New Study Finds Large Print Books Boost Student Literacy Development and Social-Emotional Health
Teachers and Librarians Say the Format Supports the Science of Reading by Helping Students Read Longer, with Greater Comprehension and Confidence
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Jan. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In an era when students and teachers alike spend hours a day reading on screens, large print books are an easy-to-implement alternative that increases reading engagement and comprehension for a vast majority of students. New research released today by Thorndike Press from Gale, part of Cengage Group, found that 87% of teachers saw a positive impact on their students' reading success when they made the switch to large print books. Read the blog on the study results.
The study was conducted independently by Project Tomorrow®, a reputable education nonprofit, on behalf of Thorndike Press to better understand the potential role of large print books in supporting students' literacy development. The study examined the impact of students reading large print-formatted books on their reading engagement and achievement levels. Approximately 1,500 students in grades 4-12 and 56 teachers and librarians across 13 U.S. elementary, middle, and high schools participated in the study.
Download/view the study press kit.
"When a simple change in format can lessen distractions, increase the time students spend reading, and improve participation in classroom read-alouds, the impact is enormous," said Dr. Julie A. Evans, Ed.D., the chief executive officer of Project Tomorrow. "Large print books are easy to integrate across the curriculum in ELA, social studies, history, and in any library collection—and teachers don't require any additional training to use them."
Thorndike's large print books contain the exact same text as standard editions but offer a number of features designed to encourage reluctant or struggling readers to keep reading, including a 16-point font in high-contrast black ink, more space between lines and paragraphs, and high-opacity paper that keeps large print books similar in size to standard print editions.
Key findings about the effectiveness of large print include:
Finding 1: The inclusion of large print texts in classroom reading activities supports literacy development for all students, regardless of their reading level or learning differences.
71% of teachers reported that reading large print improved Lexile scores by 2 grade levels among their students who had been reading at grade level, as did 59% of those teaching students who had been reading below grade level.
When asked if large print books increased reading comprehension levels for specific student profiles:
- 77% of teachers agreed it did for below-grade-level readers.
- 55% of teachers saw increased comprehension among students diagnosed with ADHD.
An overwhelming majority of teachers also found that large print benefitted students who:
- have reading comprehension challenges (82%)
- are easily distracted when reading (85%)
- are anxious about reading (91%)
- are learning English (76%)
Michele Barnaby, an ELA teacher at Marco Forster Middle School in San Juan Capistrano, CA, who participated in the study, found that large print was especially beneficial for students with IEPs. She said the new books she received as part of the study gave her students "an opportunity to read a wider variety of current books than they usually get, and books they really wanted to read! Students were more comfortable with large print and would do their homework more often. When given the choice, three out of four would pick a large print book."
Finding 2: Students' access to large print titles for schoolwork reading increased their engagement in learning and enjoyment in reading.
Among students in grades 6-12 who took part in the study, 89% said they enjoyed reading large print books. Almost half of high schoolers reported that they were more engaged in large print books than others they read for schoolwork.
"After incorporating large print books, my students have been more engaged. I saw their confidence and reading abilities grow," said study participant Kelli Merriman, a 10th-grade special education teacher at O'Fallon Township High School in Illinois. "Their fluency and comprehension skills also improved, and they were more eager to read aloud in class."
Finding 3: Teachers value the large print as an easy-to-integrate reading intervention within their instructional practices.
Bringing large print books into their classrooms did not require any teacher professional development, changes in curriculum or adjustments to teaching practices. 100% of the teachers in the study said it would be valuable to have more large print titles easily accessible by students in their classroom or libraries. At the same time, 86% of the teachers said they would recommend large print to their other teachers to support students' literacy development.
Kara May-Dirkschneider, a 7th-grade language Arts AVID Coordinator at San Marcos Middle School in California, taught with large print books for the first time during the study. She valued the books the most for her reluctant readers, especially those who would actually pretend to read. "The novelty of these books made it more exciting for them to read," she said. "They were more engaged." Like other ELA teachers at her school, May-Dirkschneider has a classroom library, and noted that the large print books are "always the ones that get checked out first."
Finding 4: Reading large print texts for schoolwork supported students' emotional and mental health and their self-efficacy as readers.
Teachers made these observations:
- Large print books decreased stress and anxiety about reading for school.
- 81% below-grade-level readers
- 58% students with ADHD
- 58% students reading at-grade-level
- Saw greater confidence in reading abilities.
- 87% below-grade-level readers
- 55% students with ADHD
- 71% students reading at-grade-level
- Noticed increased participation in classroom read-aloud activities
- 87% below-grade-level readers
- 63% students with ADHD
- 52% students reading at-grade-level.
Erin Anding, school librarian and technology facilitator at East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools in Louisiana, recalled being surprised by the effect of large print on some reluctant readers during the study. "I did a double take," she said, "because I was surprised that certain students were volunteering to read out loud."
Finding 5: Students believe that access to large print books will support enhanced learning.
A robust 75% of grade 6-8 students and 86% of grade 9-12 students requested more access to large print books in school. When asked if they thought their reading skills would improve with large print books 62% of 6th-8th graders predicted they would.
Anding added that as part of her "fighting any form of screen" as a distraction from reading, she's doing anything she can to make the library more user-friendly, especially because she has many students arrive at her middle school having never been to a library.
O'Neill Middle School in Downers Grove, IL has been investing in large print books for a few years now. Of the 12,567 books in the school's library, 1,131 are large print titles. "12% of our annual circulation is represented by large print titles, which outpaces even our graphic novels," said Tasha Squires, the school librarian at O'Neill Middle School. This analysis has led Squires to create a designated space in her library exclusively for large print books to make them more accessible to students and easier to find.
"The findings from the Project Tomorrow study reveal that large print books serve as a simple yet powerful transformative learning tool that can significantly reduce barriers to reading," said Sabine McAlpine, vice president of Thorndike Press at Gale. "They demonstrate that these books offer a 'no-lift' intervention that helps educators facilitate improved reading fluency and enjoyment without the need for new technology or extensive training. This approach not only engages with students better but also helps them build lifelong confidence in their reading abilities."
Project Tomorrow will host a session on the study results this week at the California School Library Association 2025 Conference, in San Jose, CA on Friday, January 31 at 2pm-3pm Pacific Time in the Empire Room at the Signia by Hilton Hotel.
For more information on Thorndike Press or to download the study whitepaper and executive summary, visit the Research webpage.
About Thorndike Press
As the leading large print publisher, Thorndike Press from Gale, part of Cengage Group, helps readers of all ages enjoy books. Publishing unabridged reprints in large print format for middle grade and young adult readers started in 1999 and our catalog of more than 1,000 titles grows monthly with high-interest fiction and nonfiction books, including contemporary classics, award-winners and bestsellers. Founded in Thorndike, Maine, in 1977, our commitment to producing high quality, 100% guaranteed large print books supports young readers as they develop the skills necessary to become successful, confident, lifelong readers.
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About Cengage Group and Gale
Cengage Group, an education technology company serving millions of learners in 165 countries, advances the way students learn through quality, digital experiences. The company currently serves the K-12, higher education, professional, library, English language teaching and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, part of Cengage Group, provides libraries with original and curated content, as well as the modern research tools and technology that are crucial in connecting libraries to learning, and learners to libraries. For more than 65 years, Gale has partnered with libraries around the world to empower the discovery of knowledge and insights – where, when and how people need it. Gale has 500 employees globally with its main operations in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.gale.com.
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Media Contact:
Kayla Siefker, Gale, part of Cengage Group
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SOURCE Gale, part of Cengage Group
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