The Impact of Listening to Music During Independent Work Time on High School Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities

Abstract

This research study examined the impact of listening to music during the independent work time of high school students with emotional behavioral disabilities on their on task behavior and work completion. During the intervention phase of the study, the researcher instructed participants to listen to music through iPods while they worked independently on their homework. Data for on task behavior was collected over three minute intervals during the resource period. Data for work completion was collected at the end of each resource period. The results of the study show that all participants increased both their on task behavior and work completion while listening to music. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that students with emotional behavioral disabilities be permitted to listen to music during independent work time.