Mindful Speed Reading: Adapting Mindfulness Practices for Improving Comprehension

ObjectivesResearch on the effects of meditation practice on reading performance is a new and promising field of research. However, the evidence on whether meditation improves reading comprehension and/or speed in continuous reading is inconclusive. The present work addresses this question.MethodFor the present longitudinal study, undergraduate students (n = 52) participated in a 6-week mindfulness meditation course or an active control condition. We assessed reading comprehension and speed before and after the intervention/control condition, as well as emotion regulation, sustained attention, and personality traits.ResultsReading comprehension improved significantly after the meditation intervention (B = 2.15, t = 3.47, p = 0.002, d = 0.69), but reading speed did not change, contrary to our expectations. The control group showed no significant changes in either text comprehension or reading speed. Further, we found that meditation led to better attention capacity. Improved attention was positively associated with improved reading comprehension in the meditation group, though attention capacity did not mediate the effect on text comprehension. While we found that meditation can increase the acceptance of one’s own emotions and decrease emotional overload, these covariates did not affect comprehension performance.ConclusionsThe present work shows that mindfulness meditation improves attention capacity and text comprehension. However, mindfulness meditation does not affect reading speed. Finally, we confirmed that meditation can help in emotion regulation.PreregistrationThis study is not preregistered.

This study investigated the effects of a six-month course in speed reading in three areas of reading proficiency development: 1) general reading comprehension, 2) knowledge of high-frequency vocabulary, and 3) reading-rate and accuracy. The participants (N = 105) were Japanese students studying English as a foreign language in Grade 10 at a Japanese private senior high school, randomly assigned to an experimental group (n =51) which received the speed reading treatment, and a control group (n =54) which received supplementary activities focused on high-frequency vocabulary development. The findings indicated that both the experimental and control groups made significant improvements in general reading comprehension. However, there was no significant difference between the experimental group (M = 14.27, SD = 4.01) and the control group (M = 14.31, SD = 4.07); t (103) = -.051, p= .959. Both the experimental group (M = 1.29, SD = 2.52) and the control group (M = 1.35, SD = 2.49) increased their knowledge of high-frequency vocabulary. However, again there was no significant difference between the experimental group (M = 25.78, SD = 2.96) and the control group M = 25.61, SD = 2.24; t (103) = -.337, p= .737. In terms of reading-rate development, the findings indicated a significant increase (M = 47, SD = 41.99) t (50) = 8.01, p < .0005. Finally, while higher levels of general reading comprehension and high reading speeds were correlated, the relationship was small, r=.19, n = 51. The range of findings emerging from this current study adds weight to the existing research and goes beyond those conducted in the Japanese context to date. One of the important questions these findings raise relates to the greater influence that other variables, such as lexico-grammatical knowledge, might have on the development of reading comprehension at this level of language proficiency.

This study aims to determine the effect of the sled pulling training method on sprinting ability among seventh-grade students at MTs NW Husnul Abror. This experimental study used two groups: an experimental group that received the sled pulling training method and a control group that did not receive this training. The subjects consisted of 10 male students divided into two groups of 5 students each. The data collected included pretest and posttest sprinting ability results.The Shapiro-Wilk normality test was used to ensure that the data were normally distributed. The normality test results showed that the data were normally distributed with p-values > 0.05 for all data. The Levene's test of homogeneity was used to ensure that the variances of the two groups were homogeneous. The homogeneity test results showed that the variances of the two groups were homogeneous with p-values > 0.05. The hypothesis test using the paired t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the pretest and posttest results in the experimental group (p = 0.002), while there was no significant difference in the control group (p = 0.101). The independent t-test showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the posttest results (p = 0.006). The results of this study indicate that the sled pulling training method has a significant effect on improving sprinting ability among seventh-grade students at MTs NW Husnul Abror. The average improvement in sprinting ability in the experimental group was higher than in the control group, with an increase of 1.44 seconds for the experimental group and 0.36 seconds for the control group. Thus, the sled pulling training method can be recommended as an effective training method to improve sprinting ability in students.

