Professional Documents
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The Effects of Music on Student Activity Levels and Enjoyment in Physical Education
Sarah Swift
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Abstract
The current childhood obesity epidemic has sparked the interest of many physical
educators to identify the best approaches for maximizing student activity time while in physical
education. One promising approach to maximizing student activity, as well as student enjoyment,
is incorporating background music into the physical education lesson. To test this claim, this
study evaluated student step counts and enjoyment levels in two junior high physical education
classes during the warm-up section of the lesson, once with music and once without. Pedometers
were used to measure student step counts and student response forms were used to measure
student enjoyment levels. The results from this study showed an increase in student activity
levels and enjoyment when music was incorporated into the lesson versus when it was not.
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Throughout the past decade, the prevalence of childhood obesity has become a critical
public health concern. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey estimated that
16.9 percent of children and adolescents from ages 2 to 19 were obese for the 2007-2008 school
year (Kanekar & Karnik, 2015). This rate has been steadily increasing since the 1970s when the
percentage of obese children ranged from only 5 to 6 percent (Kanekar & Karnik, 2015). It is
important to note that these statistics do not account for children and adolescents who are also
overweight. Overweight can be defined as having a body mass index that ranges between the
85th and 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex, whereas obesity is defined as
having a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile (Kanekar & Karnik, 2015). When
taking this into account, the number of children and adolescents who are subject to health-related
problems in the future is much larger than it may seem. Overweight and obese children can be
subject to a number of physical health risks such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure,
and increased cholesterol levels, as well as a number of social and emotional issues such as
While there are several strategies to prevent childhood obesity, participating in regular
physical activity plays an integral part in preventing and treating the disease. When taking a
deeper look at the role of physical activity, it is important to note recommendations which state
that children and adolescents should participate in 60 minutes or more of physical activity a day
(Society of Health and Physical Educators, 2016). Unfortunately, there are several children who
fall short in meeting this goal. While some children may have the opportunity to participate in
physical activity at different points throughout their day, others may only receive this
opportunity in the school setting. For those students who are only participating in physical
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
activity at school, meeting the recommended goal is almost impossible. When taking a closer
look at junior high school students, only 8 percent of students engaged in the recommended 60
minutes of physical activity in 2008 (SHAPE, 2016). A major factor influencing this percentage
is the lack of physical activity that students are receiving in school. According to the Shape of
the Nation report (2016) there are only three states that require junior high school students to
participate in 255 minutes of physical activity per week and less than one-third of states even set
a requirement. While physical educators cannot change the requirements dictated by the state,
they can implement strategies into their program that will help increase the physical activity
The purpose of this study is to determine whether the use of music in junior high school
physical education will increase student activity. More specifically, the study will determine if
student step counts will increase when they are exposed to upbeat music. Music is known to
affect the brain in several different ways. In terms of physical activity, Karageorghis et al. (2006)
namely, arousal control, reduced ratings of perceived exertion, and improved mood (as cited in
Barney & Prusak, 2015, p. 237). For these reasons, music is commonly used when participating
in weight training activities and intense workouts. However, the impact of upbeat music on
physical activity rates of junior high students has not been widely researched. Therefore, this
study will attempt to determine whether incorporating upbeat music into daily junior high school
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Literature Review
As previously stated, childhood obesity is a current public health concern. Hassan (2015)
states that more than one-third of todays youth are considered overweight or obese. These
children are at a much higher risk of experiencing health related problems in the future. Kanekar
and Karnik (2015) state that children who are obese are at a high risk for developing
cardiovascular diseases, muscle and bone disorders, and respiratory and liver problems. They
also state that obese children are more likely to experience lower self-esteem and depression
(Kanekar & Karnik, 2015).They report being discriminated against by peers and adults, which
makes it difficult for them to form positive attachments and relationships. Due to these effects,
obese children have trouble developing and maintaining a state of social well being (Kanekar &
Karnik, 2015). These issues along with the previously stated health risk oftentimes affect the
ability of obese children to perform well in the school setting (Kanekar & Karnik, 2015).
