The Effects of Audio Text on Comprehension Scores in the Elementary Classroom

1. The Effects of Audio Text on Comprehension Scores in the Elementary Classroom Jacquelyn Seirer Wichita State University 2012-2013

2. Outline • Introduction • Research Question • Literature Review • Methodology • Analysis of the Data • Discussion • Conclusion • References

3. Introduction • Common Core State Standards (CCSS) emphasize deriving deeper meaning from text (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010) • Upper elementary students are required to read more challenging text (Thome, 2010) • Thome (2010) states that under CCSS, students are expected to “be text detectives, to be more attentive to the text, to read and reread deliberately” (p. 3).

4. Introduction • Reading is critical to knowledge acquisition (Coleman & Pimentel, 2011) • Students’ success or failure in school is closely tied to their ability to comprehend expository text (Pang, 2003) • Assisted reading with audio tools has been used in schools for many years • Assisted reading has positive effects on reading fluency (Esteves & Whitten, 2011)

5. Research Question What effect does the use of audio text have on reading comprehension?

6. Literature Review • Fluency and Comprehension • Models of Fluent Reading • Repeated Reading of Familiar Text • Reading Outside of School • Audiobooks and Reading Instruction • Audiobooks as Fluent Models • Audiobooks and Student Motivation • Audio and Visual Cues • Audiobooks and Struggling Readers

7. Literature Review: Fluency and Comprehension • Fluent reading involves accuracy, automaticity, and prosody (Borgia, 2009) • As fluency improves, more cognitive resources can be devoted to understanding text (Martinez, Roser, & Strecker, 1998) • “Fluent reading is necessary for meaning construction.” (Roser, 2008 p. 83)

8. Literature Review: Models of Fluent Reading • Hearing fluent reading helps students know what fluency sounds like (Martinez et al., 2008) • Parents model fluent reading when they read to children at home (McCook, 2007) • Peer tutors can be fluent models (Lo, Cooke, & Starling, 2011) • Teacher read-alouds model fluency (Ivey, 2002) • Computer read-alouds offer fluency benefits (Pearman & Chang, 2010)

9. Literature Review: Repeated Reading of Familiar Text • Practice is needed to move from decoding to automaticity (Esteves & Whitten, 2011) • As students reread, they see themselves as capable readers and engagement increases (Martinez, et al., 1998) • Students can reread silently, to a peer, or to a teacher (Lo, et al., 2011)

10. Literature Review: Reading Outside of School • Reading must be practiced out of school to increase skills • Parental involvement in reading can lead to increases in reading achievement (Rasinski, 2003b) • Parents can listen to children read, play word games, and model reading behaviors (Rasinski, 2003b) • Dialogue between parents and children about reading can encourage reading outside of school (McKook, 2007)

11. Literature Review: Audiobooks and Reading Instruction Audiobooks can be a powerful component of reading instruction in many ways: • Providing a model of fluent reading • Motivating students to read in an enjoyable context • Providing both audio and visual avenues for reading • Supporting struggling readers

12. Literature Review: Audiobooks as Fluent Models • Narrators provide a model of fluent, expressive reading (Esteves & Whitten, 2011) • Just-right pacing and different sounding characters help students follow along with the story (Cardillo, Coville, Ditlow, Myrick, &Lesesne, 2007) • Teachers can prepare passages with text to speech (TTS) technology (Douglas, Ayres, Langone, Bell, & Meade, 2009)

13. Literature Review: Audiobooks and Student Motivation • Researchers have found increased levels of engagement, motivation, and positive attitudes toward reading with the use of technology such as computers and podcasts (Borgia, 2009; Sokal and Katz, 2008) • Engagement is necessary for deriving meaning from text (Kimmel, 2012) • Sharing text with parents is also motivating and audiobooks can be used outside of school (Cardillo, et al., 2007)

14. Literature Review: Audio and Visual Cues • “Learning is most effective when it is a multisensory experience.” (Cardillo, 2007 p. 42) • Word-by-word highlighting and visual clues can increase comprehension (Douglas, et al., 2009) • Seeing and hearing a word at the same time creates a deeper imprint of the word in memory than does seeing a word alone (Cardillo, et al., 2007)

15. Literature Review: Audiobooks and Struggling Readers • Audiobooks lessen the burden of decoding so that more cognitive resources can be used to comprehend (Pearman & Chang, 2010) • Reading rates can be adjusted so that struggling readers can follow along (Sha, 2010) • Supported reading is a key component of fluency instruction (Rasinski, 2003a) • Audiobooks can be a scaffold for struggling readers to access grade-level text (Esteves & Whitten, 2011)

16. Research Question What is the effect of audio text on reading comprehension? Hypothesis: If audio text is used in conjunction with reading, comprehension scores will increase.

