A Study on Chinese Reading Patterns: Focusing on Reading Rate, Reading Volume, and Reading Time

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 213-226
Author(s):  
XueHua Li
PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8860
Author(s):  
Zhifang Liu ◽  
Wen Tong ◽  
Yongqiang Su

Background It was well known that age has an impact on word processing (word frequency or predictability) in terms of fixating time during reading. However, little is known about whether or not age modulates these impacts on saccade behaviors in Chinese reading (i.e., length of incoming/outgoing saccades for a target word). Methods Age groups, predictability, and frequency of target words were manipulated in the present study. A larger frequency effect on lexical accessing (i.e., gaze duration) and on context integration (i.e., go-past time, total reading time), as well as larger predictability effects on data of raw total reading time, were observed in older readers when compared with their young counterparts. Results Effect of predictability and frequency on word skipping and re-fixating rate did not differ across the two age groups. Notably, reliable interaction effects of age, along with word predictability and/or frequency, on the length of the first incoming/outgoing saccade for a target word were also observed. Discussion Our findings suggest that the word processing function of older Chinese readers in terms of saccade targeting declines with age.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingjing Chen ◽  
Yongsheng Wang ◽  
Bingjie Zhao ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Xuejun Bai

In alphabetic writing systems (such as English), the spaces between words mark the word boundaries, and the basic unit of reading is distinguished during visual-level processing. The visual-level information of word boundaries facilitates reading. Chinese is an ideographic language whose text contains no intrinsic inter-word spaces as the marker of word boundaries. Previous studies have shown that the basic processing unit of Chinese reading is also a word. However, findings remain inconsistent regarding whether inserting spaces between words in Chinese text promotes reading performance. Researchers have proposed that there may be a trade-off between format familiarity and the facilitation effect of inter-word spaces. In order to verify this, this study manipulated the format familiarity via reversing the Chinese reading direction from right to left to investigate this issue in Experiment 1 and Experiment 2. The purpose of Experiment 1 was to examine whether inter-word spaces facilitated Chinese reading in an unfamiliar format. Experiment 1 was conducted that 40 native Chinese undergraduates read Chinese sentences from right to left on four format conditions. The results showed faster reading speed and shorter total reading time for the inter-word spaced format. Based on this finding, Experiment 2 examined whether the facilitation effect of inter-word spaces would reduce or disappear after improving the format familiarity; this experiment was conducted that 40 native Chinese undergraduates who did not participate in Experiment 1 read Chinese sentences from right to left on four format conditions after ten-day reading training. There was no significant difference between the total reading time and reading speed in the inter-word spaced format and unspaced format, which suggests that the facilitation effect of inter-word spaces in Chinese reading changed smaller. The combined results of the two experiments suggest that there is indeed a trade-off between format familiarity and the facilitation of word segmentation, which supports the assumption of previous studies.


2020 ◽  
pp. 096100062093811
Author(s):  
Shao Jing Ding ◽  
Ernest Tak Hei Lam ◽  
Dickson KW Chiu ◽  
Mavis Man-wai Lung ◽  
Kevin KW Ho

Mobile devices not only bring convenience to aspects of life but also change people’s behaviour in their daily lives, in particular reading. While most of the studies focus on reading books, there are few systematic publications primarily focusing on electronic periodicals, especially comparing the different needs of patrons from different faculties. Through an online questionnaire, the authors explored whether and how university patrons of the University of Hong Kong changed their reading behaviour of e-periodicals in the context of mobile devices. Six reading patterns were investigated: reading frequency, types of periodicals, preference of mobile devices, reading time spent, reading time slot and reading location. The authors purposefully compare subjects selected from three faculties (Education, Engineering and Science) to examine whether research and learning requirements affect their behaviours. The analysis found that reading patterns did indeed change after patrons adopted mobile devices to read periodicals. There are also some statistically significant differences among the faculties investigated, reflecting their different information needs. The findings can help academic libraries review their periodical subscription policies and reading promotion schemes to satisfy various patrons’ needs.


Author(s):  
Norliza Mohamad Fadzil ◽  
Zainora Mohammed ◽  
Mizhanim Mohamad Shahimin ◽  
Noor Haziq Saliman

This study aimed to assess the visual function, reading performance, and compensatory head posture (CHP) in schoolchildren with infantile nystagmus. A total of 18 participants aged between 13 to 18 years old were divided into spectacle (n = 9) and null zone group (n = 9) based on their visual acuity. Visual acuity (LogMAR), contrast sensitivity (Pelli–Robson), reading time and rate (Tobii TX300), and CHP were measured pre and post null zone reading training. Participants in the null zone group received 10 sessions of training (5 weeks). Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity of participants in the spectacle and null zone groups were not significantly different pre and post training. Reading performance, i.e., reading time (z = −1.36; p = 0.173) and reading rate (z = −0.06; p = 0.953), of participants in the spectacle group was not significantly different after 5 weeks. Reading time (z = −2.55; p = 0.011) and reading rate (z = −2.07; p = 0.038 of participants in the null zone group showed significant improvement post training. After 5 weeks, CHP improved in six out of the nine participants (66.7%) of the null zone group and was unchanged in all participants in the spectacle group. Null zone reading training could benefit children with infantile nystagmus in improving reading performance and compensatory head posture.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-184
Author(s):  
Maja Kelić ◽  
Mirta Zelenika Zeba ◽  
Jelena Kuvač Kraljević

Phonological awareness (PA), rapid automatised naming (RAN) and working memory (WM) are considered to be the most important factors supporting reading development. However, their relative importance varies across orthographies and age. The goal of this study was to examine reading predictors in Croatian, a language with highly transparent orthography, after three years of formal reading instruction. The study included 80 participants (mean age: 10.07 years). Reading rate and accuracy were measured using lists of words and pseudowords, and PA was measured using phoneme deletion, phoneme addition and spoonerism tasks. RAN was measured using naming of colours, and WM was measured using the WM standardised measure of digit span (WISC-IV-HR) and pseudoword repetition. In order to find the best predictors of reading rate and accuracy for both words and pseudowords, three-stage hierarchical multiple regression was conducted. The results showed that in highly transparent language when reading is automatised, RAN is the most significant predictor of both reading rate and accuracy. Although this study did not show dissociation between the predictors supporting reading speed and reading accuracy, it confirmed the importance of PA as a suppressor variable for RAN in predicting pseudowords reading time.


2007 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Géry d'Ydewalle ◽  
Wim De Bruycker

Abstract. Eye movements of children (Grade 5-6) and adults were monitored while they were watching a foreign language movie with either standard (foreign language soundtrack and native language subtitling) or reversed (foreign language subtitles and native language soundtrack) subtitling. With standard subtitling, reading behavior in the subtitle was observed, but there was a difference between one- and two-line subtitles. As two lines of text contain verbal information that cannot easily be inferred from the pictures on the screen, more regular reading occurred; a single text line is often redundant to the information in the picture, and accordingly less reading of one-line text was apparent. Reversed subtitling showed even more irregular reading patterns (e.g., more subtitles skipped, fewer fixations, longer latencies). No substantial age differences emerged, except that children took longer to shift attention to the subtitle at its onset, and showed longer fixations and shorter saccades in the text. On the whole, the results demonstrated the flexibility of the attentional system and its tuning to the several information sources available (image, soundtrack, and subtitles).


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