Dutch Reading Research Articles

General Mental Health, Loneliness, and Life Satisfaction in the Context of COVID-19 Policies: A 2-Year Cohort Study in the Netherlands, April 2020-January 2022.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has affected mental health, understanding who has been affected most and why is incomplete. We sought to understand changes in mental health in the context of transmission numbers and pandemic (social) restrictions and whether changes in mental health varied among population groups. We analyzed data from 92 062 people (aged ≥16 years and able to read Dutch) who participated in the Corona Behavioral Unit cohort study at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the Netherlands, from April 17, 2020, through January 25, 2022. Participants self-reported mental well-being through multiple rounds of surveys. We used a multivariable linear mixed-effects model to analyze loneliness, general mental health, and life satisfaction. As strictness of pandemic prevention measures and social restrictions increased, people's feelings of loneliness increased and mental health and life satisfaction decreased. As restrictions were relaxed, loneliness decreased and general mental health improved. Younger people (aged 16-24 y) versus older people (aged ≥40 y), people with low (vs high) education levels, and people living alone (vs living together) were more likely to have negative well-being outcomes. We observed that trajectories over time differed considerably only by age, with participants aged 16-24 years affected substantially more than participants aged ≥40 years by pandemic social restrictions. These patterns were consistent across multiple waves of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings suggest that the social restrictions imposed by the Dutch government during the study period were associated with reduced mental well-being, especially among younger people. However, people appeared resilient as they recovered during periods when restrictions were relaxed. Monitoring and supporting well-being, in particular to reduce loneliness, may help younger people during periods of intense social restrictions.

The "Dutch Reading Test for Adults" has Been Used for 29 Years to Estimate the Premorbid Performance Level, does it Still Meet the Expectations?

To detect cognitive change after brain damage, it is important to know the level of premorbid intellectual functioning. A popular instrument in this context is the “Nederlandse Leestest voor Volwassenen” (NLV; Schmand et al., 1992). In this test, 50 words with irregular pronunciation must be read out loud. The score on this test used to be considered as a good estimate of someone’s premorbid IQ, due to high correlations with the Verbal and Full-Scale IQ estimates of the WAIS (Verbal IQ: r = .85, Full Scale IQ: r = .74; Schmand et al., 1992). Despite some updates of the normative data (e.g., Bouma et al., 2012), the validity of the test has not been re-evaluated since. The aim of the current study was to evaluate whether the NLV still correlates sufficiently with the WAIS-IV to warrant its proper use as a psychodiagnostic tool. In Study 1, 30 participants (age range: 20–29 year) were tested, and in Study 2, 51 participants (age range: 45–65 year). We checked whether the NLV-generated IQ-score estimates correlated with the different IQ indices of the WAIS-IV. In the younger group, no correlations were found between the NLV-generated IQ-score estimate and any of the WAIS-IV indices nor the Full-Scale IQ. In the older group, the NLV-generated IQ-score estimate correlated with Full scale IQ and the indices of Verbal Comprehension, Working Memory and Processing Speed. These correlations were all <.46 which is far below the typically hold standard in test development of >.70. Based on these findings we conclude the NLV in its current form is not appropriate anymore to estimate premorbid IQ in both young and older adults.

Onderzoekend lezen: geïntegreerd leesonderwijs en de rol van de leerling als betekenisgever

Current Dutch reading education does not suffice for deep understanding of texts. This problem calls for a solution that (re)combines literary education and reading comprehension –the two pillars on which Dutch reading education is built. The goal is to introduce a way of reading that requires a different set of skills from students as active ‘meaning makers’, thus putting interpretation back on the map. In this article, we first discuss how the current linkage between reading enjoyment, reading promotion, and literature education sends students the misleading message that reading literature would produce (primarily) reading enjoyment. We argue that this linkage ensures that reading motivation problems related to comprehension of non-literary texts – as reported by students and their teachers – remain underexposed and virtually unaddressed. We then propose a repositioning of both forms of reading instruction that makes reading comprehension more ‘comprehensible’, that is, resulting in a deeper understanding of texts and positioning students in the more motivating role of meaning maker. This can be achieved with a didactic approach that approaches texts (literary as well as non-literary) as sources of – and for – linguistic and philosophical reflections, for example on one’s self, on the Other, or on the Netherlands and the world. Finally, as reading motivation is augmented when texts are read that relate to a specific context, we suggest focusing on ‘Dutch discourses’ as a productive context for the Dutch class at secondary schools. We provide examples of how such an ‘inquisitive reading’ could be didacticized and set a research agenda that could further explore this direction.

