Bimodal Reading: Benefits of a Talking Computer for Average and Less Skilled Readers

Abstract

Studies have shown that when information is presented through visual and auditory channels simultaneously (i.e., bimodal presentation), speed of processing and memory recall are enhanced. The present study demonstrated the efficacy of a bimodal approach to fostering reading comprehension. Eighteen average readers (9 girls and 9 boys) and 18 less skilled readers (8 girls and 10 boys) in Grades 8 and 9 participated in the study. Students were presented with social studies and science passages via a computer. Passages were presented in three conditions: visually (on screen), auditorily (read by digitized voice), and bimodally (on screen, highlighted, while being voiced). Following each passage, students answered 10 oral-response, short-answer comprehension questions. Results indicated that less skilled readers comprehended more with bimodal versus unimodal presentations. Overall, their performance in the bimodal condition was commensurate with average readers' comprehension in the visual condition. For less skilled readers, an increase in word recognition from pre-to posttesting on word lists was found across conditions. In addition, results of a brief consumer satisfaction survey suggested that low-skilled readers felt most successful in terms of their comprehension when passages were presented bimodally. Several clinical issues involved in presenting information bimodally using computers are discussed.

Blended Learning in a University EFL Writing Course: Description and Evaluation

“…I have noticed, as Montali and Lewandowski (1996) did, that poor writers not only felt more successful with bimodal presentation, but were more successful in terms of comprehending content in this environment. Though the University has long introduced the use of computer and Internet into the traditional classroom teaching and learning of various courses, few empirical studies have been done to examine its effectiveness and impact, as what Beatty observed (2003) almost a decade ago.…”

“…For example, Bush and Crotty (1991) compared videodisc instruction with traditional instruction and concluded that the use of videodisc exercises made practice inherently more meaningful than traditional text-based exercises. Montali and Lewandowski (1996) found that poor readers not only felt more successful with bimodal presentation, but were more successful in terms of comprehending content.…”

Technology Integration for Students with Disabilities: Empirically Based Recommendations for Faculty

“…Some students delight in visual-spatial learning, others prefer verbal representations, while others learn best by hearing information. As suggested by generative theories of multimedia learning (e.g., Plass, Chun, Mayer, & Leutner, 1998), many prefer a combination, for example hearing and seeing text simultaneously (Montali & Lewandowski, 1996). A substantial body of work by Richard Mayer and his colleagues support the contention that multimedia learning (presenting information in two or more formats such as words and pictures) can be superior to single ways (Mayer, 1997;Mayer et al, 1996;Mayer & Gallini, 1990;Mayer & Moreno, 1998;Mayer & Sims, 1994).…”

Accommodating remedial readers in the general education setting: Is listening‐while‐reading sufficient to improve factual and inferential comprehension?

“…Although research supports the use of LWR procedures for improving the subsequent oral reading fluency of students with learning and/or behavioral problems (Daly & Martens, 1994;Rose, 1984;Rose & Beattle, 1986), the literature has been less clear about the effectiveness of LWR with respect to reading comprehension. Montali and Lewandowski (1996) compared visual, auditory, and bimodal (LWR) approaches for improving reading comprehension among middle-school students with and without identified reading disabilities. Results of this study favored LWR for most of the students with disabilities.…”