Due to the many health related risks of obesity, parents, teachers, and other advocates
have attempted to pinpoint the source of obesity. Hassan (2015) states that the lack of physical
activity is a cornerstone of the current obesity epidemic. To better determine why children and
adolescents are not participating in regular physical activity, a deeper look into how they spend
their time must be reviewed. Kanekar and Karnik (2015) state that while children are at home
they spend the majority of their time sitting. They spend their time in front of computer screens,
watching television and playing video games (Kanekar & Karnik, 2015). Some children may be
choosing to participate in these sedentary activities, but it should be noted that not all children
have a wide selection of activities to participate in. The lack of physical activity among some
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
children and adolescents may be due to the fact that they have little opportunity to participate in
physical activity in their surrounding environment. Some children may live in neighborhoods
that do not have safe sidewalks, bike paths, parks or any other well maintained area that they can
When children are not at home, most spend the majority of their time in school. Hassan
(2015) states that about 95% of children and adolescents spend six or more hours a day at school.
Seeing that students spend a large portion of their day in school, one might say that incorporating
daily physical activity into the curriculum should not be a problem. This, however, has not been
the case in recent years. SHAPE (2016) states that there is a lack of physical education offered in
todays schools. The recommended amount of time that students in junior high should participate
in physical education is 225 minutes per week (SHAPE, 2016). However, there are only three
states that require this number of minutes or more (SHAPE, 2016). Some states do not have a
minimum number of minutes during required years of physical education, and most states do not
require students to take physical education beyond the 9th grade (SHAPE, 2016).
Since the amount of time that students are required to participate in physical education
has decreased, physical educators have tried to implement strategies that will maximize student
activity while in physical education. One approach that has been taken is the use of background
music throughout the lesson. This approach has been chosen by many because of the benefits
that music can have on the exercise domain (Bishop, Lane, Karageorghis, Priest & Terry, 2012).
Bishop et al (2012) state that these benefits included, diversion of attentional focus, triggering
or regulation of specific emotions and moods, evocation of memories and other cognitive
processes, control of arousal, induction of flow state and encouragement of rhythmic movement
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
(pp. 953-954). These benefits motivate the listener to exercise harder and/or longer (Bishop et
al., 2012). However, not all music will have the same effect on every individual. There are a
number of primary and secondary factors that can increase or decrease a persons responsiveness
to music. The primary factors include the musical qualities of rhythm, melody and harmony, and
the secondary factors include the extra-musical qualities of cultural impact and the associations
that a piece of music may carry (Bishop et al., 2012, p. 954). Gender and personality are also
factors that play a large role in determining a persons preference and response to music (Bishop
et al., 2012). Bishop et al (2014) state that, males generally express a greater preference for bass
frequencies than females, and extraverts tend to respond more favorably than introverts to lively
The use of music during exercise has been further studied to determine if it will increase
student activity in physical education. A study conducted by Joseph Deutsch examined the
effects of music on 59 fourth and fifth grade students while participating in the Progressive
Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test (Barney & Prusak, 2015). Three versions
of this test were conducted, one with a faster tempo of music, one with a mild tempo and one
without music (Barney & Prusak, 2015). The results of the test indicated that both male and
female students scored better on the PACER when the test was administered with some type of
music (Barney & Prusak, 2015). While both the scores of males and females increased, the test
indicated that females scored better on the test administered with a faster tempo and males
scored better on the test administered with a mild tempo (Barney & Prusak, 2015).
Another study, conducted by Barney and Prusak (2015) examined the effects of using
music in physical education to determine if there would be an impact on the number of steps
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
students took throughout specified activities. More specifically, 115 elementary students in the
third, fourth and fifth grades were each given a pedometer to wear during a series of 30 minute
lessons that were given (Barney & Prusak, 2015). The teacher focused the lessons on walking
and frisbee activities. Each of these activities were taught equally with and without music
(Barney & Prusak, 2015). At the end of each lesson, students recorded the number of steps they
took and the time they spent participating in the activity (Barney & Prusak, 2015). The results of
this study indicated that physical activity rates via step counts were significantly higher when
A similar study was conducted by Barney, Brewer, Pennington and Prusak (2016) that
included 305 junior high school students in the 7th, 8th and 9th grades. These students were
given a pedometer to wear during a series of 40 to 65 minute lessons that occurred throughout
four class days. Barney et al. (2016) focused their lessons on basketball and volleyball activities.
