Poster abstracts

Expert readers’ language experience influences comprehension efficiency during lexical ambiguity resolution

Lena M. Blott[1], Jennifer M. Rodd[1], Fernanda Ferreira[2], Jane E. Warren[1]

1. University College London; 2. University of California, Davis

The ability to resolve ambiguity is essential for successful language comprehension. Understanding sentences such as “Sally worried that the ball was going to be too crowded for her liking” requires the ability to resolve competition between the different meanings of “ball”, to monitor the meaningfulness of the sentence, and to initiate reinterpretation processes if needed. Although adult readers differ in lexical knowledge and reading experience, it is unclear how such differences affect comprehension and processing of ambiguous sentences. The present study investigated the influence of language experience on lexical ambiguity resolution using eye-tracking.

Ninety-six young adults made speeded judgements about the meaningfulness of ambiguous and matched unambiguous control sentences. Greater language experience was associated with shorter gaze durations and regression-path durations. Readers with greater language experience benefit from more efficient lexical access and integration procedures, which may facilitate the detection of processing difficulties and the efficiency of reinterpretation processes. In this sample of university-educated expert readers, language experience did not, however, affect comprehension outcomes. Although readers with comparatively less language experience were able to successfully resolve lexical ambiguities, greater experience was beneficial for the efficiency of reading processes.

These findings suggest that vocabulary and reading experience exert critical influence over language processing into adulthood. The present study thus provides a strong argument for the further investigation of individual differences in language processing among expert readers.


A randomised control trial to investigate whether interventions in oral language and text-based strategies improve the reading comprehension skills of students aged between 11 and 13.

Grace Elliot

University of Reading

This randomised control trial examined the efficacy of text based (TB) training and oral language (OL) training on the reading comprehension standard score (measured using the York Assessment of Reading Comprehension (YARC)), when compared to a waiting list control group (C). The inclusion criteria for the study was that to be between the age of 11 and 13, and have a word reading standardised score above 90 (measured using Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-II) and a reading comprehension standard score below 90 (measured using YARC). An iterative procedure was used for random assignment of 150 pupils to TB, OL and C groups so that each group was the same size (n = 50). The parallel programmes were delivered for an hour each week over a period of eight weeks. OL training included vocabulary, reciprocal teaching with spoken language, spoken narrative and figurative language. TB training included metacognitive strategies, written narrative and inference. A specific re-attribution strategy was introduced at the start of each session, in both the OL and TB training, to help students understand and develop effective beliefs about their reading success and failure, and to help internalise externally delivered strategies, so that they become a habit and basic attitude towards text and learning.

There were statistically significant gains in reading comprehension for students who received both the TB and OL intervention when compared with the waiting list control. There was a small, significantly greater effect of the OL intervention than the TB intervention, and the improvements in reading comprehension made by the students in the OL intervention were mediated by vocabulary. There were improvements in the students’ perceived value of reading and reading self-concept in both the TB and OL training.

This research provides further evidence that the specific difficulties faced by poor comprehenders of secondary school age is partly due to underlying difficulties with oral language. That these difficulties can be overcome most effective with OL training, and that combining this with attribution retraining is an important part of reading comprehension interventions for secondary school pupils.

Reading Comprehension Outcomes in Children with Dyslexia, Developmental Language Disorder, or both.

Emma Hayiou-Thomas1, Hannah Nash2 & Maggie Snowling3

1. University of York; 2 University of Leeds; 3. University of Oxford

Decoding and oral language skills both feed into reading comprehension in typical development. Here we explore the reading comprehension ability of children who have dyslexia, OR Developmental Language Disorder, OR both. Children were recruited to the Wellcome Language & Reading project at age 3.5 years; they were either at family risk of dyslexia, had pre-school speech or language difficulties or were low risk. We present data on decoding, language ability and reading comprehension when they children were aged 8 and divided into those with dyslexia (N=21), Developmental Language Disorder (DLD N=38) or dyslexia + DLD (N=29) and compare their performance to a group of typically developing children (N=146). Factor scores were derived for language (CELF4 expressive vocabulary & formulated sentences and the TROG2) and decoding (SWRT and exception word reading DTWRP). Reading comprehension was assessed using the YARC. In terms of performance on underlying skills, the dyslexia + DLD group resembled the dyslexia-only group on decoding (both impaired) and the DLD-only group on language (both impaired). All three groups demonstrated poor reading comprehension, but the dyslexia + DLD was the most impaired. These data suggest that that poor decoding and poor language have additive effects in their impact on reading comprehension.

