Reading Preferences Research Articles

Student visual learning style activities in javanese script writing learning

The learning activities undertaken by students are essential to be known as the basis for teachers to determine suitable teaching methods and media according to the characteristics of the students. The implication of this research is that teachers can create effective learning experiences by aligning teaching methods and media with the visual learning preferences of students. The research subjects were eighth-grade students at SMP Darussalam Bergas who have a visual learning style. The data for the research included all activities of students with a visual learning style. Data analysis was conducted using Miles and Huberman's data analysis model, which includes data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The data analysis results revealed that the characteristics of visual learning style predominantly dominated the students' learning preferences. The activities of visual learners include the following: they find it easier to comprehend what they see rather than what they hear, pay attention to PowerPoint presentations, are more organized and neat, prefer reading to being read to, are meticulous and detail-oriented, have good spelling skills, tend to doodle without specific meaning, are not easily distracted by noise but may be disrupted if the visual display is unclear, visual learners tend to copy everything written by the teacher on the chalkboard, and they prefer to sit near the front of the classroom to have a clear view. Keywords: learning activities, Javanese script, visual learning style

The persistence of print books: exploring language preference and format preference among Arabic-speaking library patrons in Jordan

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the reasons behind the persistent preference for printed content among Arabic-speaking library patrons in Jordan. Specifically, this study highlights the availability of reading materials in print, electronic and audible formats in Arabic as an intervening factor shaping reading behavior. More broadly, it aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how language preference can impact reading format preferences. Design/methodology/approach This study’s research design revolves around understanding reading format preferences among registered members of Jordan’s largest and oldest private library. This approach involved the examination of secondary library user survey data collected from N = 313 of its patrons in 2022. To gain a greater understanding of the preference for printed materials, this study conducted semistructured interviews over the phone with n = 31 participants of the library’s survey. Findings The findings of this study indicate a strong preference for print books among Arabic-speaking library patrons in Jordan. However, the availability of content in electronic and audible formats in Arabic, their preferred reading language, emerged as a potentially significant factor in the persistent preference for printed reading materials. Originality/value This study offers new insights into the specific role that the availability of content in Arabic, and possibly languages other than English, may play in shaping reading format preferences. By shedding light on this aspect of reading behavior, this research offers valuable information for libraries and publishers seeking to cater to the needs and preferences of Arabic readers.

Islamic Heritage in Russian Turkestan as Seen by the Imperial Muslim Offi cial (Based on the “Tourist’s Notes” by Sh. Ibragimov)

The article analyzes the unfi nished and unpublished work “Travel Sketches. ‘Tourist’s Notes’” by Shakhimardan M. Ibragimov kept at the Archives of the Orientalists of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, RAS (St. Petersburg, Russia). The text refl ects the results of Ibragimov’s trip to the Russian Turkestan during the performance of his offi cial duties and his observations on the daily life of the local population. Being a Turk and a Muslim, Ibragimov paid much attention to the objects of Muslim historical heritage in Turkestan, the state of Islamic institutions (mosques, madrasahs, rabats) and the status of representatives of the clergy (khojas, faqihs), etc. At the same time, he sometimes critically examined the information he received about the local antiquities and even questioned the Muslim origin of some historical monuments and folk customs. According to the authors, this position of Ibragimov can be explained by the fact that he was not only a Muslim, but also an offi cial in the service of the Russian Empire. Perhaps he also took into account the preferences of potential readers of his “Notes”. At the same time, there is no reason to believe that Ibragimov was skeptical about Islam — on the contrary, his interest in historical monuments and religious sites, as well as a number of circumstances of his life and career indicate the opposite. The analyzed “Notes” are of considerable interest as a source on the history, ethnography and religious life of Turkestan. They also refl ect the level of development of Russian Oriental studies in Turkestan in the second half of the 19th century, combining elements of a travelogue and a research.

