Social Studies

(SBA)
Dance Hall Music

Name of Candidates: Romario Howell

Candidates #: 10053
School: Jose Marti Technical High School
Territory: Jamaica
Teacher: Ms. Jackson
Year Submitted: 2020-2021

Statement of problem
What are the impacts of dancehall music on students of Jose Marti
Technical High school?

Research Questions
This research seeks to find out
1. How does dancehall music affects students of Jose Marti
Technical High School social behaviour?

2. Why do students listen to dancehall music?

3. What can be done to reduce the negative impact of dancehall

music on teens?
 Reason for selecting Area of research
The area of research was chosen because teens in Jose Marti
Technical High School has a habit of listening to the unruly or out of
order dancehall music. It has been noticed that most of the time it’s
the students from first and upper forms that are the individuals who
mainly become involved in the habit of listening dancehall music.
However during my time at Jose Marti Technical High School, I have
noticed that dancehall music have a huge impact on the students at
Jose Marti Technical High School. This area of the research was all
about the negative impact that dancehall music has on the students,
Most student gravitate to listen dancehall artiste such as : Vybz
Kartel, Popcaan, Skillibeng, Spice, Shenseea, Masicka etc. One of
Skillibeng well known song is “ Crocodile teeth” lyrics sugguest “
Shot open your door like key” in which he is literally referring to pull
someone door by shooting a bullet though it, Another famous
Skillibeng song is “Brick pon Brick” lyrics states “Dem know say the
east crime a fi true eno”, That’s lyrics is obviously encouraging the
students to think about doing crimes, After students finish listening to
the songs listed above and others, Normally students behavioural will
change in many ways in most students, research as proven that over
the past 3years. Behavioral changes in most teenage boys are: serious
drop grades in schools, clothing style and lack of ambition, In teenage
girls is mainly like indiscipline behaviours in terms of talking to
someone, lack of respect and also teenage pregnancy. As a result the
researcher as decided to do a research on this topic.

Method of investigation
To investigate the problem, the researcher had chosen to put together
a state that will be using a questionnaire and will also give advantages
of a questionnaire.

Advantages of a questionnaire
A questionnaire is a plat form used to gather information from
respondents and it also includes:
. Analysed, more 'scientifically' and objectively than other forms of
research
. Results of the questionnaires can usually be quickly and easily
quantified by either a researcher or through the use of a software
package
. Large amounts of information can be collected from a large number
of people in a short period of time and in a relatively cost effective
way
 Instrument used to collect data
Letter to respondents

Dear Respondents,
This questionnaire is designed to obtain data on your views of
‘Dancehall music has an negative impact on the students of Jose Marti
Technical High School’. The research is being undertake for partial
fulfilment of Caribbean examinations council (C.X.C), so I will be
grateful for your time and patience in answering these questions.
There are no wrong answers, all information are welcome, your
response will be treated in the strictest confidence and the
questionnaire is anonymous.

Yours sincerely,
Romario Howell
 Questionnaire sample
Topic: The Negative Impacts Dancehall music has on the Students of
Jose Marti Technical High.
Instructions: Please select A, B, C or D of your choice and write
answers where lines are provided.

1. To which age group you belong? (A) 11-12yrs (B) 13-14yrs old
(C) 15-16yrs old (D) 17-18yrs old

2. To which gender do you belong? A. male B. Female

3. What grade are you in? (A) 7-8th (B) 9-10th (C) 11- 13th

4. Do you listen to dance hall music? (A) yes (B) No

5. If yes, which of the following reasons explain why? (A)

Entertainment (B) Listening to it trendy (C) Listen to it is norm
(D) I do not listen to dance hall music
 6. How are you introduced to dancehall music? (A) Friends (B)
Family (C) Social media (D) Social Network (E) Other