The focus of this research was to find out if eighth-grade students at SMP Negeri 15 Palu could improve reading comprehension by using the Jumbled Summary Strategy. Two groups participated in the study's quasi-experimental design: one was taught the Jumbled Summary Strategy, while the other was taught conventional methods. Pre- and post-tests were administered to both groups to determine their reading comprehension development, particularly at the literal comprehension level with narrative texts. Statistical tests such as the t-test, homogeneity test, and normality test were used to assess the data.With the mean score rising from 28.72 on the pre-test to 56.70 on the post-test, the experimental group's reading comprehension scores shown a significant improvement, according to the data. The mean score for the control group, however, dropped from 31.48 to 26.32. The experimental group's pre-test and post-test scores differed in a statistically significant way (p 0.05), according to the paired sample t-test, while the control group did not significantly improve. These results show how well the Jumbled Summary Strategy improves students' ability to identify main ideas, recall details, and arrange data rationally. In conclusion, the use of the Jumbled Summary Strategy has a positive effect on students’ reading comprehension. It encourages active learning, critical thinking, and better engagement with the text. Therefore, this strategy is recommended as an effective alternative for English teachers to improve students’ reading comprehension skills, particularly in understanding narrative texts.

This research investigated the effect of speed reading on students’ reading comprehension. The writer used quantitative as the research method and used the quasi experiment as a research design. The writer used experimental class to imply the speed reading method and control group for the other technique in teaching reading. For collecting the data the writer gave the pre – test for experimental and control group, then administrated the treatment for experiment class , finally the researcher administrated the post – test to find out the improvement of speed reading method for the student . Based on the writer interpretation it is concluded that hypothesis is accepted.it is suggested that the teacher should imply the speed reading method in teaching reading because research finding proved that speed reading gave more improvement in reading comprehension that the other technique in teaching reading and the speed reading method was more interesting than conventional method.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of verbal working memory (VWM) interventions on reading speed, accuracy, and comprehension in elementary school students diagnosed with specific learning disabilities (SLD). Given the limited research on the role of VWM in reading performance, this study fills a critical gap in the literature. A pre-test and post-test design was employed, with an experimental group (n = 14) receiving VWM interventions over 4 weeks, while the control group (n = 12) received no intervention. The intervention focused on enhancing VWM and verbal short-term memory (V-STM) through structured cognitive tasks, including rehearsal techniques and phonological loop strengthening activities, delivered over 24 sessions. Results showed that although VWM interventions significantly enhanced VWM capacity (t(24) = 3.39, p < 0.05, d = 1.48), they did not lead to significant improvements in reading speed or accuracy. However, a statistically significant improvement in reading comprehension was observed (p = 0.04, d = 0.92). These findings suggest that while enhancing VWM may not directly improve reading fluency, it can positively affect comprehension. The study highlights the importance of considering VWM in educational interventions targeting reading comprehension and recommends further research into other cognitive and linguistic factors influencing reading speed and accuracy. Additionally, future studies should explore the long-term effects of diverse intervention strategies on reading outcomes.

In acquiring English, vocabulary is the fundamental element of language mastery. Competence and expertise in English are defined by knowledge of language. Consequently, vocabulary acquisition is crucial for enhancing students' English language proficiency as both a foreign and second language. Implementing instructional strategies that resonate with students' learning preferences is a means to enhance their English language acquisition. One effective technique is the card sort learning approach. This study aimed to determine the substantial impact of the Card Sort learning method on the vocabulary of seventh-grade students’ at MTs Nurul Hidayah Al-amin. This study used a quasi-experimental design. The research population comprised the seventh-grade students of MTs Nurul Hidayah Al-amin, totaling 185 individuals. The sample comprised 62 students selected from two classes: VII A as the experimental group and VII B as the control group. The data collection method employed pre-test and post-test assessments. The instrument employed a test concentrating on verbs, pronouns, and nouns. The data analysis employed content validity, construct validity, item validity, and instrument reliability. Following the hypothetical test, the data analysis conducted via SPSS revealed that the significance (P-value) was less than 0.001, indicating that the significance (P-value) was lower than the significance level α = 0.05. The study concluded that the card sort learning approach significantly influenced vocabulary mastering among seventh-grade students at Mts Nurul Hidayah Al-Amin.

