The Impact of Background Music on the Concentration

and Productivity of Senior High School Students at

ACLC College of Ormoc

Fiel, Lilah B.
Mawe, Prince Allen V.
Lauchengco, Howard Hendricks S.
Goc-Ong. Marie Jozel B.
Nastor, Princess Anne C.
Racal, Johnfred J.
Lazarito, Kiara Rose A.
Obando, Kein G.
Villardo, Shechaniah C.

March 2024
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE i

APPROVAL SHEET ii

ABSTRACT iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

LIST OF TABLES vi

LIST OF FIGURES vii

Chapter Page

I INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Statement of the Problem

Hypotheses

Significance of the Study

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

Definitions of Terms

II THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Review of Related Literature and Studies

Theoretical Framework
 Conceptual Framework

III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Method

Research Design

Research Environment

Sampling Method

Research Respondents

Research Instruments

Research Procedures

IV PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF

DATA

V SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION, AND

 CHAPTER І

Introduction

Background of the Study:

Educators may encounter many challenges within the classroom when it comes to

the distractions that students face. Not all students come to school with a clean slate that

enables them to be willing, able, and ready to learn. Yet society still expects the teachers

to teach all students and for all of the students to learn. Research has shown that music

may be an effective tool for breaking down some of these barriers to the learning process.

When music is properly used as a background enhancer, a learner's ability to concentrate

within the classroom environment increases. This researcher used quantitative data to try

to support an increase in concentration due to background music that is being played in

the classroom environment.

This study focused on the students’ perceptions of music and its effect on their

productivity by using the double-phase, sequential mixed methods approach. The study

also aimed to undermine the greatly preferred genre, its influence on prompt academic

submissions, its impact on efficient study sessions, its aid in progressive academic tasks,

its enhancement on scholastic concentration, the students’ perceptions, and whether there

is a significant relationship between the preferred genre and the productivity.

 In the dynamic realm of education, the interplay between environmental factors

and academic performance has become a subject of increasing interest. One such

element, often

overlooked, is the influence of background music on students' concentration and

productivity. This research aims to delve into the impact of background music

specifically on senior high school students at ACLC College of Ormoc.

Numerous viewpoints on the connection between music and cognition are

presented in the literature on the topic. While some studies warn about potential

distractions, others suggest that some music genres can improve concentration. This

discrepancy in results highlights the necessity for context-specific research, which is what

the current study aims to fill by focusing on the distinctive qualities of senior high school

students at ACLC College of Ormoc.

The purpose of the study is to find out how Senior High School students at ACLC

College of Ormoc background music impacts their ability to focus and work efficiently.

The realization that music, in its many forms, might affect cognitive processes in both

positive and negative ways—especially in an academic setting—is what spurred this

inquiry. Gaining an understanding of these dynamics may help optimize the learning

environment for pupils.

Statement of the Problem

 In the academic setting of ACLC College in Ormoc, senior high school students

face the challenge of maintaining optimal concentration and productivity. The pervasive

use of background music in various learning environments has sparked a growing interest

in understanding its potential effects on students' academic performance. This study seeks

to explore the intricate relationship between background music, concentration levels, and

productivity specifically within the context of senior high school education at ACLC

College of Ormoc.

One aspect of the problem lies in the diverse preferences for music among

students, as individual tastes can significantly differ. This raises questions about the types

of music that may enhance or hinder concentration and productivity. Additionally,

considering the demanding nature of senior high school coursework, understanding how

background music may act as either a supportive or distracting element is crucial for

educators and administrators seeking to create an optimal learning environment.

Moreover, as technology increasingly integrates with education, the prevalence of

personal devices playing music during study sessions raises concerns about potential

distractions. This study aims to delve into the impact of background music on senior high

school students, taking into account the variety of musical genres, personal study habits,

and the overall learning environment at ACLC College of Ormoc.