Learning to read in mother tongue or foreign language: Comparing Papiamento-Dutch reading skills in the post-colonial Dutch Caribbean

We studied the Papiamento (L1) and Dutch (L2) reading of 293 fourth grade students in the postcolonial Dutch Caribbean, where L1 just latterly has been introduced into the school curriculum. We examined the effect of language of alphabetization (L1 first vs L2 first) and other L1 and L2 cognitive-linguistic predictors on reading skills. The results show that children's mother tongue, Papiamento, occupies a strong position in both the cognitive-linguistic precursors to learning to read and in the reading comprehension outcomes. In general, higher Papiamento predictor scores and Papiamento reading comprehension were found. However, children's word decoding was generally higher in Dutch. Phonological awareness and rapid naming predicted Papiamento word decoding, vocabulary, phonological awareness, and rapid naming and word span predicted Dutch decoding. Word decoding predicted reading comprehension in Papiamento and grammar predicted reading comprehension in Dutch. There was evidence of linguistic interdependencies for decoding and reading comprehension between languages.

What textbooks offer and what teachers teach: an analysis of the Dutch reading comprehension curriculum

In the Netherlands, the quality of the reading curriculum is currently under debate because of disappointing results on national and international assessments of students’ reading skills and motivation. In a mixed-method study, we analyzed the content of Dutch textbooks for reading comprehension instruction (i.e., the implemented curriculum) and teachers’ evaluation and use of these books (i.e., the enacted curriculum). A materials analysis of reading comprehension lessons (N = 80) in eight textbooks for grades 4 and 5 was complemented with semi-structured teacher interviews (N = 29) and lesson observations (N = 11), with a focus on the quality of reading strategy and text structure instruction in the curriculum. Main findings are (1) a lack of alignment between lesson goals, theory, and assignments, (2) a strong focus on practicing strategies, (3) limited declarative knowledge about strategies and text structure, (4) little opportunities for self-regulated strategy application. The teachers that were interviewed mention similar problems, but still hardly deviate from the textbook’s content and pedagogical guidelines. We make recommendations to improve the quality of the curriculum.

The impact of CLIL on the L2 French and L1 Dutch proficiency of Flemish secondary school pupils

ABSTRACT Since its official introduction in 2014, an increasing number of Flemish secondary schools provide a CLIL program next to their regular monolingual Dutch programs. This longitudinal study investigates the effect of teaching one or several content subjects in French on secondary school pupils’ L2 French listening comprehension (n = 545) and speaking proficiency (n = 273) as well as on their L1 Dutch reading comprehension (n = 579). To ensure comparability between the CLIL and the non-CLIL groups, data collection started at the onset of secondary education, which aligns with the onset of CLIL programs, and information on relevant background variables such as L2 French motivation and anxiety, contact with L2 French outside school and pupils’ socioeconomic status was incorporated in the analyses. The results show that following a CLIL program has a positive impact on the development of French listening and speaking, whereas it does not affect pupils’ L1 Dutch reading comprehension. These results suggest that even a limited amount of CLIL (i.e. one to five hours per week) can have a positive influence on pupils’ proficiency in the target language.

P-504 A randomised controlled trial comparing expectant management or intrauterine-insemination in couples with unexplained subfertility and a poor prognosis for natural conception: the impact on health-related-quality-of-life

