A new study performed by Haifa University shows that
decreasing the font size helps to improve reading comprehension among fifth
graders who have mastered the technical skills of reading. "Adding
cognitive perpetual load in reading actually seems to improve
comprehension," said Prof. Tami Katzir, Head of the Department of Learning
Disabilities at Haifa University and a researcher at the Edmond J. Safra Brain
Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities at the university, who
led the study.
There is a psychological-cognitive approach that claims that
imposing difficulties that form cognitive load -- such as deleting letters from
words, may enhance performance on subsequent performance such as recall. In the
domain of reading, the hypothesis was that creating a "desirable"
difficulty by decreasing the font size, reducing line spacing and increasing
line length -- may actually enhances the ability to learn. Few studies have
been performed in this area, and these focused specifically on adults, yielding
contradictory results.
In this study, performed by Prof. Katzir with Shirley
Hershko and Dr. Vered Halamish, the researchers sought to determine whether
introducing difficulties in text presentation may improves comprehension in
second as well as fifth graders. According to Prof. Katzir, it is important to
test these two age groups because second graders are still acquiring the
technical skills of reading, whereas fifth graders can already read fluently.
Each group consisted of forty-five children. The children
were asked to read texts, and they were later asked related reading
comprehension questions. Font size, line spacing and line length were
manipulated.
The findings showed the decreasing font size and line length
parameters impaired comprehension of second graders who are still learning to
read and thus not fluent readers in standard form (the change in spacing had no
effect) -- whereas comprehension among fifth graders actually improved when the
font size was significantly decreased (changes to line length and line spacing
had no effect). According to the researchers, a possible explanation is that
the difficulty, which requires the reader to concentrate and read slowly --
even to reread the same line several times -- is what ultimately improves their
reading comprehension.
"This study demonstrates the difference between
children at different stages of reading proficiency, and it is important to
understand that difficulty impairs comprehension at one stage, while at another
it actually facilitates comprehension. After mastering reading skills, an
effective way to improve comprehension could be to decrease the text's font
size. In the age of digital media this findings have important applied
applications," Prof.. Katzir concluded.
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