Is learning a logographic script easier than reading an alphabetic script for German children with dyslexia?

Stephan Kuester-Gruber; Theda Faisst; Vera Schick; Giulia Righetti; Christoph Braun; Angelika Cordey-Henke; Matthias Klosinski; Ching-Chu Sun; Susanne Trauzettel-Klosinski

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0282200

Is learning a logographic script easier than reading an alphabetic script for German children with dyslexia?

PLoS One. 2023 Feb 24;18(2):e0282200. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282200. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Vision Rehabilitation Research Unit, Center for Ophthalmology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
² China Center Tuebingen, Erich Paulun Institute, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
³ MEG-Center, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
⁴ Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
⁵ DiPSCO, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
⁶ Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.
⁷ Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Munich, LMU Munich, Muenchen, Germany.
⁸ Department of General Linguistics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.

Abstract

Purpose: Developmental dyslexia in alphabetic languages (DD) is characterized by a phonological deficit. Since logographic scripts rely predominantly on visual and morphological processing, reading performance in DD can be assumed to be less impaired when reading logographic scripts.

Methods: 40 German-speaking children (18 with DD, 22 not reading-impaired-group C; 9-11 years) received Chinese lessons. Eye movements (EM) were recorded during naming single alphabetic words, pictures (confrontational) and Chinese characters to be named in German and Chinese. The main outcome variables were: Articulation latency, numbers and durations of fixations. Quality of life (QoL) was assessed by questionnaires.

Results: While reading alphabetic words, articulation latencies and numbers of fixations were significantly higher for group DD than for group C (AL-DD = 1.13, AL-C = 0.84, p< .001; FN-DD = 3.50; FN-C = 2.00, p< .001). For naming pictures and Chinese characters in German and in Chinese, no significant group differences were found for any of the EM variables. The percentage of correct answers was high for German naming (DD = 86.67%, C = 95.24%; p = .015) and lower for Chinese naming in both groups, but significantly lower in group DD, especially for Chinese naming (DD = 56.67%, C: 83.77%; p = .003). QoL differed between groups from the children's perspective only at posttest. Parents of group DD perceived their children`s QoL to be lower compared with parents of group C at pre- and posttest.

Conclusions: Children with dyslexia performed as well as group C during naming Chinese characters in German and in Chinese regarding their EM variables, presumably because they processed Chinese characters by the visuo-spatial pathway with direct access to the semantic system. However, the significantly lower percentage of correct answers especially during Chinese naming showed that group DD had more difficulties naming Chinese characters than group C, which could be attributed to their phonological deficit, among other factors.

Trial registration: German clinical trials register (DRKS00015697).

Copyright: © 2023 Kuester-Gruber et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Publication types

Clinical Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child
Dyslexia*
Humans
Language
Learning
Quality of Life*
Semantics

Associated data

DRKS/DRKS00015697

Grants and funding

Institutional Strategy (ZUK 63) of the University of Tübingen within the framework of the Excellence Initiative (2012-2019) to STK, SKG, GR: https://uni-tuebingen.de/exzellenzinitiative/ Tistou and Charlotte Kerstan Foundation to STK: http://www.kerstanstiftung.org/ Heidehof Foundation to ACH: https://www.heidehof-stiftung.de/ Werner Kossmann Foundation to ACH: https://werner-kossmann-stiftung.de/ Carl and Marisa Hahn Foundation to SKG https://hahn-stiftung.org/ China Center Tuebingen, Erich Paulun Institute, University of Tuebingen to VS https://uni-tuebingen.de/einrichtungen/zentrale-einrichtungen/china-centrum-tuebingen-cct/erich-paulun-institut/ The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.