This past year, I had the opportunity to connect with various administrators and Ed Tech leaders who are selling curriculum products to school districts at a large scale.
During many of these conversations it became clear that districts are making core, evidence-based reading curriculum a priority.
One of the best ways to see what’s important is to see where the money and resources are being invested, and this is on the agenda of many leaders making decisions about curriculum and staff development.
While this makes me optimistic, it’s only part of the equation.
What’s going on in schools is not the ONLY thing impacting kids. It’s also about what’s happening outside of the school day.
The School-to-Home Connection
If the schools are devoting time and money to improving reading instruction, how should the rest of the day look for kids as it pertains to literacy?
Should parents be working with kids at home? If so, how much? What about reading? Can we use apps to help build language skills? How about audiobooks?
Because it can be challenging for parents to get a struggling reader to sit down with a book, the idea of using a device or an app sounds enticing. I know parents don’t want to hear it, but this is NOT the best option.
However, audiobooks are a different story.
A question I often get is something like:
“Does listening to audiobooks ‘count’ as reading?”
There are actually several questions being asked here:
“Is listening to an audiobook a good idea?”
“Can listening to audiobooks build and/or support skills that improve one’s ability to read?”
“Does listening to an audiobook require the same set of skills as reading a print book without the auditory component?”
Does listening to an audiobook impact reading skills?
I read a lot about the Matthew Effect during my doctoral work as I studied the impact of vocabulary on academic outcomes and literacy; but all the cool kids started talking about it when Malcolm Gladwell published his book “Outliers” (Gladwell, 2008).
The term originally came from the Bible verse (Matthew 25:29):
“For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.”
In “Outliers“, Gladwell talked about hockey players with birthdays at opportune times who are more likely to make the team and have access to higher quality training.
My research focused on the impact of vocabulary and language exposure in the home, starting with a seminal study by Hart and Risley (1995) that showed vast differences in exposure across socioeconomic backgrounds.
The trend has continued (Gordon et al., 2021; Rahn et al., 2022), which is why I outline this information in the first module of Language Therapy Advance Foundations, my program that teaches a framework for language therapy.
Kids who have been exposed to more sophisticated language are more likely to have robust vocabularies (Schneider et al., 2022).
Having a robust vocabulary makes it much easier to attach meaning to prior knowledge, making it easier to learn new words. Strong background knowledge impacts your response to academic instruction as well as your ability to comprehend what you read (Graves, 2006; Lawrence et al., 2021).
Reading is one of the most effective ways to improve vocabulary.
Text language is much more robust than conversational language; so people who read often are exposed to more sophisticated language on a regular basis. While background knowledge is not the ONLY thing that impacts your ability to decode; it’s certainly a contributing factor (Nagy & Scott, 2000; Nippold, 2017; Vaughn et al., 2015).
Kids who have good language skills tend to read more because it’s enjoyable for them, so their vocabulary continues to grow.
Kids who have weak vocabularies have to work harder, which isn’t as pleasant. So they don’t do it as often. This means they have less exposure to sophisticated text language.
Read more, be a better reader, enjoy it more.
Avoid reading, miss opportunities, struggle more.
If kids struggle to read, they may be reading books that contain language that is less sophisticated. So even when they do read, they’re STILL not getting as much exposure to complex linguistic structures.
Here is where audiobooks can be a useful tool.
Listening to an audiobook (or even better, someone reading to them) gives kids a chance to enjoy books they may not be able to read (yet).
This allows them to get exposure to sophisticated vocabulary that they’d miss out on if they only focused on reading books they could decode independently.
It’s also a way to introduce kids to books in a way that’s less intimidating and allows them to feel successful.
Engaging in activities that build vocabulary can improve word knowledge, which is supportive of literacy skills.
So the verdict: Yes, listening to audiobooks is useful.
And yes, they can build foundational skills that can impact one’s ability to respond to reading instruction.
Is listening to an audiobook the same as reading text?
Technically, no.
Activities that build vocabulary, like listening to audiobooks, impact skills that support reading. But if you want to want to be able to read through print, you have to regularly practice the skill directly.
When you engage with print, you’re adding an additional set of skills that aren’t present while listening.
Decoding requires you to look at a set of print symbols and pair those symbols to a phonological representation of a word. You have to say the sounds in sequence in your head, or even subvocalize them so you can recognize what the word is (Sutherland, 2006).
