Simple Sentence Reading and Specific Cognitive Functions in College

Over 80% of students with learning disabilities experience difficulty reading [1] and large numbers of these students wish to pursue postsecondary education in spite of their academic challenges [2]. A greater number of students with learning disabilities are enrolling in colleges and universities than ever before [3,4]. Hence, there is a need for more systematic and in-depth study of profiles of students with a specific learning disorder in reading that takes into account cognitive factors that may impact their reading, a core skill for most majors in institutions of higher learning [5,6]. In response to this need, we designed a study to investigate reading comprehension skills and cognitive abilities known to play a role in reading in a cohort of college students with dyslexia. We were particularly interested in determining if eye tracking data would provide new insights into well-established slower reading skills in advanced students with dysSlow reading speed of young adults with dyslexia is well-documented. However, most studies have examined comprehension in context of complex text rather than in the context of simple, unambiguous sentences leaving the issue of basic level reading comprehension largely unaddressed. This study was designed to explore the potential contributions of eye gaze, processing speed, and verbal memory to the comprehension of simple sentence reading in college students with dyslexia. Sixty-four college students with and without dyslexia read simple sentences and answered comprehension questions as their eye movements were recorded and they completed tasks of processing speed and verbal memory capacity. Students with dyslexia exhibited longer fixation durations on keywords and showed less efficient scanning patterns between text and questions than their peers. Further, the students’ eye patterns were associated with their performance on the cognitive abilities even after controlling for intelligence, verbal ability, and reading abilities. In spite of the simplicity of the experimental reading task, college students with dyslexia showed less efficient eye-gaze patterns and comprehension strategies. Longer eye gaze fixations on keywords in print along with slower general processing speed appears to account for the difference in simple text reading between the two groups.