The review identified how audiobooks can widen children’s access to literature. Not only are audiobooks easy and convenient to access via digital devices, but children are able to access a broader range of texts. They are also able to access more of a book than reading alone as the listening experience deepens their understanding of tone and pronunciation and exposes them to different accents and dialects.
The review also includes evidence that listening to an audiobook requires the same cognitive skills as reading in print, and also supports the development of skills that children need to read including language comprehension and the ability to understand and retain information.
Research has also shown that listening to a human voice can elicit a stronger emotional response than reading a written narrative or watching a film, indicating that audiobooks have the potential to support a child’s emotional intelligence.
Audiobooks were also found to be effective at engaging reluctant, struggling and developing readers. Children are able to access a wider range of stories through audiobooks, where difficulty in decoding or comprehending a written text is a barrier, and they can provide a pathway into stories that may be beyond a child’s reading level. The ‘cool factor’ of listening to stories on a digital device is also particularly appealing to reluctant readers.
The ability to listen to a book as a family was found to be an important way of getting books into the home. Audiobooks can also help parents who themselves struggle to read or lack confidence reading to share stories with their children. The rise of smart speakers has also facilitated the sharing of stories, with many services now launching storytelling apps.
Conclusions:
- Audiobooks are increasing in popularity and their convenience and ease can be of huge benefit in education as well as in a consumer market. However, that convenience does not equate to a shortcut, nor does it adversely affect the process of learning to read if deployed effectively. Indeed, it can boost this and build on the other benefits of wide and frequent reading, such as vocabulary building and emotional intelligence.
- The majority of classroom-based studies have been done with materials created specifically for the classroom, and little has been explored using commercially produced audiobooks. While the UCL study did use commercial products, their focus was on measuring modal differences in older, proficient readers, whereas it would be interesting to explore how these sorts of books could be used to motivate and support reluctant or struggling readers.
- It should be noted that the focus of these studies is predominantly on listening in relation to reading – how listening can support and encourage a love of reading, build reading skills, or even act as a convenient substitute. Little has been done on the intrinsic benefits of listening and listening for enjoyment, which should be explored further.
- Studying the intrinsic benefits of listening in all its forms –and considering it as a strand of literacy alongside reading, writing and speaking – should also be a priority.