By VP of Research Dr. Jack Dempsey
Over the past five years, Cascade Reading has been hard at work testing the efficacy and scope of our revolutionary format to support literacy skills. From longitudinal studies in real classrooms, to eye-tracking experiments uncovering the physiological processes involved, and to attitudinal survey research, we continue to show a variety of benefits enjoyed by readers who use the Cascade Format. In this blog series, we are going to focus on three separate dimensions:
January: Core Literacy Benefits (Click Here to Read)
February: Affective, Attitudinal, and Motivational Benefits
March: Accessibility Benefits
Increasing motivation and decreasing anxiety with reading and learning
One of the most difficult challenges educators face when trying to improve outcomes for struggling readers is getting those readers to willingly and positively engage in the reading process. This can be very hard for them, especially if they don’t feel confident in themselves as a reader while their peers get further and further ahead.
Struggling students don’t only need support for their core literacy skills, they also need motivational support to make the reading and learning process more positive and fulfilling.
Cascade Reading not only supports core literacy skills, but it also has been shown to increase student reading motivation. In a recent year-long usability study, teachers and students reported higher levels of motivation for their reading assignments. According to one reading specialist:
“All of my 4th and 5th graders – their confidence is through the roof. They’re all volunteering to read aloud in class.”
And it’s not just elementary students! In a published research study with college-aged English Language Learners, one such student, who also struggles with ADHD, wrote in their feedback:
“Reading in Cascade was an emotional moment today as I felt like someone finally understands non-native speakers like me.”
Echoing the sentiment from all our other school studies where students express preference for the Cascade Format and a willingness to continue using the format in their other reading activities, it’s clear that Cascade Reading may be a powerful way of decreasing anxiety associated with reading, removing yet another barrier to literacy.
Supporting Student Preferences
Beyond motivation, it is also important to allow students to find what versions of digital texts work best for them. For example, a study conducted by ReadWorks and Readability Matters found that allowing developing readers to personalize text formatting leads to better reading comprehension outcomes.
This does not mean that one font is necessarily better than the other; rather, it highlights how letting students make choices for themselves and personalize their reading experience can lead to literacy growth!
In our own research at Cascade, we found that the preference for the Cascade Format is not only strong in English readers but also for students learning a new language. In a recent semester-long study, students in an intermediate professional Spanish course had the choice of reading their Spanish assignments in Cascade and reporting on their experiences. Although the sample was relatively small, the results from over a dozen students were quite telling, as reported in the graphic below. While it’s impressive that all students reported being able to understand Spanish grammar, the text, and how sentences should sound better, the motivational outcomes were also encouraging.
92% of students indicated that they would continue to use Cascade in other Spanish classes, and 62% in English classes. Additionally, more than half of these students felt that reading was less stressful in the Cascade Format and that they had more confidence in discussing those passages in later class sessions.
Empowering Students
Supporting literacy is not just about scaffolding core cognitive and linguistic skills. Although that is certainly critical, students also need to feel more motivated and less anxious, and they also need to feel like they have more agency in their education. Cascade breaks down these barriers, allowing educators to engage more students with reading activities and ultimately stimulate literacy growth for all.
