Social Studies School Based Assessment: How Dancehall Music Affects the Teenage Population

SOCIAL SUDIES SCHOOL BASED
ASSESSMENT (SBA)
2013

CANDIDATE NAME: **********

CANDIDATE NUMBER:

SCHOOL: *********

TERRITORY:

TEACHER: ***********

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgement
3
Introduction
4
Statement of Problem
5
Reason for Selecting Area of Research.
6
Method of Investigation
7
Data Collection Instrument
8
Procedures for Data Collection
13
Presentation of Data.
14
Analysis and Interpretation of Data.
21
Statement of Findings
23
Bibliography
24

Acknowledgement
Though I have worked hard on this project the final completion would not have been possible without the support and help of many individuals, I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to these persons:

I would like to thank my teacher Mr. Williams for looking at my SBA and guiding me on the right way of completing.
God, for giving me the strength, perseverance and competence to do this project.
My parents for the money to print this assignment.
I would also like to thank ********** for helping me.

Introduction
This is a School Based Assessment (SBA) on how dancehall music affects the class of five (5) Crimson, at Mannings School.

According to one historian, “dancehall music is a genre of Jamaican music derived from reggae music in the 1970s.”1 It has now become somewhat of a code by which many Jamaican teenagers live. This project has been designed to break down and isolate the key reasons why dancehall music affects the teenage population and how it affects them. While focusing on the socio-cultural, economic and spiritual effects of dancehall music on a class of teenagers, it will be seen just how much dancehall may be embedded in human behavior.

INFLUENCE OF DANCEHALL MUSIC ON TEENAGERS
Statement of the Problem

How does dancehall music affect the teenage class population of **********************

Reasons for Selecting Area of Research

Dancehall music impacts the lifestyle of the teenagers in Jamaica and therefore has tremendous socio-cultural implications for the future of the country

Most teenagers can relate to this genre of music and therefore can be used to aid in the country 's ailing economy and communicate important spiritual values.

Method of Investigation

The investigation was done using the questionnaire method. This method is a convenient way of collecting data and allows for comprehensive data analysis by use of structured questions.

Data Collection Instrument

INSTRUCTION ******
*******************
*************** October 12, 2013.
Dear Respondents, My name is Brandon-Lee James; I am a student of the Mannings School. The Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) Social Studies syllabus requires that each student do a School Based Assessment (SBA). The topic for my SBA is: “How does dancehall music affect the class population of five (5) Crimson?” I’m asking for your assistance in the completion of my S.B.A. Please complete the following questionnaire. You are advised to answer all questions truthfully. All questions answered will be kept in confidence, I hope for your kind cooperation.

Yours Sincerely,
*********

INSTRUCTIONS: Read all questions and answer them accordingly.

Gender: Male Female 1. How often do you listen to dancehall music?

Daily Weekly Monthly 2. Have you ever wished to try things that you hear when listening to dancehall songs?
Yes No
3. What preparations do you make when you hear about a dancehall party that you want to attend? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

4. Approximately how much money do you spend on items in preparation for attending a dancehall music concert or party?

Clothes $__________ Jewellery $___________ Ticket $__________ Transportation $________

5. Dancehall was originally a peaceful genre of music created to publicly display the situation of the urban areas of Jamaica through voice, what are your views on the violent and sexual trend of the current dancehall industry? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

6. Name your favorite dancehall song and describe how that song affects you. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

7. Would you consider making a career out of Dancehall Music?

Yes No

8. If your answer to question 7 is yes, which of these careers in Dancehall Music would you prefer?

DJ Sing J Promoter Producer Salesperson

9. Do you believe that you could support yourself and a family from a career in Dancehall Music? What reason do you have to believe that you would be successful?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. Whose words make more impact on you: your parents, Vybez Kartel, your Church Pastor or your teacher?
__________________________________________________________________________________

11. Why do you listen to dancehall music?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. What would you say about a person who keeps themselves away from the dancehall hype and doesn’t go to parties, drink alcohol or “have fun”?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

13. When you listen to the words of the first dancehall song that comes to your mind, what do you think of? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. Does dancehall music play an important role in your life

Yes No

15. Dancehall is a prevalent genre of music in Jamaica, what do you think artistes should do to impact the youth in a way you would like? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. Do the lyrics of some dancehall songs seem offensive to you in any way? If yes why?

Yes No

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. Do you think that you as a teenager should rely on dancehall to teach you important lessons and how to behave? Give reason for your answer.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. Do you believe that dancehall music supports traditional Christianity, or do you think that it opens up other ways of reaching God?

Supports Traditional Christianity Opens up other ways of reaching God

19. Do you believe there is a need for dancehall music in Jamaica? If so why? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

20. After thinking and answering the above questions do you honestly believe that dancehall music is beneficial to your social, economic, emotional, spiritual or physical wellbeing

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Data Collection Procedure

The Information for this project was gathered with the use of a questionnaire. This questionnaire was distributed to 30 teenagers in the class ******* on ******* and collect on the 25th of the same month.

Presentation of Data
Data is presented in various charts. Charts are very useful for the graphical presentation of data as they will at a glance indicate trends in data.
The types used are: bar, 3-D column, column, pie, and doughnut charts.

