study also proves that music also improves students‟ productivity in

writing research, which was cited earlier in Oshin‟s study entitled, Why music affects

your productivity, and Bailey‟s study entitled, Everything you need to know about how

music affects your productivity.

Moreover, it contradicts with the findings of Threadgold, E., Marsh, J. E., Neil,

M., & Ball, L. J., in their study entitled, Background music stints creativity: Evidence

from compound remote associate tasks. While their study found that music impairs

learning, the findings of this study tell otherwise. The findings of this study show that

music has a positive effect on learning.

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Recommendations

Based on the study, the following recommendations can be drawn in reference for

future researchers:

1. Removing the neutral scale in the Likert Scale to come up with more definite

results.

2. Gathering equal number of respondents for each strand of Senior High School

Grade 11 Students

3. Gather respondents from different schools

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References

Bailey, C. (2017, March 6). Everything you need to know about how music affects your

productivity. Retrieved January 14, 2020, from alifeofproductivity.com:

https://alifeofproductivity.com/how-music-affects-your-productivity/

Baker, M. (2016, March 2). How Music could help you to concentrate while studying.

Retrieved January 12, 2020, from independent.co.uk:

https://www.independent.co.uk/student/student-life/Studies/how-music-could-

help-you-to-concentrate-while-studying-a6907341.html

Levitin, D. (2008). This Is Your Brain on Music:The Science of a Human Obsession.

Dutton Penguin.

Oshin, M. (2019, March 15). Why music affects your productivity. Retrieved January 13,

2020, from qz.com: https://qz.com/work/1573440/why-music-affects-your-

productivity/amp

Pelayo, J. M. (2010, March). The Effect of Mozart Music on Social Learning Behavior of

High School Students.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2019). Quota Sampling. Retrieved January 18,

2020, from https://research-methodology.net/sampling-in-primary-data-

collection/quota-sampling/: https://research-methodology.net/sampling-in-

primary-data-collection/quota-sampling/

Threadgold, E., Marsh, J. E., Neil, M., & Ball, L. J. (2019, February 2). Background

music stints creativity: Evidence from compound remote associate tasks.

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Retrieved January 15, 2020, from onlinelibrary.wiley.con:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acp.3532

Widerman, M. S. (2013, April 29). Study Habits And Music: How They Affect Attention

and Academic Performance.

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Appendices

Appendix A: Resume
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Appendix A: Resume
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Appendix A: Resume
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Appendix A: Resume
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Appendix A: Resume
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Appendix B: Proof of Statisticians’ Validation

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Appendix B: Proof of Statisticians’ Validation

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Appendix C: Validated Instrument

Greetings!

We, students from La Consolacion University Philippines, are conducting a

research paper entitled „Impact of Listening to Music to Students‟ Interest in doing
Research.‟ In lieu to that, we would like to ask for your participation by answering the
survey questionnaire below. Your sincerest answers would surely contribute to the
accomplishment of our study. Rest assured that your answers will be treated with utmost
confidentiality. Thank you!

Name: __________________________ Gender: ____

I. General Direction: Check the box that corresponds to your answer. Refer to the scale
below.

Survey Scale: 1- Strongly Disagree; 2 – Disagree; 3 – Neutral; 4 - Agree; 5 – Strongly

Agree

Questions Survey Scale

5 4 3 2 1

1. I always listen to music when I do my research

2. Listening to music while doing my research makes

me do it without noticing the time.

3. Listening to music improves my appetite in doing

research.

4. In doing research, music is a must.

5. Listening to music does not affect my will to do my

research.

6. Music just poses a distraction for me when I do my

research.

7. Listening to music does not set my mood up to do

my research.

8. Listening to music does not affect my performance

in doing research.
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Appendix C: Validated Instrument

II. Music Style and Genre. Please check all that apply.

1. What music genre/s do you listen to while doing research?

฀ Classical
฀ Opera
฀ Electronic
฀ Jazz
฀ Hiphop
฀ Pop
฀ Reggae
฀ Rock
฀ Traditional
฀ Others, please specify:__________

2. What type of music do you listen to when doing your research?

฀ Lyrical music
฀ Non-Lyrical Music

3. Do you listen to:

฀ A single, repetitive song

฀ Random songs

4. While doing research, I prefer to listen:

฀ By myself through earphones

฀ By myself through speakers
฀ With others

5. How do you prefer to listen to music?

฀ High-volume
฀ Mid-volume
฀ Low-volume