AUDIO BOOKS AS MOTIVATION IN THE

LISTENING COMPREHENSION AMONG

GRADE 3 LEARNERS

PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL

Volume: 15
Pages: 974-980
Document ID: 2023PEMJ1423
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10427962
Manuscript Accepted: 2023-21-09
Psych Educ, 2023, 15(9): 974-980, Document ID:2023 PEMJ1423, doi:10.5281/zenodo.10427962, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Audio Books as Motivation in the Listening Comprehension

Among Grade 3 Learners
Justine Marie S. Magbanua*, Krizlyn Mei B. Emata, Chrezavelle T. Aquino
Harizza T. Padayhag, Rasheeda F. Sonny, Firdaus M. Tan
For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.
Abstract
This study utilized a Quasi-Experimental Research Pre-test - Post-test Non-Control Group Design
explored the effectiveness of the two interventions namely, audio books and traditional books, as
motivation in the listening comprehension of grade 3 learners. The results showed that using both
audio books and traditional books, the students' post-test scores were greater than their pre-test
levels. However, as compared to students who were exposed to traditional books, those who were
exposed to audio books had somewhat higher mean scores. The outcomes showed that the students'
listening comprehension levels improved after they were exposed to both audio books and traditional
books. Statistically speaking, there was no significant difference between listening comprehension of
learners using audio books and traditional books. Furthermore, this study revealed that whatever
methods used between audio books and traditional books in teaching students to improve their
listening comprehension would be considered effective tool in enhancing listening comprehension
skills and being prompted in listening stories.

Keywords: audio books, traditional books, intervention, motivation, listening comprehension

Introduction inequalities of school learning.

Kondakciu (2020) as cited by Corcoran (n.d.)

Listening comprehension and reading comprehension
go hand-in-hand for the reason that one needs to
strengthen their hearing processing in order to
understand a tale or a phrase. The advancement of
technology benefits the younger generation and
children must be welcomed into the digital world as
we prepare them in becoming 21st century learners.
This will expose them to creative uses of technology
and will increase their satisfaction with reading by
integrating technology into all aspects of reading; from
traditional reading to listening and comprehending.
According to Loniza et al. (2018), technology has been
significantly reforming schooling for a long time. It is
a brilliant drive for better and more effective
education, particularly for young minds. It is also the
main justification for the curriculum revisions that
include the use of technology in the classroom.
Consequently, numerous studies and pieces of
literature emphasizing its importance in enhancing
educational opportunities and improving student's
performance.
The UNICEF (2022) claims that the assessment
translates to a learning poverty in which World Bank
discovered that 85 percent of 10-year-olds cannot read
or comprehend a story. Children are disproportionate
in learning especially if they have unpleasant
backgrounds, live in the rural areas, children with
disabilities and middle-aged students. This has been
exacerbated by the COVID-19 which led to the
indicated that a great deal of research has proven that
technology is a useful addition to the educational
system. It was proved that the first graders utilizing
tablet apps fared comparatively better even without
those apps. Hence, Corcoran's study concludes that the
usage of tablets as an academical technique of teaching
is expeditious compared to the traditional manner of
learning.
According to De Boer (2018) claimed that when a
teacher is not accessible, audio books can be used to
provide pupils the chance to read aloud. While having
fun listening to a narrative, audio books can introduce
students to a range of literature and provide them the
chance to practice basic reading skills. Many young
pupils, between the ages of five and six, are unable to
read book material.
Additionally, Esnara (2021) stated that the responders
have a very high degree of proficiency in listening for
grammatical distinctions in the present and past tenses
of verbs as well as inflectional patterns for singular
and plural forms of subjects or predicates. The
respondents' listening abilities for grammatical
distinctions do, however, have certain issues.
Due to a lack of government funding, research studies
that use audio books as a method of learning are not
very common in the country. Majority of the research
are carried outside, studies that concentrate more on
the motivation and fluency of reading the specified