Reading attitudes and practices: the Italian experience (Overview of statistical data)

In this article, up-to-date statistical data from studies and polls revealing reading activity in recent years in Italy will be presented. In particular, we will focus on the profile of young people in Italy as readers - their reading preferences, attitudes and habits. Emphasis will be placed on the efforts of Italian institutions (schools, libraries, publishing houses) to promote reading.

Services of Regional Universal Scientific Libraries: Problems and Approaches to Their Presentation on Websites

Scientific libraries are active social institutions that promptly respond to the challenges of the external environment, changing preferences of readers and users, their needs for different library, information, socio-cultural demands in online and offline spaces, for self-realization of creative and educational potential. Among scientific libraries a special place is occupied by regional universal scientific libraries (RUSL), which take an active part in the formation of educational, cultural, scientific and economic potential of their territories; ensure the creation of a unified regional information and library space; provide services to the population taking into account regional needs and specifics of the region’s development. The projects reflected in the “IFLA Bank of Ideas”, “Library Creativity Bank”, on the Library Map of the World, in the final materials of the All-Russian contests of library innovations, international contests of marketing projects of IFLA libraries, and in the professional press testify to the innovative practice of the RUSL. The results of the analysis of the websites of 50 regional universal scientific libraries of Russia (the main innovators in library services in the regions) are presented, the purpose of which was to identify the problems of reflection of library and information and other services in the web space. The study analyzed free and paid services offered in online and offline modes and ranked their most common types. The results showed gaps in the presentation of library and information and other services on websites (lack of a unified approach to the presentation of services by type and a complete list of all library and information and other services, difficult search for paid services, lack of a section “Services” and visual support for the provision of additional services, etc.), as well as showed a panorama of opportunities to better reflect them for different categories and segments of users. It is concluded that the solution of the above problems will allow public libraries to raise the level of awareness of users and demonstrate the fullest range of stationary, non-stationary and remote services provided on a paid and free basis.

Evaluation of a Deep Learning Reconstruction for High-Quality T2-Weighted Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Deep learning (DL) reconstruction techniques to improve MR image quality are becoming commercially available with the hope that they will be applicable to multiple imaging application sites and acquisition protocols. However, before clinical implementation, these methods must be validated for specific use cases. In this work, the quality of standard-of-care (SOC) T2w and a high-spatial-resolution (HR) imaging of the breast were assessed both with and without prototype DL reconstruction. Studies were performed using data collected from phantoms, 20 retrospectively collected SOC patient exams, and 56 prospectively acquired SOC and HR patient exams. Image quality was quantitatively assessed via signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and edge sharpness. Qualitatively, all in vivo images were scored by either two or four radiologist readers using 5-point Likert scales in the following categories: artifacts, perceived sharpness, perceived SNR, and overall quality. Differences in reader scores were tested for significance. Reader preference and perception of signal intensity changes were also assessed. Application of the DL resulted in higher average SNR (1.2-2.8 times), CNR (1.0-1.8 times), and image sharpness (1.2-1.7 times). Qualitatively, the SOC acquisition with DL resulted in significantly improved image quality scores in all categories compared to non-DL images. HR acquisition with DL significantly increased SNR, sharpness, and overall quality compared to both the non-DL SOC and the non-DL HR images. The acquisition time for the HR data only required a 20% increase compared to the SOC acquisition and readers typically preferred DL images over non-DL counterparts. Overall, the DL reconstruction demonstrated improved T2w image quality in clinical breast MRI.

Undergraduate students’ reading preference in the extensive reading program: Diary method

Although the Extensive Reading (ER) program has multiple benefits for language learners, the long nature of this program can make it daunting, especially for those with limited book selection. Thus, ensuring a book collection that fits the learners’ preferences is crucial, not only to maintain their reading enjoyment during the program but also to save costs. This research then investigated learners' reading preferences during an ER program, particularly by looking at the reading genres that were frequently chosen by the learners. This research was conducted on 30 university students who took English as a mandatory course. The course used ER as part of the curriculum. This research recorded the learners’ reading preferences through a reading log. This log must be filled in after reading a book or text. Overall, the research generated 373 entries. The results of this research indicated participants’ high interest in books with the themes of drama (slice of life), tales, and comedy. The current research also discovered a preference difference between gender. In conclusion, this research believes ER practitioners must consider learners’ preferences to provide suitable book collections for students. Thus, the learners can read more comfortably and maintain their motivation.

