Music education in British schools: The relationship between music education, cognitive skills and perceived academic outcomes

Abstract In recent years, there has been increased attention on the effect of extracurricular activities on the academic performance of students, especially in the music education (ME) programme. The study aimed to analyse the relationship between participation in the ME programme and the academic performance of learners between 6 and 17 years. A quantitative survey design was used to collect data from 420 students in three British international schools in China through self‐report questionnaires that examined students' perceptions of ME participation, learning experiences and skill development. ME participation was positively associated with cognitive skills, academic engagement and self‐regulation skills. In turn, cognitive skills, academic engagement and self‐regulation skills were positively associated with perceived academic outcomes. Mediation analysis further indicated that these factors significantly explained the relationship between ME participation and perceived academic outcomes. Age group comparisons showed that older students reported higher levels of ME participation, cognitive skills, academic engagement, self‐regulation skills and perceived academic outcomes than younger students. As the data were based on self‐reports, the findings reflect students' perceptions rather than objectively measured academic outcomes. This investigation extends existing literature by examining how cognitive skills, academic engagement and self‐regulation skills jointly explain the association between ME participation and perceived academic outcomes across a broad age range of school students. ME participation was positively associated with key learning‐related competencies and perceived academic outcomes, highlighting its potential role in supporting students' academic development and engagement.