Evaluation of Audiobook Listening Experiences of 8th Grade Students - An Action Research

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw

This action research examines audiobook listening experiences of 8th grade students and evaluates both their attitudes toward listening and their opinions on audiobooks. The 11-week intervention in the 2018-2019 school year involved 24 students in Talas district, Kayseri. Quantitative attitude change was measured using a listening attitude scale with paired t-test pre- and post-test analysis, while diaries, semi-structured interviews, and interview records were analyzed through content analysis. Audiobooks showed a positive effect on listening attitudes; advantages include anytime listening and imagination enrichment, while disadvantages include limited reading-speed improvement, lack of exam usefulness, and potential attention deficit. Event-themed books were preferred.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Listening as a Language Skill

Technological Developments and Listening Education

Abstract

Keywords

Evaluation of Audiobook Listening Experiences of 8th Grade Students: An Action Research Cafer ÇARKIT1 Gaziantep University Abstract In this research, audiobook listening experiences of 8th grade students are discussed. In this context, the effect of audiobooks on students' attitudes towards listening is determined and their opinions on audiobooks are evaluated. In the study, action research design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The prepared action plan covers an 11-week period in the 2018-2019 school year. The research was conducted in an 8th grade class with 24 students in a secondary in the province of Kayseri, in Talas district. The research data were collected by using the listening attitude scale for secondary school students, student diaries, semi-structured interview forms and interview records. The change in students' attitudes scale, within the framework of the action plan, was identified by using the paired t-test analysis with pre-test and post-test applications. The qualitative data collected on audiobook listening experience in students were analyzed by using content analysis. According to research results, audiobooks have a positive effect on students' attitudes towards listening. While the most important advantages of audiobooks are the fact that they can be listened to at any place, they enrich imagination and encourage students to use the Internet in a more beneficial way, their most common disadvantages are the fact that they do not improve reading speed, that they do not serve for exams and that they cause attention deficit. In the study, it was concluded that event-themed books were the favorite audiobook type in students. Keywords: Audiobook, Advantage, Disadvantage, Student, Listening, Attitude DOI: 10.29329/epasr.2020.323.8 1Assist. Prof. Dr., Nizip Faculty of Education, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey, ORCID: 0000-0003-4126-2165 Correspondence: [cafer_carkit_87@hotmail.com](cafer_carkit_87@hotmail.com) Introduction Human beings, being a social being, spend most of their daily life in listening process. Listening is a language skill that the individual acquires firstly in their life (Sever, 2011) . Listening is the activity of completely understanding the message that the interlocutor intends to convey and reacting to it accordingly (Demirel, 1999) . What is important in listening process is not only focusing on sounds that the listener has heard, but also being able to be sensitive to all stimuli, mainly tone, body language, speaking rate and word selection (Mackay, 1997) . The listening process consists of three dimensions: hearing, paying attention and interpretation. Hearing is the first dimension of this process; however, paying attention and interpretation are the main dimensions in the process (Gocer, 2007) . A good listener is the one who makes sense of what they hear, rather than just hearing sounds (Jalongo, 1995) . In this sense, listening can be defined as a purposeful and cognitive language skill and the individual actively takes part in the listening process both physically and cognitively. Being the most frequently used skill with a rate of 45% in the daily life, listening occupies an important place in human life (Wacker & Hawkins, 1995; Dogan, 2010) . Individuals use listening intensively in both learning and daily communication environments. However, in parallel with developments in technology, the fact that individuals spend most of their time on television, tablet or mobile phone increases the importance of learning skill remarkably. In addition to daily life and personal relations, listening has an important place in professional business life as well (Brownel, 2016) . Listening is a highly used skill in many fields, especially in psychology, medicine and education. This brings about a necessity for students to develop a positive attitude towards listening skill starting from primary school and to be trained as effective listeners.

FAQs

What research method and intervention duration were used?

The study used an action research design with an 11-week action plan during the 2018-2019 school year.

How were students’ listening attitudes measured and analyzed?

A listening attitude scale for secondary school students was administered as pre-test and post-test, and the change was analyzed using a paired t-test.

What benefits and disadvantages of audiobooks were identified?

Audiobooks positively affected listening attitudes; key advantages included listening anytime, enriching imagination, and encouraging beneficial Internet use. Common disadvantages included not improving reading speed, not serving exam purposes, and causing attention deficit.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw