Using Spoken Narratives to Measure Listening Engagement in Children
Abstract
Despite the rising popularity of audiobooks and podcasts, research on children listening to spoken stories remains in its infancy. In addition, the use of spoken stories could significantly improve studies of listening engagement in children. Thus, the present study sought to 1) explore how children aged 8-13 years engage with these novel media and 2) determine which stories might be most engaging to children in this age group. Fifty-two parents of children aged 8-13 years completed an online survey which asked about their children’s listening habits. Results of the survey then informed the development of four engaging stories (and two boring stories) which were heard by 26 children aged 9-12; children provided subjective ratings concerning their levels of engagement. Survey results showed that 74% of children listen to spoken stories, with the vast majority (92.5%) listening at least 1-2 times a week. Across platforms, the genre most frequently listened to was fantasy stories (84.9%; more detailed descriptions of popular themes and sub-themes are described). The listening engagement pilot study indicated no effect of story on engagement ratings. The data described here provide a basis for informed studies of listening engagement in children.