Each of these activities were taught once with music and once without music. At the end of each
lesson, students recorded the number of steps they took, the time they spent participating in the
activity, and the level of enjoyment they experienced on a scale of 1 to 5, with 6 being the
highest level of enjoyment (Barney et al., 2016). The teacher allowed the students to take part in
the music selection for this study. The teacher listened to the song suggestions and picked a total
of 40 school appropriate songs that fit within the 120 and 160 beats per minute range (Barney et
al., 2016). The results of this study indicated that the use of music during lesson activities
increased the number of steps taken and the time spent in activity for both males and females
The obesity epidemic is not an issue that should be taken lightly. Children and
adolescents are starting to spend more time playing video games, watching television and
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
playing with other electronic devices and less time playing outside, participating on sports teams
and engaging in other forms of physical activity. If children continue to spend the majority of
their time participating in sedentary activities, they are likely to develop several health problems
in the future. Obese children are at higher risk for developing cardiovascular diseases, muscle
bone disorders, respiratory and liver problems, self esteem issues, depression and a number of
other health related issues. While there have been several approaches to combat the obesity issue,
physical educators have attempted to increase physical activity in physical education by playing
upbeat background music throughout the lesson. They chose to study the effects of music on
physical activity because it is known to have several positive effects on the brain. A few of these
include the diversion of attentional focus, arousal control and the encouragement of rhythmic
movement. While this method is yet to be widely researched, the results thus far have showed a
While the prevalence of childhood obesity is an issue across the entire United States, the
percentage of obese children living in the southern states is much higher. According to a survey
taken in 2011, the obesity rate of children from ages 10 to 17 was 41.8 percent in the south,
compared to only 14.6 percent in the north (Martin, Rayburn & Segal, 2016). The survey also
states that seven of the ten states with the highest percentage of obesity among children ages 10
to 17 are southern states. One of the southern states with the highest rate of obesity in children is
Tennessee. Tennessee ranks 5 out of 51 states in having the highest rate of obesity in children,
This action research study will be conducted in the northeast region of Tennessee.
Northeast Tennessee is a region characterized by small towns, beautiful landscapes, and rich
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
history. It is an area mainly filled with voluminous mountains and long stretches of farmland.
Due to its rural environment, northeast Tennessee is home to many outdoor attractions. Some of
these include the Watauga Lake, Backbone Rock and the Laurel Fork Falls. The entire region
contains just under 500,000 people, with most city populations having 10,000 people or less
For the privacy of the participants, the particular county in which this study is being
conducted will be called Clearwater County. Clearwater County is a small, rural, family friendly
county where the main sources of entertainment are high school sporting events, local theater
plays, and Sunday morning church services. Of the countys 17,830 residents, 96 percent are
white, 2.4 percent are African American, 1.8 percent are Hispanic or Latino, 0.3 percent are
American Indian and Alaska Native, and 0.2 percent are Asian (United States Census Bureau,
2017). Most people that work inside the county are employed by factories, correctional facilities,
and the countys public school system. Due to the lack of job opportunities in the county, the
median household income is relatively low compared to the rest of the state. The median
household income in Clearwater county is $30,763, compared to $45,219 for the whole state.
The lack of opportunity throughout the county contributes to the percentage of families living in
poverty, with 29.2 percent of the countys residents struggling to meet even basic standards of
living.
With regard to education, Clearwater County has a total of 7 schools that serve 2,238
students (Tennessee Department of Education, 2016). Most of the students who live in
Clearwater County belong to the lower socioeconomic status, with 72.1 percent of students
receiving free or reduced lunch and 40 percent living in poverty (Kids Count, 2017). These
income-related issues are likely to be a contributing factor to the high percentage of overweight
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
and obese children in the county. In 2015, 40 percent of the countys children were reported to
The particular school chosen for this study will be referred to as Oak Springs Middle
School. Approximately 300 students attend Oak Springs Middle School. The ethnic distribution
of students is almost identical to that of the countys, with an overwhelming majority of white
students and little representation of African American, Hispanic and Asian students. The gender
distribution is fairly equal with 54 percent of the student population being male, and 46 percent
female. The academic performance of Oak Springs Middle School is slightly below average
compared to other middle schools throughout Tennessee. As of 2015, the percentage of the
schools students who passed the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessments (TCAP) across all
subjects was 50.1 compared to the overall state average of 55.2 percent (TDOE, 2016).