This 3-D column chart shows the level of importance dancehall is given by teens.

This pie chart is designed to show the reasons why teenagers listen to dancehall music.

This bar chart shows that the role model preference of teenagers

This 3-D exploded pie chart shows the data of the number of students that prefer a specific genre of music in percentages.

This doughnut chart indicates the average cost of items in preparation for attending Dance Hall events. The total average cost is $5000.00.

This chart indicates the some possible careers in dancehall music and the percentage of students who may choose these careers.

This Bar Chart indicates how dancehall may impact religious choices

Analysis and Interpretation of Data

Chart 1 indicates how important dancehall music is to the typical teenager. As shown in the data collected dancehall music seems to be quite important to teenagers. If the statement ‘whatever you put in is what you get out’ is true, then teenagers who consider the music to be important are at a risk of being greatly influenced by it. When delving into the world of dancehall music. Teens mostly listen to dancehall songs that are considered unacceptable for public airing. The teen’s lifestyle may become a reflection of these songs. Lyric lines such as “chop off the pagans head and let it roll away” by the well known Jamaican artist Sizzla Kalonji will play part in inspiring a culture of violence. This may explain why teens respond violently to even the most minor offenses.
In chart 2, the data collected shows that most teens listen to dancehall because they want to fit in with the majority who know the lyrics of these songs. They may feel left out and sometimes suffer loss of self-esteem because teenagers who know all these songs may say things like “how can you not know the song?”. There are also other reasons such as: rebellion from parents and some who simply listen to dancehall music for recreational purposes.
In chart 3 it is shown that 43% of teenagers in the class chose the popular dancehall artist Vybez Kartel as the person who is most influential in their daily lives. This could however be a good thing considering the countless songs that have positive morals that the artist has made. However, the quantity of “bad” songs outweights those with positive messages. The saying “Garbage in, garbage out may well apply to this situation. Dancehall has become more than just a genre of music but a way of life.
Examination of Chart 4 shows that more than half the students in the class prefer dancehall music. As stated in earlier analysis teens practice what they hear. If 53% of teen indulge in the listening of slack, violent lyrics you can just imagine how they would grow up as adults. This effect on the teens could also extend further into the upcoming generation as teens are the men and women of tomorrow.
Chart 5 is useful in assessing the average amount of money spent for attending a dancehall event. The total cost may be up to $5000.00 which is also the approximate cost for sitting one CXC examination. The financial impact is therefore very important. Unless this can be balanced with the teen choosing a career in Dancehall music this kind of spending cannot be rationalized. In the harsh economic climate of Jamaica today it is irrational to spend so much money on entertainment. The same money could buy food for a family of 4 for one week.

Statement of Findings
The socio-cultural and spiritual impact of dancehall music is evident from the data collected. From the analysis, it would appear that teenagers are adopting the morals taught in dancehall songs today. In addition, the very disappointing trend of unsuitable role model choices is evident. It appears also that many of teenagers are being influenced to become vulgar and uncouth as they allow the sometimes violent and rebellious lyrics to impact their lives.
The dancehall culture has religious and spiritual undertones. Sources indicate that coming out of the Rastafarian religion and reggae music, this genre of music definitely has influenced some teens to choose this religion and reject the traditional Christian values and beliefs.2 However this study only considered whether or not dancehall music presents other ways of reaching God as opposed to traditional Christianity.
Most teens look down on others that don’t give in to the peer pressure that the popularity of dancehall music imposes on them.
Much money is spent in the dancehall lifestyle; teens spend unnecessary amounts of cash for clothing, jewelry and entrance fees to go to parties. They don’t just go to one party but at times even 2 or 3 per month.
Nonetheless, a small percentage of teens desire to make careers out of dancehall music and they are confident that they can do very well. This may do well for the country’s economy and the financial stability of those who do choose these careers once they are successful.
Some dancehall music may have good morals, but teenagers are picking up the negative messages conveyed in other music of this genre.

Recommendations and Implementation of Strategies

One of the drawbacks of this study is the small population from which the data has been extracted. This has the possibility of skewing the data to reflect results that are not realistic for the entire population of teenagers in the country.
For example, over six percent of the students wished to become DJs. Other surveys conducted on a nationwide scale may indicate a much smaller percentage.
One recommendation therefore would be to collect data from a much larger pool of students at different levels.
The method of data collection using questionnaires has advantages but it also has disadvantages. It can be very impersonal, and some persons may answer questions very arbitrarily without deeply considering their response.
A strategy that could therefore be implemented would be to supplement the questionnaires with follow-up interviews with similar questions and other questions that probe more deeply into responses to verify the truth.

Bibliograhpy
Niaah, Sonjah Stanley. DanceHall: From Slave Ship to Ghetto
(African and Diasporic Cultural Studies). Ottawa, Canada: University of Ottawa Press, 2010.

Perkins, Anna Kasafi. Throwing Words Across the Fence: Church and Dancehall in the Future of
Jamaica. Scholarly Paper from www.academia.edu, 2012.

Bibliography: *************** October 12, 2013