Rhymes and Songs: Their Effectiveness as Instructional Tools in Enhancing Reading Comprehension Skills of Grade 3 Learners
Keywords:
Reading comprehension, Rhymes, Songs, Grade 3 learners, Quasi experimental design, Literacy instructionAbstract
Reading comprehension remains a persistent challenge among primary learners, particularly in contexts where instruction is predominantly text centered and assessment-driven. This quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of rhymes and songs as structured instructional tools in enhancing the reading comprehension skills of Grade 3 learners across twelve public elementary schools in the Bauang North District, Philippines. A total of 360 learners participated, with 180 exposed to six weeks of rhythm-integrated instruction and 180 receiving conventional reading strategies. The intervention systematically embedded rhymes, songs, and chants into pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading activities aligned with the Department of Education Most Essential Learning Competencies. Statistical analyses revealed significant improvements in the experimental group’s comprehension scores compared to the control group (p < .001), with a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.28). Gains were especially evident in inferential and evaluative comprehension, suggesting that rhythm-based instruction enhances engagement, memory retention, and deeper processing of text. These findings emphasize the potential of culturally resonant, multisensory pedagogies in primary education, positioning rhymes and songs as effective scaffolds for foundational literacy development in the Philippine context.
Downloads
References
Beaumont, N.E. (2022). Poetry and motion: Rhythm, rhyme and embodiment as oral literacy pedagogy for young additional language learners. Education Sciences, 12(12), 905. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12120905
Bonacina, S., Huang, S., White-Schwoch, T., Krizman, J., Nicol, T., & Kraus, N. (2021). Rhythm, reading, and sound processing in the brain in preschool children. NPJ Science of Learning, 6(1), 20. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-021-00097-5
Chen, H., Zhao, Y., Sun, P., Wang, H., Zhao, Y., & Wu, X. (2025). Contributions of decoding and listening comprehension to reading comprehension at different levels: Exploring the mediating roles of oral and silent reading fluency. Learning and Individual Differences, 117, 102582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2024.102582
Dirgantari, A.S., & Susantiningdyah, H. (2020). Students’ reading comprehension skill: The roles of text readability and question difficulty. PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences, 6(01), 533–544. https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2020.61.533544
Eccles, R., van der Linde, J., le Roux, M., Holloway, J., MacCutcheon, D., Ljung, R., & Swanepoel, D.W. (2021). Effect of music instruction on phonological awareness and early literacy skills of five- to seven-year-old children. Early Child Development and Care, 191(12), 1896–1910. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2020.1803852
Hisrich, K., & McCaffrey, M. (2021). Planning and preparing for read-alouds. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 49(2), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.33600/IRCJ.49.2.2021.12
Jose, R. (2025). Rhyme, rhythm and reading: Phonological awareness through early childhood verses. International Journal of English and Studies (IJOES), 7(5).
Kang, H. (2021). Sample size determination and power analysis using the G*Power software. Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, 18, Article 17. https://doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2021.18.17
Khan, N. (2020). Critical review of sampling techniques in the research process in the world. SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3572336
Lombardi Calleja, N. (2019). Silence and observation in early childhood education: The pedagogical basis of a symbol literacy approach (Master’s thesis, University of Malta).
Miller, C., Smith, S., & Pugatch, M. (2020). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs in implementation research. Psychiatry Research, 283, 112452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2019.06.027
Mustainah, M., Sulfasyah, S., & Arif, T. (2021). The effect of the Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC) method assisted by visual media on the writing skills of Class V students. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan, 23(2), 194–203. https://doi.org/10.17509/jpp.v23i2.59200
Oguntade, F. (2021). Content analysis of levels and aspects of comprehension in West African senior secondary school examination. Reading & Writing, 12(1), a293. https://doi.org/10.4102/rw.v12i1.293
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2023). PISA 2022 results: Country note – Philippines. OECD Publishing.
Philippine Statistics Authority. (2025). For every 10 Filipinos, 9 have basic literacy, while 7 have functional literacy [2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) final results].
Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2). (2026). Turning point: A decade of necessary reform [Final report]. Senate of the Philippines.
Sousa, J., Martins, M., Torres, N., Castro, S.L., & Silva, S. (2022). Rhythm but not melody processing helps reading via phonological awareness and phonological memory. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 13224. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15596-7
Tanrıgüden, B. (2024). A scaffolded approach to lessen cognitive load and improve notational literacy: The musical mosaic method (Doctoral dissertation, University of Hartford). University of Hartford.
Urbaite, G. (2025). Learning languages through music and songs: Cognitive, pedagogical, and affective dimensions. Porta Universorum, 1(4), 45–53. https://doi.org/10.69760/portuni.0104004
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
