HARNESSING CLASSICAL MUSIC TO IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20501356Keywords:
Acoustic Environment, Classical Music, Cognitive Load, Higher Education, Reading ComprehensionAbstract
Advanced reading comprehension is a critical competency required for university students to achieve academic success; however, many undergraduates experience cognitive overload and anxiety when interacting with dense academic texts. This study empirically investigates the efficacy of utilizing a classical music background as an environmental intervention to improve reading comprehension among higher education students. Employing a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design, this study involved 70 undergraduate students who were equally distributed into an experimental group (n = 35), exposed to low-intensity non-lyrical classical music (60–80 bpm) during reading tasks, and a control group (n = 35), situated in a traditional silent classroom. Data were gathered through standardized academic reading tests and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics via SPSS. The descriptive results revealed that while both cohorts shared a homogenous baseline in the pre-test, the experimental group achieved a substantial post-test mean score increase (M = 82.10, Gain = +16.70) compared to the modest progress of the control group (M = 71.30, Gain = +6.50). Furthermore, the Independent Samples t-test confirmed a statistically significant difference in post-test performance between the two groups, t(68) = 4.21, p < .001. Grounded in the Arousal-Conjecture and Cognitive Load theories, these findings demonstrate that a structured acoustic environment successfully mitigates mental fatigue and optimizes working memory capacity. This study concludes that harnessing classical music is a viable, evidence-based pedagogical strategy to foster advanced literacy in modern tertiary education.
References
Alisoy, H. (2025). Integrating music into curriculum design: Strategies for enhancing student achievement and cognitive skills. Acta Globalis Humanitatis Et Linguarum, 2(4), 37–70.
Baddeley, A. (2012). Working memory: Theories, models, and controversies. Annual Review of Psychology, 63, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100422
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2017). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Routledge.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
De la Mora Velasco, E., & Moreno, M. (2025). Music and online learning: new perspectives and directions. Educational Technology Research and Development, 73(4), 2567–2587.
Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Gómez, M. R., Landero, J. M., & Vázquez, E. M. (2025). How students from higher education improve listening skill through English songs. An exploratory study. Estudios y Perspectivas Revista Científica y Académica, 5(1), 3614–3637.
Idham, A. Z., Alam, F. A., & Usman, U. (2025). The implementation of hypnoteaching method in improving students reading comprehension. Journal of Educational Sciences, 377–387.
Idham, A. Z., Mulyarti, M., Rauf, W., Hamzah, A., & Rajab, A. (2025). Enhancing English Achievement through Moodle LMS. FOSTER: Journal of English Language Teaching, 6(4), 362–376. https://doi.org/10.24256/foster-jelt.v6i4.285
Idham, Afif Zuhdy; Sukmawati, S. (2025). Empowering Reading Comprehension with the Hypnoteaching Method (M. P. Ahmad Fathir Imran, S.Pd. (ed.)). Ureka Media Aksara.
Imran, A. F., Idham, A. Z., Yamin, M., Anto, M. A., & Paramita, S. (2026). Sharpening Critical Economic thinking: Investigating the Impact of Case-Based Learning in Higher Education. SOSIOEDUKASI: Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan dan Sosial, 15(2), 907–915.
Lagopoulos, J., Xu, J., Rasmussen, I., Vik, A., Malhi, G. S., Eliassen, C. F., Arntsen, I. E., Saether, J. G., Hollup, S., Holen, A., & Davanger, S. (2009). Increased theta and alpha EEG activity during nondirective meditation. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 15(11), 1187–1192. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2009.0113
Lisanty, F. I. (2024). Tingkat Kemampuan Bahasa Inggris Mahasiswa Program Kebidanan. DEIKTIS: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Dan Sastra, 4(4), 1159–1167.
Lisanty, F. I. (2025). Pengenalan Literasi Bahasa Inggris Dini untuk Membangun Karakter Positif Anak TK. MAMMIRI: JURNAL PENGABDIAN MASYARAKAT, 2(2), 105–109.
Mantilla Pérez, C. D. (2025). English music in EFL Students’ Listening Comprehension. Ecuador: Pujilí: Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi (UTC).
Moreno, S., Bialystok, E., Barac, R., Schellenberg, E. G., Cepeda, N. J., & Chau, T. (2009). Short-term music training enhances verbal intelligence and executive function. Psychological Science, 20(11), 1425–1433. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02459.x
Patel, A. D. (2011). Why would musical training benefit the neural encoding of speech? The OPERA hypothesis. Frontiers in Psychology, 2, 142. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00142
Pratama, A. R. (2024). Pengaruh desain akustik ruang kelas terhadap fokus dan kenyamanan belajar mahasiswa di perguruan tinggi. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, 9(1), 45–58.
Ramli, M. (2022). Problematika adaptasi mahasiswa tahun pertama dalam memahami literatur hukum yang kompleks di lingkungan UIN. Jurnal Integrasi Hukum dan Syariah, 4(2), 112–125.
Savan, A. (1999). The effect of background music on learning. Psychology of Music, 27(2), 138–146. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735699272005
Shandelson, W. M., & Cook, T. D. (2020). Quasi-experimentation: Design & analysis issues for field settings. Houghton Mifflin.
Siregar, H., & Siregar, F. (2023). Analisis beban kognitif mahasiswa hukum dalam memahami istilah hukum serapan Arab dan Belanda. Jurnal Literasi Bahasa dan Edukasi, 11(3), 204–216.
Srimulyani, E. (2020). Peningkatan literasi tingkat tinggi dan tantangan membaca kritis di kalangan mahasiswa universitas Islam negeri. Edukasia: Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan Islam, 15(2), 189–202.
Tan, Y., Longcount, M., & Phutrakul, P. (2020). The effects of classical music on EEG brainwave patterns and anxiety reduction during high-stakes academic testing. Journal of Neuroeducational Research, 8(2), 143–155.
Thaut, M. H., McIntosh, G. C., & Hoemberg, V. (2015). Neurobiological foundations of neurologic music therapy: Rhythmic entrainment and the motor system. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1185. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01185
Thompson, W. F., Schellenberg, E. G., & Husain, G. (2001). Arousal, mood, and the Mozart effect. Psychological Science, 12(3), 248–251. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00345
