Does using colored paper increase reading comprehension?
1. Introduction
Comprehension is a learned skill that is acquired through practice and cognitive processing. Skill readers are distinguished by their speed and ease of reading comprehension and the internalization of the text read. This implies that reading extends beyond visual word recognition and decoding, to include an end goal of comprehension. There are numerous factors that are likely to affect an individual’s reading and comprehension skills, which include phonological and visual processing, and internal and external stimuli. Reading experience for different people varies on background, denoting the significance of finding out other options that can be deployed to enhance reading comprehension, which is the primary focus of this research.
2. Research Questions
This study had the primary objective of determining whether using colored paper can increase reading comprehension. The following were the research questions.
- Does using colored paper improve reading comprehension?
- Does using yellow paper improve reading comprehension than white paper?
Research hypothesis
Students who read text printed on colored paper will perform better on a reading comprehension test than students who read text of the same level printed on white paper.
3. Background
Elliot et al (154) state color is ever-present in a person’s perpetual experience of the world. Elliot further argues that color has significant influences on physical, psychological and academic performance of humans. There are numerous factors associated with the influence of color on reading comprehension and cognitive processing. For instance, color influences individual behavior, moods and thinking processes (Clifton, 105). Sinclair (132) points out that pupils whose examination form were printed on colors that portrayed more positive effect are more likely to process information less thoroughly, resulting in differential academic performance. This resulted in the conclusion that color affects individual moods, which ultimately affects individual attention during reading. Specifically, cool colors increases inward attention, while warm color increases outward attention. A study by Elliott et al (154) also affirms that color plays a significant role in influencing an individual’s motivation without conscious awareness. Participants during the study linked red with failure, resulting in anxiety and ultimately poor performance than participants whose tests were on other colors.
Jeanes et al (545) conducted a study to determine whether colored overlays have an influence on text perception. The study reported that 89 percents of the participants who were given colored overlays continued using them after three months, and 70 percent were willing to continue keeping the overlay. The study reported an improvement in textual perception of 51 percent and 54 percent in elementary and secondary school pupils. When expanding the study, Jeanes further affirmed that colored paper results in a different dimension compared to the use of colored overlays and glasses. The study affirmed that colored paper did not increase the performance scores of the students. The inference from this study is that color has a significant influence on reading fluency and comprehension and is specific to the individual. The results of this study were not consistent with Clifton (115), which affirmed that color enhances the ability to see print on a page. Clifton pointed out that best colored papers to be deployed in the classroom include yellow, blue, pink, green and beige. These colors are effective to enhancing readability while at the same time reducing distortions. Colored paper, overlays and glasses play an integral role in eliminating the perceptual problem of print on the paper. The use of color for enhancing reading comprehension is recurrently being researched and adopted as a method to enhance reading comprehension for learners. This research focused on the effect that color yellow has on reading comprehension. A summary of the review of previous studies indicates that colored paper, overlays, filters and glassed has the capability of increasing reading comprehension through removing the distraction associated with white background and increasing attention on the print, resulting in an improved reading comprehension for all readers.
4. Subjects
The sample for this study comprised of 10 3rd grade students. There was no control sample since the study used a longitudinal design, implying that the study monitored the changes in improvement in reading comprehension of the same participants. The study aimed at determining the difference in reading comprehension when using different colors. The sample students were considered “average” third grade readers based on the fair reading test from the local elementary school. Sampling bias was eliminated using random sample from the population of average third graders. Despite the random selection, students with attention disorders such as Attention Deficit Disorders were not incorporated in the study. The consent to participate in the study was obtained from their parents in order to take into account the legal and ethical considerations of the research. In addition, voluntary participation of the participants was affirmed prior to the study.
5. Methods
The study used two different passages written according to the student’s level and printed on different colored paper, yellow and white. Factors that are likely to affect the outcome of the study such as color blindness and attention disorders were determined prior to the study. This meant that each participant had to affirm the colors of the paper as white and yellow before the reading comprehension test. During the experiment, the participants were given reading comprehension test on a white paper and their performance scores noted down. After a couple of days, the same students were given an equally difficult reading comprehension test on a yellow colored paper and their performance scored recorded. A comparative analysis on each of the student’s test scores on different colored papers will be conducted in order to determine whether a colored paper increases reading comprehension. The student reading experiences were also documented after the test in order to determine the impact that color has on influencing reading. This served to eliminate potential cases of individual bias towards colors, which was helpful in describing the trends in test scores. The independent variable for this study was the color of the paper, while the dependent variable was the test scores of the reading comprehension.
6. Results And Data
The results of this study describe the changes in reading comprehension as depicted by the change in the test scores of the subjects. Out of 10 participants, seven students reported higher test scores on the yellow colored paper than on white colored paper; two students did not report any improvements while one student reported a drop in the reading comprehension test scores. The following table reports the changes in the test scores for the participants, the test scores are out of hundred.
| Participant | White colored paper | Yellow Colored Paper |
| 1 | 75 | 83 |
| 2 | 70 | 89 |
| 3 | 63 | 70 |
| 4 | 78 | 78 |
| 5 | 80 | 82 |
| 6 | 86 | 80 |
| 7 | 75 | 85 |
| 8 | 63 | 70 |
| 9 | 75 | 84 |
| 10 | 63 | 78 |
| Mean test score | 72.8 | 79.9 |
7. Analysis, Conclusions and Suggestions to Improve Study or For
Further Research
It is evident from the results and data that using yellow paper results in higher reading comprehension test scores. This is evident in the increase in mean test score and the fact that most of the students reported an increase in their individual test scores. Therefore, the data affirms the research hypothesis that states that Students who read text printed on colored paper will perform better on a reading comprehension test than students who read text of the same level printed on white paper. An inference from the data is that there is a positive correlation between colored paper and reading comprehension, implying that colored papers can be used to enhance reading comprehension.
The suggestion to improve study includes the use of diverse colors in order to determine their specific influence on enhancing reading comprehension. Another avenue that can be used to improve research is the effect of text color and its attributes such as bold, italics and calligraphy on improving reading comprehension.
Works Cited
Clifton, D,et al. “Basic needs in a new light – a colorful diagnosis.” International Journal of Reality Therapy (2006): 102-132.
Elliot, A, et al. “Color and psychological functioning: The effect of red on performance attainment.” Journal of Experimental Psychology (2007): 154-168.
Jeanes, R, et al. “Prolonged use of colored overlays for classroom reading.” The British Journal of Psychology, (1997): 531-548.
Sinclair, R, et al. ” Affective cues and processing strategy: Color-coded examination forms influence performance.” Teaching of Psychololgy (1998): 130-132.
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