 Through a comprehensive exploration of these factors, the research aims to

provide insights that can inform educational strategies and contribute to the development

of conducive learning spaces for academic success:

1. To what extent does the presence of background music affect the overall learning

habits of the students?

2. Is there a significant effect of background music on:

a.) Concentration

b.) Productivity

3. How do individuals’ study habits interact with the use of background music?

4. How does the following genre of background music affect a student’s learning habit?

a.) Classical

b.) Pop

c.) Jazz

d.) Rock
5. Are there noticeable differences in how students feel about music and how well they're

doing in school, or maybe how they like to learn?

Significance of the Study

The significance of studying the impact of background music on the concentration

and productivity of senior high school students at ACLC College of Ormoc is

multifaceted and carries implications that extend beyond the immediate scope of the

research. By

delving into this topic, the study has the potential to contribute to a deeper understanding

of cognitive processes, shedding light on how background music influences students'

attention, memory, and information processing. This insight, in turn, can inform

educational practices by providing educators and school administrators with evidence-

based knowledge to optimize the learning environment.

Understanding the relationship between background music, concentration, and

productivity can also yield insights into its impact on academic performance, allowing for

the development of strategies to enhance students' overall achievement.

Moreover, the study may uncover individual differences in students' responses to

background music, paving the way for personalized learning environments that cater to
diverse needs and preferences. Additionally, by exploring the psychological and

emotional effects of background music, the research can contribute to a holistic

understanding of its influence on students' mood, stress levels, and overall well-being.

As such, the significance of this study lies in its potential to inform educational

practices, improve student experiences, and contribute to a broader understanding of the

role of background music in the academic setting.

This study is significant to the following:

Students. As students, this may help them find ways to know what may improve or

hinder their concentration and productivity.

Researchers. The researchers can gain an understanding of information about the topic. It

may enhance their skills in doing research.

Future Researchers. This will serve as their related literature in doing their future

research.

Scope and Delimitations

This research focuses on how background music disturbs students while studying

in an open-space environment or even inside classrooms. This study will mainly identify

and assess the advantages and disadvantages of background music to the ability of the
students to learn, comprehend, and work efficiently and effectively. Also, this study

yearns to identify how the researchers can provide information to senior high school

students about the positive and negative effects of background music on their ability to

learn.

This research work is focused on the impacts of background music on STEM

students' academic performance as senior high school students at ACLC College of

Ormoc. The study area is chosen from the ACLC College campus, which comprises

STEM Grade 11 and Grade 12 students with a General Average of 90% or above. As the

research title indicated, the ACLC College of Ormoc campus is the borderline of this

research work.

It indicates that the study may not be generalizable to other senior high school

students or youth who are not part of the ACLC College of Ormoc.

Definition of Terms

Cognition- the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding

through thought, experience, and the senses.

Concentration- the action or power of focusing one's attention or mental effort.

Productivity- the amount of work an individual or group accomplishes within a certain

amount of time.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

The researchers' purpose for examining the following literature is to obtain the

answer to the Question: To what extent does background music influence the

concentration and productivity of Senior High School Students of ACLC College of

Ormoc? In today’s world, music continues to develop and influence people, especially

the youth. It has become a part of our daily life because it helps us relax and it comforts

us when we are sad. (Haake, 2011)

Local Studies:

In this study, we defined background music as any music that is playing in the

background while a student is studying. Music has become accessible through many

different sources. Music has been frequently played in public places like hospitals,

convenience stores, restaurants, gyms, and official events.

Many students have the habit of studying with music. Furthermore, some

students believe that studying and listening to music is a productive combination.

More and more, students are bringing headphones with them to libraries and study

halls. But does it help to listen to music when studying? While the so-called

‘Mozart effect’, a term coined from a study that suggested listening to music could

actually

enhance intelligence, has been widely refuted, there are still many benefits of

listening to music while studying.

