Listen Without Guilt: Audiobooks Offer Similar Comprehension As Reading

Here is something that I have been fighting with teachers and librarians for years. Although either is good, together is even better for many students (RWL - Reading While Listening). I've been reading audiobooks for years now. For those who are starting to read audiobooks, don't expect your comprehension/ability to be the same initially as with the printed page. It takes practice, just as printed reading takes. You will also get reading tired after so many minutes, especially with non-fiction, but as you keep listening you will get better and longer at a setting. The other thing that I noticed was I can now not only listen longer, you might also listen faster. I always tell my students that they need to talk slower when making audio recordings for classes, as the normal speaking voice is too fast for many. But since I started using audiobooks I've gradually increased my listening speed and now find the standard speed on many audiobooks (such as those from Audible) to be too slow and so I listen at 1.25x speed.

Many educators believe that reading a book is much more effective than listening to one. It’s even one of the core “Three Rs” of education. (You know, even though two of those don’t start with ‘R,’ which might explain quite a bit about 19th-century education.) Listening, while critical to learning, has yet to be made its own formal classroom subject.

However, research shows that there’s no difference between listening and reading a book, and that audiobooks are just as effective when it comes to comprehension. “Language builds language,” says Virginia Clinton-Lisell, researcher and associate professor at the University of North Dakota. “There are a wealth of studies showing that listening and reading comprehension benefit each other. The better you are at reading, the better you'll be at listening. The better you are at listening, the better you will be at reading.” https://www.techlearning.com/news/audiobooks-for-students-listening-to-what-the-research-says

Full Story: Tech & Learning (3/21)

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