<![CDATA[Early reading skills are a fundamental component of literacy development in the first grade of elementary school. However, observations at SD Muhammadiyah 1 Muntilan showed that some students had not achieved the predetermined learning criteria, particularly in reading syllables, words, and simple sentences. Previous studies have examined syllable-based methods and classroom action research, but few have specifically tested the effect of the open syllable method using an experimental design with a control group. This study aims to examine the effect of the open syllable method on the early reading skills of first-grade students by comparing an experimental class with a control class. This quantitative study employed a quasi-experimental method with a non-equivalent control group design. The participants were 49 first-grade students, consisting of 24 students in the experimental class and 25 students in the control class. Data were collected through pretests, posttests, observation sheets, and documentation. The data were analyzed using independent samples and paired-samples t-tests. The experimental class obtained a mean score of 80.63 on the pretest and 91.25 on the posttest, while the control class obtained 87.00 and 90.40, respectively. The independent samples t-test showed a significant difference between the two classes (p = 0.005), while the paired-samples t-test showed a significant improvement in the experimental class (p < 0.001). The findings indicate that the open syllable method significantly improved students’ early reading skills through gradual practice from recognizing consonants and vowels to reading syllables, meaningful words, and simple sentences.]]>
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