This study compared the instructional effectiveness and efficiency of three word-reading interventions on cumulative number of words read accurately and cumulative learning rate. Participants were six first graders who needed intensive intervention services. Alternating treatment designs were used to compare the effects of interspersal drill, a…

Visual stress--a condition in which unpleasant visual symptoms are experienced when reading--has been reported to be more prevalent in dyslexic individuals but at the present time the relationship between dyslexia and visual stress remains controversial. ViSS, a computerized visual stress screener that incorporates reading-like visual search, has…

Results of two studies of elementary school and college students indicate that the processes of automaticity and speed in recognizing the meanings of familiar printed words take slightly different developmental courses. However, the most rapid changes in both measures occur prior to second grade. (PCB)

Reading speed of 72 partially sighted adults was examined under conditions of simulated and real visual impairment. Visually impaired Ss with normal visual fields and defective central or peripheral fields performed similarly to normally sighted Ss participating in simulated visual impairment. It is concluded that reading speed depends on acuity.…

The study was designed to assess the impact on Optacon reading rates with nine blind adults of instructional materials based on structural and functional aspects of language, cloze procedures, and auditory pacing. Marked increases in oral reading rates were observed across Ss. (Author)

Research indicates that repeated reading improves students' reading fluency. Although found to be effective, the underlying reading processes impacted by the intervention remains unclear. Two theoretical rationales, automatic word processing and the contextual linguistic effect, explaining repeated reading's effectiveness have been advanced in the…

Describes two experiments showing that experienced readers use text signals to guide their attention to relevant information in a text. Indicates that subjects (1) took longer to read a summary sentence if it was signaled in advance, especially poor readers, and (2) recalled important information better if the information was signaled. (JD)

Studies variation in reading speed between languages of different orthographies, focusing on modern Chinese with logographic characters and English with an alphabetic writing system. Finds that the Chinese readers are faster than the English readers by about two minutes on the same reading material; the difference is significant even with reading…

This paper presents the results of research on elemental standard reading time estimates for traditional Chinese characters on computer displays and explores the factors that may affect the time estimates. Seventy-two native Chinese readers, aged 19 to 24, were asked to read 16 simple passages and then answer four multiple-choice questions.…

Two experiments were conducted to provide a window on the processes by which the accuracy and rate of reading develop during psycholinguistic treatment for dyslexia. In experiment 1,140 children with dyslexia followed a treatment method that presented them with a learning system that clarifies the basic elements and operations by which one's…

In this study, we describe the development of rapid reading measures, sentences presented to students in a nearly subliminal manner, with a literal comprehension question asked following their removal. After administering alternate forms of these measures to students, we present the results from three statistical analyses to ascertain their…

College students with either high or low prior domain knowledge (PK) read a text chapter presented in short pages on a computer monitor. Half of the participants read with headings present and half with headings absent. The computer recorded time spent reading and rereading each short page. Learning was assessed through a structured recall task.…

Students in an undergraduate human development course (N = 215) participated in a brief assessment of their reading (comprehension level, reading speed, comprehension rate) and multiple-choice test-taking skills on the second day of class. Students first read a one-page, 400-word passage unrelated to the course and then answered 10…

This study compared first and second language (L1/L2) reading rate and task performance on five tasks (scanning, skimming, normal reading, learning, memorizing) in two groups of Mandarin speakers (Canada group, China group). A repeated measures ANOVA design was used with one between-subject factor (Group), two within-subject factors (Language,…

Comprehension was compared for speeded reading and listening to compressed speech. No difference between reading and listening comprehension was found at any of the speeds or difficulty levels, contrary to previous suggestions of a listening disadvantage. (Author/GK)