Introduction

Problem Statement: An investigation into the impacts of dancehall music on the behaviour
of the students of Tivoli Garden High School.

Problem Question: What are the impacts of dancehall music on the behaviour of the
students of Tivoli Garden High School?

The main focus of the research is to answer the problem question, alongside some other
upcoming questions, which are as follow:

1. What are the dancehall music listening habits of the students?

2. Why do the students listen to dancehall music?
3. What are the impacts of dancehall music on the students?
4. Which dancehall music artiste is the most influential (negatively) on the students?

Research objectives:

1. To determine the dancehall music listening habits of the students.

2. To explore the reasons why the students listen to dancehall music.
3. To investigate the impacts of dancehall music on the students.
4. To identify the dancehall music artiste is the most influential (negatively) on the
students.

Background to the problem

Over the years music have played an integral role in shaping our culture. It knows that it
gives a conscious message, but everything changes with time and so as dancehall music.
Today, it is a mockery, because the artiste are not considering about others. They are
releasing music with violent and sexual content, and not remembering that some of them or
others have children. Therefore, the aim of this research is to go into Tivoli Garden High
School to deduce the ravishing facts on the impacts of dancehall music on the behaviour of
the students of this school.

The educational value of this research is to give people a better awareness of the fact that
adolescent listens to dancehall music, and it is impacting their lives. It will also give the
principal of the school and also the parents of these students an understanding of the impact
dancehall music have on their children.With knowing this they will know the restrictions that
are needed to be made. It also will help these students as well to understand how dancehall
music impacts their lives.

Definition of technical terms

According to Oxford dictionary:

Behaviour: the way in which someone behave.

Impact: a significant effect or influence caused by something.

Music: the art of arranging the sound of voices or instruments in a harmonious

and pleasant sequence or combination.

Ravishing: very beautiful.

Violent: using or involving violence.

Sexual: to do with sex or sexes, or with attraction between sexes.

Letter to Respondents
 Dear respondents,

This is a research being conducted in your school, “Tivoli Garden High School.” The aim
of this research is to determine the impact dancehall music have on you “students.” I
would be very grateful for your patient and time in answering these questions. You are
required to answer the questions honestly, because this is helping you and your future
generation. There is neither right nor wrong question, all views are welcome. Your views
are what make a different in this world.

You’re truly,

Mackaingar Walker,

Researcher.

Questionnaire Sample
Topic: An investigation into the impact of dancehall music on the behaviour of the students
of Tivoli Garden High School.

Instruction: Please tick ( ) the answer of your choice and write answers where lines are
provided.

1. What is your gender?

Male ( ) Female ( )

1. To which age group do you belong?

13-14 ( ) 15-16 ( ) 17-18 ( )

2. To which religion do you belong?

Christianity ( ) Judaism ( ) Islam ( ) Hinduism ( )

3. Do you listen to dancehall music?

Yes ( ) No ( )
4. If yes, how hours do you spend listening to dancehall music?

1-3 hours ( ) 4-6 hours ( ) 7-over hour ( )

6. Is dancehall music your favourite genre of music?

Yes ( ) No ( )

7. If yes, why is it?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

8. How were you introduced to dancehall music?

Family ( ) Social media ( ) Friends ( ) others ____________

9. Why do you listen to dancehall music?

Leisure ( ) Stress reliever from home and school ( ) Relaxation ( ) other

__________

10. Do you believe that dancehall music impact one's life?

Yes ( ) No ( )

11. If yes, how do you believe that it do this?

Positively ( ) Negatively ( )

12. What are the characteristics of good dancehall music?

Make persons dance ( ) good lyrical content ( ) promote good morality ( )

Other ______________
13. What are the characteristics of bad dancehall music?

Promotes sexual behaviour promotes violent behaviour poor lyrical content

other__________________

14. Which dancehall artiste is your favourite?

Vbyz Kartel ( ) Movado ( ) Alkaline ( ) I-Octane ( )

Other ___________________

15. How does this artiste influence you?

Negatively ( ) Positively ( )

16. Explain how this artiste influence you based on what you chose above in question 15.

_____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

17. Do your parents restrict you from listening to dancehall music?

Yes ( ) No ( )

Presentation and Interpretation of Data

To which religion do you belong?
 Figure 1: A column chart showing the religion to which the respondents belong.

According to Figure 1, 21% of the respondents belonged to Christianity, 10% belonged to

Judaism and 69% of the respondents did belong to none of the religions. Also, none of the
respondents (0%) neither belong to Hinduism nor Islam.

Do you listen to dancehall music?

Figure 2: A Pie chart showing the amount of the respondents who listen or doesn’t listen to
dancehall music.

According to Figure 2, 83% of the respondents listened to dancehall music, while 17% didn’t.
 How many hours do you spend listening to dancehall music?

Figure 3: A Line chart showing the hours spent by the students in listening dancehall music.

According to figure 3, 18% of the respondents spent 1-3 hours listening to dancehall music, 53%
spent 4-6 hours listening to dancehall music and 29% spent 7-over hours listening to dancehall
music.

