What Can We Learn About the Demands of Different Texts from Eye Movement Patterns for Less Proficient Readers?

Abstract

Australian primary school classrooms are well stocked with authentic literature that offers stories rich in themes, topics, language, and opportunities for developing reading proficiency. Picturebooks, eBooks, novels, etc, often called “authentic” texts, are popular for read alouds, critical literacy, and supporting readers to make sense of the world. However, they are less often used for reading instruction or reading assessment. Instead, classroom reading assessment is increasingly characterised by the use of resources that are contrived to test concepts about print texts, phonic knowledge, vocabulary, etc. While these contrived texts are useful for assessing the secretarial skills of reading, they do not allow for the opportunity to understand the ways children respond to more complex text demands, such as reading across modes and making meanings from layered and complex messages. This narrowing of reading assessment resources is even more prevalent for less proficient readers, potentially delaying opportunities for developing reading proficiency, which is problematic, because a reader who is already “struggling” has no time to waste. What are the demands of these “authentic” texts? And how can we support all readers to read them? This thesis examines what eye movement evidence, captured during a common classroom reading assessment, can reveal about the underlying reading demands of authentic texts for less proficient readers. Specifically, it aims to: (1) deepen understanding of picturebook complexity; (2) examine how less proficient readers negotiate multimodal demands; and (3) generate practical implications that align text selection with student needs. These research questions guide the inquiry: • What reading strategies does the capture of readers’ eye movements reveal as they read aloud? • What information within the text do readers use or omit according to eye movements and miscue analysis? • What implications can be drawn from Eye Movement Miscue Analysis (EMMA) to guide the selection and use of resources in the teaching of reading? EMMA was chosen in this study because it brings together observable outcomes of reading (oral reading and comprehension) with real-time process data (eye movement), thereby overcoming the limitations of conventional accuracy and fluency driven assessments that mask how readers actually construct meaning, particularly in more complex texts. A mixed-methods, descriptive case study design was employed across two sequential phases. Phase One re-examined an archival EMMA dataset comprising 26 below-benchmark participants aged 7–11 years (Years 2–6), reading picturebooks classified using the Pinnell and Fountas (2007) text complexity guide. Phase One data found that, while the complexity guide supported the identification of certain reading challenges for participants, a series of unanticipated difficulties indicated the need for an expanded guide that could account for the multimodal demands in authentic literature. Phase Two focused on knowledge translation, applying Phase One insights to develop and review an Expanded Text Complexity Guide for teachers. Fourteen child participants aged 8–11 years (Years 3–6) engaged with a new picturebook. This Phase examined in particular the demands within the text generated by the multimodal elements of the book. Methodologically, the thesis establishes EMMA as a method capable of capturing the fine-grained interplay between reader and text. Substantively, it offers a research-informed Expanded Text Complexity Guide and advocates for wider instructional use of authentic texts to cultivate strategic and adaptive reading. Collectively, these contributions refine theoretical understanding of text complexity, enrich assessment practice, and equip educators with valuable, actionable insights for fostering literacy for children in an increasingly multimodal world.