Abstract:

This study aims to make a comparison as to what aspects of reading skills are affected by music with its different functions. For this purpose, a total of 31 experimental/quasi-experimental studies published between 2010-2021 investigating the effect of music on reading skills were analyzed by meta-analysis method. Effect size calculations of the studies, heterogeneity analysis, publication bias and moderator analysis were performed through the statistical program Comprehensive Meta-Analysis v2.0 (CMA). As a result of the heterogeneity test, the data obtained from the studies were interpreted in accordance with the random effects model. It was concluded that music had a small effect size (Hedge’s g=0.269, 95%CI=0.058-0.481) on the academic success of students' reading skills compared to a quiet learning environment. Moderator variable analysis indicated that the effect size values did not show a statistically significant difference according to how music was used and the duration of the experimental process while these values showed a statistically significant difference according to the reading sub-skills/learning areas, the field of study and the level of education in which the implementation was carried out. This study examines the effect of music, in a comparative way, on reading skills in terms of reading aloud skill, phonemic awareness, reading comprehension, vocabulary and grammatical accuracy, which are sub-skills/learning areas of reading skill, as well as considering each different function of music use. The study is expected to make an important contribution to the literature as it makes a comprehensive synthesis of the studies investigating the effect of music on reading skills with respect to these intermediate variables. Keywords: music, reading skill, meta-analysis.

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