Word learning and consolidation in poor comprehenders

Emma James, Gareth Gaskell, Lisa Henderson

University of York

Children with specific comprehension difficulty often have vocabulary impairments, particularly on tasks that require deeper semantic processing. Extant evidence suggests that “poor comprehenders” often show initial word learning that is comparable to typically developing peers, but that relative impairments emerge at later follow-up tests. This retention difficulty is consistent with theories that propose weaker lexical consolidation in the context of impoverished semantic encoding. We present data from an experiment that is currently in progress, assessing the acquisition of new words in 8-to-12-year-old children with poor (n = 8) and good (n = 15) reading comprehension. We track new word memory over 24-hours, isolating processes of learning and sleep-associated consolidation. Children learned two lists of 12 new words and sat stem completion, picture naming, and definition memory tests immediately, 12-, and 24-hours later. Importantly, one list was learned early in the morning and the other list was learned in the evening (separated by at least one week), allowing us to isolate the role of sleep-associated consolidation processes at different test points. This data later will assess whether poor comprehenders’ vocabulary learning difficulties arise at the stage of consolidating new words into existing vocabulary, or whether they deteriorate before opportunities to do so.

Oral language development and reading comprehension skills in children learning English as an additional language and monolingual English-speaking children in the UK.

Natalie Smith[1], Claudine Bowyer-Crane[1], Jenny Thomson[2]

1. University of York; 2. University of Sheffield

In the UK, approximately 1 in 5 children in primary education are learning English as an additional language (EAL). Research suggests that EAL children often have comparable decoding skills to their EL1 peers but lower levels of reading comprehension (Babayigit, 2014; Burgoyne, Whiteley & Hutchinson, 2011). L2 research further afield suggets that below average comprehension is influenced by lower oral language skills (Lesaux, Crosson, Kieffer & Pierce, 2010; Melby-Lervåg & Lervåg, 2014). This study examines the oral language skills of EAL and EL1 children and the extent to which this predicts reading comprehension for the two groups of learners. The language and literacy skills of 60 EAL children and 50 EL1 children were assessed when children were in Y2 (26 EAL) and Y4 (34 EAL) and again two school years later when children were in Y4 (21 EAL) and Y6 (30 EAL). The EAL children showed greater gains in oral language skills from t1 to t2 when compared to their EL1 peers though this was not sufficient to close the gap between the two groups. T1 oral language skills contributed to t2 reading comprehension to a greater extent for the EL1 children though the contribution was statistically significant for both groups.

Using diagnostic conversations about text to help teachers become more sensitive to the challenges weaker comprehenders experience

Tony Whatmuff

Teacher/Literacy Advisor

Effective adult readers use a range of reading comprehension strategies so quickly and automatically they are hardly aware of them. (Pressley)Workshops with teachers have confirmed that the comprehension strategies they use when reading have become hidden from them, which is in line with findings involving other well-established skills (Eagleman) Many teachers also agree that the comprehension element of reading is the most challenging to teach. Yet for effective teaching and learning to take place in classrooms, teachers must put themselves in the learner’s shoes and be sensitive to how weaker comprehenders struggle to build meaning.

To help teachers become closer to the challenges their pupils experience, we developed a diagnostic conversations toolkit for teachers. The toolkit contains a range of texts and involves semi structured, one to one conversation lasting 10-15 minutes designed to gain insights into a pupil’s reading profile, based around the “Big Five” (adapted from the National Reading Panel U.S.)

  • Word recognition
  • Fluency
  • Vocabulary
  • Comprehension (In the moment of reading and responding after a text)
  • Enjoyment, value and metacognition

Feedback from schools so far has suggested that diagnostic conversations have made teachers more sensitive to the challenges weaker comprehenders experience. It has highlighted how effective comprehenders are reading differently from average and weaker comprehenders. Schools report this has had a beneficial impact on teaching and learning in the classroom. In particular, teachers now see the need to spend more time modelling “in the moment of reading” strategies rather than focussing almost exclusively on “after the text” thinking.