According to Davis (2015), music that is soothing and relaxing can help. Students

to beat stress or anxiety while studying. Background music may improve focus on a task

by providing motivation and improving mood. During long study sessions, music can aid

endurance. In some cases, students have found that music helps them memorize, likely by
creating a positive mood, which indirectly boosts memory formation. In addition,

Thorphe (2017) found that music that creates pleasurable emotions lights up the

mesolimbic pathway, the reward bit of the brain that gives us happy feelings.

However, according to Ferlazzo (2014) listening to music while performing a task

impairs cognitive ability. Students while listening to music while studying especially

those with lyrics tend to be less efficient and come away having absorbed less

information. Loud or agitated music can have unfavorable effects on reading

comprehension and mood, making focus more difficult.

Foreign Studies

Background music enhances performance on cognitive tasks, improves accuracy,

and enables the completion of repetitive tasks more efficiently. The effects of music on

10

productivity have been studied in some very specific occupations. Also, music can

help people perform better in high-pressure situations. When surgeons listened to music

while operating, they were less stressed out and worked faster and more accurately,

especially if they were allowed to pick the music.

According to Alban (2019), there’s abundant evidence that listening to music at

work car makes you a happier, more productive student and employee. This is especially
true if you can choose your music. When students listen to their kind of music their

creativity and capability to think goes up. They will come up with more

creative solutions and a greater number of other kinds of music or no music at all. Of

ideas than those who listened to

According to Milliman (2009) music is a form of entertainment that lessens

boredom, Triton (2009) also defined music as something that is produced by man that can

be formed into a work of art or complement activities. Many students today use music as

a form of studying habit; they listen to background music while studying as they suggest

that music helps them remember all the key points in their lesson. As cited by Amsen

(2018) it

11

depends on what kind of studying the students were doing, music may make the task

easier or harder for the person.

In a study published in Nature, showed that a person’s spatial reasoning skills

temporarily improved while listening to Mozart, that’s why people intended that listening

to Mozart while studying, increases your IQ. The study was soon misquoted in a New
York Times article, and the rumor began to spread that classical music “makes you

smarter and can serve as a study aid. Follow-up studies showed no such benefit,

According to a study from the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff listening to music

while studying may actually hinder memorization. The study found out that a person who

listened to any music while memorizing a list was able to recall less than those people

who studied in silence or were exposed to a single word repeated monotonously. (Moore,

2010).

There are reasons to believe that music may be both helpful and hurtful to

effective studying given different conditions. Conditions. There have been multiple

studies demonstrating the negative effects associated with listening to music. Recently,

Tze and Chou (2010), assigned Taiwanese college students to one of three music

conditions (classical music, hip-hop music, or no music) and asked them to complete a

reading comprehension task while the music played. The results showed that those

students in the music-free condition performed best,

12

followed by those in the classical condition and finally those in the hip-hop condition.

Tze and Chou concluded that studying in a quiet or in music-free environment was best

as it possessed fewer distractions.

 According to Nick and Vizard (2012), music may impair the cognitive abilities of

a person in a scenario wherein they are remembering or studying because according to

them if a person is trying to memorize things in order, they may get thrown off by the

changing words and notes in their chosen song. In opposition there is a study from the

University of Windsor, which showed that the quantity and quality of software

developers’ work was greater when they had background music than when they didn’t. In

reality, there is still much to learn when it comes to the study of music. It has a lot more

to do with a person’s everyday living that’s why the researchers want to find out whether

music does affect the performance of the students.

In the field of music, well-being has been investigated in two different ways, with

music as a facilitator but also as a disruptor of well-being. In terms of facilitation, much

research has pointed out its strong and positive impact on people’s lives (Pothoulaki et

al., 2012; Vastfall et al., 2012; Perkins and Williamon, 2014). The study on background

music has been equivocal, inconclusive, and divided.