Analysis of English Literature Student’s Preference of Reading Literary Books or Watching the Movie Adaptation and their Accounts for the Tendency

Thesis. Today’s students are very much influenced by globalisation and advances in technology. This has brought about some changes in the attitudes and perceptions of the new generation of students which are worthy of attention. The present study aimed to shed light on one such shift of focus and explored Iranian literature students' preferences for either reading or watching the movie adaptations of literary works. The second aim of the study was to examine the reasons for their preferences and to analyse them to see where they originated from. Concept. To this end, a mixed methods design was used in which the quantitative data was gathered through a questionnaire from the University of Mazandaran English literature students (N=141). In the questionnaire, their tendencies towards either watching movies or reading literary books was explored. Based on convenient sampling, for the qualitative data, a semi-structured interview was conducted with 5 students from each category to find the reasons behind their preferences. The data from the interviews were transcribed and then content analysed. Results and conclusion. The results showed there existed a higher tendency towards movie watching (58%) among these students. Content analysis of the students’ responses to interview questions also revealed some factors affecting their inclination towards movie watching. The main reason for such a tendency was mentioned to be time constraints. Oher reasons were disclosed which will be reported in the article. The implications of the study will also be discussed fully under conclusion.

Children’s executive function during the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina: Associations with home literacy, reading, and screen times

Several studies indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic and the containment measures it required (including social distancing, quarantine and school closure) had a significant impact on children’s mental health. The present study aimed to examine executive function difficulties at behavioural level in school children during the COVID-19 lockdown, and to analyze potential associations with home literacy environment, current reading and screen times. Data were collected from mothers of 210 children (9–12 years old) through an online survey. Incidence of EF issues was higher for fourth graders in the flexibility and working memory domains, possibly reflecting developmental differences. Significant increases in children screen times were observed, while most of them did not read for pleasure on a daily basis. Parents’ literacy beliefs and children’s current leisure reading times were negative predictors of executive function difficulties (with reading times partially mediating literacy beliefs’ effects), which increased with videogame times (particularly in 4th graders). Nevertheless, perceived changes on screen or reading times with respect to prepandemic levels were not associated with executive function scores. The results might indicate: 1) opposite effects of literacy and video game times over children’s executive functioning; 2) a preference for reading or screen recreational use according to their executive function profiles; or 3) a combination of both. Our findings highlight the relation of home literacy environment, reading and screen times with children’s cognitive development, and the importance of following their trajectory during postpandemic times.

The pragmatics of exhaustivity in embedded questions: an experimental comparison of know and predict in German and English.

We present a cross-linguistic experimental study that explores the exhaustivity properties of questions embedded under wissen/to know and korrekt vorhersagen/to correctly predict in German and English. While past theoretical literature has held that such embedded questions should only be interpreted as strongly exhaustive (SE), recent experimental findings suggest an intermediate exhaustive (IE) interpretation is also available and plausible. Participants were confronted with a decision problem involving the different exhaustive readings and received a financial incentive based on their performance. We employed Bayesian analysis to create probabilistic models of participants' beliefs, linking their responses to readings based on utility maximization in simple decision problems. For wissen/to know, we found that the SE reading was most probable in both languages, aligning with early theoretical literature. However, we also attested to the presence of IE readings. For korrekt vorhersagen in German, the IE reading was most probable, whereas for the English phrase "to correctly predict," a preference for the SE reading was observed. This cross-linguistic variation correlates with independent corpus data, indicating that German vorhersagen and English to predict are not lexically equivalent. By including an explicit pragmatic component, our study complements previous work that has focused solely on the principled semantic availability of given readings.

