Ludo Verhoeven

Radboud University | RU · Behavioural Science Institute

Background This study examines the effect of a Theory of Mind (ToM) intervention on ToM abilities and social–emotional functioning in adolescents with developmental language disorder (DLD) or who are deaf/hard of hearing (D/HH). It emphasizes the importance of self‐reflection and measurement for personal growth. The research design incorporates bot...

Lay Description What is already known about this topic Reading comprehension is a complex interaction of several componential abilities at word level, sentence level, and text level (e.g., vocabulary and sentence‐integration). Instruction should adapt to the profile of strengths and weaknesses in componential abilities. Assessing componential abil...

We investigated the development of word decoding (Grades 4–6; 165 children) in Papiamento (L1) and Dutch (L2) in the postcolonial context of the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. The results show a steady development over the upper Grades for both L1 Papiamento and L2 Dutch word decoding in that children became more efficient...

Bringing together an international team of scholars, this pioneering book presents the first truly systematic, cross-linguistic study of variation in literacy development. It draws on a wide range of cross-cultural research to shed light on the key factors that predict global variation in children's acquisition of reading and writing skills, coveri...

Bringing together an international team of scholars, this pioneering book presents the first truly systematic, cross-linguistic study of variation in literacy development. It draws on a wide range of cross-cultural research to shed light on the key factors that predict global variation in children's acquisition of reading and writing skills, coveri...

Bringing together an international team of scholars, this pioneering book presents the first truly systematic, cross-linguistic study of variation in literacy development. It draws on a wide range of cross-cultural research to shed light on the key factors that predict global variation in children's acquisition of reading and writing skills, coveri...

Bringing together an international team of scholars, this pioneering book presents the first truly systematic, cross-linguistic study of variation in literacy development. It draws on a wide range of cross-cultural research to shed light on the key factors that predict global variation in children's acquisition of reading and writing skills, coveri...

Background Word‐to‐text integration (WTI) can be challenging for second‐language (L2) learners, although it can positively contribute to reading comprehension. The present study examined the role of WTI, after controlling for decoding, vocabulary and morphosyntactic awareness, in predicting English as an L2 reading comprehension development in 441...

In the present study, we investigated Dutch language and behavior progress in monolingual and bilingual preschoolers with developmental language disorders (DLD). All were enrolled in an early intervention program targeting language and communication in interaction. Following a pretest-posttest design, 100 monolingual children (M AGE = 3;5) and 50 b...

Background: Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children may experience difficulties in word decoding development. Aims: We aimed to compare and predict the incremental word decoding development in first grade in Dutch DHH and hearing children, as a function of kindergarten reading precursors. Methods and procedures: In this study, 25 DHH, and 41 hearin...

Given the gap in knowledge on decoding development in post-colonial contexts, this longitudinal study examined Papiamento (Creole L1) and Dutch (postcolonial L2) decoding development from kindergarten to second grade of children in the Dutch Caribbean while considering order of initial decoding instruction (L1 or L2), kindergarten precursors (speec...

In this quasi-experimental study involving 23 fourth grade teachers, we investigated the effect of implementing teacher-child dynamic mathematics interviews to improve mathematics teaching behavior in the classroom. After a baseline period of 13 months, the teachers participated in a professional development program to support the use of dynamic ma...

In the present study, we investigated the development of Chinese character reading and its predictors in 55 children from K3 (the last year of kindergarten) to G1 (first grade) in Mainland China. It was examined to what extent first graders’ Mandarin Chinese character reading was related to their phonological awareness, Pinyin letter knowledge, and...

This meta-analysis focused on the effects of computer-supported word reading interventions (foundational reading instruction, supplementary alphabetics, reading fluency, remedial reading) on reading related outcome measures (letter knowledge, phonological awareness, word and pseudoword reading, sentence and text reading, and spelling, as well as tr...

Enrichment programmes are designed to offer gifted students experiences that are not covered in the regular curriculum We used a pre-test–post-test control group design to examine the effects of a computer-based enrichment programme on the development of analytical and creative abilities in 26 gifted children in an experimental group (15 boys, mean...

Children and adults with dyslexia are often provided with audio-support, which reads the written text for the learner. The present study examined to what extent audio-support as a form of external regulation impacts navigation patterns in children and adults with and without dyslexia. We compared navigation patterns in multimedia lessons of learner...

In this study, we investigated which spelling cues are used in word-medial consonant spelling by learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Previous research has shown that native speakers of English rely on different cues to decide whether a single (“diner”) or double consonant (“dinner”) needs to be used in word-medial consonant spelling. T...

