Research for the Developing of Assistive System of the English Learning for Japanese Blind Students and their Cognitive Process of English Learning

阅读不可避免地依赖于读者的感知或视觉效率。本研究调查了以英语为外语学习的视障大学生的单词识别速度，旨在开发针对视障大学生视觉障碍的英语学习辅助软件。受试者在视力和视野方面都有困难。与好的阅读者相比，我们发现在我们的实验对象中有两种慢阅读者。视力正常的良好阅读者和一种类型的低视力组（LV1）可以在几乎相同的时间内阅读单词，而不受单词长度的影响。lps（每秒字母数）的速率随单词长度线性增加。然而，另一种类型的低视力（LV2）的lps是恒定的。这意味着他们对单个单词的阅读时间会随着单词的长度而增加。阅读是一项压力很大的工作，特别是对于后一种类型的低视力学生。然后，我们开发了一种名为“readKON”的阅读支持软件， ...更多信息 语音合成装置对两组低视力阅读者进行readKON测试。两组人解码每个单词的时间都缩短了，他们准确阅读的单词数量增加了。结果表明，readKON适用于任何类型的视觉障碍慢阅读者的英语学习。其次，我们进行了一项针对缺乏盲文阅读技能的视障者的英语语音测试的试验研究。语音测试有三种版本：从文本自动转换的合成语音，由被试者自己用计算机操作的叙述数字录音和DAISY。受试者可以自己回答三种类型的测试。倾听策略，例如，观察单词拼写、重复听、章节间跳跃、多语言语音合成听和快速听。实验者对声音质量的评价，对于人声更高。测试的操作性能和用户友好性的评价取决于测试者的技能和经验。最后，我们对盲文用户进行了两种类型的英语听力测试。一个是EIKEN日本的英语能力领先语言评估，另一个是国家大学入学考试中心的大学申请人英语听力测试。结果发现，盲文使用者在英语听阅读的平行加工能力上比视力正常者弱，这是由于认知资源分配困难造成的。少

Reading inevitably depends on perception or visual efficiencies of readers. We investigated the word recognition speed of visually impaired college students who studied English as a foreign language to develop assistive software of English learning compensating for their visual problems. The subjects have difficulties in visual acuity and also in their visual field. Compared with good readers we found two types of slow readers in our subjects. Good readers with normal vision and one type of low vision group (LV1) can read words in almost the same time period independent of their length. The rates of lps (letters per second) increased linearly with word length. The lps of the other type of low vision (LV2), however, were constant. This means that their reading time of individual words increases according to the length of words. Reading is stressful work especially for the latter type of low vision students. Then we have developed reading support software called ‘readKON' equipped with a … More speech synthesis device. The readKON was tested for the two groups of low vision readers. The time of decoding each word shortened for both groups, and the number of words they read accurately increased. The results show that the readKON is applicable to English learning of any type of slow readers with visual impairments. Secondly, we conducted a trial study to develop a scholastic test by voice for English, for the visually impaired who lack the skill of Braille reading. Voice tests were given in three versions ; synthesized voice which was automatically transformed from text, narrated digital recording operated by the testees themselves with computer, and DAISY. Subjects could answer tall three types of the test by themselves. Listening strategies, e.g., spelling-out of words, repeat listening, jumping between chapters, multi-language voice synthesis listening, and speed listening were observed. The evaluations by the experimentees, regarding the sound quality, was higher for human voice. Operational performance and the evaluation for the user-friendliness of the tests depended on the skill and experience of the testees. Finally we conducted two types of English listening comprehension test to Braille user. One was EIKEN Japan's Leading Language Assessment for English proficiency, the other was a trial test for English listening comprehension for college applicants by the National Center for University Entrance Examinations. We observed Braille users were weak in parallel processing of listening and reading of English than sighted cause of allocation difficulties of cognitive resource. Less