As a kid, there were many reading assignments or contests that involved reading a certain amount of books in a specific span of time. I was an avid reader, so this was never a problem, but many of my friends struggled to get through a chapter in a week. As I got into high school, I began to experience the same problem. Looking for a solution, I started turning to audiobooks but was told that I wasn’t reading anymore I was listening.
One of the biggest worries about audiobooks replacing physical books is comprehension. David Daniels, a professor at James Madison University, conducted a study in 2010 on the grades students got after listening to the audiobook vs those who read a physical book. He found that those in the former group ended up getting a 28% lower grade than the latter. But there are also upsides to audiobooks.
When listening, you can hear the inflections of tones from the story and characters, and this helps gleam the author’s intention and meaning. A good example of this is Shakespeare, as watching actors perform the play live can help determine new meanings and themes you may not have understood by just reading it.
It also helps listening comprehension. When listening to a book, most people end up multitasking which reflects real life. Your mind might wander during a conversation, but by listening to audiobooks you can practice focusing and pulling necessary information from the readings.
You can listen to audiobooks anywhere. There are so many platforms to listen to audiobooks, whether on your phone, tablet, or laptop which allows you to take them on the go and pause at any point.
It is not a question of either/or however. Reading physical books shouldn’t disappear and neither should audiobooks. But putting someone down, especially in an academic setting, because they didn’t “read” the book isn’t conducive to encourage readers. Instead, we should encourage everyone, students or not, to read and expand their world.