17. Methodology • Participants • Procedures • Assessments • Analysis of the Data • Discussion • Conclusion

18. Participants • Participants were 45 students in two fourth grade classrooms from a small, midwestern elementary school • 62% are Caucasian • 29% are Hispanic • 9% are African American • 2 students served in LD Special Education • 5 students served in Gifted Special Education

19. Participants Descriptive Statistics for Participants

20. Procedures • In a six-week study, students completed weekly reading assignments using one of three different reading strategies • Silent reading with text alone • Reading with text while listening to mp3 audio text • Reading while listening to iPadaudio text and following word-by-word highlighting • Students were grouped according to reading level • Passages were in 700-800 Lexile range to ensure readability

21. Procedures • Each week students participated in a different strategy • Weeks 1 and 4: Silent reading alone • Weeks 2 and 5: Reading with mp3 audio text • Weeks 3 and 6: Reading with iPad audio and word-by-word highlighting • Students were instructed to reread as often as necessary to understand the text • After reading students answered five multiple-choice comprehension questions • Students completed reading assignments independently during English Language Arts instruction

22. Assessments • Teachers scored comprehension questions for each reading assignment and recorded scores as percentage points (ie: 4/5= 80%) • Pretest and posttest scores were collected for each of the three reading strategies • Informal teacher observations were made as students participated in each strategy

23. Analysis of the Data • Data was analyzed for each of the three strategies to determine if there was growth in reading comprehension scores. • Gain scores were compared across the three strategies to determine which method was most effective in increasing reading comprehension scores.

24. Data Analysis: Read Silently Strategy

25. Data Analysis: Read Silently Strategy • Classroom A • Pretest mean: 73.9 Posttest mean: 72.2 • Pretest median: 80 Posttest median: 80 • Classroom B • Pretest mean: 77.0 Posttest mean: 72.0 • Pretest median: 80 Posttest median: 80

26. Data Analysis: Read Silently Strategy Gain Scores for Classrooms A and B

27. Data Analysis: Read Silently Strategy • Classroom A • Gain scores ranged from -1 to +1 • Mean gain score was +0.056 • 7 scores decreased, 16 improved or didn’t change • Classroom B • Gain scores ranged from -2 to +1 • Mean gain score was -0.267 • 6 scores decreased, 15 improved or didn’t change

28. Data Analysis: Read with mp3 Audio Text Pretest/Posttest Scores for Classrooms A and B

29. Data Analysis: Read with mp3 Audio Text • Classroom A • Pretest mean: 65.1 Posttest mean: 74.8 • Pretest median: 80 Posttest median: 80 • Classroom B • Pretest mean: 67.0 Posttest mean: 72.0 • Pretests median: 80 Posttest median: 70

30. Data Analysis: Read with mp3 Audio Text Gain Scores for Classrooms A and B

31. Data Analysis: Read with mp3 Audio Text • Classroom A • Gain scores ranged from -1 to +1 • Mean gain score was +0.213 • 2 scores decreased, 21 increased or didn’t change • Classroom B • Gain scores ranged from -1 to +1 • Mean gain score was +0.118 • 3 scores decreased, 18 increased or didn’t change

32. Data Analysis: Read with iPad Audio Text and Word-by-word Highlighting Pretest/Posttest scores for Classrooms A and B

33. Data Analysis: Read with iPad Audio Text and Word-by-word Highlighting • Classroom A • Pretest mean: 66.1 Posttest mean: 73.9 • Pretest median: 60 Posttest median: 80 • Classroom B • Pretest mean: 69.0 Posttest mean: 75.0 • Pretest median: 60 Posttest median: 80

34. Data Analysis: Read with iPad Audio Text and Word-by-word Highlighting Gain scores for Classrooms A and B

35. Data Analysis: Read with iPad Audio Text and Word-by-word Highlighting • Classroom A • Gain scores ranged from -1 to +1 • Mean gain score was +0.194 • 3 scores decreased, 20 increased or didn’t change • Classroom B • Gain scores ranged from -2 to +1 • Mean gain score was +0.240 • 2 scores decreased, 19 increased or didn’t change