13

According to Susan Hallam et.al (2003), many study claims relating to the

benefits of music on the behavior and development of the students. Playing music in the

background improved coordination and resulted in finer behavioral patterns. According

to Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic (2022), “Music is magical. It has the potential to boost our

concentration, mindset, and performance. In the context of work, background music has
been found to improve our performance on cognitive tasks, such as spatial or verbal

ability tests, for short periods.” In a research study by Peter & Ming, 2010, researchers

should first study the Study of Attention, as how well a person can concentrate depends

on the amount of attention a person can devote to a task. One’s music preference can

have an impact on their concentration as many kinds of music genres can either be a

distraction or a boost to an individual's concentration. Music has the power to rejuvenate

even the most tiring moments. It has followed us. consistently, since the first morning

espresso, when we switch on the radio and listen to music throughout the day, till we

return from work. (Elmira, 2022). This suggests that students' preferences appear to have

an effect, it is recommended that students be given headphones or earplugs when teachers

play background music so they either choose the music they like or work in relative

silence (Maria, 2022). It is important to note that individual preferences for background

music may vary, and it is necessary to consider personal musical preferences when

implementing this approach. The reported improvements in motivation, concentration,

attention span, focus, memory, and mood provide valuable insights into the potential

benefits of incorporating background music into educational settings. By understanding

the impact of different music

14

characteristics on cognitive tasks, educators and students can leverage this knowledge to

create an environment that fosters improved focus, productivity, and overall learning

experiences (Muhammad et al, 2023).

 Music listening may consume more of listeners’ finite attentional resources when

it comprises a greater number of auditory events per unit time that are difficult to ignore

because of greater intensity. By contrast, slow-tempo music may allow for continuous

and spontaneous recovery from acoustic interference, permitting simultaneous verbal

comprehension even when the music is loud (Thompson, 2011). Evidence suggests that

music may help improve cognitive performance. However, factors such as the tempo of

the music may influence this (Debra, 2023). The effect of background music on an

associative learning memory task can also depend on personal study habits. Students who

typically study with background music may perform no worse on the task when

background music is presented, whereas students who usually study in silence can be

affected negatively by the music, particularly when it has lyrics (Crawford & Strapp,

19994)

Based on the study of Dosevill et. al (2012) that music can influence students in

various ways. Music can cheer them up and brighten their day it can also be used to hype

them in their studies. But not only music can bring motivation to study more satisfying.

There are a lot of genres circulating all over the world, but some of those are just

subtypes

15
(Lamb 2013). Popular music is the same as music which is for the urban middle class that

includes different music from classical to heavy, Pop music that appeals to teenagers,

Rock Music, and Classical music (Lamb 2013

Several studies have found background music to influence mood (e.g., Juslin and

O’Neill, 2001; Sloboda and Juslin,2001; Schmidt and Trainor, 2010) Key findings found

that students preferred a type of music, and instances of off-task behavior decreased.

(Maria, 2022) ). In the study of Yi-Nuo et al (2012), the comparison results revealed that

background music with lyrics had significant negative effects on concentration and

attention.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:

THE YERKES-DODSON CURVE THEORY

The Yerkes-Dodson curve, a foundational principle in psychology, offers valuable

insights into the relationship between arousal and performance, particularly in the context

of studying habits among students and the effect of background music. In environments

characterized by low arousal, such as silence, students may experience boredom and

struggle to maintain focus, leading to suboptimal productivity. Conversely, moderate

arousal induced by background music with a pleasant melody and moderate tempo aligns

with the peak of the Yerkes-Dodson curve, enhancing students' attention, motivation, and

16
cognitive performance. This optimal level of arousal facilitates engagement with study

material, resulting in improved productivity. However, background music that induces

high arousal, such as fast-paced or distracting music, may overload cognitive resources

and lead to decreased focus and performance, as indicated by the downward slope of the

Yerkes-Dodson curve. Understanding the impact of background music on arousal levels

and productivity can inform educators and students about creating conducive study

environments that optimize focus, motivation, and overall academic performance.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

I. Profile of the
Students

A. Sex

B. General Average
(GWA)
Descriptive research
C. Age
using survey
questionnaire

II. The music theory

effect.
Statistical tools to
analyze and Music Phenomenon
interpret data on Social Learning
III. Time Length of
Behaviour
Music Listening

Frequency and
Percentage
17
IV. Types of Music
they preferred Weighted Mean
 This effect is often cited in discussions about the impact of background music on

productivity and concentration, especially in educational settings. Some proponents

suggest that listening to classical music can enhance focus and cognitive abilities,

potentially improving productivity among students. However, research on the broader

impact of background music on productivity and concentration is mixed, with factors

such as individual preferences, task complexity, and the type of music playing all

influencing outcomes.

