How Mind Wandering Relates to Reading in a Second Language

Both language and mind wandering have been strongly linked to reading, however there remains very scarce literature on their intersection. For instance, there are very few existing studies evaluating mind wandering in the context of reading in a second language in children, and none to our knowledge that explicitly evaluate the relationship of mind wandering and reading within the context of second-language reading. Therefore, the overarching goal of this project was to examine mind wandering and its role in regard to reading in a second language in a sample of at-risk middle school students with consideration of relevant language factors. The sample included 195 students enrolled in grade 6-8 and identified as struggling readers; approximately half were also designated as limited English proficient (LEP), with Spanish as their first language. Each student completed measures of mind wandering, reading, and other domains, and bilingual/LEP students also completed additional language measures in both English and Spanish. Results indicated that, contrary to hypotheses, bilingual/LEP students reported less mind wandering compared to non-LEP students, and mind wandering impacted reading outcomes minimally, and similarly, for bilingual/LEP students and non-LEP students. Within the group of bilingual/LEP students, some self-reported language measures were related to mind wandering, and there were some interactions of language variables and mind wandering for single word reading and reading fluency. Such effects appeared inconsistent and small in size, and so support was limited overall. Results extend work on mind wandering to children who are struggling readers. However, results highlight the role of language and literacy per se for these struggling readers, and that direct intervention is likely more impactful than attempting to ameliorate mind wandering in this group.

Author dc:creator

• Farrell, Abigail

Contributors dc:contributor

• Cirino, Paul T.
• Miciak, Jeremy
• Medina, Luis D.
• Barnes, Marcia

• Psychology

Language dc:language

English

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10657/19474

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:tdl-ir.tdl.org:10657/19474