This research investigates the effectiveness of the Quizizz application in enhancing students' reading comprehension at SMP Darul Falah. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving two groups of seventh-grade students: an experimental group using Quizizz and a control group utilizing Google Forms for learning recount texts. The methodology includes pre-tests and post-tests to measure reading comprehension, with statistical analysis conducted using SPSS. The findings reveal that the experimental group, which utilized Quizizz, exhibited significant improvement in reading comprehension compared to the control group. Normality and homogeneity tests confirm the reliability of the data, and the Mann-Whitney U test indicates a significant difference in outcomes between the two groups. Based on the study's results, it can be concluded that Quizizz is an effective medium for teaching reading comprehension, offering a more engaging and motivating learning experience compared to traditional methods. These findings suggest that incorporating interactive and gamified tools like Quizizz can greatly enhance educational practices and improve student performance in reading comprehension.

The purpose of the study is to determine the effectiveness of mobile applications in conjunction with the students’ online collaboration in the educational environment of Chinese colleges (the context of learning English). The students were selected from all those who study English in their educational programs. At the first stage, they passed a test on the level of language knowledge and among 423 students 140 were selected who had a level of B2 and below. Then they were divided into control and experimental groups. Each had 70 people. The experimental group was trained using the following mobile applications: Busuu, Lingoda, LinguaLeo, BBC Learning English. The results showed that the participants in the experimental group scored higher on the final test (74.71) than the control group participants (65.9). It suggests that mobile learning technologies can improve student achievement. The preliminary test determined the level of knowledge of the experimental group students in this way: 85% of students know English at the B2 level, 14% - B1, and 1% - A2. These figures improved significantly in the second test: the number of students who reached the C2 level was 7%, C1–79%, and 14% of all students remained with the B2 level. For the control group students, these indicators remained unchanged. Most of the students found this format of education suitable and interesting for online collaboration. These results may be useful for teaching practice, because they provide evidence base with the experimental research for the introduction of mobile technologies in the modern educational process. It solves the problem of using the certain mobile applications (Busuu, Lingoda, LinguaLeo, BBC Learning English) that have not been explored before.

The research is aimed to investigate whether there is an effect of the Boggle game on vocabulary mastery of seventh-grade students at MTs. Nurul Hikmah. The design used was quasi-experimental method with Nonequivalent control group design. The subject of population in this research is seventh-grade students of MTs Nurul Hikmah. The sample of this research were 60 students, who were classified into 30 students of experimental class and 30 students of controlled class. The technique of collecting data with used the research instrument was a test consisting of a pre-test and post-test. The results of thisresearch stated that the used of Boggle games in learning vocabulary affected students' vocabulary mastery. This can be seen from the t-test results of pre-test and post-test at a significance level of 5% (0.05) alpha and degrees of freedom of 2.00, where the t-count of pre-test is higher than the t-table (2.03 &gt; 2.00) with the average pre-test score of the experimental class was higher than the average pre-test score of the control class (49.47 &gt; 42.60) and the t-count of post-test is higher than the t-table (5.75&gt; 2.00) with the average post-test score of the experimental class was higher than the average pre-test score of the control class (83.50 &gt; 73.10). It can be concluded that there is significant effect of Boggle game on the seventh grade students’ vocabulary mastery at MTs. Nurul Hikmah. It means that the Boggle game is effective in learning vocabulary mastery for the seventh-grade students of MTs Nurul Hikmah. By using the Boggle game, the teaching and learning process becomes more interesting. Key words: Boggle Game, Vocabulary Mastery.

Reading comprehension has been one of the most predominant issues especially in the field of language teaching. Hence, this research study explored the use of the Think-Aloud strategy as an intervention in improving the reading comprehension of Grade 7 students of Tagum City National Comprehensive High School. Specifically, this study seeks to determine the significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental and control groups in reading comprehension. In addition, this study employed the quasi-experimental design wherein respondents were chosen through random sampling. T-test for independent and dependent samples was utilized to determine the significant difference between the levels of reading comprehension of the control and experimental groups. Further, the researcher made use of lesson designs for the experimental group, and the daily lesson logs for the control group. The result of this study shows that there is no significant difference between the pretest mean scores of the experimental and control groups. However, after administering the post-test, both groups differed significantly, and it was the experimental group that performed better than the control group. Given all these statistical results, it was evident that the Think-Aloud strategy helps the students improve their reading comprehension. In line with the research findings, the researcher recommends elementary teachers who desire to conduct a research study may further investigate other Think-Aloud techniques in order to build more meaningful learning foundations for their learners necessary to enhance their reading comprehension as they reach a higher level of education.

