Recent research published in the Annals of Dyslexia titled "The effect of audio-support on strategy, time, and performance on reading comprehension in secondary school students with dyslexia" offers valuable insights for practitioners working with students who have dyslexia. This study, conducted by Knoop-van Campen et al. (2021), investigates how audio-support affects reading comprehension strategies, reading time, and performance in secondary school students with dyslexia compared to their typically developing peers.
Key Findings
The study involved 43 eighth-grade students (21 with dyslexia and 22 typically developing peers) and utilized eye-tracking technology to monitor their reading behavior under two conditions: with and without audio-support. Here are the key findings:
- Reading Comprehension Strategies: Audio-support negatively impacted the use of selective reading strategies, particularly in open-ended assignments. Students tended to use more intensive reading strategies when audio was added, which is less efficient for tasks requiring selective reading.
- Reading Time: Audio-support increased reading time for both students with and without dyslexia, particularly in open-ended and statement assignments. This suggests that audio-support may slow down the reading process.
- Reading Comprehension Performance: Contrary to expectations, audio-support did not significantly affect reading comprehension performance in any of the tasks.
Implications for Practitioners
For practitioners, these findings highlight the importance of being mindful when implementing audio-support for students with dyslexia. Here are some actionable steps:
- Awareness: Educate students about the potential drawbacks of audio-support, such as increased reading time and less efficient strategy use. This can help them become more conscious and strategic in their use of audio tools.
- Selective Use: Encourage students to use audio-support selectively, particularly for tasks that benefit from intensive reading strategies, like summarizing assignments. For tasks requiring selective reading, such as answering specific questions, it may be more beneficial to read the text without audio-support.
- Training: Provide training on how to effectively use audio-support, including how to control the audio (pausing, skipping, etc.) to make it a more active part of their reading process.
Encouraging Further Research
While this study provides valuable insights, it also opens the door for further research. Future studies could explore:
- The long-term effects of audio-support on reading comprehension and strategy use.
- The impact of different types of audio-support (e.g., text-to-speech software) on reading behavior.
- How individual differences, such as motivation and background knowledge, affect the efficacy of audio-support.
To read the original research paper, please follow this link: The effect of audio-support on strategy, time, and performance on reading comprehension in secondary school students with dyslexia.
