Textual Enhancement's Impact on Reading Fluency and Comprehension

Textual enhancement (TE) refers to any modification made to written text for the purpose of drawing learners’ visual attention to the target area. Typically, TE is employed to encourage learners to notice specific aspects of language (e.g., grammar, vocabulary, discourse features). However, the current study sought to investigate TE's potential effect on a unique outcome: reading fluency (i.e., speed). N = 132 students at a Japanese university were asked to read two passages (one standard, one textually enhanced) and were assessed on both their reading speeds and level of comprehension. The results indicated that while there was a statistically significant (albeit, slight) increase in their reading speeds of the TE passage ( t = 3.78, p < .001, d = .33) there was no significant difference in their comprehension of the two ( t = −.60, p = .54, d = .05). Participants were also surveyed regarding their level of consciousness of the enhancements, along with their reactions to the technique. Surprisingly, students’ cognition of the enhancements was partially dependent on group membership: students who were exposed to the enhanced text first were less likely to notice that the two passages were stylistically different, indicating their focus on meaning entirely eclipsed a focus on form.