The impact of popular music on middle school students’ learning motivation in physical education

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Donghwi Suh ^*, Myungjin Jung ^**, Seomgyun Lee ^*** and Hanbyeol Jang ^****

^(*) Department of Physical Education, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk-do, Republic of Korea
^(**) Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
^(***) Department of Sport Science, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk-do, Republic of Korea
^(****) Imsildong Middle School, Imsileup, Jeonbuk-do, Republic of Korea

Citation

Suh, D., Jung, M., Lee, S., Jang, H. (2025). The impact of popular music on middle school students’ learning motivation in physical education. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 56(5), 379-398. doi:10.7352/IJSP.2025.56.379

Abstract

Music in physical education (PE) has recently gained popularity as an approach to increasing student learning motivation. This study incorporated Korean pop (K-pop) music, a key cultural force affecting young culture and identity, into PE classes. A total of 300 students were recruited and divided equally into two groups: an experimental group (gymnastics lessons with music) and a control group (those without music). Over a 5-week period, participants underwent 15 gymnastics sessions three times per week and were asked to fill out questionnaires on learning motivation before and after the intervention. The findings demonstrated that the experimental group exhibited higher competency and learning values than the control group over time. Students in PE lessons with K-pop music had a lower fear of failure than those without music. These findings imply that culturally relevant music in PE classes can boost students’ learning motivation, which may be applicable in real-world classroom settings.

Keywords: Cultural music, Gymnastic classes, intrinsic motivation

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