Abstract Study question Is health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in women with unexplained subfertility and a poor prognosis influenced by expectant management or intrauterine insemination with ovarian stimulation? Summary answer HRQoL did not differ, except for the relational domain which was lower after expectant management. Anxiety and depression disorders occurred frequently in both groups. What is known already In couples with unexplained subfertility and a poor prognosis, IUI with ovarian stimulation (IUI-OS) is a first line treatment. Not much is known about quality of live or depression and anxiety in these couples. The Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) is reliable for assessment within relational and social domains, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a reliable tool to detect anxiety and depression disorders. Study design, size, duration We performed a multicentre RCT in couples with unexplained subfertility with a poor prognosis of conceiving naturally within one year. Women were allocated 1:1 to six months expectant management or to six months IUI-OS. HRQoL was assessed with standard self-administered psychometric measures with established reliability and validity: FertiQol and HADS. We intended to include 1091 couples but after almost 4 years, the study had to stop due to slow inclusion and therefore lack of funding. Participants/materials, setting, methods Between June 2017 and September 2020, we recruited 178 women of wich 92 were assigned expectant management and 86 IUI-OS. All women who participated and could read Dutch were eligible for the HRQoL measurements because HRQoL questionnaires in foreign languages were not yet available online. Women completed the questionnaires before randomisation, 3 and 6 months after randomisation. We used mixed model analyses to assess differences between treatment groups and the effect of time. Main results and the role of chance One hundred sixty-two women could read Dutch and were invited (162/178 (91%)). Analyzable data of the FertiQol questionnaire were available for 80% (130/162). Compared to women allocated to IUI-OS, women allocated to expectant management had a lower FertiQol score in the relational domain (mean difference -4.3 (95% CI -7.3 to -1.3) but not in the social domain (mean diff van -0.8 (95% CI -4.5 to 2.9). Data of the HADS questionnaire were available of 156 women (96% (156/162)). Both groups had comparable scores in the Anxiety (mean difference -0.20; 95% CI 0.63; -0.99 to 0.6) and Depressions score (mean difference 0.002; 95% CI -0.67 to 0.67) at all three moments. At baseline, the incidence of an anxiety disorder (definition score 8 or higher) was 19% (30/156) and increased to 30% and 29% at 3 months and 6 months respectively. The incidence of a depression disorder (definition score 8 or higher) was 5% (7/156) and increased to 16% and 18% at 3 months and 6 months respectively. The incidences of anxiety or depression disorders did not differ significantly between expectant management and IUI. Limitations, reasons for caution Our randomized controlled trial did not reach the planned sample size. The results are only applicable to women with unexplained subfertility and a poor prognosis and not to all women with unexplained subfertility. Wider implications of the findings Although often assumed, IUI-OS does not improve HRQoL compared to expectant management in all domains. IUI might prevent loss of quality of the relationship, but the impact seems small. Future studies should look into the high incidence of anxiety and depression disorders in these women and how to support them. Trial registration number Trial register NL5455 (NTR5599)

P–504 A randomised controlled trial comparing expectant management or intrauterine-insemination in couples with unexplained subfertility and a poor prognosis for natural conception: the impact on health-related-quality-of-life

Abstract Study question Is health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in women with unexplained subfertility and a poor prognosis influenced by expectant management or intrauterine insemination with ovarian stimulation? Summary answer HRQoL did not differ, except for the relational domain which was lower after expectant management. Anxiety and depression disorders occurred frequently in both groups. What is known already In couples with unexplained subfertility and a poor prognosis, IUI with ovarian stimulation (IUI-OS) is a first line treatment. Not much is known about quality of live or depression and anxiety in these couples. The Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) is reliable for assessment within relational and social domains, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a reliable tool to detect anxiety and depression disorders. Study design, size, duration We performed a multicentre RCT in couples with unexplained subfertility with a poor prognosis of conceiving naturally within one year. Women were allocated 1:1 to six months expectant management or to six months IUI-OS. HRQoL was assessed with standard self-administered psychometric measures with established reliability and validity: FertiQol and HADS. We intended to include 1091 couples but after almost 4 years, the study had to stop due to slow inclusion and therefore lack of funding. Participants/materials, setting, methods Between June 2017 and September 2020, we recruited 178 women of wich 92 were assigned expectant management and 86 IUI-OS. All women who participated and could read Dutch were eligible for the HRQoL measurements because HRQoL questionnaires in foreign languages were not yet available online. Women completed the questionnaires before randomisation, 3 and 6 months after randomisation. We used mixed model analyses to assess differences between treatment groups and the effect of time. Main results and the role of chance One hundred sixty-two women could read Dutch and were invited (162/178 (91%)). Analyzable data of the FertiQol questionnaire were available for 80% (130/162). Compared to women allocated to IUI-OS, women allocated to expectant management had a lower FertiQol score in the relational domain (mean difference –4.3 (95% CI –7.3 to –1.3) but not in the social domain (mean diff van –0.8 (95% CI –4.5 to 2.9). Data of the HADS questionnaire were available of 156 women (96% (156/162)). Both groups had comparable scores in the Anxiety (mean difference –0.20; 95% CI 0.63; –0.99 to 0.6) and Depressions score (mean difference 0.002; 95% CI –0.67 to 0.67) at all three moments. At baseline, the incidence of an anxiety disorder (definition score 8 or higher) was 19% (30/156) and increased to 30% and 29% at 3 months and 6 months respectively. The incidence of a depression disorder (definition score 8 or higher) was 5% (7/156) and increased to 16% and 18% at 3 months and 6 months respectively. The incidences of anxiety or depression disorders did not differ significantly between expectant management and IUI. Limitations, reasons for caution Our randomized controlled trial did not reach the planned sample size. The results are only applicable to women with unexplained subfertility and a poor prognosis and not to all women with unexplained subfertility. Wider implications of the findings: Although often assumed, IUI-OS does not improve HRQoL compared to expectant management in all domains. IUI might prevent loss of quality of the relationship, but the impact seems small. Future studies should look into the high incidence of anxiety and depression disorders in these women and how to support them. Trial registration number Trial register NL5455 (NTR5599)

