Digital tablets in the music classroom: A study about the academic performance of students in the BYOD context

Abstract

This study assesses whether the use of digital tablets in the context of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) produces an alteration in the academic performance of high school music students. The grades of high school students were analysed and compared for two groups: experimental and control. The experimental group carried out the experiment using digital tablets, while a traditional methodology was used by the control group. The conclusions showed similar results regarding academic performance for a specific unit of the music subject. Students who used their own digital devices obtained statistically similar results to students who followed a more conservative process (even slightly superior in some parameters). Furthermore, there were no significant differences regarding gender. The research concludes that digital tablets in the music classroom are not a barrier for the academic performance of students, but rather a tool that helps in the teaching-learning process.