1. THE EFFECTS OF PREFERENTIAL MUSIC LISTENING
ON ADOLESCENT READING COMPREHENSION
Fig. 2. Non-Fiction Text Comprehension:
Silent vs. Music
ComprehensionScores
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Student Participants
D L N T
0.7
0.60.6
0.7
0.9
0.8
0.90.9
Silent Reading Reading with Music
Fig. 3. Narrative Text Pace: Silent vs.
With Music
WordsPerMinute
100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
260
280
300
Student Participants
D L N T
139.52
219.34
149.87
260.42
171.92
258.38
140
296.64
Silent Reading Reading with Music
Fig. 4. Non-Fiction Text Pace: Silent vs.
With Music
WordsPerMinute
50
82.5
115
147.5
180
212.5
245
277.5
310
342.5
375
Student Participants
D L N T
156.36
231.6
201
268
104.02
173.83
101.17
238.03
Silent Reading Reading with Music
Fig. 1. Narrative Text Comprehension:
Silent vs. Music
ComprehensionScores
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Student Participants
D L N T
0.80.8
0.7
0.5
0.9
0.7
0.80.8
Silent Reading Reading with Music
INTRODUCTION
Today’s adolescents have greater access to technology
than any generation before them. For these ‘digital
natives,’ multitasking, especially with music, is increasingly
routine. In many high schools, students with earbuds
plugged in during work time are a common sight. This
study sought to examine what effects, if any, listening to
music via personal electronics has on teen readers’
comprehension, and whether lower-skilled readers
were especially susceptible to distraction.
PROCESS
Four adolescent students were given a standard reading
exam. After determining reading level, students read a set
of fiction and non-fiction texts in silence, and then a second
set while listening to familiar music via their cell phones.
After reading each text, students answered standard
comprehension questions. Achievement with and without
music was then compared, along with reading rates and
pre-exam student interviews to form a comprehensive
analysis of what impact the music had on the readers.
FINDINGS
The results of this study suggest that familiar music
interferes with language processing and reading
comprehension, though the strength of the effect is not
universal. Previous research pointed to a neurological bias
towards information heard, rather than read, which appears
to be the case here, particularly among weaker readers.
Score comparisons revealed that comprehension while
reading with music fell 10-30%, regardless of genre,
when compared against reading in silence (figs. 1 and 2).
After reading while exposed to familiar music, students
were less able to recall explicit information from the texts.
Reading speed was also affected by the presence of their
music (figs. 3 and 4), though the degree and nature of the
effect appears to be more reliably related to student study
habits and preference than the presence of the music itself.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Given the findings of this study, as well as the research on
which it was founded, it is strongly recommended that
educators discourage students from listening to music on
personal devices while reading. Lyrics, fast beats, and loud
volume all serve to disrupt comprehension of texts,
slowing down pace and deteriorating learning. Cognitive
research has demonstrated that the human brain biases
attentive resources towards speech and verbal processing.
over visual information. With the contemporary focus on
reading for information, it does not serve student interests to
encourage multitasking that conflicts with their ongoing
literacy development. This is especially critical in regards to
students with developing skills or students with special needs,
who may well be more sensitive to distraction than others,
and who require adult modeling of quality independent literacy
skills, as well as a quiet environment in which to practice.
Travis O. Knight and Dr. Dennis Parsons with SUNY Oswego
SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE STUDY
Future researchers may choose to look at what effect(s)
music may have on student writing achievement in various
genres, or on other types of reading beyond
comprehension tasks. Researchers may examine the role
of home life in the development of multitasking study
habits. Some data obtained in this study suggested that
student studying preference may predict the severity of
music’s deleterious effects, and exploration of that area
may help identify students susceptible to distraction.
This research project was completed for Dr. Dennis Parons’ LIT 530 class as part of SUNY Oswego’s Literacy Education Graduate Program in the fall of 2014.
Students were volunteers known personally to the researcher. For more information, please contact Travis at tknight@oswego.edu.