CHAPTER III
 METHODOLOGY

This chapter explains the methodology that was utilized in the study. The Methodology

covers parts such as; research design, research environment, research participants,

research instruments, research data gathering procedure, and ethical considerations for

this study.

RESEARCH METHOD

A quantitative, descriptive research design is used in this study. The research

question, design, and information analysis used to look into a certain issue are all part of

experimental research.

The findings of this study contribute to the existing body of research on the

relationship between background music and student concentration and productivity,

providing insights into potential strategies for enhancing study habits.

ENVIRONMENT

The research will be conducted specifically at ACLC College of Ormoc Inc.

Located on Lilia Avenue in Cogon, Ormoc City.

RESPONDENTS
 19

STEM students of ACLC College of Ormoc will participate as the respondents for

this study. The STEM students from grades 11 and 12 with a general average of 90% or

above will be selected with consent.

SAMPLING METHOD

The participants in this study were chosen by stratified random sampling. When it

is reasonable to divide the population into groups according to a factor that affects the

variable that is being measured, stratified sampling can take place.

Aside from the overall average of 90, the researcher can divide a dataset into subgroups

based on year level, gender, and age using stratified random sampling.

Students in senior high school may have distinct musical tastes or habits as a

result of being in various grade levels, the researchers will employ stratified sampling.

This approach may aid in figuring out whether background music has varying effects on

productivity and focus depending on the grade level. The population is split up into

groups according to grade level in order to fairly reflect both Grade 11 and Grade 12

students in the study. This strategy guarantees a balanced representation by randomly

choosing participants from each grade.

 20

INSTRUMENT

The instrument used in this study will be survey questionnaires made by the

researchers. The questionnaire includes questions like, does the respondent listen to

music when studying? Do they find music distracting when they study?

PROCEDURE

The researchers will find STEM students with a general average of 90% or above

to be the respondents of this study. The researchers will ask permission from the

respondent to get their data. The data gathering will take around 4-5 days. The

respondents will be given close-ended questionnaires to answer.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATION

INFORMED CONSENT

Before conducting the study, the respondents were asked for consent to take part

in this experimental study. They were informed that their identity would remain

anonymous throughout the study, they are free to ask questions and have the opportunity

to withdraw from the study at any time.

 21

SECRECY & CONFIDENTIALITY

- The researchers are bound to be responsible for the confidentiality and secrecy

of the respondents’ identity. Personal information, such as name, grade and section, age,

and gender are to be kept confidential.

-RESPECT FOR PARTICIPANTS

-Show participants respect by honoring their individuality and viewpoints. Avoid

any manipulation or coercion.

 22

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Bramwell-Dicks, A. F. (2016). Music While You Work: The Effect of Music on Typing

Performance and Experience (Doctoral dissertation, University of York).

Hargrove, M. (2022). Effects of background Music on Student Productivity in the

Elementary Classroom.

AHUJA, J. K. (2016). The effects of background music on cognitive performance.

Moise, C., & Adler, R. F. (2019, October). Facing the Music: Performance Implications

of Working with Music in the Background. In 2019 IEEE 10th Annual Ubiquitous

Computing, Electronics & Mobile Communication Conference (UEMCON) (pp. 0837-

0843). IEEE.

Schoenwald, K. (2020). Music in the Workplace Environment and Productivity (Master's

thesis, The College of St. Scholastica).

Selland, R. (2013). The effects of classical background music on the moods and

concentration levels of third grade students. Saint Mary's College of California.