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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of reading mode (oral and silent reading) and braille reading patterns (one-handed pattern, mark pattern, parallel pattern, cooperative pattern) on the reading speed and comprehension of students with visual impairments in China. Seventy-three students with visual impairments aged 10–19 years participated in the study; 48 were students with congenital visual impairments and 25 were students with adventitious visual impairments. The participants’ braille reading performance was assessed by the Chinese Reading Comprehension Test. Measurement indicators included reading speed (wpm) and reading comprehension. The results indicated that (1) Reading mode had a significant effect on both reading speed and reading comprehension. More specifically, although participants read faster in silent reading than in oral reading, they demonstrated better reading comprehension in oral reading than in silent reading. (2) There was a significant interaction effect between reading mode and braille reading patterns on reading speed. In particular, participants using cooperative and one-handed patterns read faster than other patterns in silent reading. This difference did not exist in the oral reading mode. (3) There was no difference between the measurement indicators of the students with congenital and adventitious visual impairments. Implications and recommendations are given based on the analyses.