Does Instrumental Music Training Improve Chinese Word Reading? A Quasi-experimental Study

This study set out to investigate whether and how music training improved Chinese word reading in children. Adopting a quasi-experimental research design, we recruited 86 musically trained children and musically untrained children with similar family income. We tested them on Chinese word reading, phonological awareness, and tone awareness. Moreover, we assessed their cognitive abilities, specifically non-verbal intelligence, inhibitory control, and working memory, as control variables. Data analyses revealed that musically trained children outperformed musically untrained children on word reading and phonological awareness but not tone awareness. Moreover, phonological awareness predicted word reading in musically trained children, with chronological age, cognitive abilities, and tone awareness controlled. However, tone awareness did not significantly predict their word reading. This study provides initial evidence supporting the potential of music training to improve Chinese word reading. Moreover, the findings reflect a possible intervention mechanism in which music training improves Chinese word reading by enhancing phonological awareness. Theoretically, the findings may extend the Precise Auditory Timing Hypothesis to tone languages and the logographic writing system.