Brousse, Rimboe, Oerwoud or Jungle? Retranslations as Sites of Negotiations

ABSTRACT Dutch reading culture is so international that it is fair to say foreign texts in Dutch translation are part of Dutch literature. But translation of literature ‘into Dutch’ is itself not without pitfalls, it proves to be an arena where Dutch diverging linguistic norms become visible. Retranslation can be a means to negotiate these complex target culture norms. In the Dutch language literary field the policy of avoiding ‘Flemish’ for the Dutch language book market seems to have been consistent and widespread as e.g. the case of Richard Scarry’s ABC-books shows. Three consecutive translations of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Books, seen from a cultural-political angle, clearly show how the unity or heterogeneity of the Dutch speaking literary field is negotiated. My paper demonstrates how retranslations can serve as negotiations between not only source and target culture but even within the target culture itself.

PROTOCOL: Recreational book reading for promoting cognitive functioning and emotional well-being in older adults: A systematic review.

PROTOCOL: Recreational book reading for promoting cognitive functioning and emotional well-being in older adults: A systematic review.

Language activities in a minority-majority language context: book-reading at home is more important for Frisian than for Dutch.

Previous research has shown that in a minority-majority language context, the quantity of language input at home is more important for the development of the minority language than for the development of the majority language. In the current study, we examined whether the same holds true for the frequency of specific language activities at home. In a group of five- and six-year-old Frisian-Dutch bilingual children (n = 120), we investigated to what extent vocabulary and morphology knowledge were predicted by reading activities, watching TV, and story-telling activities in both languages. The results showed that reading in Frisian predicted both Frisian vocabulary and morphology, while reading in Dutch only predicted Dutch vocabulary. This shows that reading at home is most important for the development of the minority language. This especially holds true for the acquisition of Frisian morphology, a domain that is known to be vulnerable in language acquisition.

The effect of an animation video on consultation time, anxiety and satisfaction in women with abnormal cervical cytology: Animation video reduces colposcopy time.

The objective was to assess whether supplementing hospital-dependent standard information with a hospital-independent animation video might reduce consultation time, pre-colposcopy anxiety levels and increase post-colposcopy satisfaction.Between November 2016 and May 2018, women were included if they were referred to the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in one of the three participating hospitals in the Netherlands due to an abnormal cervical smear. Exclusion criteria were colposcopy in the medical history or inability to understand, speak or read Dutch. Two consecutive cohorts were created: a control group that received standard information and an intervention group that received the same plus the animation video. Outcome measures were consultation time, pre-colposcopy anxiety level and post-colposcopy satisfaction. Consultation time was measured using stopwatch. Anxiety was measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Satisfaction was measured with the Patient's Experience and Attitude Colposcopy Eindhoven questionnaire (PEACE-q).In total, 122 women were included, 61 in each group. Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups. Pre-colposcopy consultation time was significantly reduced in the intervention group (median 140 s) compared to the control group (median 269 s). However, overall consultation time was not reduced. The outcome measures anxiety and satisfaction were not significantly different.A hospital-independent animation video did significantly reduced pre-colposcopy consultation time but did not reduce anxiety or increase satisfaction in women with abnormal cervical cytology. Further research should focus on the effects of animation video in a primary care setting.

