Assisted Reading with Digital Audiobooks for Students with Reading Disabilities

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. Assisted Reading with Digital Audiobooks • 21 Assisted Reading with Digital Audiobooks for Students with Reading Disabilities Kelli J. Esteves, Ed.D. Butler University, Indianapolis, IN Elizabeth Whitten, Ph.D. Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI Abstract 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 con-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. Assisted reading with audio recordings has been used as an effective instructional intervention for students with learning disabilities (Carbo, 1978; Gilbert, Williams, & McLaughlin, 1996) and with struggling readers (Chomsky, 1976; Hollingsworth, 1978; Hoskisson & Krohm, 1974; Koskinen et al., 2000; Rasinski, 1990). The assisted reading method, reading along while listening to a fluent model (Kuhn & Stahl, 2003), may be resurfacing as a viable approach to fluency instruction and as a tool to improve reading attitude due to the growth in the popularity of listening to audiobooks. The availability and quality of audiobooks has improved 22 • Reading Horizons • V51.1 • 2011 dramatically over the past decade (Johnson, 2003) as audiobook publishers recruit professional actors and trained orators who read with engaging expression that captivates listeners with their vivid storytelling. As a result, audiobook publishing has grown to a nearly 1 billion-dollar industry with audiobooks for children and teens making up 17% of the market (Audio Publishers Association, 2009). Pairing commercially-produced digital audiobooks with MP3 players, such as the Apple iPod, seems to have real potential in today’s classrooms. Given that approximately 80% of students with learning disabilities struggle with reading (Shaywitz, 2003), instructional time must be used in the most efficient manner possible for students with reading disabilities. Although sustained silent reading (SSR) is a common classroom practice for elementary age students (Pilgreen, 2000; Yoon, 2002), its utility in improving reading has been called into question. The National Reading Panel (2000) reported a need for more research in order to prove its value in a student’s reading program and they also cautioned that SSR did not appear effective for struggling readers. Moreover, the panel found the practice did not improve the overall attitude students have about reading. Professional literature increasingly speaks to how teachers can address variance in the general education classroom with differentiated instruction and therefore reduce the need for specialized instruction outside the classroom walls (Tomlinson & Germundson, 2007). In a position statement titled “Making a Difference Means Making it Different” by the International Reading Association (2000) the authors stated: Because there is no clearly documented best, or only, way to teach reading, teachers who are familiar with a wide range of methodologies and who are closest to the children must be the ones to make the decisions about what reading methods and materials to use. Furthermore, these professionals must have the f lexibility to modify those methods when they determine that particular children are not learning. Each child must be provided with an appropriate combination of methods. (p. 3) Clearly, teachers are responsible for offering students multiple methods of instruction that have been proven effective in order to prevent and remediate reading difficulties. Given that SSR lacks sufficient evidence of effectiveness for students who struggle with reading, teachers might consider other means to meet the goals and objectives of SSR. Assisted Reading with Digital Audiobooks • 23 Sustained Silent Reading SSR can be traced back to the 1950s when teachers regularly used workbooks as their primary means of reading instruction. SSR offered a period of time devoted to reading connected text so that students could transfer the isolated skills learned during the regular instructional period (Pilgreen, 2000) to a trade book. Reading instruction has changed dramatically since then (International Reading Association, 1999) and, while the National Reading Panel (2000) did not endorse SSR as a method of building reading fluency or reading attitude they did not completely reject the practice either. Reading fluency experts allege the best way to facilitate the shift from deliberate decoding to recognizing the whole word is through extensive practice (Kuhn & Stahl, 2003; Rasinski, 2003). SSR is designed to provide readers with that extensive practice (Pilgreen, 2000), but it is not intended to serve as the primary component of a student’s reading program. The key components of SSR are self-selection of text and non-accountability (Pilgreen, 2000; Yoon, 2002), and a documented benefit of SSR is increased self-determination when students are able to select their own reading material (Yoon, 2002). Readers who feel ownership of what they read tend to persist for longer periods of time, pay closer attention to the text, and have a better attitude (Rehder, 1980). In addition, the use of authentic children’s literature seems to interest students and encourage them to read more (Flood, Lapp, & Fisher, 2005). The elimination of accountability, such as comprehension checks or response journals, sends a message to the reader: SSR is intended for the sheer enjoyment of literature. Nevertheless, it seems as though teachers can differentiate their instruction for students who struggle with reading to include the beneficial components of SSR and modify the practice so the diverse needs of students are being met.