How were you introduced to dancehall music?

Figure 4: A Bar chart showing the way in which the students were introduced to dancehall
Music.
According to figure 4, 10% of the respondents were introduced to dancehall music by their
family members, 42% by the social media, 37% by their very own friends and 11% by other
things.
Why do you listen to dancehall music?

Figure 5: A Doughnut showing the reasons why the respondents listen dancehall
Music.
According to figure 5, 57% of the respondents listen dancehall music as a leisure activity, 13%
listen it as a means of relieving all the stress from home and school, 23% see it as relaxation
and 7% as other means.

Do you believe that dancehall music impact your life?

Figure 6: An Area-chart showing the respondents’ view on if dancehall music impact their
 lives.

According to figure 6, most of the respondents (64%) believed that dancehall music impact
their life, while the rest (36%) believed that it doesn’t.

How do you believe that it do this?

Figure 7: A column chart showing how the respondents believe that dancehall music impacts
their life.

According to figure 7, most the respondents believed that dancehall music impact their life
negatively, while the rest believed that it impact them positively.

Which dancehall artiste is your favourite?

Figure 8: A bar chart showing the respondents’ favourite dancehall artiste.

According to the figure most of the respondents’ favourite dancehall artiste was Vybz Kartel
(72%), 3% liked Movado, 8% liked Alkaline, 2% liked I-Octane and 15% liked other artistes.

How does this artiste influence you?

Figure 9: A Doughnut chart showing how the artistes influence the respondents.

According to figure 9, most of the respondents believed that the dancehall artistes influence
them negatively, while the rest believed that they influence them positively.

Do your parents restrict you from listening to dancehall music?

Figure 10: A Pie-chart showing parents restrict to the respondents on listening to dancehall
music.

According to figure 10, 57% s of the respondents stated that their parents restrict them from
listening to dancehall music, while 43% stated that they do not restrict them.
 Discussion of Findings
The problem being investigated is, ‘the impact of dancehall music’ on the behaviour of the
students. Music forms a part of Jamaica culture and societies, as it becomes part of our
habits, and eventually our thought processes.

What is interesting is the fact that most of the students who listen to dancehall music
doesn’t belong to a religion. Those that belong to a religion don’t listen to it.Those that listen
to it (part of a religion), do not listen to those that contain violent and sexual contents. These
students spent most of their time listening dancehall music as a means of a leisure activity
and for relaxation.

This research also reveals that these students were introduced to dancehall music by
their own very peers (friends) and the social media. The students believed that dancehall
music impact their life negatively. Their favourite dancehall artiste is Vybz Kartel. The
students believe that this artiste impact them negatively.
 Conclusion/Recommendation/Limitation

Conclusion
The students spent most of their time listening to dancehall music. This they do as a leisure
activity and for relaxation. These were first introduced to this genre of music by the social
media and their friends. Based on listening to dancehall music they found that it impact their
life negatively. Their favourite dancehall artiste is Vybz Kartel.They believe that this artiste
impact their life negatively. I believe that one the reason why students listen to dancehall
music is due to the lack of parental restriction.

Recommendation
Parents should restrict their children from listening to dancehall music. Parents should also
teach their children how to select music that will positively aid in their social development.
The government also should implement various initiatives that would motivate artiste to
write lyrics which would positively impact the youth, and ban the broadcasting of sexual and
violent dancehall music from the social media.

Limitation
The factors that might have affected the strength of the research are:

 not all the questionnaires were returned

 some of the students didn't answered the questions of the questionnaire honestly

 the students were incooperative

 some of the questionnaires were incomplete.

Data collection sources

For this study both primary and secondary research methods were used. The research
methods chosen were questionnaires and review of related studies in the study.

The primary research was carried out using the data obtained from the questionnaires. A
questionnaire is a group of close and open question. A total of 30 questionnaires were
printed and distributed to the students of Tivoli Garden High School. Those from different
grade. The questionnaires are easier to use to conduct a research and less time consuming.
Also, it allows the data to be summarized quickly for report and analysis. Some disadvantages
of using this are the fact that the students may not answer these questions honestly and may
not return them.

The secondary data was obtained from recent literature related to dancehall music and its
impacts, and such as books, websites, journal article, letter to the editor, etc.
 Acknowledgement
I would to thank everyone who has contributed to this research. Firstly, I would like to thank
god for guiding me through my life and allow me to see the success of this research.
Secondly, I would like to thank Ms. Gentles for guiding me through all of the research
.Without her guidance there wouldn’t be a research. All who have contributed and I haven’t
acknowledged you, I am sorry. All of your guidance and supports are thankful for.

Table of content
Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………………………….i

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………1-2

Literature Review……………………………………………………………………………..3-4

Data collection sources…………………………………………………………………….5

Presentation and interpretation……………………………………………………….6-11

Discussion of Findings………………………………………………………………………12

Conclusion/Recommendation/Limitation………………………………………….13

Appendix………………………………………………………………………………………………14