The Effect of Background Music on the Mathematics Test Anxiety of ...

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22 Anxiety level. Researchers have studied the effect <strong>of</strong> background music on various types on anxiety. <strong>The</strong>re are differing conclusions on the effect <strong>of</strong> music on state and trait anxiety. Davis and Thaut (1989) used the Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory and a seven-point Likert type scale for relaxation to measure anxiety and relaxation before and after listening to background music. No tasks were performed by the 18 undergraduates participants during the study. <strong>The</strong> participants completed the inventories, were seated in recliners, listened to 20 minutes <strong>of</strong> self-selected relaxing music, and completed the inventories a second time. A decrease in state anxiety and an increase in relaxation were reported. Similar results were obtained by Stoudenmire (1975). He found that muscle relaxation and background music reduced state anxiety, but neither treatment reduced trait anxiety. <strong>The</strong> Speilberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was completed by 108 undergraduates at the beginning and end <strong>of</strong> each session. <strong>The</strong> students were randomly assigned to one <strong>of</strong> two treatment groups. <strong>The</strong> students relaxed in recliners while either listening to background music or performing muscle relaxation techniques. <strong>The</strong> previous two studies did not use task performance situations. Summers, H<strong>of</strong>fman, Neff, Hanson, and Pierce (1990) measured the test anxiety <strong>of</strong> nursing students during an exam. Results indicated that background music had no significant effect on either state or trait anxiety. <strong>The</strong> tempo <strong>of</strong> the music was 60 beats per minute. Twelve <strong>of</strong> the 21 students indicated that the music did not make them feel more relaxed during the testing situation. <strong>The</strong> physical effect <strong>of</strong> background music on university students during a final exam was the subject <strong>of</strong> Blanchard’s 1979 study. Students that listened to music during
23 the exam experienced significantly less increase in blood pressure and pulse rate. <strong>The</strong> music groups also experienced a higher mean exam score. Two studies, performed by Stanton, investigated the use <strong>of</strong> background music during a test situation. In the first experiment background music was used during an actual exam while the second study was conducted by asking participants to memorize the order in which geometric shapes were presented. In both situations it was found that high anxiety tertiary students produced better test results when they worked to the accompaniment <strong>of</strong> background music (Stanton, 1973). A follow-up study was conducted by Stanton (1975) to investigate the existence <strong>of</strong> an interaction between music and anxiety, with the hypothesis that highly test anxious participants would perform better in a test-like situation when background music was present than when the more usual condition <strong>of</strong> silence was used. <strong>The</strong> Test Anxiety Scale was completed by 162 education majors. <strong>The</strong> students were matched in groups <strong>of</strong> three according to their TAS score. One member <strong>of</strong> each group was randomly assigned to one <strong>of</strong> three treatment groups: silence, music as the students entered the room, and music throughout. No difference among the three conditions was noted for low test-anxious students. However, as with his previous study, a significant difference in test scores was found for high anxiety students in the music conditions. <strong>The</strong>re was not a significant difference between the two music conditions for high anxious students, but the students that had the music only while they entered the room had a higher mean exam score. <strong>The</strong> results <strong>of</strong> this study suggested that background music is necessary only while the students are preparing for a task, although leaving the music on does not hinder task performance.
Page 1 and 2: The Effect
Page 3 and 4: iii Acknowledgements I would like t
Page 5 and 6: v Table of Content
Page 7 and 8: vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Factors
Page 9 and 10: CHAPTER 1 Rationale, Literature Rev
Page 11 and 12: 3 Spielberger (1985) described trai
Page 13 and 14: 5 Factor analyses. Researchers have
Page 15 and 16: 7 Anxiety Subscale of</stro
Page 18 and 19: 10 Table 1 (continued) Ferguson (19
Page 20 and 21: 12 to 66 students attending the Tex
Page 22 and 23: 14 the Missouri Mathematics Placeme
Page 24 and 25: 16 differences between the mean exa
Page 26 and 27: 18 students to one of</stro
Page 28 and 29: 20 background music on reading comp
Page 32 and 33: 24 The final study
Page 34 and 35: 26 Definitions math-test-anxious st
Page 36 and 37: 28 group, while sections 002 and 00
Page 38 and 39: 30 Research Question 1. Does the us
Page 40 and 41: 32 CHAPTER 3 Results This research
Page 42 and 43: 34 Table 2 Hypothesis 1B: 2 (Anxiet
Page 44 and 45: 36 Hypothesis 2A The</stron
Page 46 and 47: 38 Table 3 Hypothesis 2B: Pre-Exam
Page 48 and 49: 40 group between lower anxiety and
Page 50 and 51: 42 Figure 2 Hypothesis 2B: Interact
Page 52 and 53: 44 CHAPTER 4 Discussion The
Page 54 and 55: 46 low anxiety students or the high
Page 56 and 57: 48 References Alexander, L., & Cobb
Page 58 and 59: 50 D'Ailly, H., & Bergering, A. (19
Page 60 and 61: 52 Mowsesian, R., & Heyer, M. (1973
Page 62 and 63: 54 Wolf, R., & Weiner, F. (1972). <
Page 64 and 65: 56 APPENDIX A Last 4 digits <strong

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