LLT Journal A Journal on Language and Language Teaching

This study examined how executive functions and cognitive-linguistic skills relate to online lexical processing during sentence reading as a function of word frequency, word length, and concreteness in 171 first- and second-grade children. Executive functions (interference, verbal working memory, and fluency) and linguistic abilities (vocabulary, Rapid Automatized Naming, and phonological awareness) were assessed and linked to two oculomotor indices of word processing, namely First Fixation Duration (FFD) and Total Fixation Duration (TFD), computed for six lexical areas of interest, using descriptive analyses and regression models. Children processed high-frequency words more efficiently than low-frequency words in both FFD and TFD. Early efficiency was associated with fluency and phonological awareness (PA), whereas later efficiency was linked to interference control. Although long words descriptively elicited longer fixations, neither age nor cognitive and linguistic skills significantly predicted differences in FFD or TFD, suggesting that word length was not a reliable predictor of lexical processing efficiency in this task. No consistent advantage was found for concrete over abstract words. Abstract words imposed greater demands during the initial stages of processing (FFD), but these differences diminished in TFD and were not explained by cognitive or linguistic skills. Taken together, these findings provide preliminary evidence that lexical processing efficiency in emergent readers may depend more strongly on word familiarity and on cognitive and linguistic skills than on word length or concreteness, highlighting the interaction between stimulus properties and individual competencies in early reading. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution, as they are task-specific and based on limited item sampling, with only one item representing each lexical category.

While research into inclusivity and dyslexia, a neurodevelopmental condition affecting language learning, has gained greater attention, multilevel stakeholders’ perspectives across both public schools and teacher education programs remain underexplored. Addressing this gap, this study adapts the broader UNESCO Policy Review Framework as a lens for investigating dyslexia-friendly inclusive practices among ELT stakeholders, including in-service teachers, school administrators, teacher educators, and university administrators in the Riau Islands, Indonesia. Utilizing a mixed-methods research design, this study gathered data through questionnaires, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. Subsequently, data were analyzed via descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results revealed limited awareness of dyslexia and inclusive education, alongside misconceptions and reliance on special schools. Although inclusive practices were evident (mainly differentiated instruction), specific support for students with dyslexia remained unaddressed. Despite inclusion being viewed positively and mandated within the education system, its implementation remained weak. The study offers implications for systemic reform, suggesting that ELT stakeholders enhance their inclusive practices through training and developing inclusive institutional management. Additionally, teacher education institutions should pursue curricular adjustments to incorporate dyslexia-friendly inclusive practices.