The effect of listening to music on concentration and academic performance of the student: Cross-sectional study on medical undergraduate students

Listening to music while studying has become a usual practice in the student population. While one group of students claim it would enhance their curricular efficiency, on the other hand, some researchers deny such assumptions. The overall objective of the study was to explore the effect of music on the curricular activity of the student and whether this trend is to rule out it is beneficial to the students in their academic performances. Present study involved 200 Malaysian students representing three major ethnicities. Among them, 120 students prefer to listen to music while studying and remaining 80 were not. The study comprised of two ways of survey namely questionnaire based and experiment based. Data obtained from the responses of participants compiled in the form of graphs and charts 47% believes that music helps them to concentrate while studying. 29% claims that music would keep their mind calm, and 17% stated that it would prevent sleepiness. 78 out of 80 students said that listening to music while studying distract their concentration. Experimental data revealed higher incidence (75%) of correct answers while listening to soft music than other fast track or instrumental music. The positive finding as obtained from the study is relevant to justify the current trend of listening to music while studying as it may not pose any adverse effects on the concentration of student. In fact, it might also improve the performance of the student in their academic perspectives.