“…is capable of reading but chooses not to do so.”
(Brinda, 2011)
“...shies away from the idea of reading.”
(Truax, 2010)
“These pupils are usually capable of
doing extremely well in school, but they
do not seem to care...”
(Sancore, 2008)
“Reluctant readers may perform quite
well academically, yet the lack of
interest and motivation in reading has
caused them to become poor readers.”
(Harms, 2011)
95% of my pupils believe that Section E
is the most difficult section
in UPSR English Paper 1.
Pupil 1 is not alone in employing the ‘guessing game’ technique when answering
the multiple-choice comprehension questions. Six other pupils in his class
also admit to doing the same.
What is interesting is the consistency in the answers given
when the final question is posed:
…30% of school-aged children are auditory learners
and prefer to receive information through listening
(Dunn and Dunn, 1993; cited by Chen, 2004).
“listening ability in children is a predictor
of reading success later on.”
(Moody, 1989)
“to be able to listen is part of literacy
requirements for children.”
(Chen, 2004)
“...since children’s listening vocabulary is generally
larger than their reading vocabulary,
audiobooks can bridge the gap between these two.”
(Chen, 2004)
“…recording of a book which is normally done on CD,
cassette or in digital format.”
(Montgomery, 2009)
“…recorded books...” ; “…modern product
combining traditional storytelling
and cassette technology…”
(Chen, 2004)
“audio versions” of books, “literature read aloud”
and “recorded narratives.”
(Casbergue & Harris, 1996)
“learning is most effective when
it is a multisensory experience.”
(Cardillo et al, 2007)
reading is “an intensely pleasurable
pursuit” and that the “correlation is
perfect,” – the more books are read to
children (or the more the children
listen to audiobooks), the greater their
interest in reading will be.
(Casbergue & Harris, 1996)
Some children fall into the category of reluctant readers
because they lack the ability to stick with
a story until they fall into the tale.
“audiobooks offer an ambience that allows listeners
to become immersed in long-form literature.”
Audiobooks help children to stick
with a story until the end.
Familiarising pupils with
the ‘sound and sense’ of
the written language (citing
Carbo, 1996)
Recapture the
enthusiasm for
reading
STORYTELLING READING ALOUD
“There is no such thing as a child
who hates to read; there are only children
who have not find the right book.”
(Serafini, 2004)
Audiobooks can act as an effective tool for
reluctant readers to explore the world
of literature and help them find the ‘right book.’
READING
COMPREHENSION
SELF-
PERCEPTION
AS READERS
LEARNING TOOLS INNOVATION
20 Level 2 pupils (Year 4 to Year 6), aged 10 to
12 years old.
• Pre-test and post-test
• Pre-Interview and post-interview
Audiobooks are effective in helping to
improve children’s comprehension skill.
Audiobooks can be utilised to change
perception of reading among reluctant
readers.