Effects of typographic variables on Chinese text reading performance of students with dyslexia

The present study examined the effects of typographic variables, precisely font type (Kai and Hei), character spacing (default and larger), and line spacing (default and double), on the reading performance of in Chinese developmental dyslexia, analyzed through the reading text legibility. Twenty-five Cantonese-speaking Chinese dyslexic students were compared with 25 age-matched typical developing students on their reading speed and error rate. Results of analysis of variance showed that character font and character spacing significantly affected overall reading speed, and line spacing significantly affected overall reading accuracy. Results suggested Hei style, a larger character spacing, and a double line spacing significantly enhance reading text legibility among Chinese dyslexic students, respectively. The between-groups interaction between character spacing and font type was observed on overall reading speed, which suggests that different character spacings should be considered in different font types for more efficient reading. Generally, characters in Hei font were easier to read with larger character spacing than with default character spacing for dyslexia subject. A between-groups interaction between line spacing and font type was also found, suggested that Hei font may have a more accurate reading with larger line spacing than with default line spacing for dyslexia subject. The relationship between typographic variables and overall reading performance was further discussed. All rights reserved.