This investigation details the accounts that occurred during a third grade-spelling test. The study deals with how students process information, and cognitively test during a musical distraction. This study was completed in a third grade classroom to determine if student's information procession was impaired by musical interference and to see if students regarded music. The importance of this study is to determine what types of conditions are optimal while testing an elementary classroom in the subject of spelling. This study will evaluate the academic changes between students with and without musical interference. .
Review of Literature.
This study is relevant because many students have the ability to perform in a variety of ways. According to Gardner (1983), many students have multiple intelligences; this study was merely an attempt to conceptualize this information and determine if in fact student performance increased or decreased with musical interference. Other researchers like, Mowesian (1973) suggest that regardless of testing conditions music, as a distracter is not a new experience for test-takers and therefore not distracting in a testing situation. He suggests that many students study with music playing in their own homes and possibly with other distracters, such as television, so music as subtle and soothing as Mozart would more often benefit test-takers. He .
suggests that music cannot be a distracter if it is familiar to a test taker. Botwinick (1997) reveals that there was a greater achievement in testing when students listened to Mozart rather than .
Musical Interference 3.
Vivaldi or to other symphonic versions of Disney themes. He suggests that Mozart's music stimulates a students mind and makes them improve mentally, and cognitively. According to Scheree Anderson (2000), music enables students to concentrate, relax and revisualize spelling words. She believes that students could improve their spelling scores through modifying their learning environment.