University of Twente Student Theses
THE USE OF QUIKSCAN BY BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED
Kasch, Julia (2013) THE USE OF QUIKSCAN BY BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED.
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Abstract: | Background: QuikScan (QS) is a new text design that improves text comprehension and recall by sighted readers. Multiple short, compact summaries placed strategically within a text document give the reader quick overviews of the text content and structure. The summaries consist of numbered sentences of which each refers to a location (often a paragraph) in the main text. The summary and the main text are numbered so the reader can easily jump from a summary statement to the location in the main text . Aim: Because research has shown that QuikScan texts can improve text comprehension and recall by sighted readers, the aim of this study is to explore the influence of QuikScan texts on the reading processes of blind and visually impaired individuals. By means of qualitative research, four research questions are explored. 1) How do blind and visually impaired individuals process texts with a screen reader? 2) What problems do blind and visually impaired individuals experience when reading texts with a screen reader? 3) Which aspects of QuikScan can contribute to text processing by blind and visually impaired readers? 4) Does the use of QuikScan influence text processing of blind and visually impaired individuals? Method: Through qualitative research the reading processes of 9 blind/visually impaired individuals were explored. Afterwards the QuikScan format was linked to the individually needs of each participant to find the potential benefits of QuikScan for blind and visually impaired individuals. Findings: All participants responded very positively to the QuikScan design. They described QuikScan as perfect, clear, structured, and valuable. The QuikScan design fits well with the needs of blind and visually impaired readers by providing them with a good overview and structure of the text, supporting them with the search of information within text documents and enables selective reading. Conclusions: The QuikScan design not only improves text processing of sighted readers but also that of the blind and visually impaired. The value of QuikScan is independent of which screen reader is used and the kind of visual impairment. The most common advantages of the QuikScan for blind and visually impaired individuals are: improved reading ease, facilitated information search, and providing overview and structure over the text content, through the numbered summaries. |
Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
Subject: | 77 psychology |
Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/64091 |
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