Determinants of Reading Efficiency of the Students with Visual Impairment

Abstract

Successive, serial mode of language input during tactile reading has certain limitations compared to reading print and requires a lot of effort during decoding. The aim of this causal-comparative study was to identify some determinants of the students with visual impairment reading efficiency in Serbia. The sample consisted of 35 students of both genders, aged between 13 and 21, who used braille as primary reading medium. Three-dimensional Reading Test was used for the assessment. The measures of reading efficiency were oral reading speed and reading comprehension. Reading technique (one-handed vs. two-handed) and experience in tactile reading were monitored as determinates which could impede reading efficiency. ANOVA and Scheffe's post hoc tests were used to detect differences between various categories of readers who have visual impairment. Results showed that in average students with visual impairment read 51.61 words per minute, with great variability of reading speed. Statistically significant differences were found between the reading speed and reading experience, as well as between the readers who have visual impairment and use different reading techniques. Two-handed readers achieve good reading speed, while one-handed readers are considered as poor readers. The reading comprehension of the students who have visual impairment ranges high regardless of the reading speed, reading experience, or reading techniques. These results indicated that tactile reading does not jeopardize reading comprehension, it only threatens reading rate. Obtained findings could serve as meaningful guidelines for educational approaches to children with visual impairment.