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Research Article
material. To narrow the gap, our research study will
instead examine the outcomes of using audio books to
improve third-grade students' listening comprehension.
Research Questions
This study aimed to determine the outcome of using
audio books as a motivation in the listening
comprehension among Grade 3 Learners. Specifically,
this study sought to answer the following questions:
1. What is the pre-test and post test results of the
Listening Comprehension using Audio Books?
2. What is the pre-test and post test results of the
Listening Comprehension using Traditional Books?
3. Is there a significant difference in the post-test result
of the Listening Comprehension after using the
Audiobooks and Traditional Books?
Literature Review
Audio Books as Interest to Listening
Wolfoso (2015) investigated that listening to audio
books can increase the motivation to engage with
literature, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Additionally, Kartal and Simsek (2017) as cited by
Rubery (2008) that listening to audio books does not
have the same time and space restrictions as reading
aloud does. Reading aloud requires a face-to-face
interaction, but audiobooks can be heard on
computers, MP3 players, smartphones, CDs, cassette
players, and other devices. It is quite accessible due to
the numerous options for listening to audiobooks.
Therefore, Wagar (2016) reached to the conclusion
that using audio books as a teaching tool could
improve students' comprehension abilities and
enjoyment.
According to Best (2020) in her research study Audio
Books and Literacy, there are additional advantages of
the audiobook that include convenience and
accessibility, which modern consumers are
accustomed to in relation to other media, such as
music and movies, because it increases their visibility.
McInroy (2015) stated that reading involves gazing at
symbols on a page while your mind fills in the details,
such as the speakers' tones, the setting, their
intonations, the deeper meaning, the plot, etc. Many of
these gaps are filled for you when you listen to
anything, and more connections are made for your
brain when you view something. In addition,
Hashimoto (2019) stated that there are those who
adore reading typed words on a page, those who
Magbanua et al.
demand images and visuals, and those who need an
audio component. Young learners benefit greatly from
picture book audiobooks because they can introduce
novel and fascinating ways to interact with literature.
Furthermore, Best (2020) probed that audio books are
adaptations of novels with a storyline format that were
first published in printed language. They could be
imaginary or nonfictional. The actual reading might be
done by one reader (often the author or an actor) or by
several readers. Similarly, Have and Pedersen (2020)
defined audio books as a digital book that are heard
rather than read aloud. In the past, audio books have
been seen as both a part of the physical book and some
help for people who struggle to read printed books.
According to Hartell (2018), audio books are
beneficial in the increase of perceptions and
motivation to young learners especially amidst
independent reading. Thus, it is a must to utilize these
audio books to enrich the listening comprehension of
young readers.
However, Kiante (2018) argued that audio books may
have drawbacks to young readers such as the lack of
portable gadgets and earphones or headphones, and
some books are entirely in audio format that doesn’t
include visuals.
Traditional Books
Honchell and Schulz (2012), discussed how significant
it is to be able to read the print in enlarged text so that
the instructor can extend the read-aloud experience to
include examining print huge books and charts, which
will help students start paying attention to letters,
words, and punctuation. Therefore, Neumann (2020)
both the printed storybook and the storybook app have
scaffolding. Both the paper storybook and the
storybook app used cognitive scaffolding frequently.
Yet, compared to paper storybooks, the storybook app
had a higher frequency of affective and technical
scaffolding.
Motivation
Bureau et al. (2021), claimed that students who are
motivated by their own interests, curiosities, and core
values are more likely to succeed in school. According
to the self-determination hypothesis, the fulfilment of
three psychological needs is a prerequisite for self-
determined motivation. These needs are in turn
assisted by the need-supportive actions of important
people.
Furthermore, Leitao (2021) stated that the most crucial
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Research Article
element for a teacher's success in fostering student
involvement in the education procedure and strong
educational achievement is certainly the learners'
drive.
Listening Comprehension
Using sound discrimination, prior knowledge,
grammatical structures, stress and intonation, as well
as other linguistic or non-linguistic clues, Hamouda
(2013) claims that listeners can grasp oral information.
The various processes required to understand and
interpret spoken language are usually referred to as
listening comprehension. This entail being aware of
speech sounds, grasping the significance of particular
words, and comprehending sentence grammar.
Moreover, Bang and Hiver (2016) affirmed that
listeners or learners must concentrate on the meaning
of the auditory information and connect it to prior
knowledge to successfully complete the active process
of listening comprehension. In other words, learners
need to be able to decipher meaning through listening
comprehension, and this ability should be supported by
a variety of elements, such as language factors, and
listening approach factors.
Methodology
This study utilized a Quasi-Experimental Research on
audio books as motivation in listening comprehension
among early childhood learners and involved the use
of Phil-IRI. For Grade 3 students, a pre-test and a post-
test were used to assess the learners' level of listening
comprehension.
Participants
Purposive sampling was used in this study. The
respondents of the study were the selected Grade 3
students from two sections of Elementary Department
– ILS of Western Mindanao State University in
Zamboanga City. Purposive sampling was used
because the researchers rely on their own judgement in
choosing the students among early childhood
education learners.
Instruments of the Study
The research instrument used in conducting the
research study was Phil-IRI. This assessed the level of
the participant’s listening comprehension which was
adapted from the DepEd source wherein this was used
as a classroom-based assessment tool administered to a
Magbanua et al.
set of grade level, one of this is for the Grade 3 level.
Under DepEd Order No. 14, s. 2018, according to
Briones (2018) the Phil-IRI data is recommended to
use as one of the mediums of instruction in each
Philippine Program to help augment the development
of listening comprehension of students in the said
country.
For the pre-test and post-test assessments in this study,
reading passages from the Phil-IRI Assessments
English Graded Passages had been utilized. The
respondents were required to enter their names and
section numbers on the Grade Level Passage Rating
Sheet in addition to the questions that needed to be
answered. These were given out to the two Grade 3
sections.
For Grade 3 students, three reading comprehension
levels were calculated based on their responses to the
story's questions: independent reading level,
instructional reading level, and frustration reading
level. The independent reading level is the point at
which readers can read independently using their
developed vocabulary and comprehension. A reader
can read at an instructional reading level with the
assistance and direction of a knowledgeable reader.
The frustration reading level is when readers struggle
to pronounce words, recognize words, comprehend,
and utilize suitable phonetics when reading. Remedial
classes are typically offered to readers at this level.
Procedure
The process of gathering the data needed in conducting
this research study show the following procedure:
First step, the researchers sought permission to the
principal of Elementary Department – ILS of Western
Mindanao State University to conduct the study. We
also sought permission to the parents or guardian to let
the participant in this study by giving the parent’s
consent provided to follow the research ethics.
Second step, the two (2) sections were given pre-test
to assess the participant’s level of listening
comprehension prior to the study before the use of the
Phil-IRI as a tool to determine the increasing of
listening comprehension.
Third step, after giving pre-test to the participants of
the study, they were given a remedial class as an
intervention. One (1) section used audio books while
the other section used the conventional (traditional
books). Within the period of two weeks of conducting
the intervention will be given as allotted time.
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Research Article

