ComprehensionWorkshop
The 3rd Workshop on Eye Movements and the Assessment of Reading Comprehension
Date: June 5–7, 2025
Place: University of Stuttgart, Germany
Important dates:
- Registration period ends: April 30, 2025
- Workshop dates: June 5–7, 2025
Workshop theme:
Effective and widely available reading assessments are fundamental for education and instrumental for early diagnosis of reading difficulties, enabling timely and targeted intervention. In this workshop, we explore how eye-tracking combined with machine learning technologies can enhance reading assessments. Our goal is to bring together researchers from various relevant fields, including educational science, cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics, eye-tracking-based reading research, and machine learning. The workshop will provide a platform for exchanging ideas for the next generation of reading assessments aided by eye-tracking and machine learning technologies, as well as inspiring cross-disciplinary research collaborations.
Web page of the 2024 iteration of this workshop.
Workshop format:
The first two days will feature a structured program, including talks, poster sessions, and group discussions. On the third day, the focus shifts to a more relaxed format, providing participants with the opportunity to network and plan joint activities in an informal setting while enjoying an easy hike and/or leisurely picnic.
Registration:
To attend, please complete the registration form by April 30.
Accommodation and transit:
Important: If you are applying for a travel stipend, you need to hold off on booking. We first have to send you an official invitation (requirement by the funding agency).
Accommodation: We recommend that participants book rooms as soon as possible at one of the two Motel One Hotels in the center of Stuttgart. Both are in walking distance to the main station and provide convenient access to public transport that will bring you directly to the conference venue. Both also also reasonably priced.
Travel: Stuttgart is well connected to the German railway network. For those who need to fly in, relevant airports are Frankfurt Main (FRA, ~1:15 h by train) and Stuttgart (STR, ~30 min by train). The latter is smaller and flights can be more expensive. Another international airport in the region is Strasbourg (SBX) but we haven’t tried that and the train connections may be inconvenient. Note that Strasbourg is in France, which may have visa implications.
Invited speakers:
Prof. Dr. Johanna Kaakinen
Dept. of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology
University of Turku, Finland
Prof. Dr. Andreas Bulling
Dept. of Collaborative Artificial Intelligence
University of Stuttgart, Germany
Prof. Dr. Maja Stegenwallner-Schütz
Language Development in Inclusive Learning Settings, University of Koblenz, Germany
Program:
Day 1, Thu, June 5, 2025
| Time | Type | Speaker(s) | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00–09:30 | Welcome & Introduction | Lena Jäger, Yevgeni Berzak, Titus von der Malsburg | Administrative Information; Including Reimbursement Process and Workshop Intro |
| 09:30–10:30 | Invited Talk 1 | Johanna Kaakinen | Eye Movements as Indicators of Cognitive Engagement |
| 10:30–11:00 | Coffee Break | ||
| 11:00–11:30 | Talk 1 | Bordag, Denisa; Opitz, Andreas; Berulava, Hans-Georg | Memory for Content and Surface Linguistic Forms: Differences in Reading in L1 and L2 |
| 11:30–12:00 | Talk 2 | Wiehe, Lea; Weiland, Katharina; Wahl, Michael | Longitudinal Developments and Differences in Eye Movements in Children With and Without Reading Disorder in the First Three Years of School |
| 12:00–13:30 | Lunch Break | ||
| 13:30–14:30 | Invited Talk 2 | Lisa Beinborn | t.b.a. |
| 14:30–15:00 | Talk 3 | Brasser, Jan; Tschirner, Chiara; Stegenwallner-Schütz, Maja; Jäger, Lena A. | Extending Eye Movement-Based Prediction of Reading Development to Pre-Readers |
| 15:00–16:00 | Posters 1 | ||
| 16:00–16:30 | Talk 4 | Shubi, Omer; Avraham Hadar, Cfir; Berzak, Yevgeni | Decoding Reading Goals from Eye Movements |
| 16:30–17:00 | Talk 5 | Gruteke Klein, Keren; Shubi, Omer; Frenkel, Shachar; Berzak, Yevgeni | The Effect of Text Simplification on Reading Fluency and Reading Comprehension in L1 English Speakers |
| 17:00–19:30 | BBQ @ Eulenhof |
Day 2, Fri, June 6, 2025
| Time | Type | Speaker(s) | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00–10:00 | Invited Talk 3 | Andreas Bulling | t.b.a. |
| 10:00–10:30 | Talk 6 | Sood, Ekta; Dhar, Prajit; Troiano, Enrica; Southwell, Rosy; D’Mello, Sidney | ScanEZ: Integrating Cognitive Models with Self-Supervised Learning for Spatiotemporal Scanpath Prediction |
| 10:30–11:00 | Coffee Break | ||
| 11:00–11:30 | Talk 7 | Angele, Bernhard; Zeynep Gunes Ozkan; Marina Serrano Carot; Jon Andoni Duñabeitia | Studying Reading at Lower Sampling Rates |
| 11:30–12:00 | Talk 8 | Tschense, Monika; Wallot, Sebastian | Reading Time Regularity as Predictor for Text Comprehension |
| 12:00–13:30 | Lunch Break | ||
| 13:30–14:30 | Invited Talk 4 | Maja Stegenwallner-Schütz | t.b.a. |
| 14:30–15:00 | Talk 9 | Mézière, Diane; von der Malsburg, Titus | Using Eye Movements to Predict Reading Comprehension: A Re-analysis with Random Forests |
| 15:00–16:00 | Posters 2 | ||
| 16:00–16:30 | Talk 10 | Bammel, Moritz; Sanches de Oliveira, Guilherme | Comparing Aggregate versus Process Measures of Eye Movements to Assess Reading Comprehension |
| 16:30–17:00 | Talk 11 | Zermiani, Francesca; Mézière, Diane; Kaakinen, Johanna; Vargas, Cristina; Salmerón, Ladislao | Eye-Movement Metrics as Predictors of Reading Comprehension: A Meta-Analysis |
| 17:00–17:10 | Closing Remarks | Lena Jäger, Yevgeni Berzak, Titus von der Malsburg |
Posters Day 1, Thu, June 5, 2025
- Thul, Rüdiger; Conklin, Kathy: Investigating sentence reading in young adults with and without university education: An eye-tracking study
- van der Stelt, Candace M.; Wallace, Sarah E.; Madden, Elizabeth; Dickey, Michael Walsh: Alexia Assessment: Shifting the Focus from Reading Aloud to Silent Reading Comprehension
- Canaj, Kimete; Suka, Cliresa: Eye Movements and the Assessment of Reading in Foreign Language
- Schmidt, Heiko; Pohl, Nada; Kammerer, Yvonne; Gottschling, Steffen; Kern, Dagmar: Using machine learning and eye-tracking to predict survey item comprehension
- Pohl, Nada Zahra; Schmidt, Heiko; Kern, Dagmar; Gottschling, Steffen; Kammerer, Yvonne: The Role of Reading Comprehension Ability in Comprehension Difficulties with Negated Questionnaire Items – An Eye-Tracking Study
- Tsikulina, Alina; Soroli, Efstathia: Eye-Tracking Insights into Bilingual Reading: How late French-English and Russian-English learners process Evaluative constructions?
