The purpose of this study was to establish whether a combined approach to reading utilising traditional texts alongside an audiobook component – has a meaningful impact on improving the comprehension scores of children in a test setting. Furthermore, moving beyond a purely quantitative study, interviews with children and the observation of reading sessions sought to obtain qualitative data regarding reading enjoyment, behaviour, stamina and general focus.
Using a focus group model, the study utilised middle ability readers from Years 5 and 6, whose comprehension skills were identified as being moderately below the year group mean. It was hoped that with regular exposure to the combined approach of traditional texts and audio, a meaningful improvement will occur in comprehension scores. Children were initially asked to sit a baseline control paper in order to assess their initial starting points. They completed a short survey to qualify their attitudes towards reading and identify any potential obstacles to reading enjoyment and the ability to answer comprehension questions. Subsequent sessions sought to introduce audiobooks alongside texts: children’s responses to this additional stimulus were observed – with particular emphasis on behaviour, focus and reading enjoyment as well as informal comprehension questioning. Final sessions brought together the text and audio component in a test setting, where children were exposed to a number of suitably challenging texts and once again their comprehension skills were tested. As a result of student’s exposure to the complete process, quantifiable improvement was ascertained from this final testing.