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E‐Books and Audiobooks
Author(s) -
Larson Lotta C.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the reading teacher
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.642
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1936-2714
pISSN - 0034-0561
DOI - 10.1002/trtr.1371
Subject(s) - reading (process) , active listening , vocabulary , psychology , narrative , multimedia , perception , electronic publishing , reading motivation , pedagogy , mathematics education , computer science , world wide web , linguistics , communication , the internet , philosophy , neuroscience
This article examines how sixth‐grade students navigated and perceived a combined e‐book and audiobook reading experience using Kindle Fires. While audiobooks and e‐books are not new, little is known about students' use and perceptions of the combination of these two media, as the ability to synchronize audio contents with digital texts is rather innovative. In this study, students used e‐book tools and features to customize the reading experience to suit individual needs. They also utilized Immersion Reading to listen to a professional narration and simultaneously read the digital text with synchronized highlighting. For many students, the combined reading/listening experience supported their reading stamina, vocabulary development, and reading motivation. Recent advancements in e‐book technologies call for an aggressive research agenda and further studies to help students and educators effectively integrate digital reading across content areas.