28. Auditory Presentations And Language Laboratories

Steven D. Tripp

University Of Aizu, Japan

Warren B. Roby

Washington State University

28-1 Introduction And Historical Overview

The use Of mediated audio for instructional purposes is nearly a century old, and there is a deep history of studies of audio media in education, but in recent years the subject has been relatively dormant. Perhaps this is because technological advances in video and computing have led researchers in the direction of visual and textual presentations. Whatever the reason, much of the literature on this topic is not new. This chapter tends to emphasize work that cannot be called up-to-date.

This chapter is presented in two parts. The first part reviews research and makes recommendations about the design of auditory instructional materials. The second part of the chapter reviews research and makes recommendations about the most common application of auditory instruction, language laboratories.

28. 1.1 Scope of the Auditory Instruction Review

This review of the literature on audio instruction is limited in its scope. It covers the use of audio, whether live or through conventional media such as tape, radio, or telephone. It does not address the~ use of audio for music instruction, nor does it include the applications of audio for various special education situations where students are suffering from handicaps that limit the effectiveness of other conventional media. Additionally, no attempt is made to include the use of nonverbal audio such as sound effects.