Lexical characteristics of written language input across primary grades: An analysis of a Dutch corpus based lexicon

The lexical written language input aimed at beginning readers may influence reading success. We analyzed a lexicon based on a corpus of Dutch reading materials for primary school children to gain insight into the frequency distribution of different word types, i.e. words with similar word characteristics, both per grade and across grades. The frequencies of monomorphemic, concrete words and of polysemous words remained relatively stable, whereas that of multimorphemic and monomorphemic abstract words increased across grades. Within each grade, multimorphemic and monomorphemic, abstract words had lower frequencies than monomorphemic, concrete words. Difficult polysemous words were less frequent than easy polysemous words in all grades. Some additional explorations on a larger word set corroborated our findings. Our findings suggest that authors of child reading materials adapt their choice of words to the intended vocabulary knowledge level, consistent with vocabulary knowledge development theories. We discuss theoretical and educational implications of our findings.

Met Ot en Sien naar Indië

Abstract Ot and Sien are the main characters of the famous Dutch children’s book Het boek van Ot en Sien [The Book of Ot and Sien] (1906), written by Hindericus Scheepstra and (assisted by) Jan Ligthart. Less known is the fact that in 1911, an edition for the Dutch reading lessons in the Dutch East Indies was published: Ot en Sien in Nederlandsch Oost-Indië [Ot and Sien in the Dutch East Indies] (1911). Both the stories and the illustrations were ‘verindischt’: adapted to the Dutch colonial situation in ‘the East’. Until now, scarcely any attention has been paid to this children’s book in general and to the colonial ideology within this text in particular. This article offers a critical, postcolonial reading of Ot en Sien in Indië, focusing on unequal power relations between the colonizer and colonized people. Which strategies are used by the authors to represent the colony and its people? And to what extent did an ‘innocent’ children’s book play a role in the legitimation of the Dutch colonization?

Beyond the simple view of early first and second language reading: The impact of lexical quality

Abstract According to the simple view of reading (SVR), reading comprehension is the product of word decoding and listening comprehension. Against this background, we examined the additional role of early lexical quality in the prediction of reading comprehension, either directly or indirectly via word decoding or listening comprehension. Following a longitudinal design, 566 children learning to read Dutch as L1 and 463 children learning to read Dutch as L2 in the Netherlands were tested on indicators lexical quality (LQ) in kindergarten (speech decoding, morphological knowledge and vocabulary); word decoding and listening comprehension in first grade; and then reading comprehension in second grade. The results showed L2 learners to consistently lag behind L1 readers on all measures except for word decoding. Both word decoding and listening comprehension predicted later reading comprehension for not only L1 but also L2 learners. However, later reading comprehension was also directly predicted by the children's early morphological and vocabulary knowledge, on the one hand, and indirectly by speech decoding and morphological knowledge via word decoding and indirectly by morphological and vocabulary knowledge via listening comprehension. These results show the beginning reading achievement of both L1 and L2 learners to be largely predicted by the quality of their early lexicons.

The Medical Journal of the Dutch Indies 1852–1942. A Platform for Medical Research