For this study, 74 seventh grade students from two physical education classes were
selected. Class A included a total of 40 students, with 21 male and 19 female. Class B included a
total of 34 students, 18 male and 16 female. Of these two classes, a total of 39 students were
male and 35 were female. Each class had physical education three times per week. These classes
occurred from 10:35 to 11:15, with one class having physical education on Monday and
Wednesday, the other class on Tuesday and Thursday, and both classes on Friday. Each class
lesson included a 5 minute warm-up activity, a 30 minute lesson focus and a 5 minute cool
down/review.
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Design
The primary source of data collection for this study was recorded using pedometers.
Pedometers have been found to be reliable and valid instruments in measuring activity in
physical education (Barney & Prusak, 2015). Several weeks prior to the study, the students were
instructed on how to wear, use and read a pedometer. The procedure for data collection was
taught and rehearsed with the students throughout 4 class periods prior to real data collection.
The students were instructed to obtain a pedometer when entering class and to attach it to their
waistband. The data collected for this study included the number of steps each student took
during the warm up portion of the class and the level of enjoyment they felt during the activity.
The warm up section of the lesson included the first 5 minutes of the class period. During this
time the teacher explained to the students that for these five minutes they could walk, jog, run or
perform any other type of physical movement around the area as long as they kept moving for
the entire 5 minutes. After the warm up activity, the students were instructed to take their
pedometers off and to retrieve a student record sheet. Each student would fill out a record sheet
indicating the number of steps they took and the level of enjoyment they experienced during the
activity on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest level of enjoyment. The actual study
occurred over a one week period. Music was not incorporated into the warm up activity on the
first day of physical education for both classes A and B, but was incorporated on the second day.
Friday was not used for data collection given that classes A and B were in the gym together and
the results of the data could be affected by the excitement of additional students in the gym. The
song selection of this study included popular, upbeat music suggested for junior high school
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
The current level of physical inactivity among todays youth explains the need for health
education and physical activity in schools. Old approaches have seemed to run their course in
terms of motivating students to be active. Therefore, physical educators are working to develop
new approaches that will not only increase the physical activity levels of students, but will also
increase student motivation towards participating in physical education. The findings produced
by this study indicate that incorporating music into the warm-up activity of the physical
education lesson is an approach that has the capability to significantly improve student activity
levels, as well as the level of enjoyment that students experience. As discussed earlier,
pedometers served as the primary tool to measure student activity levels. The second form of
measurement used in this study was a record sheet indicating the level of enjoyment students
experienced during the activity on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest level of enjoyment.
The data collected from the first portion of the study, concerning student step counts,
indicated that the majority of students took more steps during the warm up activity when music
Figure 1: Percentage of Students who Increased and Decreased Step Counts when Exposed to Music.
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
When music was not incorporated into the warm-up, the median number of steps taken was 925
Figure 2: Difference in the Number of Steps Taken During the Warm-up with and without Music
When music was incorporated in the warm-up both classes experienced a rise in step counts with
the median number of steps taken in class A being 1339 and 1317 in class B. When music was
incorporated in the warm-up both classes experienced a rise in step counts with the median
number of steps taken in class A being 1339 and 1317 in class B. This data indicates a 45 percent
increase in the median number of steps taken in class A and a 36 percent increase in class B. The
data between the two classes seem relatively similar when looking at the data of each class as a
whole, but when taking a closer look at the percentage increases of females there is a major
difference between the two classes. The data of the females in class A indicated a 66 percent
increase in the median number of steps taken when music was incorporated into the warm-up,
whereas the data of the females in class B indicated only a 41 percent increase. When looking at
the number of steps taken by each student, the data shows that the majority of students took more
steps during the warm-up that incorporated music. The data from class A indicates that 37 out of
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
the 40 students in class A and 31 out of the 40 students in class B took more steps when music
The data collected from the second portion of the study, concerning students levels of
enjoyment, indicated that the majority of students experienced a higher level of enjoyment
during the warm-up that incorporated music (See figure 3). The majority of students in both
classes A and B chose a number 3 (neither enjoyed or disliked the activity) on the record sheet
concerning the level of enjoyment they experienced during the warm-up with no music. When
music was incorporated into the warm up, the majority of students in class A chose a number 4 (I
enjoyed the warm-up) and the majority of students in class B chose a number 5 (I really enjoyed
the warm-up).