Revision and retranslation of children's classics in modern-day UK and Spain: The case of Enid Blyton's The Famous Five and Malory Towers

ABSTRACT Despite the commercial success of Enid Blyton's books in Spain, researchers have not paid much attention to the Spanish revisions and retranslations of her work. This paper focuses on two of Blyton’s most popular series, The Famous Five and Malory Towers. They were first translated into Spanish in 1964 and have been recently republished in Spain, partly because from 2010 onwards the STs have been thoroughly revised. We analyse which (para)textual aspects of both the original texts and their first translations into Spanish have been modified allegedly to fit the preferences of modern readers. Findings show that two different strategies, revision and retranslation, have been used by publishers for the same purpose: the revamping of Blyton’s works in modern-day UK and Spain.

Legibility: Sinhala typeface featuresfor Directional Informative Sign Boards

Typefaces designed for the purpose of directional informative sign boards (DISB) communicate legible information related to drivers and passengers to navigate within road systems to: maintain road discipline and assist drivers to make instant decisions within a short period while operating a vehicle. The legibility of these typefaces works as a fundamental requirement. The reader's preference test (RPT) highlights that a typeface is unique due to its visual features–the anatomy of a typeface and it influences legibility performance, comprehension, memorability, priming, persuasion, perceptual fluency, and practical usage. This visual perception and the neurotic process of connecting human vision and brain is the intellectual cognition between; reader and information that acutely affects the reader to process information. When considering the amount of research work towards the advancement of DISB and typefaces designed for this purpose is at large within the western context, and more evident in Latin script but lacks in scripts such as Sinhala and Tamil within the Eastern regions. To fill this knowledge gap, the research contributes to Sinhala script discussed within the domain of typography research and proposes a draft typeface for Sri Lankan DISB. Considering legibility to be a required key factor in typefaces designed for the purpose of DISB the research methodology was structured into three stages. The first stage reviews legibility test methods, its measurements, testable factors usability and identifies the most relevant test to analyse typeface features. This section concludes by identifying RPT as the most relevant test with two variables: typeface personality traits and anatomy. Second stage adopts the two variables and tests six Sinhala typefaces that contain personality traits required for DISBs. It concludes with the identification of three typefaces that contain the required personality traits for DISB. The third stage analyses the anatomy of the three typefaces and proposes a draft Sinhala typeface for DISB. This stage redefines the two variables specific to Sinhala script and typography research. The stage concludes with a summary of the anatomical features of the proposed draft typeface and confirms a list of anatomical features required for Sri Lankan DISBs. The research also contributes to devel-oping a methodology to analyse Sinhala typefaces, and draft new typefaces for specified communicative purposes. As for further research, the research the draft typeface to be developed and tested to font and to adapt to similar scripts and advanced typography research

Comparative Analysis Of Digital Or Print Book Reading References Among Journalism Students

This research is related to the preference for reading printed books with digital books by UIN Jakarta Journalism Study Program students. The purpose of this research is to find out the reading preferences of UIN Jakarta students and find out the advantages and disadvantages of reading printed or physical books. The method used in this research is a quantitative approach method with a descriptive research type, this method uses frequency and percentage variables. This study concludes that UIN Jakarta Journalism Study Program students prefer to read physical books with various advantages of the physical book itself compared to reading digital books which still have shortcomings in quality and convenience for readers

Reflecting on EFL Secondary Students’ Reading Habits and Perceptions of Young Adult Literature to Promote Reading for Pleasure and Global Citizenship Education

One of the challenges faced by language teachers is promoting students’ reading for pleasure while also helping them confront world issues. Introducing Young Adult Literature in the EFL classroom can be of great help in this sense. However, it is not easy to select the most appropriate texts and topics, as teenage students’ reading preferences are still not well known. Against this background, we administered an online questionnaire to Austrian, Italian, and Hungarian students to explore their reading preferences and habits. In this article, we report the results of this questionnaire and draw some pedagogical implications.

