ANALYSIS OF SPEED READING

A student’s reading ability can directly affect the understanding, analysis and thinking of many questions, affect the efficient study of various subjects, and also affect the absorption and input of all kinds of knowledge. That is the reason why it is necessary to strengthen the student’s speed reading.

The Major Obstacles in Improving English Reading Speed

This thesis analyzes the major obstacles in improving English reading speed,such as being lack of vocabulary and grammatical knowledge,bad reading habits,being lack of reading interest and the obstacle of cultural background knowledge,etc.Through discussing those major obstacles,this thesis puts forward some suggestions and teaching strategies.Those suggestions and teaching strategies will help college students to overcome the major obstacles and improve English reading speed.

AB104.Validation of the international reading speed texts in a Canadian sample

Background:The International Reading Speed Texts(IReST)were developed in Europe as a standardized measure to assess continuous reading in normally sighted and visually impaired individuals.The IReST is used throughout the United States and Canada to assess reading speed;however,the normative values may not be valid in North America(NA).Additionally there are no normative values for individuals with visual impairments.The aim of this study was to validate the IReSTs in a normally sighted English-speaking NA sample with and without a simulated reduction in visual acuity.Methods:Fifty undergraduate students from Concordia University participated in this study.Participants were systematically assigned to a counterbalanced order of testing conditions and were asked to read all 10 IReSTs aloud.The normal and impaired vision conditions were counterbalanced such that the first set of five IReSTs were read with either the participants normal/corrected-to-normal vision or with a simulated 20/80 visual impairment.Results:Multiple two-sample dependent t-tests using a Holm-Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons were used to compare the IReST values(means and standard deviations)to the current sample;the results showed statistically significant differences between the current samples mean reading speed and the values provided by the IReSTs.In all cases,P were equal to or less than 0.005.Mean difference scores ranged from 14.87 to 30.05 wpm,with 95%confidence intervals ranging from 4.82 to 43.32.Measures of effect size using bias corrected Hedge’s g*ranged from 0.83 to 1.32,with 95%confidence intervals ranging from 0.25 to 1.93.Multiple two-sample dependent t-tests using a Holm-Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons were used to compare the mean reading speed in wpm of the normal and impaired vision conditions;the results showed statistically significant differences between the mean reading speeds of the normal vision condition and the simulated impairment condition on the IReSTs.In all cases,the P were less than 0.001.Mean difference scores ranged from 25.44 to 41.8 wpm,with 95%confidence intervals ranging from 21.66 to 46.Measures of effect size using bias corrected Hedge’s g*ranged from 2.74 to 3.81,with 95%confidence intervals ranging from 1.97 to 4.74.Further Bayesian analyses revealed BF10 factors ranging from 1.277×107 to 7.334×1011,indicating decisive evidence for the research.Conclusions:There are statistically significant differences in reading speed between the NA English sample and the normative values established by the IReST;such that reading speeds of the NA English sample are slower than the normative values of the IReST.Additionally,participants in the simulated impairment condition read the IReSTs significantly slower than the normal vision condition.

The Effect of Latinization on Reading Time and Understanding: Greeklish in Communication and Social Media

The increasing prevalence of technology in society has an impact on young people’s language use and development. Greeklish is the writing of Greek texts using the Latin instead of the Greek alphabet, a practice known as Latinization, also employed for many non-latin alphabet languages. The primary aim of this research is to evaluate the effect of Greeklish on reading time. A sample of 732 young Greeks were asked about their habits when communicating through e-mail and social media with their friends and they then participated in an experiment in which they were asked to read and understand two short texts, one written in Greek and the other in Greeklish. The findings of the research show that nearly one third of the participants use Greeklish. The results of the experiment conducted reveal that understanding is not affected by the alphabet used but reading Greeklish is significantly more time consuming than reading Greek independently of the sex and the familiarity of the participants with Greeklish. The findings suggest that amending social and communication media with software utilities related to Latinization such as language identifiers and converters may reduce reading time and thus facilitate written communication among the users.

Influence of spectral distribution on accommodation-vergence and reading performance

Background:To assess the influence of different spectral energy distribution on accommodation,vergence and reading performance.Methods:A Randomized experimental study was conducted after getting the approval of the Ethical Committee of University of Hyderabad.Forty participants with an age group of 18-21 years was integrated,out of which 50%was male and 50%was female.Subjects with emmetropia and no history of ocular pathology were included in the study.Near point of accommodation(NPA)&near point of convergence(NPC)was measured with the help of royal air force(RAF)ruler followed by near visual task of a readability passage.Results:A statistically significant result was obtained when reading rate,reading speed and NPC was compared among different spectral distribution of light(P<0.001)except NPA(P=0.43).Post hoc analysis showed a significant difference(P<0.001)when tungsten was compared with fluorescent light(FLOU),compact fluorescent light(CFL),and light emitting diode(LED)for reading rate,reading speed and NPC.But there is no noteworthy difference exist when fluorescent was compared with CFL for reading rate(P=0.530)&reading speed(P=0.595).Similarly,LED also showed no considerable difference when compared with CFL(P=0.682)and fluorescent(P=0.490)for NPC.When NPA was assessed within the group LED showed insignificant difference with CFL(P=0.205)and fluorescent(P=0.275)similar like fluorescent and tungsten(P=0.482).Conclusions:This study concluded that reading performance(reading rate and reading speed)and NPC has a significance change if we use inappropriate lighting during visual tasks.It will cause visual fatigue and strain after sustained near work.In addition,tungsten spectral energy influences the convergence which can also show an impact on reading and near visual tasks because of its brightness and miosis.Prolonged reading and working under this lighting can cause convergence disorders and visual fatigue.

