Literacy skills are declining in The Netherlands. In preparatory vocational education (vmbo) this trend is more visible than elsewhere. Educational professionals are looking for alternative ways to...Show moreLiteracy skills are declining in The Netherlands. In preparatory vocational education (vmbo) this trend is more visible than elsewhere. Educational professionals are looking for alternative ways to stimulate reading activity, particularly the sustained reading activity that is carried out when reading long-form fiction. Reading long-form fiction has considerable cognitive and emotional effects, but many vmbo-students struggle with this type of sustained reading activity. It is currently being discussed if literacy can perhaps be improved through audiobooks. However, it is not clear if ‘reading’ through other modalities has similar intended and unintended effects on literacy as the reading of alphabetic text has. In this thesis, the properties of visual and auditory reading technologies are compared to see how different methods of reading influence the reading process, both cognitively and in terms of reading motivation. The question is explored along the attentional, cognitive, emotional, phenomenological and ergonomic dimensions. The thesis considers embodied reading, modality-specific affordances, impact of (environmental) factors and the way these affect mental interaction with the text. This demonstrates that audiobooks can be used to improve skills related to literacy, but they do not invoke every skill used when reading alphabetic text. The most significant shortcoming of audiobooks is that decoding skills and attention retention are not strengthened as they are with print reading. However, audiobooks can increase vocabulary knowledge, comprehension and reading motivation, particularly for struggling readers. For them, the underexplored option of dual channel reading can also be a worthwhile reading alternative. Existing research suggests that dual channel reading diminishes the cognitive load and working memory effort which typically interfere with the development of high order reading skills. Ultimately, the question which reading method suits best is dependent on the abilities of students and the intended effects and purposed with which is being read in school.Show less
During the 17th century, the book industry of the Dutch Republic was blooming. This business did not focus purely on the province of Holland however. In this thesis, the printing work of the...Show moreDuring the 17th century, the book industry of the Dutch Republic was blooming. This business did not focus purely on the province of Holland however. In this thesis, the printing work of the Frisian printer Samuel van Haringhouck is discussed. Van Haringhouck was active in the city of Bolsward for almost 30 years. This thesis focuses on the way Van Haringhouck combined both local, national and international influences in his work and how he tried to sell his work to an audience outside of Friesland.Show less