READING HABITS AND PREFERENCES: THE CONTEXT OF READER’S EXPERIENCE

In this article the reading habits and preferences form the reader’s perspective, highlighting the factors that have impact on reading experience are analyzed. The theoretical analysis of the scientific literature and empirical study revealed that reading habit can be quantified in terms of the materials read, frequency of reading, and amount of time spent reading, or in other words, by established reading preferences. Reading habits and preferences are influenced by a variety of factors, which are internal (age, gender, free time etc.) and external (technology advancement, crisis situations, etc.), reading habits and preferences may alter over time. Keywords: Reader, reading experience, reading habits, reading preferences, I Library

Predicting response to chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer via visual morphologicassessmentand staging on baseline MRI: a multicenter and multireader study.

Pre-treatment knowledge of the anticipated response of rectal tumors to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) could help to further optimize the treatment. Van Griethuysen et al. proposed a visual 5-point confidence score to predict the likelihood of response on baseline MRI. Aim wasto evaluatethis scorein a multicenter and multireader study setting and compare it to two simplified (4-point and 2-point) adaptations in terms of diagnostic performance, interobserver agreement (IOA), and reader preference. Twenty-two radiologists from 14 countries (5 MRI-experts,17 general/abdominal radiologists) retrospectively reviewed 90 baseline MRIs to estimate if patients would likely achieve a (near-)complete response (nCR); first using the 5-point score by van Griethuysen (1=highly unlikely to 5=highly likely to achieve nCR), second using a 4-point adaptation (with 1-point each for high-risk T-stage, obvious mesorectal fascia invasion, nodal involvement, and extramural vascular invasion), and third using a 2-point score (unlikely/likely to achieve nCR). Diagnostic performance was calculated using ROC curves and IOA using Krippendorf's alpha (α). Areas under the ROC curve to predict the likelihood of a nCR were similar for the three methods (0.71-0.74). IOA was higher for the 5- and 4-point scores (α=0.55 and 0.57 versus 0.46 for the 2-point score) with best results for the MRI-experts (α=0.64-0.65). Most readers (55%) favored the 4-point score. Visual morphologic assessment and stagingmethods can predictneoadjuvant treatment response with moderate-good performance. Compared to a previously published confidence-based scoring system, study readers preferred a simplified 4-point risk score based on high-risk T-stage, MRF involvement, nodal involvement, and EMVI.

Utility of accelerated T2-weighted turbo spin-echo imaging with deep learning reconstruction in female pelvic MRI: a multi-reader study.

To determine the clinical feasibility of T2-weighted turbo spin-echo (T2-TSE) imaging with deep learning reconstruction (DLR) in female pelvic MRI compared with conventional T2 TSE in terms of image quality and scan time. Between May 2021 and September 2021, 52 women (mean age, 44years ± 12) who underwent 3-T pelvic MRI with additional T2-TSE using a DLR algorithm were included in this single-center prospective study with patient's informed consents. Conventional, DLR, and DLR T2-TSE images with reduced scan times were independently assessed and compared by four radiologists. The overall image quality, differentiation of anatomic details, lesion conspicuity, and artifacts were evaluated using a 5-point scale. Inter-observer agreement of the qualitative scores was compared and reader protocol preferences were then evaluated. In the qualitative analysis of all readers, fast DLR T2-TSE showed significantly better overall image quality, differentiation of anatomic regions, lesion conspicuity, and lesser artifacts than conventional T2-TSE and DLR T2-TSE, despite approximately 50% reduction in scan time (all p < 0.05). The inter-reader agreement for the qualitative analysis was moderate to good. All readers preferred DLR over conventional T2-TSE regardless of scan time and preferred fast DLR T2-TSE (57.7-78.8%), except for one who preferred DLR over fast DLR T2-TSE (53.8% vs. 46.1%). In female pelvic MRI, image quality and accelerated image acquisition for T2-TSE can be significantly improved by using DLR compared to conventional T2-TSE. Fast DLR T2-TSE was non-inferior to DLR T2-TSE in terms of reader preference and image quality. DLR of T2-TSE in female pelvic MRI enables fast imaging along with maintaining optimal image quality compared with parallel imaging-based conventional T2-TSE. • Conventional T2 turbo spin-echo based on parallel imaging has limitations for accelerated image acquisition while maintaining good image quality. • Deep learning image reconstruction showed better image quality in both images obtained using the same or accelerated image acquisition parameters compared with conventional T2 turbo spin-echo in female pelvic MRI. • Deep learning image reconstruction enables accelerated image acquisition while maintaining good image quality in the T2-TSE of female pelvic MRI.

