Dil Konuşma ve Yutma Araştırmaları Dergisi
Yazarlar: Eda İYİGÜN, Melike BEKİRCAN, İlknur MAVİŞ
Konular:-
Anahtar Kelimeler:Reading speed,Adults,Gender,Education,Age
Özet: Introduction:Reading is a complex process which synthesise visual and mental processes. Skilled readers read quickly, averaging 200 to 400 words per minute. Reading speed is one of the components of fluent reading and wtih age as reading becomes less effortful the mental resources for comprehension increases.Fluent readers are expected to read at an appropriate rate of speed for their age or grade level (usually measured in words per minute or wpm). They are thought to be able to scan 3+ words ahead when reading aloud, and maintain smooth visual tracking line to line while reading. Reading speed has a positive corelation with reading comprehension (Joshi & Aaron, 2000). The aim of this study was to determine the reading speed of adults with age ranges between 20-35, 36-45, 46-55, 56+ and comparing the results according to their gender, age and educational level. Method: The study was carried out according to the relational screening model. 28 female and 27 male (total 55 individuals) participated in the study from Mersin, Elazığ,Ordu, Eskişehir and Kıbrıs. 16 of the paticipants were in the age range of 20-35, 12 of them were in the range of 36-45, 13 of them were in the range of 46-55 and 14 of them were in the age range of 56+. They all can read and they did not have any kind of neurological disorder. They were not blind either. 16 participants were primary school graduate, 6 of them were secondary school graduate, 16 of them were high school graduate, 4 of them were upper secondary education graduate and 13 of them had a bachelor’s degree. Reading speeds of the participants were assessed by a reading passage that participants had never seen before. How many syllables they had read in a minute was calculated and analyzed by using t-test and ANOVA according to gender, age and education. Results: There was a significant difference between the reading speeds of participants according to the age groups (F = 4,844, p < 0, 01). The reading speed decreases while the participants get older. There was also a difference between groups with regard to educational level (F = 5,499, p < 0, 01). Bachelor’s degree graduates read faster than the rest of the participants; yet, reading speeds of participants did not differ according to their gender (p>0.05)