Health & History, 2018. 20/1 157 Book Reviews Leo van Bergen, Liesbeth Hesselink, and Jan Peter Verhave, eds, The Medical Journal of the Dutch Indies 1852–1942. A Platform for Medical Research (Jakarta: Indonesian Academy of Sciences, 2017). ISBN: 978-602-61626-3-2. B&W illustrations, figures, and tables. xiv + 442pp. Although the history of medicine in the Dutch Indies is no new topic of scholarly inquiry, interest in this subject has increased over the last decade. Several monographs examining subjects such as the position of Indigenous healers on the medical market, the emergence of a hospital system, Dutch initiatives in combating leprosy, and the entanglements of medical education and Indonesian nationalism have appeared or will appear soon. The Medical Journal of the Dutch Indies 1852–1942 is the outcome of a collaboration between some of the field’s most active contributors including a number of historians and especially physicians, many of whom have experience in tropical medicine. This volume contains no less than twenty-three chapters detailing topics central to the Medical Journal for the Dutch Indies (Geneeskundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch-Indië; hereafter GTNI), the most prominent Dutch medical journal in the Dutch East Indies. Two opinions prompted the making of this book. First, the editors maintain that the GTNI is a rich archive for both medical and colonial historians. Second, access to its contents is restricted to those who happen to read Dutch. Because most of its submissions were written in that language, ‘the data obtained in the Indies [did] not receive the wide attention in the medical world that it deserved’, and the editors seem to suggest, perhaps somewhat resentfully, that this is still the case (p. 7). The volume is divided into two parts. The first six chapters provide an overview of the history of medicine and health care in the Netherlands Indies. Grossly simplified, one could depict Dutch colonialism between 1830 and 1940 as developing from a system of forced production of marketable crops indirectly managed by government officials and a military force (1830–1870). This was followed by a period of economic liberalisation, military expansion, and a subsequent ‘civilisation mission’ administered by a burgeoning colonial bureaucracy (1870–1920), and then by a policy of political repression, economic depression, and administrative decentralisation 158 BOOK REVIEWS (1920–1940). The provision of medical care developed accordingly. For a long time, medical institutions overwhelmingly focused on military needs. Only in 1911 was the Civil Medical Service separated from its military counterpart; it primarily focused on prevention and public hygiene. Charitable hospitals provided curative care. Two chapters examine GTNI contributions by missionaries and Indigenous authors. The number of Indigenous physicians increased from 1900 onwards because the so-called Ethical Policy, inaugurated in 1901, required more medical experts. By and large, these chapters provide a useful introduction to the history of medicine in the Dutch colony. One minor point of criticism is related to the fact that the contents of these chapters somewhat overlap. The remaining chapters focus on particular diseases or medical specialties. Several of these elaborate topics one might expect to find in a volume on colonial or tropical medicine. These include yaws, malaria, beriberi, and hookworm disease. More surprising are the contributions on malaria treatment of general paralysis of the insane, plastic surgery, hernia treatment, trachoma treatment, forensic toxicology, and neurology. Unlike tropical diseases, these latter topics are less frequently discussed in a colonial setting. Other subjects examined are cholera, leprosy, childcare, physical anthropology, anaesthetics, and care of the mentally ill. The authors trace historical developments in GTNI’s content. Before 1920, case studies focused primarily on infectious diseases and beriberi. Thereafter, research was geared towards heart disease, cancer, physiology, intoxication, and obstetrics (p. 8). The quality of these chapters varies. Whereas some authors reproduce the journal’s casuistic structure, others engage more extensively with contemporary medical debates and examine possible connections to colonial policy and ideology. Altogether these chapters present a dazzling range of facts. The reader will probably prefer to consult them separately rather than reading them consecutively. The Medical Journal of the Dutch Indies 1852–1942 is successful in making the history of medicine in the Dutch Indies available to a broader audience. Both students...

Lexical quality and executive control predict children\u2019s first and second language reading comprehension

This study compared how lexical quality (vocabulary and decoding) and executive control (working memory and inhibition) predict reading comprehension directly as well as indirectly, via syntactic integration, in monolingual and bilingual fourth grade children. The participants were 76 monolingual and 102 bilingual children (mean age 10 years, SD = 5 months) learning to read Dutch in the Netherlands. Bilingual children showed lower Dutch vocabulary, syntactic integration and reading comprehension skills, but better decoding skills than their monolingual peers. There were no differences in working memory or inhibition. Multigroup path analysis showed relatively invariant connections between predictors and reading comprehension for monolingual and bilingual readers. For both groups, there was a direct effect of lexical quality on reading comprehension. In addition, lexical quality and executive control indirectly influenced reading comprehension via syntactic integration. The groups differed in that inhibition more strongly predicted syntactic integration for bilingual than for monolingual children. For a subgroup of bilingual children, for whom home language vocabulary data were available (n = 56), there was an additional positive effect of home language vocabulary on second language reading comprehension. Together, the results suggest that similar processes underlie reading comprehension in first and second language readers, but that syntactic integration requires more executive control in second language reading. Moreover, bilingual readers additionally benefit from first language vocabulary to arrive at second language reading comprehension.

