AB104. Validation of the international reading speed texts in a Canadian sample

Abstract

Validation of the International Reading Speed Texts in a Canadian Sample Elliott Morrice The English language IReST is a measure of continuous reading, developed and Validation of the International Reading Speed Texts in a Canadian Sample The International Reading Speed Texts (IReST) have been developed as a standardized measure used to assess continuous reading in normally sighted individuals, and those with visual impairments (Trauzettel-Klosinski & Dietz, 2012). Within the IReST, each text contains a measure of mean reading rate (in words per minute) and variance (standard deviation), allowing for comparisons between an individual and the published reading rates. This assessment was developed in Europe, and has been translated and validated in 17 different languages, including English. The English language IReST texts were developed and normalized using a sample in the United Kingdom (UK), and as such, the texts use terms and phrases that are commonly used in the UK. Although the IReST were developed and normalized in the UK, it is sold internationally, and is used throughout the United States and Canada as a measure to assess reading speed. This raises the problem that because the normative values developed for the IReST are based on a UK English speaking sample, then these normative values may not be valid in a North American (NA) English speaking population. Therefore, the aim of the current thesis is to validate the IReST in an English-speaking NA sample.

Exploring Correlates of Braille Reading Performance in Working-age and Older Adults with Visual Impairments

“…Participants read four passages from the International Reading Speed Test (IReST) (Hahn et al, 2006), a standardized multilingual, validated reading assessment utilizing paragraphs of approximately 132 words of encyclopedic text (Morrice, Hughes, Wittich, & Johnson, 2018;Trauzettel-Klosinski & Dietz, 2012): two in hard copy braille (one read aloud, one silently) and two on an electronic braille display (one read aloud, one silently). As described in the online supplemental materials, these passages have similar word-length characteristics as those used in prior braille reading assessments, such as the MNREAD (Legge et al, 1999).…”

“…Participants were asked to read as quickly as possible without stopping to correct errors, and were advised that a multiple-choice comprehension question (included as part of the IReST assessment) would be asked when they completed reading the passage (Morrice et al, 2018). However, as described in the Limitations section below, analysis focused on reading speed, given that the average comprehension error rate among participants was very low (<10%).…”