Popular Song Lyric Education’s Effects on Stress Brainwaves and Emotional Intelligence of Female High School Students

Abstract

This study aims to validate the necessity and justification of popular song lyric education by verifying the effect of popular song lyric education on stress-related brainwaves and the emotional intelligence of female high school students. Lyrics in popular songs are language and symbols that create meaning based on their interpretation. The meaning is shared with the public in various ways (Choi Sang-jin, 2001). Adolescents, the primary consumers of popular music, also feel more familiar with pop lyrics than other reading materials. They relate to their contents (Gong Gyu-taek & Cho Woon-ah 2016). Adolescents tend to show emotional anxiety, impulsiveness, and duality due to psychological and physiological changes from rapid growth (Park So-young 2017, Kim Hyung-hee 2013). Considering that female students spend more time listening to music than male students (Lee Jung-yoon, 2014:15; Miranda & Claes, 2009:229), popular song lyric education using familiar and preferred elements might be effective for female adolescent high school students. A 10-week-lyric education program was devised based on cognitive apprenticeship theory. It was evaluated for scientific validity by examining high school female students’ emotional intelligence. Stress brainwaves were compared before and after popular song lyric education to confirm differences before and after popular song lyric education. The study were 2nd-grade female high school students at S high school in Seoul. The survey was administered by dividing them into 22 comparison groups who participated in popular song lyric education and 19 who did not. The popular song lyric education was conducted over 10 sessions once a week for 50 minutes from March to July 2021. The collected EEG data used the frequency series power spectrum analysis method by fast Fourier transform (FFT) using linear analysis and statistical processing. The IBM SPSS/WIN Version 25.0 program was used for calculations. Effectiveness differences between the groups before and after popular song lyric education was performed using Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon Signed rank test. The results showed significant differences in stress brainwaves and emotional intelligence. First, stress brainwave analysis, after popular song lyric education, the values of ‘physical tension and stress left and right’ and psychological distraction and stress left and right’ were decreased. Second, differences in linguistic intelligence were detected between groups before and after popular song lyric education. Finally, significant improvements were shown in the fields of ‘emotional engagement,’ ‘thinking promotion,’ ‘emotional control,’ and ‘emotional utilization,’ among other sub-areas. The study clarifies the role of neuroscience’s exploration of popular music education. However, further research is required to build a meaningful scientific foundation for understanding popular music’s effects on the brain.