Chewing Gum in the Classroom

Why are students prohibited from chewing gum in schools? After hearing Dr. Rosenthal on FOX Sunday report that chewing gum is shown to improve students’ concentration, I quickly asked myself that question. As a teacher, I am always looking for approaches to improve student’s academic success.

Of all the schools I’ve ever been associated with, all have prohibited gum chewing. Why is this? Is it the distraction that it causes to others, the mess left behind by its improper disposal, or just BECAUSE? I have found many times that the reason students receive for most things is, “It has always been prohibited.”

I looked into this and found that a study done by Craig Johnson, PhD at the Baylor College of Medicine (sponsored by the Wrigley Science Institute) indicated that chewing gum has a positive effect on student’s academic performance. The team came to this conclusion after following 108 students for 14 weeks. They were assigned to either chew sugar-free gum during math class, while doing math homework and during math tests or to refrain from gum-chewing during these activities. The study results showed that gum chewers had a 3 percent increase in their standardized math test scores compared with those that did not chew gum. Their final math grades also were higher.

Dr. Johnson, the lead researcher of the study, reported that “Some researchers speculate that a decreased level of stress leads to better focus and concentration, which may explain the relationship between gum chewing and increased focus and concentration.” Could this be the reason that teachers observed during the study that those who chewed gum seemed to require fewer breaks, sustained attention longer and seemed to remain quieter?

In another study, jointly carried out by the University of Northumbria and the Cognitive Research Unit in England, the act of chewing gum was proven to improve short and long term memory by as much as 35 percent. Andrew Scholey, a scientist involved in the study said, “The results were extremely clear; specifically, we found that chewing gum targeted memory.“

How does chewing gum affect the memory? Dr. Scholey believes there might be two theories for this. The first theory is that chewing raises the heart beat, which causes more oxygen and nutrients to be pumped into the brain. The second theory is that it triggers the production of insulin, which stimulates a part of the brain involved in memory.

Dr. Johnson, in the Baylor research, stated that his study “demonstrates the potential benefits for chewing gum on academic performance in a real-life classroom setting.” He adds, “Chewing gum is an easy tool students can use for a potential academic edge.”

These two studies seem to add to a growing body of research that indicates that chewing gum can lead to better academic performance as well as reduce stress, improve alertness and relieve anxiety. If this is all true, why shouldn’t we allow chewing gum in our classrooms?

Karla Blevins, Fun Brainy Toys

Sources: Johnston C A, Tyler C, Stansberry SA, Palcic JL, Foreyt JP. Gum Chewing Affects Academic Performance in Adolescents; Presented in the “Late Breaking” Poster Session at the American Society for Nutrition (ASN), April 2009
Chew Your Way to a Better Brain, BBC News, and March 2002
Sorokin, Ellen. Chewing Gum Expands the Mind. Insight on the News, April 2002