Buffalo State College Master's project in Exceptional Education, 1998.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of using background music on the concentration and on-task behavior of students with special needs during independent class assignments. A multiple case study approach is used to gather the data for 8 participants having different cases yet all diagnosed having problems with their concentration and attention span. Four instruments are used to collect data from different resources which are student's files and documents, parent questionnaire, student observation checklist, and student interview. Baseline data is collected for 3 consecutive weeks without music followed by an intervention period of another 3 consecutive weeks where music is played in the background. During the time students are working independently, the researcher filled the behavior charts for every student examining the amount of off-task behavior per minute and the behavior manifested when the student stops working. Results demonstrate that the introduction of music in the background has different effects on the off-task behavior of students. Six out of the eight students have a decrease in their off-task behavior during the administration of music, and two students have a negligible to minor increase in their off-task behavior during the administration of music. In general, the intervention shows that the use of music has positive implications for assignment completion rate.

Middle School math students performed their typical daily math classwork with and auditory environment of either teacher chosen music, student chosen music played through individual headphones, or silence. One day each week during a six week summer session was dedicated to each of the three listening options. On the additional two days, students were free to work with headphones or in the normal classroom noise level, according to school and classroom rules. The students were attending a segregated school for students with learning differences. Their on task behavior was observed and recorded three times during each class period. Teacher selected music consisted of a mix of classical music and world music genres. Students were found to be more focused on their work when music was being played as compared to a silent environment. Key words: music, focus, special education, attention, distraction.

Buffalo State College Master's project in Exceptional Education, 1996.