Project-Based Learning as a Methodology to Improve Reading and Comprehension Skills in the English Language

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Project-Based Learning (PBL) in enhancing English language reading skills among ninth-grade students in a school located in Quito. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, combining a descriptive nature with a comprehensive literature review from reputable sources such as ScienceDirect, Scopus, MDPI, Web of Science, and Springer. The analytical-synthetic method was utilized, incorporating an observation guide to diagnose students’ reading preferences and habits, along with questionnaires administered to 10 teachers and two institutional authorities to gather insights on their experiences with PBL. The main objective was increasing interest and competence in reading, reading, and comprehension. Following the implementation of PBL, the 20 participating students exhibited enhanced motivation and demonstrated advancements in their reading skills. They engaged in significant, relevant projects aligned with their social and educational environment. The results highlight the effectiveness of PBL as a teaching strategy for developing English language reading skills. The findings suggest that educators have a fundamental responsibility to stimulate and encourage the development of reading abilities, especially for students at the beginning of their schooling. PBL offers an active and innovative approach to foster student engagement and improve reading and comprehension skills. Therefore, this study demonstrates that implementing PBL can positively impact students’ English language reading skills. These results support the recommendation for the widespread adoption of PBL in English language learning contexts to enhance reading proficiency among students.

Reading Patterns, Scanning and the ‘Control F’/Search Icon: How Students Really (Don’t) Read

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to investigate whether digital reading had an impact on reading skills, as well as students’ tendencies to read online or offline in the L2 English speaking classroom. Approach/Methodology/Design: This quantitative-qualitative mixed methods case study involved was comprised of a convenient, purposive sample of 16 participants for semi structured focus group interviews in an English-speaking private university. Findings: The findings seem to suggest that reading digitally prods students not only to adopt skimming patterns, but to use the “Control F” command to bypass reading altogether. Furthermore, students’ reading preferences for online/offline material was also revealed, showing a significant tendency of students to revert to online material “just to understand” or “get an idea” while deep understanding was substantially associated with preference for offline reading. Practical Implications: The findings of this study may serve to guide teachers of English in the L2 classroom how to navigate online texts comprehensively, what skills to promote while reading online and which to forgo. Originality/value: This study sheds light on the possible misuse of “Control F” during online reading exercises and underscores the necessity of using this tool over and above reading strategies and skills, and not as a stand-alone tool in itself,

A quantitative study of non-linearity in storytelling

In this paper, we present a study of non-linearity in storytelling in a collection of 2,348 books published since 2001 that are divided among 10 different categories. We employ word embeddings to capture the semantic non-linearity of a book, along with three associated measures called speed, volume, and distance. We find that narrative non-linearity is strongly associated with the communication of non-instrumental (imaginary) information, but only very weakly negatively associated with a book's success. When we decompose non-linearity, we observe that reader preferences for books favor greater narrative distance with lower speed, i.e. books that take readers further but do so more parsimoniously are more successful. Our work aims to contribute to a growing body of studies that use computational methods to better understand human narrative behavior.