7. Which Gender of artist do you listen more? (A) Male (B) Female
(C) Both (D) I don’t listen to dancehall music

8. How often do you listen dancehall music? (a) 30 mins -1hr (b)
1hr (c) 1-30mins (d) 2 and more hrs

9. What mood are you in when you listen to dancehall music? (a)
Aggressive (b) Relaxed (c) Positive (d) High in spirts

10. Do you think dancehall music has a negative impact on you? (a)
yes (b) No

11. If yes, how powerful is it impact? (a) weak (b) average (c) strong
(d) Does not has a negative impact on me

12. do you think dancehall music promote negative messages? (a)

strongly disagree (b) disagree (c) Agree (d) strongly agree (e)
undecided
13. Has your personality changed since listening to dancehall music?
(a) yes (b) no (c) I do not listen to dancehall music

14. If yes, how has this change impact on your personalities? (a)
Negatively (b) positively (c) Does not impact on my personalities (d)
I don’t listen to dancehall music

15. Do you think dancehall music promotes gang violence in school?

(a) yes (b) no

16. If yes, to which gender you views as a role model? (a) The
negative message the lyrics promotes (b) The negative actions the
artist do (c) do not think dancehall music promotes gang violence

17. Do you view any dancehall artist as a role model? (a) yes (b) no

18. If yes to which gender do you view as a role model? (a) Female
(b) male (c) both (d) I do not view any dancehall artist as a role model

19. Do you think dancehall music degrade young women? (a)

strongly disagreed (b) agreed (c) disagreed (d) strongly agreed

20 . which of the following recommendations do you think could

reduce negative impact of dancehall music? (a) Ban (b) censorship (c)
Fines (d) Other
 Data Collection Sources

In order to complete this research, the researcher used both primary

and secondary sources.
Primary sources
Participating observation is a close up look at the reactions of
students to dancehall music whilist partaking. This observation was
done at The Jose Marti Technical High School Cadet Unit Pre-
Valentine’s Day Concert (2013, February),

Questionnaire is a list of open and closed ended questions

given to the students of Jose Marti Technical High School based on
the negative impacts of dancehall music on them. These students wee
chosen because they are found abundantly evident in breaching of
school code of conducts and gang fights within the school and the
researcher considers dancehall music to be the reason for this
Questionnaires were given to students between first form and six form
students.

Secondary Sources
Secondary sources give the researcher
background information as regards to dancehall music. The secondary
source that was used to collect data was newspaper articles and the
Encyclopedia Britannica (2013), Carolyn J. Cooper is contributed the
definition of dancehall music in the Encyclopedia. He is a coordinator
of The international Reggae Studies Center, University of the West
Indies, Mona, Jamaica.
The article in The Daily Gleaner dated the 2008, March 2nd,
Written by Gareth Manning focusingon his views of music triggering
early sexual activity. Gareth manning was a reporter at the Gleaner
Company but presently is a cooperate communications Assistant at JN
Group. Also in The Daily Gleaner dated 2008, june 2nd an article
written by Avia collinder, Gleaner writer, focused on Dr. Gillian
Lowe’s views on parenting. Dr . Gillian Lowe is a child psychologist
attached to the University Hospital of West Indies and the Minstry of
Health.
The article in the Jamaica observer dated 2011, May 15th,
written by Cecelia Campbell-Livingston, Sunday observer staff
reporter, focused on a debate between Christ the Redeemer Skills
Center against St Margaret’s skill Center arguing the moot:
‘Dancehall music is to be blamed for the decadence in our youth
culture’.
All these sources helped the research to gather information for the
internal assessment and will help the reader to gain a fundamental
understanding of the hypothesis.

