READING WITH THE EARS

ELIZABETH LÓPEZ GARZÓN 

 Step 1 - Identifying a research problem and reviewing the literature related to research problem

 

 

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

                Audiobooks have been known as beneficial learning tools for native speakers as an effective instructional intervention for students with learning disabilities and in EFL as an attractive way to support students’ reading development and independence since it is similar to the classroom activity or strategy reading aloud (Imawan, 2019) The implementation of audiobook at EFL classroom can positively result in a significant reading comprehension for students´.

 

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

        Since classes are set in an online environment L2 learners are expected to go through their reading process with less synchronous counseling than in a face to face learning seating for that reason, listening from an audiobook is considered similar as read aloud by the teacher. Listening audiobooks give enjoyment in reading and improve the quality of reading at the same time. (Imawan, 2019).

 

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

        Whilst the positive effects of audiobooks in listening comprehension have been deeply evidenced, the impact on reading comprehension in virtual learning students should be studied in a major level. As a result we could find students feel more confident in front at their proficiency levels.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Assisted Reading with Digital Audiobooks for Students with Reading Disabilities

 Kelli J. Esteves, Ed.D. Butler University, Indianapolis

Elizabeth Whitten, Ph.D. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo

        The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy of assisted reading with digital audiobooks with the traditional practice of sustained silent reading (SSR) in terms of reading fluency and reading attitude with upper elementary students with reading disabilities. Treatment group participants selected authentic children’s literature and engaged in assisted reading with digital audiobooks four to five times per week over an eight-week implementation period. Results showed that while all students demonstrated growth in reading fluency as calculated by words read correctly per minute, the growth of the treatment group far outweighed that of the control group. There was no significant difference in reading attitude scores. Consequently, this study shows that teachers can promote greater growth in reading fluency when assisted reading with digital audiobooks is implemented in the place of SSR.

 

Teaching Reading Comprehension in English in a Distance Web-Based

Course: New Roles for Teachers

Jorge Hugo Muñoz Marín

Adriana González Moncada

Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia

 

        Distance web-based learning is a popular strategy in ELT teaching in Colombia. Despite of the growth of experiences, there are very few studies regarding teachers' participation in these courses. This paper reports preliminary findings of an on-going study aiming at exploring the roles that a teacher plays in an efl reading comprehension distance web-based course. Data analysis suggests that teachers play new roles solving technical problems, providing immediate feedback, interacting with students in a non traditional way, providing time management advice, and acting as a constant motivator. The authors conclude that efl teachers require training for this new teaching roles and the analysis of web-based distance learning environments as an option under permanent construction that requires their active participation.

 

Using Audiobook to Teach Reading Comprehension Narrative Text for Tenth Graders of Senior High School

Rista Ayu Melani English Department, Faculty of Language and Art, State University of Surabaya

 

        Reading has been an important skill for foreign language students to learn in English language. However, many difficulties that experienced by foreign students to learn to read English, especially reading comprehension. Therefore, media is needed to support students and teacher in teaching and learning reading comprehension in the classroom. Audio media can help students who experience difficulties in understanding texts such as audiobooks. In this case, this study was conducted to find out how the implementation of audiobook media as a tool to help students in understanding in reading a text, how to implement this media in the classroom and how the students’ responses after using audiobook. Researchers of this research focus on narrative text as material in the use of audiobooks. Furthermore, this study uses teachers and students at tenth grades for research subjects in the implementation of audiobooks for reading comprehension in narrative texts. This study uses descriptive qualitative to get the results of a study, where researchers conduct observations and interviews with the subject. Then, the results of this study indicate that in the process of implementing audiobooks it is very easy to implement in the classroom. Then, the results of student work show that almost all students can understand the context in the text when using audiobook and get a good score. Whereas, in the interview results almost all students showed comfort in using audiobooks and was able to comprehend more narrative text.

  

TEMPLATE 2

Unit 2: Second Activity – To specify a Purpose for Research and collect Data

1. The purpose of your research:

First paragraph: The purpose of this study is to find how students can feel more confident in front at their proficiency in reading since audiobooks have a positive result in improving the quality of reading by themselves through the use of audiobooks because when students read and listen at the same time at the end they have a better understanding of the language.

Second paragraph: Moreover, this action research allows teachers to inquire about how the material used for this study can foster the extensive reading in the university community and set a guide where students can find themselves reading in a better way after the proposed exercises.

 

2. Research questions:

You must write two (2) research questions; i.e.:

How the use of audiobooks can foster the extensive reading in the university community?

How the use of audiobooks and the extensive reading can be used in the development of reading skills?

