Audiobooks for Shared Literacy Experiences: Fifth Graders' Responses to a Teacher-Designed Language Arts Supplement

• In Event: Multimodality in Literacy Education

Abstract

This study explored fifth-graders’ responses to whole-class digital audiobook sessions using culturally relevant children’s and young adult literature. Researchers analyzed the audiobooks’ role in mediating students’ and teacher’s co-creation of a shared reading culture. Qualitative data collection methods included classroom observations and student and teacher interviews over a five-month period. Preliminary findings suggest that digital audiobooks drew students’ attention to text, increased reading stamina, and generated enthusiasm for reading. Professional narration by members of the cultural groups represented in the texts may have influenced students’ perceptions of the authenticity of these literacy events, posing implications for the delivery of multicultural and culturally responsive instruction. The researchers recommend further investigation of audiobooks’ potential in supporting various aspects of literacy development.

Authors

• Laurie Shirley Esposito, Temple University

• Wanda M. Brooks, Temple University