The Effect of Music on Solving Mathematics Problems and Test Anxiety among Undergraduate Psychology Students

This study aimed to explore the effect of listening to calm music while learning mathematics on reducing anxiety and improving academic achievement among university students. The sample consisted of fifty students from the Department of Psychology at City University Ajman, who were randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group that listened to calm music while solving mathematics problems, and a control group that studied without music. The study adopted a two-group pre-test–post-test experimental design, in which a mathematics anxiety scale and achievement tests were administered before and after the intervention. The results showed that the two groups were equivalent at baseline in terms of anxiety levels and mathematics performance, indicating equal conditions before the experiment. Regarding the post-test results, no statistically significant differences in anxiety levels were found between the two groups, indicating that anxiety remained within normal limits after the experiment. In contrast, statistically significant differences were found in the post-test mathematics scores in favor of the experimental group that listened to calm music, reflecting the positive role of calm music in supporting concentration and enhancing academic achievement without negatively affecting students’ emotional state.