Figure 3: Differences in the Levels of Enjoyment Experienced during the Warm-Up with and without Music
To coincide with the data, 30 out of the 40 students in class A and 24 out of the 31 students in
class B experienced an increase in the level of enjoyment they experienced when music was
played during the warm-up. When taking a closer look at the two classes concerning male and
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
female data the females experienced a higher increase in the level of enjoyment they experienced
when music was played during the warm-up. The majority of the females in class A chose a level
3 for the enjoyment they experienced during the warm-up without music, and a level 4 for the
enjoyment they experienced during the warm-up with music. The females in class B showed a
larger increase in the level of enjoyment they experienced indicating a level 3 for the enjoyment
they experienced during the warm-up without music and a level 5 during the one with music.
The males in class A indicated a level 3 of enjoyment for both the warm-up without and with
music, whereas the males in class B reported a level 3 of enjoyment during the warm-up without
physical education setting increased both student enjoyment and activity levels, it is important to
note that these findings are specific to one particular study and therefore should not be used to
make any overarching claims. Reviewing the description of the research site for this study shows
that the analysis conducted in this research contained certain limitations that must be taken into
consideration. First, this study evaluated a somewhat homogeneous group of students. The
students in this study were mostly of the Caucasian race and of the lower socioeconomic status.
The students in this study were also similar in age and were almost an equal split of males and
females. It is probable to believe that a study that included students of various ages, races and
socioeconomic status might yield different results. Second, the study conducted only measured
student step counts and enjoyment levels with and without music throughout two class periods. It
is fair to say that gathering data across a longer period of time could have an effect on the results
of the study. While the result of this study indicates that incorporating background music into the
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
physical education lesson has the opportunity to increase student enjoyment and activity,
the effect of music on student activity and enjoyment in physical education to better determine
the effectiveness of this approach. It would be beneficial to conduct this study in settings similar
to the one in this specific study, as well as settings that are vastly different. First, it would be
beneficial to replicate this study in a more urban location to determine whether students from a
more diverse area would yield different results. It would also be beneficial to conduct a study of
participants who are generally from the middle to upper socioeconomic status. This would help
determine if incorporating music into physical education would have a similar effect on all
socioeconomic classes or if one particular class would be more affected than others. Another
area worth conducting more research on is how incorporating music into physical education
affects students of various ages. One might study the effects that music has on early elementary
students versus the effects of music on high school students to determine if incorporating music
into physical education would yield different results depending on the age group. The
possibilities for future research on this topic are quite endless. However, it is important that
future research is conducted in order to validate or contradict the findings reached in this study to
determine if incorporating background music has the opportunity to increase student step counts
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Running head: THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION
References
Barney, D. & Prusak, K. A. (2015). The Effects of Music on Physical Activity Rates of
Elementary Physical Education Students. The Physical Educator. 72 (2), 236-244.
Bishop, D.T., Lane, A.M., Karageorghis, C.I., Priest, D.L., Terry, P.C. (2012). The BASES
Expert Statement on use of music in exercise. Journal of Sports Sciences. 30(9): 953
956.
Barney, D. C., Brewer, L., Pennington, T., & Prusak, K. A. (2016). The Effects of Music on
Physical Activity Rates of Junior High School Students. The Physical Educator. 73 (4),
689- 703.
Hassan, A. (2015). School Nutrition and Activity: Impacts on Well Being. (pp. xvii-22). Boca
Raton, FL: CRC Press: Taylor and Francis Group.
Kanekar, A., & Karnik, S. (2015). School Nutrition and Activity: Impacts on Well Being. In
A. Hassan (Ed), Childhood Obesity: A Global Public Health Crisis (pp. 3-14). Boca
Raton, FL: CRC Press: Taylor and Francis Group
Martin, A., Rayburn, J., & Segal, L. M., (2016). The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a
Healthier America.
Society of Health and Physical Educators. (2016). Shape of the Nation: Status of Physical
Education in the USA.
United States Census Bureau (2017). Quick Facts Tennessee. Retrieved from
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts.
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Appendix A
Please circle the number that best describes how you felt.
1 2 3 4 5
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Appendix B
Please circle the number that best describes how you felt.
1 2 3 4 5
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