Exploring Students' Habits of Listening to Music While Completing Academic Tasks

Safiroh, Nadya (2026) Exploring Students' Habits of Listening to Music While Completing Academic Tasks. Undergraduate thesis, UIN Kiai Haji Achmad Siddiq Jember.

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Abstract

Nadya Safiroh, 2026: Exploring Students' Habits of Listening to Music While Completing Academic Tasks.
Keywords: study habits, music listening, academic tasks, self-regulation, qualitative descriptive.

Listening to music while working on academic tasks has become a common habit among university students in the digital age. The previous studies have examined the relationship between music and academic performance, most of them relied on quantitative approaches that focused on measurable outcomes. This study aimed to identify the patterns and habits of students in listening to music during academic tasks, to examine their perceptions of how music affects their study process, and to explore the primary reasons that drive this habit.
A qualitative descriptive approach was employed in this study. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with participants who were students of the English Language Education Programme, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, at the State Islamic University of Kiai Haji Achmad Siddiq Jember. Data were analysed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldana model, which encompasses data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing, and were validated through source triangulation.
The study yielded three main findings. First, all participants had incorporated music into their study routines, though the varied patterns music was most commonly used during routine, time-consuming tasks such as writing papers, reading course materials, and preparing presentations, while silence was preferred for tasks demanding higher concentration, such as memorising content or working through new concepts. The perceived impact was, in every case, highly personal and context-dependent. Third, the main reasons participants gave for listening to music while studying included relieving stress, managing boredom, improving mood, blocking out environmental noise, and sustaining productivity during long study sessions.
This study concludes that the habit of listening to music in an academic context is a form of self-regulation that develops organically through repeated learning experiences. Music does not merely serve as entertainment, it has grown into a personal strategy for maintaining psychological balance and sustaining productivity. These findings contribute to the broader scholarly discussion on student learning habits and open the door for further research across wider and more diverse settings.

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