How teens' reading skills change over time and what helps or hurts them
Modeling Longitudinal Reading Comprehension in Adolescence: Protective and Risk Factors
Following middle and high school students over several years to learn which thinking skills, motivation, and school factors help them understand complex texts better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Kansas Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Kansas City, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11302666 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will follow students from middle school through high school and give reading-comprehension tests and surveys at multiple time points. They will measure cognitive skills like working memory and attention, plus motivation, school environment, and language background. The team will compare groups such as monolingual versus bilingual students and girls versus boys to identify patterns linked to stronger or weaker reading growth. Data will come from tests, questionnaires, and school records collected over several years.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are middle and high school students (roughly ages 11–18), including English learners and students from diverse backgrounds, who can take part in repeated testing and surveys over time.
Not a fit: Adults, very young children, or students not enrolled in school are unlikely to benefit directly from this project, and participants should not expect immediate one-on-one tutoring as part of the grant.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help teachers and schools design better supports so more teens succeed with demanding reading tasks.
How similar studies have performed: Previous long-term studies have tracked reading development, but this project is relatively novel by combining cognitive skills, motivation, school environment, and language background across the middle-to-high-school transition.
Where this research is happening
Kansas City, United States
- University of Kansas Medical Center — Kansas City, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bridges, Mindy S — University of Kansas Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Bridges, Mindy S
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.