Observing Readers While Reading Texts and Answering Questions: An Eye-Tracking Study Among Dutch Pre-University Students

• In Event: Reading Research 2

Abstract

In Dutch education ‘texts with questions’ are often used to train students’ reading skills: students read a text first, then answer questions, while the text is still available. In this study the reading and answering processes of eighth (n = 17), tenth (n = 16) and twelfth grade (n = 19) pre-university students within this task were investigated. Not only was studied how reading and answering processes change with grade, but also how initial reading influences answering processes.
Tenth and twelfth graders read texts initially faster than eighth graders and answered more adequately. Participants generally showed few signs of strategic reading and exhibited rather pragmatic answering behavior. However, clear influences from initial reading on answering processes could not be assessed.

Author

• Patrick Rooijackers, Utrecht University