Speed reading is traditionally looked upon highly and is seen as a great skill in the academic and professional community. There is a relationship between reading speed and retention when one holds the assumption that reading faster is better (McLaughlin, 1969; Smith, 1975). The capability of reading faster is possible but the quality of retaining the information read is variable (McLaughlin, 1969). The average person reads 200-250 words per minute (WPM) for upper intermediate grades and 300-350 WPM for adults with 70-80% comprehension accuracy (Carver, 1983; Lauer, 2008; Louise & Lauer, 1959; Shore, 1968; Smith, 1975). The question that remains is if a fast reader is, in fact, a “good” reader. Simply put, a good reader should be able
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We examined the varied retention levels of undergraduate students when presented a video of the same text flashing in one of three specific speeds. Using Spreeder, a software that takes text and flashes the text word by word according to the selected speed, three different trials were recorded. An original text was made (provided in Table 1) and used for each form except at different speeds. The text was kept constant to avoid the content of the story leading to variations amongst the retention scores of the three forms. Subjects were split into three forms. Form A was recorded on Spreeder at 150 WPM (words per minute). Form B was recorded on Spreeder at 250 WPM and Form C was recorded at 350 WPM on the same application. Participants used their own web enabled device, such as a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, to complete the experiment. Participants were assigned to a letter and were emailed the corresponding link to the test. One link included Form A (34% of participants completed this form), another included Form B (32% of participants completed this form) and the last link was for Form C (34% participants completed this form). Participants answered six long answer comprehension questions. These questions added up to 15 points; where each fully correct answer awarded the participant 1 point while answers that included a …show more content…
Findings showed that reading speed had a significant effect on individual scores when studying the effect of speed reading on retention. Data did not show that the increase in speed sequentially reduced individual scores. It was also found that, independently, watching the text flash full-screen also had a significant effect on an individual’s retention score, while the interaction between device and watching the text full screen was not significant. Thus, it is better to read at a comfortable pace rather than speed reading in order to best retain the information that is
We examined the varied retention levels of undergraduate students when presented a video of the same text flashing in one of three specific speeds. Using Spreeder, a software that takes text and flashes the text word by word according to the selected speed, three different trials were recorded. An original text was made (provided in Table 1) and used for each form except at different speeds. The text was kept constant to avoid the content of the story leading to variations amongst the retention scores of the three forms. Subjects were split into three forms. Form A was recorded on Spreeder at 150 WPM (words per minute). Form B was recorded on Spreeder at 250 WPM and Form C was recorded at 350 WPM on the same application. Participants used their own web enabled device, such as a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, to complete the experiment. Participants were assigned to a letter and were emailed the corresponding link to the test. One link included Form A (34% of participants completed this form), another included Form B (32% of participants completed this form) and the last link was for Form C (34% participants completed this form). Participants answered six long answer comprehension questions. These questions added up to 15 points; where each fully correct answer awarded the participant 1 point while answers that included a …show more content…
Findings showed that reading speed had a significant effect on individual scores when studying the effect of speed reading on retention. Data did not show that the increase in speed sequentially reduced individual scores. It was also found that, independently, watching the text flash full-screen also had a significant effect on an individual’s retention score, while the interaction between device and watching the text full screen was not significant. Thus, it is better to read at a comfortable pace rather than speed reading in order to best retain the information that is