"I hate homework!" Could Musical Instrument Learning Help Reduce Academic Task Aversiveness?

Abstract

Academic tasks are often associated with negative emotions and have been shown to be a source of conflict between parents and children. Although many studies have been done surrounding academic task aversiveness (ATA), there is a lack of investigation into the activities that could potentially alleviate ATA. This study examines the relationship between musical instrument learning (MIL) and the potential mechanisms through which MIL can influence ATA – self-efficacy, conscientiousness, and negative error response. In addition, although not part of the original set of hypotheses, the variable family learning attitude was discovered as a key mediating variable between MIL and ATA.