Just curious if anyone is familiar with how these tests are done. Is the testing that Lexend describes reasonable and valid? It seems to have several problems to me but I don't understand this type of thing very well.
I read this on the lexend page:
Quote:
20 third graders, eight males and twelve females, read for one minute in five fonts.
All text was set at 16pt and the reading materials were two grade levels above the participants current grade level to ensure the typography was being measured, rather than reading competency.
Each student read out loud a passage set in a control of Times New Roman, then four of the Lexend Series — Regular, Deca, Mega, and Giga.
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Then they give the results with the best scores going this way:
Quote:
2 - Times New Roman
2 - Lexend Regular
1 - Lexend Deca
9 - Lexend Mega
5 - Lexend Giga
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I don't see how this study can prove that Lexend is better. At most it says to me that kids get faster when reading in a consistent font. It appears that the students got used to the Lexend fonts and by the time they were on the 3rd or 4th Lexend option they were quicker on the uptake. It does not say that Lexend is better, just that they were used to it by then. I want to know what would have happened in the 3rd or 4th time through with using Times New Roman or a VERY similar variant? Would it have stayed the same? Would they have improved? Etc. Would students who got 4 TNR variants and one Lexend variant still have a 17:2 preference for Lexend or would it flop. (My guess is that it would flip, but I don't see anything here to say one way or the other.) I assume they varied what order they gave the fonts to the students but given that Lexend is essentially the same just with different spacing I don't see how much that really matters.
Anyway, looking for some insights on this type of study. Thank you!