Then you have to understand the meaning of that word both individually and in the context of the sentence, paragraph, or entire message (Poulsen & Gravgaard, 2016).
Writing adds another step because you have to create the written symbols while simultaneously reading them back to yourself.
If a child is struggling to read, audiobooks are a great way to support reading print for purposes of language development and sheer enjoyment. But they’re NOT a replacement if the goal is to read through print; just like people who use Braille would need to practicing using tactile symbols.
If you want to get better at reading, you need to practice looking at the print symbols and having opportunities to actively engage with them. I share some strategies for facilitating this process in Language Therapy Advance Foundations.
Audio content is a completely legitimate way to consume information. And sure, it “counts” if you’ve listened to a book. And of course, accessibility features should be available in the right contexts.
But for kids, giving them opportunities to read is essential if we want them to build their ability to decode; and it is the school’s job to do the majority of this work.
However many parents want to know what they can be doing above and beyond the school day.
The “Read 20 Minutes a Day” Rule.
How much reading is enough? What should be happening outside of school to support reading instruction?
I can’t discuss this topic without at least mentioning the homework discussion.
One of the largest studies on homework done by Harris Cooper and colleagues (Cooper et al., 2006) showed homework is correlated with positive outcomes in certain situations; depending on factors like grade and dosage.
Then a handful of journalists, researchers, and consultants poked holes in Cooper’s study for including correlational data (which is a fair point).
But here’s my beef with the critics of Cooper’s work:
Cooper and colleagues did a robust synthesis taken from a 16-year time period, were transparent about design flaws, and explained nuance; concluding there’s likely a point of diminishing returns with homework and it’s only beneficial in certain cases.
The most common counter-claim is, “There are no data to support long-term benefits of homework,” which isn’t entirely accurate.
I wouldn’t call 16 years of studies “no data”. Studies with design flaws are better than assumptions that lack data to support them, which is what some critics have responded with.
John Hattie’s (2008) work is commonly cited as proof homework isn’t beneficial; but he aggregated so many variables together that it became an apples to oranges comparison across all the different studies.
When you look beyond the overall effect size, some of the studies showed results similar to what Cooper found, which is that some studies showed a potential benefit.
The main issue with lumping multiple variables and studies in to one effect size is that it makes it difficult to answer questions about specifics, like:
How are we determining if homework is “working”?
Literacy outcomes? Other specific academic skills? Future employment? Grades? Mental health diagnoses? Completing college or trade school? Income? Rates of incarceration?
And what do you count as “homework”?
Reading? Math problems? Phonics activities? Ongoing projects? Writing assignments?
We don’t really have much to work with from a practical standpoint when we haven’t defined the two most important variables.
So let’s ask a different question.
We might not have good research on the ideal homework formula, but we DO have research on what impacts reading. We know that reading is beneficial.
If “homework” includes reading, that’s compelling enough evidence for me.
But what does that look like, and what’s the ideal amount?
A common recommendation is that we should read 20 minutes a day, several times a week.
I had a hard time nailing down a specific study that “proved” that this is an ideal amount, but here’s the rationale behind it.
First, a couple of sources cited the number of words you’d be exposed to each year based on the “20 minute” formula. It was over a million (Neilsen, 2022; Ross, 2021; Talamo, 2021). I couldn’t find a study that pinpointed the exact length of time, although there is a large body of work that shows the impact of reading on language (Gray et al., 2017; Hogan et al., 2011; Hogan et al., 2014; Vaughn, et al., 2015).
Second, giving a specific time makes things clear, actionable, and specific. Telling people “read a book with your child for 20 minutes” is a lot more specific than saying “read with your child for an unspecified amount of time”. If instructions are vague, follow-through is poor.
Third, 20 minutes is a manageable amount of time. Is it better to read for an hour? Possibly. But is it realistic for many families? Not likely. Consistency trumps perfection.
A counter-argument I’ve seen is the claim that asking a struggling reader to sit down with a book is torture and will make them hate reading. If anyone has some literature that can refute the large body of research that shows the exact opposite, I’d be very interested in reading it.
I know this is hard for many parents, which is why it’s important for them to know that it’s also beneficial for kids to listen as well as read; especially for reluctant readers.
This is also why it’s so important for that high quality instruction to come at school, so the “at-home” reading can be one piece of the puzzle.
