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Phrase-spaced formats improve comprehension in average readers.

S Jandreau1, T Bever

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Rochester, New York 14627.

The Journal of Applied Psychology
|April 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary

Enhanced text formatting with extra space between phrases improves reading comprehension for average college readers. This suggests perceptual grouping strategies are key for effective reading.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Educational Psychology
  • Reading Science

Background:

  • Reading comprehension is influenced by text presentation.
  • Effective readers utilize perceptual strategies to group words into meaningful phrases.
  • Average and below-average readers may struggle with automatic phrase segmentation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of phrase-sensitive text formatting on reading comprehension.
  • To determine if specific reader groups benefit more from altered text spacing.
  • To explore the theoretical implications for reading acquisition models.

Main Methods:

  • College students read 12 short essays.
  • Essays were presented in two formats: standard and with fractional extra space between phrases.

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  • Comprehension was assessed through question answering.

    • Main Results:

    • Students demonstrated significantly better comprehension with phrase-sensitive formatting.
    • These comprehension gains were most pronounced in average readers.
    • No significant difference was observed for typically high-achieving readers.

    Conclusions:

    • Phrase-sensitive formatting offers a practical method to enhance reading comprehension for average learners.
    • The findings support theories suggesting deficits in perceptual phrase grouping strategies among struggling readers.
    • Further classroom research is warranted to explore the pedagogical applications of this formatting technique.