| The primary purposes of this study were to investigate the relationship between rhythmic and mathematics achievement and to determine the best equation to predict mathematics achievement from composite rhythmic achievement, grade level, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and music background level of third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students.;Two hundred thirty-seven students from twelve intact elementary school classes served as subjects. Composite rhythmic achievement was defined operationally as the average of three rhythmic measures including meter discrimination, synchronization, and rhythmic pattern imitation. Colwell's (1970) Music Achievement Test 1, Part 3 and Flohr's (2000) Rhythmic Performance Test-Revised were used to measure rhythmic achievement. Overall mathematics achievement was measured using Pearson Digital Learning Company's (1999) Successmaker computer software program. Music background was measured using an updated version of Yoder-White's (1993) Music Background Questionnaire.;Correlation coefficients were determined for composite rhythmic achievement, overall mathematics achievement, grade level, gender, ethnicity, SES, and music background level. Multiple regression was used to determine the prediction of overall mathematics achievement from rhythmic achievement, grade level, gender, ethnicity, SES, and music background level.;A positive, moderately low correlation was determined for composite rhythmic and overall mathematics achievement (.27, p < .01). Both grade level (60, p < .01) and SES (.31, p < .01) demonstrated moderate relationships with overall mathematics achievement. Results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that the set of predictor variables including grade level, SES, composite rhythmic achievement, ethnicity and gender accounted for 51% of variance in overall mathematics achievement (p < .05). Grade level, the largest single predictor of overall mathematics achievement, accounted for 36% of variance. SES accounted for 8% of variance, composite rhythmic achievement contributed 4%, ethnicity added 3%, and gender contributed 1% of variance. Music background level was not a significant predictor of overall mathematics achievement (p > .05).;Findings from this study suggest that a positive, moderately low correlation exists between rhythmic and mathematics achievement. Rhythmic achievement accounted for a small amount of variance in mathematics achievement, preceded only by grade level and SES. |