Fourth step, the post-test was given to the participants
after two (2) weeks of intervention and the results
determined the level of listening comprehension in
using audio books and conventional (traditional
books).
Table 1. Profile and Segmentation of Reading
Materials
The first research question that this study set out to
address is, “What is the pre-test and post test results of
the Listening Comprehension using Audio Books?”
Table 2. Pre-test and Post Test Scores of Grade 3
Learners using Audio Books

The pre-test and post-test scores of the students

exposed to audio books are displayed in Table 5 for
Lastly, the scores were calculated to determine the comparison. A mean of 3.756 and a standard deviation
learner’s level of comprehension using the Phil-IRI of 1.758 were found in the pre-test. The audiobooks
Criteria for Comprehension (independent reading group raised their mean score to 5.122 with a standard
level, instructional reading level and frustration deviation of 0.842, according to the post-test results.
reading level).
The results of the audio books group's post-test were
higher than the results of the pre-test, according to a
Ethical Considerations
comparison of the pre and post-test findings. This
indicates that the learners' scores improved as a result
The researchers complied to the ethical principles of
of using the audio books to motivate their listening
research while conducting the study and will also
comprehension. This implies that the learners were not
ensure to seek permission from the Course Instructor,
easily distracted when presenting the audio books
College Dean, Western Mindanao State University
compared to when the story was just read-aloud.
Elementary Department – ILS Principal, the Grade 3
Teachers, and the parents before conducting the study.
The findings can be supported by the study of Goner
Furthermore, the researchers obtained approval of
(2019), audio books are among the crucial listening
consent to the authors of the books to be used tools for learning and improving listening
investigating this study. comprehension. Furthermore, the findings can also be
attributed to the work of Fajry et al. (2016). According
It made sure that the respondents signed a consent
to the author, the audio quality of audio books has
form that indicated their willingness to engage in the
improved because to technology advancements and
study and that they have given their consent. The
expert narrators, including the writers themselves, who
researchers guaranteed that any information submitted,
have increased the impact of books on pupils.
such as their identity and responses, was kept private
Professionals narrate the books with appropriate
and safe and used solely for research purposes.
emphasis and articulation based on the text's topic,
increasing listeners’ interest.
Additionally, the researchers respected the
respondents' individual choices, take precautions to The second research question that this study set out to
avoid any harm and to strictly display professional
address is, ”What is the pre-test and post test results of
behaviors especially that the respondents are minors.
the Listening Comprehension using Traditional
Books?”
Results
Table 3. Pre-test and Post Test Scores of Grade 3
Learners using Traditional Books
This section presents the findings, analysis, and
interpretation of data that the researchers gathered.
Corresponding to the questions posed on the statement
of the problem, the information mentioned below was
provided in tabular format.