Presentation of data

This research seeks to prove dancehall music has a negative impact on

the students of Jose Marti Technical High School. The data collected
is being represented in the following presentation of finding.
 INTERPRETATION OF DATA
The data collected from questions 1 and 2 indicates that a majority
(60%) of females are from the population sampled while (40%) of
males. A vast majority of students (37%) were between the ages of
17-19 years while minority (12%) were between the ages of 15-16
years.
44% of students in the data collected from 12, agreed that
Dancehall music promotes negative messages. For the most part data
collected from question 15 shows that students (72%) believe that
music aids to gang violence within the schools. In that, the students
(40%) believe that the lyrics promotes negative messages while others
(32%) believe it’s negative actions the artists do as seen in the data
collected from question 16. Also, the students (68%) agree that this
genre of music degrade young women, as seen in the data collected
from question 19. However (80%) said they do not view dancehall
artist as role model. A question that was intended for students who
says dancehall music has impacted on them negatively to specify the
strength of its impact. The data collected at question 11 shows that
students (20%) say the impact is weak, 12% said average and 8% said
it was strong.
Data used to collected from questions 4, 5 and 6 evidently
indicates that majority (80%) sampled listen to dancehall music. 60%
of the students sampled listen to dancehall music. 60% of these
people listen to dancehall music because of the entertainment,12 %
listen to it because it’s norm, while minority (8%) listen to it because
its trendy. Among other things, 44% were introduced to this genre of
music by friends, 16% by family and other (40%) by the media.
On the contrary, collection of data from question 9 illustrates the
student’s mood whilst listening to dancehall music. A vast minority
(28%) describe their mood as high spirits, 20% become aggressive,
20% become relaxed and 12% become positive. Along with the
participating observation done in the schools Cadet Unit Pre
Valentine’s Day Concert, Student’s mood listening to dancehall music
become most high in spirits based upon which artist was playing and
what the lyrics was saying. How student’s become calm and relaxed
to other genre of music which was playing for the event. Few of the
student’s from the sample exhibited awareness of the negative impact
dancehall music have on them and the strength of the impact. An
immense majority attributed the gang violence within the school is
due to dancehall music. However, 68% of students suggest banning of
dancehall music to reduce the negative impact, (12%) suggested fines
while minority (12%) suggested censorship as seen in the data
collection of question 20.
 Discussion of Findings
According to Cooper (2013) dancehall music is a style of Jamaica
popular music that had its genesis in the political turbulence and
become Jamaica’s dominant music. This genre of music produces
both negative and positive messages. However, the students(44%)
agree and strongly agree (12%) that this genre produces negative
messages. The negative messages have impacted on the student
students of Jose Marti Technical High School. Agreed by the students
(72%), dancehall music promotes gang violence within the school due
to negative actions the artists do and that the lyrics are also a driving
factor. This supports the recent dancehall feud that emerged between
Movado and Vybz Kartel from their factitious behaviour which was
much publicized. It is also led to youths ensuring by affirming into
informal allegiance amongst themselves. Conferred by the students
(80%) dancehall music influences their mood whilst listening to it.
This supported Dr .Anderson (2008) statement, where she started that
rhymes, timbres and amplitudes of the music can affect emotional
behaviour in humans, particularly the young.
Moreover, the research showed that dancehall artistes are viewed
as role models by vast minority (20%) of students from the sample.
This goes to emphasize Davis (2011) challenge to dancehall artistes to
realise that they are role models whether they want to or not- to the
youths and insisted that their recordings have a degrading impact on
society. The research denoted that the vast majority of the students
sample believe and have knowledge that dancehall music has a
negative impact on them.
CONLUSION/LIMITATIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS
CONCLUSION
In general, the students of Jose Marti Technical High
School are negatively impacted by dancehall music. It was establish
that the lyrics play as a driving factor and so do the artistes of these
songs. The lyrics aid with gang violence within the school and
degrade young women. However, a significant majority of the sample
does not believe dancehall music has a negative impact on them.
Interestingly, the recent feuls between dancehall artists Mavado
and vybz Kartel has led to affecting the emotional behaviour of
youths. Causing them to affirm themselves into informal allegiances
and ensure. As such, this has led to gang fights within schoo, about
whose clique is better than other.

LIMITATIONS
The presented research was a small survey of one school in Jamaica.
This school was chosen because it was easily accessible by the
researcher. As results, this study is limited by the precise sample size,
making a difficult make generalizations about all the students in
Jamaica based on the data collected. The instruments of data
collection which were utilised in the research were not time
consuming.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Gang violence within the school and degrading of young
women as a results of negative messages the lyrics promote indicates
that there is need for the censorship of those lyrics of fines to be
enforced. Necessary action should be taken by the relevant authorities
to prevent dancehall music from degrading society.
 Additionally, the government could provide various resources
that would motivate artistes to promote positive lyrics which would
impact on the youths. Also, the wider society of Jamaica can
contribute by putting a stoppage to the listening of negative and
degrading dancehall music. If is not played, then negative messages
will not be played.