Talking about English Reading Teaching

For students, reading is an important technical ability of language learning; for teachers, reading teaching is an important technical ability of language teaching. To make students study English well, at first to teach Them English well; To teach them English well, at first to teach them English reading well, not only reading in English aloud, but also reading in English silently. So as to improve their English reading level—understanding writing symbols directly while they are reading.

AB103.Comparative study on the actual lighting assessment method and the use of a standardized tool(LuxIQTM)

Background:With the arrival of a new standardized tool and considering the multiple disadvantages of the actual method used for assesses lighting needs,the goal of the study was to compare the actual lighting assessment method used by the clinicians working in a rehabilitation center with the use of the LuxIQTM.As reading is found to be the main difficulty mentioned by the majority of the clients at the rehabilitation centre and that past studies have shown the impact of lighting on improving reading speed and deceasing print size,the hypothesis stated that the use of the standardized tool would be statistically significantly superior than the use of the standard method on the variables on reading speed,print size,ocular fatigue,application of the recommendations and satisfaction of the length of time read.Methods:Three clinicians proceeded to home lighting assessments for 28 participants aged from 19 to 100 years(mean=75,SD=27)old diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration or glaucoma.The study evaluated and compared pre and post results between the two methods.Results:The intervention did not have a statistically significant impact on any of the variables mentioned.The lighting assessment itself,with either the standard method or using the LuxIQ,statistically significantly decreased print size for reading(P<0.001,ω2=0.47).Conclusions:Lighting has a significant impact on reading print size.Participants value the assessment but encounter various obstacles that prevent them from applying the lighting recommendations.Considering the positive impact of lighting,finding a solution so participants may profit from the benefits of this intervention is crucial.

Introduction of a digital near-vision reading test for normal and low vision adults:development and validation

Background:MNREAD is an advanced near-vision acuity chart that has already been translated and validated in Greek language.Considering that no validated Greek digital near-vision test exists,our primary objective was to develop and validate a digital near-vision reading test based on the fundamental properties of the Greek printed MNREAD(MNREAD-GR).Methods:This is a prospective,comparative study.A digital near-vision chart was developed(Democritus Digital Acuity Reading Test-DDART)with text size calibration,audio recording for automatic reading timing,as well as automatic calculation of reading acuity(RA),maximum reading speed(MRS),critical print size(CPS)and reading accessibility index(ACC).Normal and low vision subjects participated in the validation process,responding to MNREAD-GR and DDART at the same day,at a 40 cm viewing distance.Differences in all parameters between the charts were compared with t-test and intraclass correlation coefficients(ICCs).Within 15 days,all participants responded again to DDART in a different set of sentences to assess its test-retest reliability.Results:One hundred patients(normal vision group-NVG:70 patients;low vision group-LVG:30 patients)responded to both reading tests.Non-significant differences were detected for all parameters between DDART and MNREAD-GR except for MRS and ACC that were significantly higher in MNREAD-GR in NVG(p<0.01).NVG participants demonstrated sufficient ICCs that ranged from 0.854 to 0.963,while LVG demonstrated ICCs for RA,ACC,MRS and CPS equal to 0.986,0.894,0.794 and 0.723,respectively.All parameters calculated with DDART demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability(ICCs:0.903-0.956).Conclusions:The proposed reading test presented comparable validity and repeatability to MNREAD-GR suggesting that it can be used both in normal and low vision Greek patients.

Near vision examination in presbyopia patients: Do we need good homologated near vision charts?

Presbyopia correction is mainly concerned with the goal of regaining an uncorrected reading performance.Since historic reading charts do not provide a unique standard that is applicable for the analysis of clinical and scientific reading performance,new standardized reading charts have been developed,in order to provide reading performance analyses analogous to modern single-optotype distance acuity measurements:the Bailey-Lovie Word Reading Chart,the Colenbrander English Continuous Text Near Vision Cards,the MNREAD Charts,and the RADNER Reading Charts.The last three are also meant to measure reading speed,thus allowing detailed analysis of the reading capabilities of the patient’s functional vision.Furthermore,these reading charts can be declared homologated,based on the standards that were published for reading charts by the Visual Function Committee of the International Council of Ophthalmology(ICO)in 1988.Many research studies have shown that by analyzing the reading performance with homologated reading charts,valuable insight into the reading performance of patients suffering from various diseases can be obtained.These reading charts have also been successfully used in presbyopia research.It therefore seems evident that homologated,standardized reading charts facilitate not only research concerning functional vision in many fields of ophthalmology but also international communication about near visual performance.Homologated reading charts are available in almost all languages and have become a valuable tool in analyzing reading performance.We argue in this review that homologated reading charts are clearly a necessity for presbyopia research.