- Ivchenko, Oksana; Grabar, Natalia; Nasir, Nasir: Reading Profiles Issued from Eye-tracking Data
- Weicker, Merle: How beneficial are causal connectives to the reading process? Evidence from eye-tracking
- Lopes Rego, Adrielli; Snell, Joshua; Meeter, Martijn: A single semantics-based mechanism to explain oculomotor behaviour in reading
- Thumbeck, Sarah-Maria; Dressel, Katharina; Baumgärtner, Annette; Büttner-Kunert, Julia; Ablinger, Irene: TEXT-FROM – a person-centred framework for acquired text comprehension disorders
- Venagli, Ilaria; Nardon, Andrea; Dal Maso, Serena; Melloni, Chiara; Piccinin, Sabrina; Vender, Maria: Investigating the impact of event nominalizations on reading behaviour and comprehension
Posters Day 2, Fri, June 6, 2025
- Pavlinušić Vilus, Eva; Matić Škorić, Ana; Cergol, Kristina; Palmović, Marijan: How (not) to design a L1 vocabulary test based on a lexical decision task: evidence from Croatian
- Krause, André Frank; Kannen, Kyra; Büscher, Sarah; Ressel, Christian; Wild-Wall, Nele: Neuroadaptive Reading Support for People with ADHD (Proposal)
- Alacam, Özge; Hoeken, Sanne; Zarrieß, Sina: Gaze Signals For Hate Speech Evaluation
- Haveriku, Alba; Kote, Nelda; Çepani, Anila; Çerpja, Adelina; Kajo Meçe, Elinda: Predicting Syntactic Dependencies in Albanian Language by leveraging mouse tracking data
- Vrazitulis, Michael; Schoknecht, Pia; Vasishth, Shravan: A German eye-movement benchmark data-set
- Pappert, Sandra; Olszycka, Carolina: Processing of simple versus complex structures by heterogenous groups of vocational students: Interactions between language proficiency and self-paced reading times?
- Gauditz, Hannah M.; Bergström, Kirstin; Fernandez, Leigh; Konerding, Marita; Großmann, Nicolas; Dengel, Andreas; Schmidt, Thomas; Lachmann, Thomas: Effects of coloured syllables in different stages of reading acquisition: evidence from eye movements and behavioural data in a combined longitudinal and cross-sectional design
- Dostálová, Nicol; Šašinka, Čeněk; Jochecová, Kateřina; Pátková Daňsová, Petra: Using eye-tracking for dyslexia intervention: A paired reading task
- Nisioi, Sergiu: Using Eye Tracking Data for Lexical Simplification
- Delgado, Pablo; Micai, Martina; Paula Barea; Gema Erena-guardia; Vanessa Fernández-Torres; F. Javier Moreno-Pérez; Isabel R. Rodríguez-Ortiz; Miriam Rivero-Contreras; Adrián Solís-Campos; David Saldaña: How students with autism and students with ADHD adapt their reading to different reading goals: An eye-tracking study
- Breukink, Corina: Reading or looking for answers: Secondary school students’ reading and responding processes in poetry and prose
Venue:
The workshop will take place at the International Meeting Center (IZB) of the University of Stuttgart, a modern and welcoming venue designed to foster collaboration and exchange of ideas. The facility features a lecture hall for up to 80 participants, as well as two smaller seminar rooms ideal for focused discussions and breakout sessions. Attendees will also enjoy the charming amenities of the venue, including a cozy fireside lounge—perfect for informal networking—and a spacious garden that provides a serene atmosphere for relaxation between sessions. The garden is equipped with facilities for barbecues, making it an great setting for social events and fostering meaningful connections in a laid-back environment.
Funding
The workshop is sponsored by the University of Stuttgart and the MultiplEYE COST Action. The workshop will provide financial support to cover travel expenses for a limited number of participants. Authors will be invited to apply for travel funding upon abstract acceptance. Funding will be partial and priority will be given to junior researchers.
