Effects of typeface, type size, and prior knowledge on the reading time and comprehension of elementary school students

Čeleš, Sara (author), Dolničar, Danica (author), Možina, Klementina (author)

The visual presentation of textbook materials is critical in shaping the learning process. This study examined the effects of typeface, type size, and prior knowledge on students’ reading time and comprehension. Sixty seventh- and eighth-grade students read history passages from an eighth-grade textbook printed in two typefaces (Times New Roman and Helvetica) and two sizes (9 pt and 11 pt). Helvetica at 11 pt yielded the fastest reading times, and Times New Roman at 9 pt was the second fastest, suggesting that the efficiency depends on the combination of typeface and type size. Comprehension was measured using five post-reading questions and was influenced by the type size only, with larger sizes producing higher scores. Prior knowledge significantly enhanced the comprehension of new content, whereas gender and overall academic performance did not. The results highlight the importance of typographic choices and support the consideration of typeface–size combinations and learners’ prior knowledge when developing educational materials. These findings provide applied evidence for evidence-based design decisions in educational publishing and the development of instructional materials.

• Language: English
• Keywords: comprehension, prior knowledge, reading time, textbook materials, type size, applied typography, visual design
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: NTF - Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 18 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 16, issue 9, art. 4274
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-182255
• UDC: 655
• ISSN on article: 2076-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/app16094274
• COBISS.SI-ID: 277051907
• Publication date in RUL: 05.05.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Applied sciences
• Shortened title: Appl. sci.
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2076-3417
• COBISS.SI-ID: 522979353

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: razumevanje, predznanje, čas branja, učbeniški materiali, velikost pisave, uporabna tipografija, vizualno oblikovanje, človeški dejavniki v izobraževanju, human factors in education

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P2-0450-2024
• Name: Inovativna grafična tehnologija