Efficacy of Music Genre on Memory Recall amongst people with Special Needs

Abstract

Despite the fact that music is a variable that is employed frequently in a variety of settings, its significance has not been fully explored in educational settings. As a result of its widespread use, it is important to comprehend the dynamics it has on memory function among people with cognitive impairments for its effective application in life, particularly in educational settings. This study examined the effect of music genre on memory recall amongst people with special needs. Eighteen (18) students were purposively selected from a population of Special Education Center for Children with special needs, Mbiabong Etoi Oron Road, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. They were randomly assigned into two experimental groups (classical music group and country music group) and a control group. The study was a between-group experimental design utilizing the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for statistical analysis of the obtained data. The first hypothesis which stated that Participants in the classical music group will recall better than those in the country music group and the control group was confirmed and duly accepted. The second hypothesis which stated that females will perform significantly better than males in memory recall tasks was rejected. In the light of the findings, it is recommended that practical applications of the result of this research be applied in schools and other educational facilities; and the use of music while learning should start from early childhood so that its positive effect would linger and the child can grow into a more learned adult.