With all this in mind, I’m continuing to use the “20 minutes” a day recommendation for parents.
This can involve taking turns reading out loud for younger kids, and transitioning to more silent reading as kids get more advanced. Finding a balance between letting them choose books they’re familiar with and venturing outside their comfort zone.
This, plus a robust curriculum at school, with some audiobooks thrown in, is a solid plan. And with the other homework, that can count as “reading time” too. I usually recommend making required homework a priority before additional reading; especially if you’re having a hard time fitting it all in. And of course, don’t micromanage or do the homework for them.
Many districts in my state are prioritizing skill-building activities like reading and math and are transitioning to project-based learning in the older grades with time in study hall to get work done.
This allows for a good portion of work to be done in school; making it more feasible for kids to read for pleasure at home.
Homework isn’t off-limits, but work is only done at home when it can’t be finished at school. This often makes more sense than assigning “homework for the sake of doing homework”.
It’s becoming more about figuring out what skills and opportunities districts need to provide kids (in reading and other areas) and how to fit them into the time slots between home and school.
This, in my opinion, is a more useful question to ponder than asking “Is homework beneficial?”
I know lots of schools aren’t at this point yet, but I’m hopeful things can change.
I’ll close with a little story from my childhood.
I was a struggling reader. I didn’t like it when I was younger and reading was one of my least favorite times of the day. You know what helped me love it? Getting good at it.
I was very fortunate to have what I refer to as the “trifecta”. I had good instruction at school, and my parents made sure I had supplemental instruction since I needed extra remediation.
Then in the home environment, my parents provided the space and exposure to books and made reading (including reading TO me) part of our normal routine.
In closing, schools have a huge responsibility in providing high-quality reading and language intervention. It’s why I provide training programs that provide detailed training that walks school-based clinicians through effective interventions for supporting language and literacy.
But it certainly helps when kids have adults supporting language outside of school too.
References
Cooper, H., Robinson, J.C., Patall, E. A. (2006). Does homework improve academic achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987-2003. Review of Educational Research, 76, 1-62. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543076001
Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success. Boston, MA: Little Brown and Company.
Hart, B., & Risley, T.R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
Gordon, K. R., Storkel, H. L., Lowry, S. L. , & Ohlmann, N. B. (2021). Word learning by preschool-age children with developmental language disorder: Impaired encoding and robust consolidation during slow mapping. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 64, 4250-4270. doi: 10.1044/2021_JSLHR-21-00046
Graves, M.F. (2006). The vocabulary book: Learning and instruction. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Hattie, J. (2008). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Oxforshire, England; Taylor and Francis Group
Lawrence, J. F. Knoph, R., McIlraith, A., Kulesz, P. A., & Francis, D. J., (2021). Reading comprehension and academic vocabulary: Exploring relations of items features and reading proficiency. Reading Research Quarterly, 75, 669-690. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.434
Nagy, W.E., & Scott, J. (2000). Vocabulary processes. In M. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, P.D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.), Handbook of reading research Volume III (pp. 269-284) Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Neilsen, R. (2022). School Success: The benefits of reading 20 minutes a day. Retrieved from: https://mekreview.com/the-benefits-of-reading-20-minutes-a-day/
Nippold, M. A. (2017). Reading comprehension issues in adolescents: Addressing underlying language
abilities. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 48, 125-131. doi:10.1044/2016_LSHSS-16-0048
Rahn, N. L., Storie, S. O., & Coogle, C. G. (2022). Teaching vocabulary in early childhood classroom routines. Early Childhood Education Journal. doi:10.1007/s10643-022-01361-y
Ross, M. (2021). The importance of reading 20 minutes a day. Retrieved from: https://www.honorsgradu.com/importance-of-reading-20-minutes-a-day/
Schneider, J. M., Abel, A. D., & Maguire, M. J., (2022). Vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension account for SES-differences in how school-aged children infer word meanings from sentences. Language Learning and Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/15475441.2022.2081573
Sutherland, D. (2009). Phonological representations, phonological awareness, and print decoding ability in children with moderate to severe speech impairment. (Doctoral thesis, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand) Retrieved from: https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10092/1292/thesis_fulltextpdf;sequence=1
Talamo, A. (2021). Why does my child have to read 20 minutes per night after being in school all day? Retrieved from: https://nesca-newton.com/why-does-my-child-have-to-read-20-minutes-per-night-after-being-in-school-all-day/