  

3. Collecting Data

Link https://forms.gle/93QmLLMa3fEaDWw57

 

TEACHING READING This questionary asks about your personal experience about how foreign language students improve their reading skills.   Bio Data Please answer according to your own information   Years of experience _________________ Type of place you teach at   Public School Private School Institución para el Trabajo y el Desarrollo Humano University Teaching Reading Describe statements about how Foreign Language Students learn how to read. Indicate your agreement or disagreement with the following statements by choosing your response using this scale: 1 Strongly disagree 2 Disagree 3 Somewhat Disagree 4 Somewhat Agree 5 Totally Agree It is more important to teach speaking and listening before reading 1 2 3 4 5 Students tend to retain and comprehend more information when this is provided through texts than listening to it. 1 2 3 4 5 Enjoyment has a strong correlation to reading abilities increasing 1 2 3 4 5 Intensive reading is the most used type of reading applied in the classroom 1 2 3 4 5 A strong reading ability is a pre-requirement or a requirement for success in secondary and post-secondary schools. 1 2 3 4 5 Teaching reading   Think about your English classes and how you promote reading in them. Do you promote reading in your classes? Yes No Have you had problems making your students focus on reading? Yes No Have you used audio based reading programs in your classes? Yes No Do you consider audiobooks can be helpful to support reading classes? Yes No Is it easy to get students to enjoy reading? Yes No How do you teach reading? ______________________________________________

 

According to the results provided by the previous survey teacher consider it is not easy to get students to enjoy reading and it could find their reasons in the fact that for 27.3% of teachers it is most important to teach speaking or listening letting reading behind.

 

 

TEMPLATE 3

 

Unit 3 : Third Activity – To analyze and interpret the Data

 

1. Analyzing and Interpreting the Data

This research belongs to qualitative method because it occurs in the classroom and questions look for understand a person´s social environment in this case teachers. The development of the present research tool was intended to know how teachers personal experience was when teaching foreign language students to learn and improve their reading skills in order to understand how feasible extensive reading through audiobooks could be. 

RESULTS

Thirteen teachers were asked about their experience when teaching reading in English as a foreign language and these are the results obtained from them.   Sixty-nine per cent of the teachers who answer this questionnaire had five or more than five years of experience which allows us to trust in their experience teaching English in different fields as Instituciones para el trabajo y el Desarrollo humano and schools.   The first question in the questionnaire pretended to have an overview of the teachers’ experience around what skill they considered more important to teach first. This pie chart shows the amount of teachers who consider teaching speaking and listening to English more important than reading.   For 53,9% of teachers it is more important to teach speaking and listening before reading nevertheless when they are asked about the importance of reading in academic processes they recognize how important this ability could be.   As you can see 60,3 % of the participants in this research recognize reading as an important skill in the students’ success along their academic path.   In the second part of the questionnaire teachers were asked about how they teach reading and the problems they have promoting reading and the tools they consider useful to achieve this.   First of all, more than 80 per cent of the teachers have problems promoting reading and making their students focus on reading and a big number consider enjoyment has a strong correlation between reading and the increasing of this skill.       Teachers understand enjoyment helps students to increase their reading abilities but it is not easy for them to get their students interest in reading, at least 76% of the teachers in this research considered it was not an easy task. As part of this analysis teachers’ were also asked about how they teach English in their classrooms and if they have used audiobooks in their classes, finding that audiobooks or audio support is used only when teachers have the time to promote them otherwise they suggest them as homework or extra activity.

 

 CONCLUSION 

        It is interesting to find that teachers consider reading as an important part of the academic development of a student but they are not teaching how to read in their classes, it is commonly an extra task or homework.

        The implementation of audiobooks in the classroom could be an excellent way to promote reading in those situations where there is no time during the class because this media can help students to enhance their reading by themselves and also engage and enjoy this learning process as they can understand the main idea of the content by listening to a model.    

DISCUSSION 

        Based on the previous analysis the researcher can conclude that audiobooks are suitable media not only for the teachers who consider they have no time enough to read during the classes, but also for those who think listening should be taught before reading, because here both skills can be used together as media learning in classroom or at home. 

 

REFERENCES

 

Imawan, M. R. (2019). (Journal of English Language Teaching and Linguistics. Retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/297688732.pdf

Rista Ayu, M., 2018. RETAIN. [online] Core.ac.uk. Available at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/230779456.pdf

Esteves, K. J., & Whitten, E. (2011). Assisted Reading with Digital Audiobooks for Students with Reading Disabilities. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 51 (1). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol51/iss1/4

Muñoz Marín, Jorge Hugo, & González Moncada, Adriana. (2010). Teaching Reading Comprehension in English in a Distance Web-Based Course: New Roles for Teachers. Profile Issues in Teachers` Professional Development, 12(2), 69-85. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1657-07902010000200005&lng=en&tlng=en.