Brainwave Music as a Supportive Intervention for Improving Reading Skills in Students with Dyslexia

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the effect of Brainwave Music on the reading ability of students with dyslexia at Sekolah Luar Biasa (Special Needs School) Negeri 2 Makassar. Reading ability is a fundamental skill for learners; however, it often becomes a major obstacle for children with dyslexia. This study employed a quantitative approach using a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test control group design. The research sample consisted of eight students identified as having dyslexia based on the screening results of the Colorado Learning Disabilities Questionnaire Research (CLDQ-R), who were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The research instrument was a reading ability test covering letter reading, syllable reading, word reading, and sentence reading. The experimental group received Brainwave Music intervention for 10 days, while the control group received no treatment. Data were analyzed using the Shapiro–Wilk test, Wilcoxon test, and MANOVA. The results showed that Brainwave Music had a significant effect on improving letter reading and word reading abilities in the experimental group, with p-values < 0.05. However, no significant effect was found on syllable reading and sentence reading abilities. In the control group, no significant differences were found between pre-test and post-test scores across all aspects of reading ability. It indicates that Brainwave Music is effective as a supportive method for improving basic reading skills in individuals with dyslexia, particularly in letter recognition and word reading.