Dobi Apps Blog: Every Article

Research-backed guides on learning English through reading, listening and stories, from the Dobi Apps blog. Category: Learning English · Author: The Dobi Apps Team · RSS feed

Each article below is a full copy. Click the title to read it here, or click dobiapps.com ↗ for the original.

Reading & stories

How to Learn English Effectively Through Stories · dobiapps.com ↗ Stories teach English through extensive reading, where you meet words again and again in real context. Covers how to pick the right level, plus 5 apps to try.
Comprehensible Input: Find Your Right English Level · dobiapps.com ↗ Comprehensible input is text you can understand almost completely. A landmark 2000 study found that 98% word coverage is the threshold. Includes how to test your own level.
Does Rereading a Book Build English Fluency? · dobiapps.com ↗ A National Reading Panel review found that repeated reading raises fluency, and a 2025 study found that narrow reading raised L2 vocabulary scores.
Do Comics and Graphic Novels Help You Learn English? · dobiapps.com ↗ Comics pair pictures with text. Research on that combination found EFL learners scored 45% higher after multimodal study than after text-only study.
How to Build a Bedtime Story Routine That Teaches English · dobiapps.com ↗ Dialogic reading, timing and audio choices that turn bedtime stories into English practice for kids.

Does Reading While Listening to Audiobooks Improve English? · dobiapps.com ↗ A 26-week EFL study found that reading while listening raised listening scores and produced 4x the vocabulary gain of a control group.
Does Audiobook Playback Speed Affect English Comprehension? · dobiapps.com ↗ Studies from 1997 and 2024 found that slowing audio down helps, and that the best speed depends on proficiency level.
Does Shadowing Audiobooks Improve English Pronunciation? · dobiapps.com ↗ Shadowing means speaking along with the audio in real time. A 2025 study found it raised EFL listening scores by 32% in 8 weeks.
Audiobook or Ebook App: Which Fits Your English Goal? · dobiapps.com ↗ A 186-learner EFL study found text plus audio gave the largest listening gains and text plus pictures the largest reading gains.
Do Subtitles Help You Learn English Vocabulary? · dobiapps.com ↗ A 332-learner study compared bilingual subtitles with no subtitles and looked at who they help and who they don’t.

How Spaced Repetition Builds English Vocabulary Retention · dobiapps.com ↗ A 2022 meta-analysis of 48 experiments found that spaced repetition beats cramming for retention.
Do English Learning Games Actually Improve Vocabulary? · dobiapps.com ↗ A 2022 meta-analysis of 29 studies found that game-based learning works in the short term but that its edge fades within weeks.
How to Find Your CEFR English Level (A1–C2) · dobiapps.com ↗ How to test or self-assess your English level on the CEFR scale.

How to Build an English Learning Habit That Lasts · dobiapps.com ↗ New habits take 66 days on average to feel automatic. Here is what that means for a daily English routine.
Why English Learners Lose Motivation and Quit · dobiapps.com ↗ Self-determination theory explains why learners quit and what keeps motivation going.

Top 5 Apps for Learning English in 2026 · dobiapps.com ↗ Duolingo builds a daily habit, Storybook teaches through stories, ELSA Speak fixes pronunciation, HelloTalk finds native speakers and Anki locks in vocabulary.