Pupils do much better in Math when music is involved: Study
3 Min Read
A study reveals that music can increase students' enjoyment of math, keep them interested, and lessen their fear or anxiety about concepts like fractions.
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The 2013 Math Olympiad (AFP)
An important benefit was discovered in a recent study that investigated the causal role between music involvement and student achievement in mathematics.
Researchers think that music can increase students' enjoyment of math, keep them interested, and lessen their fear or anxiety about concepts like fractions. Children's appreciation of math and desire to study more may even be stimulated by the addition of music.
For young children, clapping to songs with various rhythms while learning numbers and correlating fractions to musical notes is a traditional method of incorporating music into math studies.
The new meta-analysis, which was just published in the journal Educational Studies, examined 55 international studies with nearly 78,000 students, ranging in age from kindergarten to university.
There were three different kinds of musical interventions: traditional music lessons where kids sing, listen to music, and learn how to write it; learning to play an instrument by yourself or with a band; and music-math integrated interventions where music was incorporated into math education.
Math tests were given to students before and after the intervention, and the difference in their scores was compared to those of students who did not receive any intervention.
Over time, math classes became more proficient when music was included, whether in individual courses or as a component of math programs.
The greatest impact was when both were combined in the same class, with approximately 73% of pupils performing much better than kids who didn't receive any musical intervention.
Additionally, 58% of children who took regular music lessons and 69% of students who learned how to play an instrument fared better than students who received no musical support.
Read next: Playing music in childhood leads to sharper mind in old age: Study
The study findings also showed that music had a greater impact on younger students and those studying basic mathematical concepts, and it aids in the learning of arithmetic more than other types of math.
Many aspects of math and music are similar, such as the usage of symbols and symmetry. In both topics, abstract thinking and quantitative reasoning are also necessary.
Because fundamental ideas like fractions and ratios are also essential to music, arithmetic may lend itself particularly well to being taught through music.
Multiple bars of music can be made by combining musical notes of various lengths represented as fractions.
Because they give students the chance to make connections between math and music and give them more opportunities to investigate, analyze, and comprehend math, integrated lessons may be particularly beneficial.
Dr. Ayça Akın, from the Department of Software Engineering at Antalya Belek University, Turkey, said, "Encouraging mathematics and music teachers to plan lessons together could help ease students’ anxiety about mathematics, while also boosting achievement."
She did note that the study has its limitations. It was not possible to examine the effects of factors like gender, socioeconomic level, and length of musical education on the outcomes, due to the relatively limited number of studies that were conducted.
