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Computer-based and paper-based reading comprehension in adolescents with typical language development and
Pradyumn Srivastava1, Shelley Gray
1Arizona State University, Tempe, USA. pradyhisd@gmail.com
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools
|March 22, 2012
Summary
Adolescents with language-learning disabilities (LLD) showed lower reading comprehension than peers with typical language development (TLD) when reading digital texts. Format did not significantly impact comprehension for either group.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Educational Technology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- The digital shift in reading presents new challenges for comprehension.
- Understanding how hypertext impacts students with and without language-learning disabilities (LLD) is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- Compare reading comprehension in adolescents with and without LLD using computer-based versus paper-based texts.
- Investigate the influence of digital hypertext on reading comprehension.
Main Methods:
- Fourteen adolescents with LLD and 25 with typical language development (TLD) read literary texts in both digital and paper formats.
- Participants answered reading comprehension questions after each text format.
Main Results:
- The LLD group scored significantly lower on reading comprehension than the TLD group.
- No significant differences in reading or answering time were found between groups or formats.
- Predictors of reading comprehension varied by group and reading format.
Conclusions:
- Hypertext's cognitive load did not significantly affect reading comprehension in either group.
- The cognitive load difference between digital and paper formats may not have been sufficient to cause differential impacts.
- Working memory, oral language, and decoding uniquely contributed to reading comprehension based on group and format.
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