Task-oriented reading efficiency: interplay of general cognitive ability, task demands, strategies and reading fluency

Abstract

The associations among readers’ cognitive skills (general cognitive ability, reading skills, and attentional functioning), task demands (easy versus difficult questions), and process measures (total fixation time on relevant and irrelevant paragraphs) was investigated to explain task-oriented reading accuracy and efficiency (number of scores in a given time unit). Structural equation modeling was applied to a large dataset collected with sixth-grade students, which included samples of dysfluent readers and those with attention difficulties. The results are in line with previous findings regarding the dominant role of general cognitive ability in the accuracy of task-oriented reading. However, efficiency in task-oriented reading was mostly explained by the shorter viewing times of both paragraph types (i.e., relevant and irrelevant), which were modestly explained by general cognitive ability and reading fluency. These findings suggest that high efficiency in task orientation is obtained by relying on a selective reading strategy when reading both irrelevant and relevant paragraphs. The selective reading strategy seems to be specifically learned, and this potentially applies to most students, even those with low cognitive abilities.

The Effect of Text Display in Mobile Reading to Reading Comprehension, Attention, and Cognitive

“…However, there are significant differences in reading comprehension ability in more detail when tested with the three items of types of memory, comprehension, and application. The findings of this study are reinforced by the findings of previous studies which confirmed that static text can be read more quickly than the dynamic scrolling type, but the reading comprehension ability resulting from the two types is not very significant (Hautala et al, 2022;Ravand & Robitzsch, 2018).…”

“…Cognitive load is divided into several types, namely intrinsic, foreign, and close (Albus & Seufert, 2023;Hautala et al, 2022). Intrinsic is the countryside of the material being studied such as material content that has a high level of difficulty.…”

“…The causal aspect refers to the character of the task or environment, the character of the subject, and the interaction between the two aspects. Examples of aspects that cause task character to increase cognitive load are novelty, pressure, and reward systems (Florit et al, 2022;Hautala et al, 2022).…”

Assistive Technology for Enhancing Saudi Female Undergraduate Students’ Reading Cognitive Abilities: An Investigation of Reading Models and Their Impacts on Reading Performance

“…Graesser (2016) affirms that technology can work as auto tutor to motivate students to read. Similarly, Hautala et al (2022) assert that assistive technology helps students to acquire cognitive skills, which are required to improve their reading performance since technology assists them to improve attention, visual and auditory processing, and short-term and long-term memory. In similar findings, Cauley et al (2019) assert that TTS technology helps students improve vocabulary, reading comprehension, and reading fluency.…”

“…Automaticity and repeated reading exercises can also help students to achieve fluency while interacting in predicting reading comprehension (Kieffer & Christodoulou, 2020;Swain et al, 2017). The cognitive skills that students need to improve their reading performance include attention, visual and auditory processing, sensory integration, and short-term and long-term memory (Hautala et al, 2022;Wang et al, 2003). According to Hautala et.al, students can develop their reading cognitive abilities when they monitor their cognitive processes.…”