Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Opening Pandora's Stream: Piping Music Into The Information Literacy Classroom, Dianna E. Sachs, Kathleen A. Langan

Dianna E Sachs

Although it is well known that music can affect cognitive processes, very little research has been conducted examining the influence of background music on students in college classrooms. In 2010, librarians at Western Michigan University implemented a pilot study to investigate the effect of background music on undergraduate students in information literacy classes. The authors used a survey to collect both quantitative and qualitative data to investigate student comfort, confidence, and retention of facts. The results indicate positive correlations between background music in the classroom and student comfort, confidence, and retention. Further investigation is ongoing, to expand upon these results.