Higgins, E. L., & Raskind, M. H. (2005). The compensatory effectiveness of the Quicktionary Reading Pen II on the reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities . Journal of Special Education Technology , 20 (1), 31–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/016264340502000103

The effectiveness of the Quicktionary Reading Pen II, a device with character recognition and speech synthesis capabilities, were investigated in this study.

A total of 30 students with reading disabilities aged 10-18 participated in this study. Participants were a part of the Frostig Center, a private institution providing academic services for students with learning disabilities in California (U.S.). Participants were trained in the reading pen technology and practiced using the device for two weeks prior to the study. During this time, they practiced decoding single words and using the different dictionary functions of the reading pen during silent work time in their classrooms. Next, students completed a reading comprehension test in two conditions: silent reading using the reading pen and silent reading without the reading pen's assistance.

During the practice time, the researcher monitored the number of times the reading pen was used, which features were used, how often these features were used, total time spent reading, and any requests for help. When it was time for testing, students were tested twice using the Formal Reading Inventory (FRI) (Wiederholt, 1986), which tested the comprehension of reading passages. Students were tested once while using the reading pen and once without the reading pen. Order of testing conditions was randomly assigned.

This study revealed a significant difference in performance between the two conditions, with the reading pen yielding higher performance among participants. When using the pen, there was a significant increase in correct responses to reading comprehension questions. Students both read easier passages more accurately and were able to move into more difficult passages with strong comprehension. On average, participants scored seven points higher when using the reading pen.