This study examines the comparative effectiveness of the KWL (Know-Want-Learned) and SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) methods in enhancing reading comprehension among 7th-grade students at SMPN 2 Ngadiluwih. The research was motivated by the lack of consensus on the superiority of both methods and the need to account for classroom dynamics and student motivation, factors often overlooked in prior studies. Participants included 68 students, divided into two groups: an experimental group (KWL) and a control group (SQ3R), with reading comprehension scores as the dependent variable, measured via a 20-item multiple-choice test. The objective was to compare the impact of both methods while identifying external factors such as student engagement and teacher competency. A quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test revealed significant improvements in reading comprehension for both methods. However, no statistical difference was found (p-value = 0.914). Data analysis using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test, homogeneity test, and independent t-test in SPSS 27 confirmed that implementation success was influenced by the classroom environment, such as the presence of peer tutors in the SQ3R group, which fostered a conducive learning atmosphere. The study concludes that the KWL method is suitable for simpler texts with high student motivation. In contrast, the SQ3R method is more effective for in-depth analysis with structured guidance. Practical implications include recommendations for teachers to combine both methods based on student needs, the necessity of research-based reading strategy training, and future exploration of technology integration in pedagogical approaches.

This study investigates the impact of skimming and scanning techniques on the improvement of reading comprehension. Skimming involves quickly reading a text to get the general idea, while scanning focuses on locating specific information. Both techniques are commonly used to enhance efficiency in reading and to improve understanding, particularly in academic and professional settings. The research explores how these methods help readers to better grasp the main points, identify key details, and boost overall reading speed. The findings indicate that students who apply skimming and scanning strategies show significant improvement in their reading comprehension skills, particularly in terms of accuracy and time management. This paper concludes that incorporating these techniques into reading practices can be an effective way to enhance reading comprehension.

Reading comprehension is difficult to improve for children with dyslexia because of the continuing demands of orthographic decoding in combination with limited working memory capacity. Children with dyslexia get special education that improves spelling, phonemic and vocabulary awareness, however the latest research indicated that special education does not improve reading comprehension. With the aim of improving reading comprehension, reading speed and all other reading abilities of children with dyslexia, Auto Train Brain that is a novel mobile app using neurofeedback and multi-sensory learning methods was developed. With a clinical study, we wanted to demonstrate the effectiveness of Auto Train Brain on reading abilities. We compared the cognitive improvements obtained with Auto Train Brain with the improvements obtained with special dyslexia training. Auto Train Brain was applied to 16 children with dyslexia 60 times for 30 minutes. The control group consisted of 14 children with dyslexia who did not have remedial training with Auto Train Brain, but who did continue special education. The TILLS test was applied to both the experimental and the control group at the beginning of the experiment and after a 6-month duration from the first TILLS test. Comparison of the pre- and post- TILLS test results indicated that applying neurofeedback and multi-sensory learning method improved reading comprehension of the experimental group more than that of the control group statistically significantly. Both Auto Train Brain and special education improved phonemic awareness and nonword spelling.

This study investigated the effect of teaching cultural content on Iranian intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ reading comprehension. To this end, 60 intermediate EFL learners from Shokouh Institute in Motelqu, Mazandaran, Iran were selected randomly and assigned to two groups, namely the control group and experimental group; 30 participants in each group were chosen based on their performance using the Oxford Placement Test (OPT). This study used a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest control group research design. After the OPT, the reading comprehension pre-test was given to the participants to check their initial reading comprehension. During a six-week treatment period, both control and experimental groups received the same routine lesson plan of the institute but only the experimental group enjoyed the culture instruction in order to test its effect on learners’ reading comprehension improvement. At the final stage, the post-test was given to check their reading comprehension after the six-week treatment period. The data were analyzed using an Independent Samples T-test and a series of paired Samples T-tests. The results of this study showed that receiving cultural content instruction improved learners’ reading comprehension. In general, the results of experimental group supported the effect of teaching cultural content on Iranian learners’ reading comprehension.