The effect of soft background music, Mozart music, on the three levels of students' engagement. (c2016)

Abstract

Engagement, in its three levels, cognitive, behavioral, and affective, is vital in the learning process. One strategy that leads to active engagement is soft background music, such as Mozart music. Due to the lack of studies about Mozart music and the three levels of engagement, this study was carried out. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Mozart music on the three levels of student engagement and to elicit students and teachers‟ views on the impact of Mozart background music on engagement. To address the research questions, a mixed method approach combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies was used. The ABAB design was used to examine the effect of Mozart music on engagement. The following five instruments were used: SESQ-ENG, TERF-N, semi-structured interviews with the teachers, focus group interviews with the students, and observations. The data were analyzed by calculating the number of students, the frequency of the off-task behaviors, and duration of the on-task behaviors, and examining the students and teachers‟ responses. Then, the results were compared, highlighted the common points, and compiled to tackle the research questions. The findings showed that Mozart music motivated students to learn, increased their on-task behaviors, decreased their off-task behaviors, and helped them to concentrate and solve problems, thus leading to higher achievement level. Finally, Mozart music is perceived as a quarto-strategy of engagement that has to do with relaxation, memory, concentration, and mood.