Underlying mechanisms of text-fading for children with reading difficulties: Investigating training induced changes in strategy-behavior and basal cognitive reading prerequisites

• Applicant: Dr. Telse Nagler, since 10/2016
• Subject Area: Developmental and Educational Psychology
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 277649870

Previous training studies used a text-fading manipulation with the goal of increasing reading rate and comprehension. In this manipulation, text is erased on a computer screen in the direction of reading at the previously determined individual reading rate. The text-fading manipulation proved to be effective for adults, adolescents and children, the underlying factors responsible for its effectiveness, however, have not been determined yet. This research project aims at investigating theoretical considerations about strategy usage behavior and its interplay with basic cognitive reading-related measurements (i.e., phonological processing, orthographical knowledge, naming speed), to get insights into mechanisms responsible for reading performance improvements in text-fading training. We assume that the limitation of processing time through the text-fading procedure results in a shift from less to more elaborated strategies. Faster and more efficient strategies need to be applied in order to process the information in the restricted time frame, leading to an increase of reading speed and possibly improved reading comprehension. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the shift to more elaborated strategies results in improvements of cognitive processing. To test the efficacy of text-fading-training with regard to the underlying mechanisms, we will compare a training group receiving text-fading training with a group reading the same material, but in a self-paced manner, without external manipulation. Additionally, two groups of children that differ in the severity of their reading difficulties will be included in the research project. Hence, performance will be investigated and analyzed in a 2 × 2 × 3 research design (group [severe vs. mild reading difficulties] × training [text-fading group vs. self-paced group] × time [pre, post, follow-up measurements]). The aims of the study are (1) to examine reading rate and comprehension development in text-fading-training, (2) to reveal differential strategy shifts due to the text-fading manipulation and (3) to capture the relationship between modification of strategy behavior and basic cognitive reading-related measurements in the text-fading training. On the long term, the results of this project are expected to help identify conditions in which reading performance can be improved to develop an efficient training program for children with reading difficulties.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr. Marcus Hasselhorn; Dr. Björn Rump
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Sven Lindberg, until 9/2016