A growing trend is that school children listen to music while doing their homework. In some cases, some of them who choose to listen tend to see a drop in their grades as a result.
According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll, it was found that between the ages of 12 to 17, almost 53 percent of these teenagers are doing something else while studying and which include watching television, instant messaging and emailing as well.
As for listening to music while studying, this number stood at about 87 percent, thanks to this generation being surrounded by the likes of television, computers and iPods as well.
Unfortunately, it has become clear that when you try to do too many things at the same time, you cannot completely focus on one task. In a number of studies, it has shown that playing pop music has not only hindered students taking reading comprehension or memory tests either.
On the other hand, it also depends on the type of music that one listens to while studying. Classical or soothing music can actually help some students focus better. Known as the Mozart effect, IQ scores of test takers went up by 8 to 9 points. Also, when playing Baroque era music to assist students learn a foreign language, retention went up by 92 percent as a whole.
So, finally, it all depends on the kind of music and student. For the most part, playing quiet music really helps while loud music only distracts children from concentrating on their homework, take tests or focus on any school-related task.