The development of print tuning involves the increased specificity and redundancy for orthographic representations. However, it is by no means clear how decoding accuracy and efficiency are related over the years and how it affects reading disability. In the present study, we monitored the development of accuracy and efficiency of decoding in Dutch...

Word identification models assume that words are identified by at least two sources of information and analysis; one is phonological, and the other is visual. The present study investigated the influence of phonological awareness, Pinyin letter knowledge, and visual perception skills on Chinese character recognition after controlling for vocabulary...

The present study investigated the compensatory role of verbal learning and consolidation in reading and spelling of children with ( N = 54) and without dyslexia ( N = 36) and the role of verbal learning (learning new verbal information) and consolidation (remember the learned information over time) on the response to a phonics through spelling int...

The current study investigated the relative contributions of auditory speech decoding (i.e., auditory discrimination) and visual speech decoding (i.e., speechreading) on phonological awareness and letter knowledge in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) kindergartners (Mage = 6;4, n = 27) and hearing kindergartners (Mage = 5;10, n = 42). Hearing children...

Formerly, we wrote in our abstract that different variables predicted reading comprehension in Papiamento and Dutch. We now amend our abstract as followed: reading comprehension in Papiamento and Dutch was found to be predicted by language of alphabetization, on the one hand, and word decoding, receptive vocabulary, and grammatical ability, on the...

This study examined how to improve students’ regulation of task-oriented reading (TOR). TOR encompasses reading and information processing needed to perform a specific task. Previous studies suggest students can benefit from a collaboration script to enhance socially shared regulation of TOR. The collaboration script elicits discussions about task...

We tested if the newly designed ToMotion task reflects a single construct and if the atypical groups differ in their performance compared to typically developing peers. Furthermore, we were interested if ToMotion maps a developmental sequence in a Theory of Mind (ToM) performance as exemplified by increasing difficulty of the questions asked in eve...

This longitudinal study investigated how lexical restructuring can stimulate emerging bilingual children's phonological awareness in their first (L1) and second (L2) languages. Sixty-two English (L1)-French (L2) bilingual children (M age = 75.7 months, SD = 3.2) were taught new English and French word pairs differing minimally in phonological contr...

We studied the Papiamento (L1) and Dutch (L2) reading of 293 fourth grade students in the postcolonial Dutch Caribbean, where L1 just latterly has been introduced into the school curriculum. We examined the effect of language of alphabetization (L1 first vs L2 first) and other L1 and L2 cognitive-linguistic predictors on reading skills. The results...

The relationships between phonological awareness, rapid naming, short term verbal memory, letter knowledge, visual skills and word reading in kindergarten, and the predictive patterns from kindergarten to first grade were examined in 41 Chinese-Dutch bilingual children living in the Netherlands in both their first language (Chinese) and second lang...

Reading continues to be a challenging task for most deaf children. Bimodal bilingual education creates a supportive environment that stimulates deaf children’s learning through the use of sign language. However, it is still unclear how exposure to sign language might contribute to improving reading ability. Here, we investigate the relative contrib...

Reading continues to be a challenging task for most deaf children. Bimodal bilingual education creates a supportive environment that stimulates deaf children’s learning through the use of sign language. However, it is still unclear how exposure to sign language might contribute to improving reading ability. Here, we investigate the relative contrib...

In the present study, a 5‐week tablet‐based word reading efficiency game intervention (Reading Turbo) was integrated in a comprehensive phonics‐based reading curriculum. The aims of the study were to examine whether the game would advance children's word reading efficiency, and to determine the extent to which pre‐reading capacities and in‐game mec...

L1 studies show that the paired-associate learning (PAL) of novel pronunciations, verbal learning, contributes to the prediction of individual differences in vocabulary, reading, and spelling development. The present study examined whether verbal learning predicts vocabulary and literacy development in English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Dutch Gra...

In this article, we provide a cross-linguistic perspective on the universals and particulars in learning to read across seventeen different orthographies. Starting from the assumption that reading reflects a learned sensitivity to the systematic relationships between the surface forms of words and their meanings, we chose a broad group of seventeen...

We examined the response to a phonics through spelling intervention in 52 children with dyslexia by analyzing their phonological, morphological, and orthographical spelling errors both before and after the intervention whereas their spelling errors before the intervention were compared with those of 105 typically developing spellers. A possible com...

