Which is better for vocab learning — reading only, or reading while listening?

This came to me in my Oasis email digest. Oasis is based at the University of York and publishes summaries of research papers. This one caught my eye because it considers reading a written text versus reading while listening, what we've called in Breaking the Sound Barrier 'scripted listening'. In this study the researchers wanted to find out if vocabulary was better retained with or without the listening element. 

The paper is:

Malone, J., Hui, B., Pandža, N. & Tytko, T. (In press). Eye movements, item modality, and multimodal second language vocabulary learning: Processing and outcomes. Language Learning. 

The Oasis summary is here.

Here is my summary of the Oasis summary.

The study examined how different types of input affect vocabulary learning in a second language, with a focus on both the written and spoken forms of new words. Learning new vocabulary involves more than recognising words in text — it also requires knowing how they sound and what they mean. With the growing use of technology in language learning, combining audio and visual input is common, but its effects on vocabulary development are not fully understood.

Using eye-tracking technology, the researchers compared two conditions: (1) reading a story only and (2) reading the same story while listening to it. The story contained 25 made-up vocabulary items, each repeated ten times. Participants were 119 advanced or high-intermediate English learners from varied language backgrounds. Before the main task, learners completed tests for English proficiency, memory span, and reading speed. During reading, the researchers recorded how long participants looked at the new words. Afterwards, learners completed tests assessing recognition of the words in both written and spoken form.

The results showed that the 'reading while listening' group processed the text more slowly but learned the spoken forms of the words better than the 'reading only' group, without losing skill in recognising the written forms. In contrast, those who only read performed better on written recognition than on auditory recognition, suggesting weaker sound-spelling connections.

The findings suggest there are benefits of combining audio and text to help learners develop both written and spoken word knowledge. While adding audio may slow reading, it supports stronger integration between how words look and how they sound. The researchers suggest future studies explore factors like audio speed or using real words to refine our understanding of multimodal learning. These results may support thoughtful use of combined audio-text approaches in classrooms and digital learning tools which offer the same.

Further comments

• To what extent is the forced slowing of the reading a benefit? I would surmise that this is an important factor, since when we read silently, we easily skip words, rush or lose concentration. When listening, every word is briefly dwelt on. This was basically why I always preferred reading aloud a text to students rather than have them read silently. In addition, getting students to follow while you read helps ensure better concentration and behaviour, especially if students know that their reading may be tested after in a light-touch way.
• To what extent does the combination of sound and written word develop deeper processing of the vocabulary, therefore stronger memory? The theory of Elaborate Processing suggests that we retain stronger memories when information is processed in various ways, e.g. physically, through sight and sound.
• Is the Dual Coding (Paivio) effect at work — combining the visual with the auditory? In the Baddeley model of memory, it's said that the Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad and Phonological Loop work in tandem via the so-called Episodic Buffer to reinforce memory traces. This would tie in with the previous point.
• This was a smallish study, so the usual caveats apply. I haven't come across a similar study before, but may have just missed one somewhere. Replication would be useful.
• Of note in the study was that adding listening did not negatively affect written word learning, so I don't see much of a downside here. You might argue that some students will benefit more from the sutonomy of reading silently on their own. 
• You might also argue that when we read silently we are already 'sounding out' words in our head. But I think this only happens when we read at quite a slow pace, and the risk is that silent readers go too fast — especially in these days of rapid interntreading and short attention spans.