“…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.