36. Discussion • Read Silently Strategy • Not an effective strategy to increase comprehension • Mean scores decreased from pretest to posttest in both classrooms • Mean gain scores showed minimal or negative growth • Only 10 scores increase from pretest to posttest • Students were likely not engaged with this strategy

37. Discussion • Read with mp3 Audio Text Strategy • Comprehension scores can be improved by using this method of reading practice • Mean scores increased from pretest to posttest in both classrooms • Both classrooms had positive mean gain scores, with Classroom A showing the most growth • Only 5 students had decreased scores from pretest to posttest • Students were more engaged with this method

38. Discussion • Read with iPad Audio Text and Word-by-word Highlighting Strategy • Comprehension scores can be increased by using this method of reading practice • Mean scores increased from pretest to posttest in both classrooms • Both classroom had positive mean gain scores, with Classroom B showing the most growth • Only 4 students had scores that decreased from pretest to posttest • Students were more engaged with this method

39. Conclusions • The two methods involving the use of technology resulted in gains in reading comprehension scores • Interestingly, reading alone had the highest mean score on pretesting • This could indicate student familiarity with this traditional method of reading practice • Positive gain scores on methods with technology may indicate a higher level of student engagement • Further research and instruction is recommended for both strategies involving the use of audio text

40. References Borgia, L. (2009). Enhanced vocabulary podcasts implementation in fifth grade classrooms. Reading Improvement, 46(4), 263-272. Cardillo, A., Coville, B., Ditlow, T., Myrick, E., and & Lesesne, T. (2007). Tuning in to audiobooks: Why should kids listen? Children & Libraries, 5(3), 42-46 . Coleman, David, and Pimentel, Susan. (rev. 2011) Publishers Criteria for the Common Core Standards in English Language Arts, Grades 3-12. From www.corestandards.org Douglas, K.H., Ayres, K. M., Langone, J., Bell, V., & Meade, C. (2009). Expanding literacy for learners with intellectual disabilities: The role of supported etext. Journal of Special Education Technology, 24(3), 35-46. Esteves, K., & Whitten, E. (2011). Assisted reading with digital audiobooks for students with reading disabilities. Reading Horizons, 51(1), 21-40. Ivey, G. (2002). Getting started: Manageable literacy practices. Educational Leadership, 60(3), 20-23. Kimmel, S.C. (2012). Deep reading: Using technology to engage, connect, and share. Library Media Connection, 30(5), 1-7. Lo, Y., Cooke, N.L., &Starling, A.L.P. (2011). Using a repeated reading program to improve generalization of oral reading fluency. Education and Treatment of Children, 34(1), 115-140. Martinez, M., Roser, N., &Strecker, S. (1998). “I never thought I could be a star”: A readers theater ticket to fluency. Reading Teacher, 52(4), 326-334. McKook, S. (2007). Factors that influence the decision to read: An investigation of fifth grade students’ out-of-school reading habits. Reading Improvement, 44(3), 111-131.

41. References National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common core state standards. Washington DC: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. Pang, E. S., Muaka, A., Bernhardt, E. B., Kamil, M. L., International Bureau of Education, G. ). (Switzerland)., & International Academy of Education, B. ). (Belgium). (2003). Teaching Reading. Educational Practices Series. Pearman, C.J., &Chang, C. (2010). Scaffolding or distracting: CD-ROM storybooks and young readers. TechTrends, 54(1), 52-56. Rasinski , T. (2003a). Fluency is fundamental. Instructor, 113(4), 16-20. (November/December 2003). Rasinski, T. (2003b). Parental involvement: Key to leaving no child behind in reading. New England Reading Association Journal, 39(3), 1-5. Roser, N. (2008). Read for you: Audio review: Audio support for fluency. Journal of Children’s Literature, 34(2), 83-89. Sha, G. (2010). Using TTS voices to develop audio materials for listening comprehension: A digital approach. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(4), 632-641. Sokal, L., &Katz, H. (2008). Effects of technology and male teachers on boys’ reading. Australian Journal of Education, 52(1), 81-94. Thome, C. (2010). Bringing the common core standards to life in the classroom. Retrievedfromhttp://www.readinga-z.com/research/bringing-the-common-core-standards-to-life-in-the-classroom.pdf