In an experimental design, we investigated how fifth-grade readers use morphological and contextual information to infer the meaning of unknown words, and to what extent this is related to their cognitive and linguistic skills. A group of 166 fifth-grade Dutch children (59 L1, 107 L2) performed a lexical inferencing task in which the availability o...

This study investigated the role of lexical skills and executive functioning on L1 Dutch and L2 English phonological awareness in children enrolled in bilingual Dutch/English kindergarten in The Netherlands (n = 95) and monolingual Dutch kindergarten (n = 83). Participants had an average age of 5 years and 10 months and completed tasks on phonologi...

We assessed the relationship between word-to-text-integration (WTI) and reading comprehension in 7th grade students (n=441) learning English as a second language (L2). The students performed a self-paced WTI reading task in Fall (T1) and Spring (T2), consisting of three text manipulation types (anaphora resolution, argument overlap, anomaly detecti...

Word-to-text integration (WTI) is the ability to integrate words into a mental representation of the text and is important for reading comprehension, but challenging in English as a second language (ESL). However, it remains unclear whether WTI can be trained in seventh grade ESL learners, who often struggle with reading comprehension and display l...

The opaque English orthography complicates learning to read, as irregular words, such as the word pint , cannot be Addread accurately by decoding. Studies with first language (L1) English children show that vocabulary facilitates word reading, especially in the case of irregular words. It is unclear whether this influence of vocabulary extends to c...

Background The present study examined patterns and predictors of reading comprehension growth in first language (L1) and second language (L2) readers in the upper grades of primary school. Previous research suggests that L1 and L2 readers differ in their growth trajectories and that differences in language proficiency play a role in this. However,...

This study was designed to enhance our understanding of the online management of writing processes by two groups of writers with a different level of expertise, and to explore the impact of this online management on text quality. To this aim, fifth graders (mean age 10.5 years) and undergraduate students (mean age 22.6 years) were asked to compose...

Background and Aims: Persons with combined sensory and intellectual disabilities are more sensitive to stress than people without disabilities, especially when they have an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Reversely, stress can also trigger ASD symptoms. The current study investigated the relationship between stress and ASD symptoms in this populati...

Word knowledge acquisition is an incremental process that relies on exposure. As a result, word knowledge can broadly range from recognizing the word’s lexical status, to knowing its meaning in context, and to knowing its meaning independent of context. The present study aimed to model incremental word knowledge in 1454 upper primary school childre...

Background In persons with combined intellectual and sensory disabilities, mood disorders, stress reactions, and attachment problems are more prevalent. This study assessed the presence of these problems within this target population and the effects of an additional Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods Participants were 60 persons with combined...

The present study compared the relationship between Dutch phonological awareness (rhyme awareness, initial phoneme isolation), Dutch speech decoding and Dutch receptive vocabulary in two groups in different linguistic environments: 30 Mandarin Chinese-Dutch bilingual children and 24 monolingual Dutch peers. Chinese vocabulary and phonological aware...

We examined to what extent children’s development of arithmetic fluency and mathematical problem-solving was influenced by their math self-concept, math self-efficacy, and math anxiety but also teacher competence, specifically: actual teaching behavior, self-efficacy, and mathematical teaching knowledge. Participants were 610 children and 31 teache...

To profile children's reading comprehension, we developed a dynamic approach with componential abilities (orthographic knowledge, vocabulary, sentence-integration) being assessed within the same texts and provided with feedback in addition to the global comprehension of these texts. In 275 Dutch third to fifth graders, we investigated to what exten...

Previous research found a beneficial effect of augmentative signs (signs from a sign language used alongside speech) on spoken word learning by signing deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children. The present study compared oral DHH children, and hearing children in a condition with babble noise in order to investigate whether prolonged experience with...

Background Executive functions have been proposed to account for individual variation in reading comprehension beyond the contributions of decoding skills and language skills. However, insight into the direct and indirect effects of multiple executive functions on fifth‐grade reading comprehension, while accounting for decoding and language skills,...

The aim of this study was to examine variation in early reading comprehension development for second language (L2) readers compared with first language (L1) readers and to investigate the impact of vocabulary knowledge in their first and second language. Participants were 75 Dutch monolingual children (L1 readers) and 71 Turkish–Dutch bilingual chi...

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.

A meta-analysis was conducted on the effects of computer-supported early literacy interventions (strict phonological awareness training, combined phonological awareness and letter training, and use of e-books) on phonological-awareness (syllabic awareness, word blending, rhyme, phoneme awareness) and reading-related skills (concept about print, let...

