Chewing Gum Gives Teenagers an Advantage on Test Scores and in the Classroom
by Teachers who outlaw gum may want to re-think their policy. Who would have guessed that the age-old rule of “no gum allowed” in the class room should be changed to “make sure you have your gum” in school.
Kid’s find it irresistable to pull a sticky string of gum half-way out of their mouth, twist it around a bit, and put it back in again. Even better is to pop your friends face-size bubble and watch what happens. And, of course, if your gum gets stale, you can always stick it under the desk. It’s not hard to understand why teachers ban gum.
But maybe not for long.
Wrigley’s Science Institute (WSI) is serious about investigating any health or wellness benefits from chewing gum. They are putting their wallet behind the research, looking for tantalizing results that prove gum is good for you.
And they’ve come up with some.
One of the latest findings is that teens who chew gum on a regular basis do statistically better on tests, and in real life classroom situations. In 2008 Baylor College of Medicine and the Children’s Nutrition Research Center led the experiment based on a group of 8th grade teenagers who chewed gum (Wrigley’s sugar-free) for 14 days, chewing during class time and while doing homework. After 14 weeks, the teenagers chewing gum did 3% better on a standardized math test, than those who did not chew gum.
While the school subject used in the test was math, it seems plausible that this simple, easy (and did I mention cheap) habit can produce benefits for other subjects as well. The theory behind the experiment is that chewing gum can relieve tension and increase focus.
I wonder if allowing chewing gum will relieve the teacher’s tension and focus?
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Post CommentJoe Dorish
On April 28, 2009 at 6:36 am
Awesome! I love to chew gum.
Karen Gross
On April 28, 2009 at 9:04 pm
If the students could just keep the gum in their mouths, and throw it in the garbage when they are done, it would be no problem. When I was teaching, I always seemed to be getting gum on my shoes.
Peter Cimino
On May 8, 2009 at 10:23 am
Wow. No WAY would I have ever thought that. How cool. Wish they would have come up with this like 30 years ago! LOL Nicely done.
Kheng
On May 9, 2009 at 3:27 am
Thank you for an interesting article.
Here’s a little titbit regarding chewing gum in Singapore.
Do you know that chewing gum is banned in Singapore?
The main reason being that people disposed of the gum incorrectly by sticking them under places like chairs or tables and leaving them on pavements, stairways etc in public areas. This increased the cost of cleaning and also damaged cleaning equipment.
There were also instances where vandals stuck chewing gums on the door sensors of MRT trains, preventing the door from functioning properly and causing disruption of train services.
The ban was subsquently revised to allow the controlled sale of a certain brand of sugar-free gum that contains calcium lactate to strengthen tooth enamel.
So, even if research do show that students may benefit from chewing gum during class and doing homework, I doubt very much that the ban will be lifted.
Regards,
Kheng
OhSugar
On May 15, 2009 at 9:44 am
I agree with you article. I live in Florida where the FCAT is a must. We do allow our students to chew gum during testing, for that very reason you mentioned in this piece.
Cynthia Bartlett
On July 2, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Interesting
thanks for sharing
maybe I should pick up some gum for my classes
ashley
On February 11, 2010 at 5:23 pm
i love to chew gum
seashell66
On February 27, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Wow, very interesting. Great read.