The Effect of Audio-Visual Media on Students' Initial Reading Abilities in Indonesian Language Subjects for Elementary School Students

Abstract

Early reading ability is a fundamental competency for elementary school students; however, some students still experience difficulties in recognizing letters and reading syllables, words, and sentences fluently. One contributing factor is the suboptimal use of instructional media that align with students' learning characteristics. This study aimed to examine the effect of audiovisual media on the early reading ability of second-grade students in the Indonesian Language subject at MIS Al Khoirot. The research employed a quantitative approach using a one-group pretest–posttest design. The sample consisted of 40 students selected through total sampling. Data were collected through early reading ability tests administered before and after the intervention and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a Paired Sample t-Test. The findings revealed that the students' mean score increased from 88.88 in the pretest to 96.80 in the posttest. The hypothesis test yielded a significance value of 0.001 (< 0.05), indicating a statistically significant difference in reading ability before and after the implementation of audiovisual media. These findings demonstrate that audiovisual media are effective in improving students' early reading skills. The study implies that audiovisual media can serve as an alternative instructional strategy to enhance student engagement and support the development of reading skills in lower elementary grades.