A comparative study of visual fixation of Uygur and Han 5- to 6-year-olds in reading picture books within a Chinese reading context: Evidence from eye movement

Abstract

In this study, 80 Uygur children and Han children aged 5 to 6 years within a Chinese reading context were tested by using an SMI portable eye tracker to record their eye movements in picture and text fixation during picture book reading. The findings are as follows. First, Uygur children aged 5 to 6 years primarily focus on pictures in the process of reading picture books. Their level of fixation of key picture information (main characters) is constantly increasing. An important reading characteristic for Uygur children at this age is to understand picture books through capturing key picture information, whereas Han children at this age show signs of shifting from reading the key picture information to overall information processing, such as obtaining information from the picture details, background information, and text information about their relationship with the key pictures. Second, 5- to 6-year-old Uygur children’s fixation on text begins to have elementary development with age, but their text fixation level significantly lags behind Han children, and their fixation of Chinese characters is still in the elementary stage. Third, 5- to 6-year-old Uygur children’s reading direction is potentially affected by their habit of reading their native language, but this age period is also an important stage for the early development of Uygur children’s second language (Chinese).