The effect of preferred background music on mathematical performance of adolescents with mathematics difficulties

Introduction: There is substantial evidence indicating the favorable influence
of music on task performance; however, few studies have explored the
specific impact of background music on mathematics achievements. This paper
addresses the gaps in the existing literature and explores the effect of background
music on adolescents’ performance in mathematics. It also examines the impact
of preferred background music on students’ mathematical achievements.
Methods: Data were collected from 65 10th-grade students with difficulties in
mathematics, who were randomly assigned to two study groups. All participants
took threemathematics tests in algebra. The experimental group solved the tests
under three different conditions: without background music, with background
music, and with self-selected background music. The control group took the
tests without background music.
Results: The results indicated that solving mathematics tasks while listening to
self-selected background music enhances students’ mathematical performance
compared to solving mathematics tasks with predetermined background music
or without any background music.
Discussion: These findings add to the theoretical literature regarding the impact
of background music on students’ mathematics achievements and provide
practical guidance for mathematics educators in their discourse on students’
mathematics learning in class. The findings underscore the necessity for further
investigations to elucidate the underlying factors of the effects of background
music on learning.