Learning through Listening: A New Approach

Abstract

For many reasons, independent study using tape recordings is more difficult than study by reading print. Attempts to compensate have traditionally involved listening skills pretraining programs. An alternative approach explores the effectiveness of different ways of presenting materials for aural study. Study activity data are obtainable from specially modified playback decks which emitted electrical signals for all student-initiated functions. This critical feedback can be recorded and processed by a computer in an aural learning laboratory. The relations between independently controlled presentation variations and correlations of study activity data and student comprehension scores provide the basis for a more effective aural adaptation structure.