Tomatis® Method comparative efficacy in promoting self-regulation in tertiary students: a systematic review

Abstract

This systematic review sought to determine the evidence on how the Tomatis® Method, a sound stimulation intervention for improving listening, compares to other self-regulation interventions with tertiary students . We searched studies from the following data bases ‘Academic FileOne, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Communication & Mass Media Complete, eBook (EBSCOHost), HeinOnline, OAPEN Library, PsychARTICLES, PsychINFO, SocINDEX, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar; and the North-West University repository’ and for the period spanning 2003 to 2013 . Studies included for the analysis met these criteria: Published between 2003 and 2013; published and written in English, student participant samples from tertiary institutions such as a universities or colleges; programmes or interventions developed and implemented with a positive effect on well-being or self-regulation; application of the Tomatis® Method in a student population, irrespective of an experimental design . A total of 35 articles met the inclusion criteria . The evidence was thematically analysed using narrative analysis . Findings suggest the Tomatis® Method to be superior to alternative self-regulation approaches in decreasing psychosocial and emotional stressors, as well as enhancing well-being of students . The Tomatis® Method was as effective as alternative approaches in promoting self-awareness and self-monitoring . Alternative methods were more effective than the Tomatis® Method in aspects of critical thinking . The Tomatis® Method appears to compare well with other interventions for the promotion of self-regulation among tertiary students