Relationship Between Levels of Loneliness and Types of Music Listened to by Fine Arts High School Students

Abstract

. This study initially identified the levels of loneliness and types of music listened to by students of a fine arts high school, and then examined the relationship between the two. In addition, variations in levels of loneliness and the favourite type of music was examined according to gender, department and class variables. The study was conducted with the participation of 182 students, attending the art and music departments of the Balıkesir Kadriye Kemal Gürel Fine Arts High School. Data were collected using the UCLA Loneliness Scale and a personal information questionnaire. It was found that students had low levels of loneliness, and that these levels of loneliness did not vary significantly by gender, department or class attended. The music most often listened to by the students was Turkish pop music, whereas western classical music was the music they listened to least. No significant relationship was found between the type of music listened to and levels of loneliness. The type of music listened to was found to vary significantly according to gender and department, but not by the class attended. Findings were discussed in the context of the wider literature.