Listening or Reading - That is the question

Students are asking parents to listen to podcasts and audible books instead of reading texts, and parents want to know if this is a good idea. Well, since research in the reading process is one of my things, I was intrigued by the question. But I thought I should do a little bit of investigation before sharing my opinions. The comments below are based upon several different articles and studies that examined the question. There are mixed conclusions, mostly because only a few studies exist, and the methodologies are highly inconsistent. I am summarizing some of the conclusions, avoiding citations since this is NOT an academic blog! 

Active engagement.Some think that reading a hardcopy requires more active engagement, which facilitates comprehension, more so than listening to an audible, which is more passive. However, one study found no difference on a multiple choice test after participants listened to an audio recording, read an e-text, or read a hardcopy. It is important to consider, however, that this particular study was supported by Audible. Even though it was supported by a company, it does not necessarily mean that the study was flawed.

Children or adults. All the articles and research I found employed adult participants. Children,  teens, or those with limited English proficiency were not participants. This is important because the results could be different based upon maturity, development of vocabulary and concepts, as well as language development. This needs further study.

Text structure. The type of text may be instrumental in comprehension. Listening to narrative text may provide better comprehension since different voices and inflections can be used for dialogue. Along these same lines, listening to a Shakespeare play is much more comprehensible than reading it. And much more enjoyable! However, reading expository text might enhance comprehension because of the ability to engage in real time comprehension activities (e.g., highlighting text, rereading relevant passages) that encourage better comprehension.

Attention. From research, we do know that multitasking is a misnomer. We do NOT engage in multiple activities at the same time. Instead, our brains switch rapidly between activities. When our brains switch back and forth, we lose little components of each activity because our attention is divided. Furthermore, our minds take mini mind-breaks when engaging in any activity. When mind breaks happen, it is more difficult to determine what was missed and to then fill in the holes with listening. It is thought that the act of the eyes moving back and forth across the printed text facilitates attention to details, thus, filling in those holes. In addition, it is much easier to space out when listening to text than it is when reading text. Just ask me, who read the Island of the Blue Dolphin to my 5^thgrade class and half of them did not attend as evidenced by the multiple choice test.

Purpose. The purpose for listening or reading is instrumental in whether you choose to listen to an audible or engage in print. Complex materials require more engagement, more active participation. Furthermore, full participation in learning when studying for a test or when employing higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy beyond remembering (i.e., understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create) is required, thus reading  and interacting with text may provide more advantage than listening to text. 

Decoding, spelling, and language structure. I have not found studies that addressed this issue. With that being said, I think that the act of listening to text is a totally different skill from reading text. Listening skills are valuable and need to be developed. It can support vocabulary development by hearing the correct pronunciation of words and how those words are used in context to support meaning. But reading skills are also valuable. Reading text provides the interface with print, supporting decoding, spelling patterns, and print conventions necessary for communication in the writing process, feasible only through wide reading and instruction. 

So, my conclusion is that both reading text and listening to text is important for a wide variety of different reasons. Students should be doing both. And there is nothing wrong with a kid listening to a good story as long as it is balanced with reading a good story. As parents, it takes monitoring and direction, just like everything else that relates to students. Just remember some of the caveats as you help your students choose. 

I’m going to do the dishes. It’s one of my mind-numbing activities. I think I’ll put on a good book. Ummm. Glad I engaged in this discussion.

I invite comments, suggestions, ideas.


If you have questions that I might be able to answer generally, please email me. Please keep in mind that this blog is for suggestions that may or may not work. Here is the disclaimer, professional advice requires much more in-depth information and contact and is beyond the scope of this blog.  email: gail.coulter@outlook.com