5) Developing Reading Skills through
Applications and Systems
A great number of researches have focused
on how technologies can help reading become
more manageable, comprehensible, and convenient
for language learners. For instance, in a study, a
“PDA/web-based translation/annotation application”
is employed to improve students’ English reading
comprehension. This application can be used for
extensive in-class reading individually or
collaboratively (Chang & Hsu, 2011). Moreover, a
“prototype web-enabled PDA-based reading/
vocabulary system (PIMS) is produced and tested
with 15 English universitystudents. With a fuzzyItem
Response Theory algorithm, PIMS is able to
determine users’ reading abilities, suggest English
news articles that suit a particular learner, and
automatically identify unfamiliar words for further
study” (Chen & Hsu, 2008). In another study
conducted by Hsu, He, and Chang (2009), a “PDA/