This study investigated macro-level navigation patterns in children’s hypermedia learning, and how they related to task structure and learning outcomes. For this purpose, 5th and 6th grade learners performed a hypermedia assignment in which a high (n=57) versus a low (n=54) level of structure was provided. By means of qualitative analyses of their...

Adding audio to written text may cause redundancy effects, but could be beneficial for students with dyslexia for whom it supports their reading. Studying both learning process and learning outcomes in students with and without dyslexia can shed light on this issue and helps to find out whether there are constraints to the redundancy effect as prop...

We examined the response to a phonics through spelling intervention for children with developmental dyslexia in word and pseudoword reading efficiency and word spelling. Furthermore, we investigated to what extent the response to the intervention is robust across different cognitive profiles (phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, and wo...

The present study investigates whether CLIL learners’ high scores in English as a foreign language (EFL) can be attributed to three specific learner variables: ‘EFL aptitude’, ‘EFL confidence’ and ‘international orientation’ – and whether out-of-school EFL exposure has an effect. The study was undertaken in eight secondary school CLIL classes in fo...

Stereotyped and repetitive behaviours are characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but also occur in individuals with combined intellectual and sensory disabilities. This article looked at the differences in type, frequency, and duration of stereotyped behaviours between individuals with and without ASD in this population. The study includ...

Developmental Dyslexia across Languages and Writing Systems - edited by Ludo Verhoeven October 2019

Developmental Dyslexia across Languages and Writing Systems - edited by Ludo Verhoeven October 2019

The present study investigated responsiveness to intervention in children with an earlier versus later diagnosis of dyslexia. We examined differences between second (n = 122; early diagnosis) and third (n = 158; late diagnosis) graders with dyslexia on reading and spelling abilities before, during and after a dyslexia intervention as well as in pre...

We investigated pictorial versus contextual support effects over and above teaching of definitions on children's word learning and retention as well as the moderating role of reading comprehension. In a between‐subject pre‐post‐retention test control group design, Dutch fourth graders learned concrete and abstract Dutch words. The context group rec...

The present study investigated the extent to which 18 dyads in 5th and 6th grade, who experienced low levels of social challenge, differed from 12 dyads who experience high levels of social challenge in terms of the quality of their written assignment, as well as the frequency and sequential pattern of their cognitive, metacognitive, relational, an...

Adolescents with developmental language disorders (DLDs) and adolescents who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) are at greater risk of social emotional problems. These problems may not only be attributed to communication and language problems but, at least in part, to Theory of Mind (ToM) deficits as well. In this mini review, an overview is provid...

Children with dyslexia are often provided with audio-support to compensate for their reading problems, but this may intervene with their learning. The aim of the study was to examine modality and redundancy effects in 21 children with dyslexia, compared to 21 typically developing peers (5th grade), on study outcome (retention and transfer knowledge...

The compensatory effects of a graphic overview and the effects of students' cognitive-linguistic skills on the comprehension of networked hypertexts were investigated in students with hearing or language problems. Networked hypertext comprehension of 28 deaf/hard-of-hearing (DHH) students and 33 students with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) w...

Observation of Autism spectrum disorder in people with sensory and intellectual disabilities, OASID, was developed as part of the PhD research project of Gitta de Vaan. This study was aimed at finding differentiating characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities combined with sensory impairments. This research was...

We examined the unique role of textbase memory and situation model building ability in first (L1) and second (L2) language reading comprehension. Participants were 76 monolingual and 102 bilingual children in 4th grade. A pathfinder network approach was used to assess textbase memory and situation model building ability, on top of other well-known...

Observation of Autism spectrum disorder in people with Sensory and Intellectual Disabilities, ofwel OASID, is tot stand gekomen in het kader van het promotie onderzoek van Gitta de Vaan. Het onderzoek richtte zich op onderscheidende kenmerken van Autisme Spectrum Stoornis (ASS) en verstandelijke beperkingen in combinatie met zintuiglijke beperkinge...

This study explores the effect of feedback with hints on students' recall of words. In three classroom experiments, high school students individually practiced vocabulary words through computerized retrieval practice with either standard show-answer feedback (display of answer) or hints feedback after incorrect responses. Hints feedback gave studen...

The current study investigated the extent to which executive functions (EF) affect how prior knowledge predicts hypermedia learning outcomes in primary school children. Learning outcomes were: individual knowledge and transfer, and dyadic assignment quality. Eighty-seven same-sex dyads participated in a hypermedia WebQuest assignment about the hear...