Reading Comprehension in Older Adults—Effects of Age, Educational Level, and Reading Habits
Older adults in the third-age group (60–79 years) maintain reading comprehension skills similar to those of younger adults, but little is known about individuals in the fourth age (80+ years). This study investigates differences in reading comprehension in a between-group design. We evaluated a samp...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Intelligence |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/13/1/4 |
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| author | Bernardo Riffo Carlos Rojas Andrea Helo Mónica Véliz Paula Urzúa Gloria Gutierrez Ernesto Guerra |
| author_facet | Bernardo Riffo Carlos Rojas Andrea Helo Mónica Véliz Paula Urzúa Gloria Gutierrez Ernesto Guerra |
| author_sort | Bernardo Riffo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Older adults in the third-age group (60–79 years) maintain reading comprehension skills similar to those of younger adults, but little is known about individuals in the fourth age (80+ years). This study investigates differences in reading comprehension in a between-group design. We evaluated a sample of 150 older adults, comprising 86 third-age and 64 fourth-age participants. We examined the influence of sex, cognitive functioning, formal education, self-perceived reading difficulties, and reading habits on their text comprehension abilities. The results show that fourth-age adults have a significant decline in reading comprehension compared to third-age adults. Strong reading habits were positively associated with better comprehension across both groups, suggesting that regular reading may buffer against age-related cognitive decline. Poor readers read less frequently and perceived greater difficulty with the tasks. Cognitive functioning and education did not significantly influence comprehension—possibly due to the generally low education levels in the sample. However, strong reading habits appeared to compensate for these limitations. These findings suggest a potential protective role of lifelong reading habits and highlight the need for interventions to support reading skills in older adults, especially those with lower educational backgrounds. Future research should explore these dynamics further to enhance cognitive resilience in the oldest populations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2f0462fd4b7645a19726be96258348f1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2079-3200 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Intelligence |
| spelling | doaj-art-2f0462fd4b7645a19726be96258348f12025-01-24T13:36:21ZengMDPI AGJournal of Intelligence2079-32002024-12-01131410.3390/jintelligence13010004Reading Comprehension in Older Adults—Effects of Age, Educational Level, and Reading HabitsBernardo Riffo0Carlos Rojas1Andrea Helo2Mónica Véliz3Paula Urzúa4Gloria Gutierrez5Ernesto Guerra6Department of Spanish, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4030000, ChileDepartment of Health Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidad del Bío-Bío, Chillán 3780000, ChileDepartment of Speech and Hearing Science, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8320000, ChileDepartment of Spanish, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4030000, ChileSchool of Speech and Hearing Science, Universidad de Las Américas, Concepción 4030000, ChileDepartment of Spanish, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción 4030000, ChileCenter for Advanced Research in Education, Institute of Education (IE), Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8320000, ChileOlder adults in the third-age group (60–79 years) maintain reading comprehension skills similar to those of younger adults, but little is known about individuals in the fourth age (80+ years). This study investigates differences in reading comprehension in a between-group design. We evaluated a sample of 150 older adults, comprising 86 third-age and 64 fourth-age participants. We examined the influence of sex, cognitive functioning, formal education, self-perceived reading difficulties, and reading habits on their text comprehension abilities. The results show that fourth-age adults have a significant decline in reading comprehension compared to third-age adults. Strong reading habits were positively associated with better comprehension across both groups, suggesting that regular reading may buffer against age-related cognitive decline. Poor readers read less frequently and perceived greater difficulty with the tasks. Cognitive functioning and education did not significantly influence comprehension—possibly due to the generally low education levels in the sample. However, strong reading habits appeared to compensate for these limitations. These findings suggest a potential protective role of lifelong reading habits and highlight the need for interventions to support reading skills in older adults, especially those with lower educational backgrounds. Future research should explore these dynamics further to enhance cognitive resilience in the oldest populations.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/13/1/4older adultsreading comprehensionfourth-ageageeducational levelreading habits |
| spellingShingle | Bernardo Riffo Carlos Rojas Andrea Helo Mónica Véliz Paula Urzúa Gloria Gutierrez Ernesto Guerra Reading Comprehension in Older Adults—Effects of Age, Educational Level, and Reading Habits Journal of Intelligence older adults reading comprehension fourth-age age educational level reading habits |
| title | Reading Comprehension in Older Adults—Effects of Age, Educational Level, and Reading Habits |
| title_full | Reading Comprehension in Older Adults—Effects of Age, Educational Level, and Reading Habits |
| title_fullStr | Reading Comprehension in Older Adults—Effects of Age, Educational Level, and Reading Habits |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reading Comprehension in Older Adults—Effects of Age, Educational Level, and Reading Habits |
| title_short | Reading Comprehension in Older Adults—Effects of Age, Educational Level, and Reading Habits |
| title_sort | reading comprehension in older adults effects of age educational level and reading habits |
| topic | older adults reading comprehension fourth-age age educational level reading habits |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/13/1/4 |
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