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The pre-test and post-test scores of the students
exposed to the traditional books are shown in Table 6
for comparison. A mean of 4.293 and a standard
deviation of 1.470 were found in the pre-test. The
traditional books group raised its mean score to 4.781,
with a standard deviation of 1.557, referring to the
post-test results.
The results of the traditional books group's post-test
were higher than the results of the pre-test, according
to a comparison of the pre and post-test findings. This
indicates that the learner's scores were marginally
raised after using traditional books to motivate
learners' listening comprehension tests.
The result indicated that using traditional books can be
a tool in facilitating learning which can help learners
improve their listening comprehension and attention
span. The findings can be supported by the study of
Shin (2017), that reading aloud improve learners’
listening comprehension since it played a crucial role
in understanding texts. This indicated that reading
aloud by the teacher may have a significant positive
effect on learners’ listening comprehension. The
impact of traditional reading aloud depends on the
strategies of the storyteller which can also be attributed
to the work of Hazzard (2016). According to the
author, reading aloud proved beneficial for most
students, with the greatest impact on reading
difficulties. Even includes using reading aloud as a
comprehension strategy. Most average and below-
average readers prefer reading aloud to reading alone
which improves text discussion.
The last research question that this study set out to
address is, “Is there a significant difference in the
post-test result of the Listening Comprehension after
using the Audio Books and Traditional Books?”
Table 4. Significant Difference in the Pre-test and Post
Test Result of Grade 3 Learners using Audio Books
The results of the learners' post-test are not
significantly different, as shown in Table 7. As seen in
the table above, post-test results for audio books were
Magbanua et al.
marginally better than those for traditional books,
which had a mean score of 4.781. The independent
samples T-test was the method used for comparing the
data. The obtained t-value is 1.235 with a p-value of
0.221, as indicated in the table. The difference is not
statistically significant because the p-value is higher
than the significance level of 0.05. This suggests that
both the traditional books and the audio books utilized
in this study were assessed to be effective in
motivating students' listening comprehension.
Discussion
This result was supported by the Top-Down Listening
of Schema Theory, where it allows the learners to
process the information after listening to the reader or
speaker of the text. This enables the learners to rely on
their previous knowledge to comprehend the meaning
of the information. In this study, audiobooks were
utilized to distinguish how the learners comprehend
the said experimental tool by linking their previous
knowledge from the pre-test assessment.
The findings were supported by Moran (2017) that
pupils can hear the distinctive sounds of letters and
letter patterns that make up words through audio books
can also be used to support the conclusions.
Additionally, audio books encourage students to
interact with the text and practice more words, which
helps them develop their vocabulary, comprehension,
and analytical skills.
Aydin, (2021) states that the audio book application
showed an improvement in the students' listening
abilities in the experimental group. It had a favorable
effect on people's listening attitudes.
Also, the findings contradict to the study of Loniza
(2018) the subjects' post-test mean scores were 11.2
for the traditional books and 14.04 for the audio books,
respectively. As a result, the null hypothesis is
rejected, proving that the audio books and traditional
books differ significantly from one another.
Conclusion
As a result of comprehensive data analysis, this study
offers the following results: (1) The findings from the
independent sample t-test showed that learners who
are exposed to audio books obtain higher post-test
results compared to their pre-test result. (2) The
findings from the independent sample t-test showed
that student’s score has slightly increased after using
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Research Article
the traditional books as a motivation to the listening
comprehension of the students. (3) The findings
suggested that the post-test scores of learners utilizing
audio books and learners using traditional books did
not differ significantly. However, when compared to
students who were exposed to traditional books, audio
books had somewhat higher mean scores. This
suggests that audio books are still useful as an
intervention since they may offer users high-quality
conten t that will im prov e their listen ing
comprehension.
Based on the findings presented above this study
concludes that audio book and traditional book are
considered both effective as a motivation in the
listening comprehension of young learners.
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Affiliations and Corresponding Information

Justine Marie S. Magbanua
Western Mindanao State University – Philippines
Krizlyn Mei B. Emata
Western Mindanao State University – Philippines
Chrezavelle T. Aquino
Western Mindanao State University – Philippines
Harizza T. Padayhag
Western Mindanao State University – Philippines
Rasheeda F. Sonny
Western Mindanao State University – Philippines
Firdaus M. Tan
Western Mindanao State University – Philippines

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