The Effect of Pictures in Books for Beginning Readers: Attention Allocation, Reading Fluency, and Reading Comprehension in K-2 Students

在教孩子阅读的教材中使用插图的做法可以追溯到250多年前。近年来，面向初学者的书籍插图比过去变得更加丰富多彩和引人入胜。然而，几乎没有研究评估文字接近五颜六色的迷人插图对新出现的识字技能的影响。然而，有理论和经验上的理由相信，将彩色插图放在书籍中靠近文字的地方，对于初学者来说，可能会干扰(而不是帮助)新兴的识字技能。本研究将探讨(1)文字与插图的紧密贴近是否会造成对注意力资源的竞争，从而影响阅读的流利性和理解性；(2)如何优化初学者的书籍布局，以减少对注意力资源的竞争，从而提高初学者的流利性和理解力。为了解决这些问题，本项目将使用便携式眼球跟踪设备来研究从幼儿园到二年级儿童阅读为初级读者设计的书籍时的注意力分配模式。具体地说，研究人员将测量从文字到插图的凝视次数，以及儿童观看文字和插图的总时间。据推测，频繁地将目光从文本转移到插图是儿童被插图分散注意力的迹象。此外，研究人员还将收集阅读流畅度和阅读理解的测量结果。在一系列的六项研究中，研究人员将比较儿童在阅读商业书籍时在注意力和阅读方面的表现，以及相同书籍的修改版本。对商业书籍的修改将旨在优化文本和插图的布局，以减少对注意力资源的竞争。据预测，修改后的书籍版式将减少读者从文本到插图的视线转移频率，提高阅读流畅度和理解力。总体而言，该项目有可能揭示低成本和易于扩展的基本原则，以实现阅读材料的最佳设计，以提高初学者的识字技能。

The practice of using illustrations in materials for teaching children to read dates back over 250 years. In recent years, illustrations in books for beginning readers have become increasingly more colorful and engaging than in the past. Yet, there is virtually no research evaluating the effect of close proximity of text to colorful engaging illustrations on emerging literacy skills. However, there are theoretical and empirical reasons to believe that engaging colorful illustrations placed in close proximity to text in books for beginning readers may interfere with (rather that aid) emerging literacy skills. This research will examine (1) whether close proximity of text to illustrations, a typical layout in books for beginning readers, creates competition for attentional resources, thus interfering with reading fluency and comprehension; and (2) how the layout of books for beginning readers can be optimized to reduce competition for attentional resources and thus improve fluency and comprehension in beginning readers. To address these questions, this project will use portable eye tracking devices to examine the patterns of attention allocation as children in kindergarten through second grade read books designed for beginning readers. Specifically, researchers will measure the number of gaze shifts from text to illustrations and the total time children spend looking at text and illustrations. It is hypothesized that frequent gaze shifts from text to illustrations are indicative of children being distracted by illustrations. Additionally, researchers will collect measures of reading fluency and reading comprehension. In a series of six studies, researchers will compare performance on measures of attention and reading when children read commercially available books to modified versions of the same books. The modifications to commercially available books will be aimed at optimizing the layout of text and illustrations to reduce competition for attentional resources. It is predicted that modified book layouts will lead to decreased frequency of gaze shifts from text to illustrations, and increased reading fluency and comprehension. Overall, this project has potential to uncover low-cost and easy to scale basic principles to achieve optimal design of reading materials to improve literacy skills of beginning readers.