L1 and L2 reading skills in Dutch adolescents with a familial risk of dyslexia.

BackgroundThe present study investigated differences in reading and spelling outcomes in Dutch and English as a second language (ESL) in adolescents with a high familial risk of dyslexia, of whom some have developed dyslexia (HRDys) while others have not (HRnonDys), in comparison to a low familial risk control group without dyslexia (LRnonDys). This allowed us to investigate the persistence of dyslexia in the first language (L1) and the effect of dyslexia on the second language (L2), which has, in this case, a lower orthographic transparency. Furthermore, the inclusion of the HRnonDys group allowed us to investigate the continuity of the familial risk of dyslexia, as previous studies observed that the HRnonDys group often scores in between the HRDys and LRnonDys group, and whether these readers without reading deficits in Dutch, have more reading difficulties in ESL.MethodsThe data of three groups of adolescents were analyzed; 27 LRnonDys, 25 HRdys 25 HRnonDys. The mean age was 14;1 years; months, and 37 were male. All were native speakers of Dutch, attended regular secondary education (grade 7–10), and were non-native speakers of English. Using MANOVA the groups were compared on Dutch and English word reading fluency (WRF), spelling and vocabulary, Dutch pseudoword and loanword reading fluency, phonological awareness (PA), rapid automatized naming (RAN), and verbal short term and working memory. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare English and Dutch WRF, spelling and vocabulary directly within the three groups.ResultsThe analyses revealed that the HRDys group had a deficit in both reading and spelling in Dutch and ESL. They also performed poorer than the LRnonDys group on all other measures. Effect sizes were especially large for pseudoword reading and the reaction times during the PA task. The HRnonDys group scored generally poorer than the LRnonDys group but this difference was only significant for Dutch pseudoword reading, PA reaction times and verbal short term memory. In general the HRDys and HRnonDys group scored similar in Dutch and English, except for English WRF where the HRDys group scored slightly better than expected based on their Dutch WRF.DiscussionThere was a high persistence of dyslexia. Adolescents with dyslexia had large impairments in reading and spelling, and reading related measures, both in Dutch and ESL. Despite high inter-individual differences, an overall three-step pattern was observed. Adolescents in the HRnonDys group scored in between the HRDys and LRnonDys group, supporting the polygenetic origin of dyslexia and the continuity of the familial risk of dyslexia. The lower orthographic transparency did not have a negative effect on L2 reading, spelling and vocabulary, both in the HRnonDys and HRDys group. The latter group performed slightly better than expected in L2, which may be a result of the massive exposure to English and high motivation to use English by adolescents.

The Art of Reading: The National Dutch Reading Promotion Program

ABSTRACTThe Art of Reading is a national reading promotion program in the Netherlands targeting children and youngsters from birth to 18 years of age. Launched in 2008, the program reached in 2016 nearly 700,000 children. In this article, we describe the program’s background, ambitions, content, and implementation, as well as the central role of the public library in its development and execution. A special focus is on the digital monitoring system that has been created to monitor the impact of the program on pupils’ reading behavior and teachers’ reading promotion behavior.

Focus in Dutch reading: an eye-tracking experiment with heritage speakers of Turkish

ABSTRACTThis study examines whether heritage speakers of Turkish in the Netherlands interpret focus in written Dutch sentences differently from L1 speakers of Dutch (controls). Where most previous studies examined effects from the dominant L2 on the heritage language, we investigated whether there are effects from the weaker heritage language on the dominant L2. Dutch and Turkish differ in focus marking. Dutch primarily uses prosody to encode focus, whereas Turkish uses prosody and syntax, with a preverbal area for focused information and a postverbal area for background information. In written sentences no explicit prosody is available, which possibly enhances the role of syntactic cues in interpreting focus. An eye-tracking experiment suggests that, unlike the controls, the bilinguals associate the preverbal area with focus and the postverbal area with background information. These findings are in line with transfer from the weaker L1 to the dominant L2 at the syntax–discourse interface.