How does English reading development unfold *after* a bridging (EAP) program ends? We followed the same international students across ~4 years and used eye-tracking to watch L2 reading development unfold in real time. We asked: *Which skills grow fastest during the EAP program, and which changes persist (or shift) once students move into undergraduate study?* The figure shows one example—**word skipping**—across three timepoints. This project was published in [Reading and Writing](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11145-025-10664-6).
DerLex is a large open database of eye-tracking data on **English derived words** (e.g., *teacher, permission*). It’s designed as a **companion to CompLex**—our earlier eye-tracking megastudy of **English compound words** (e.g., *goalpost*)—so researchers can study two major types of morphological complexity using comparable methods and compatible data structures. This project was published in [Behavioral Research Methods](https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13428-024-02565-3).
Universities often run intensive English “bridging” programs for international students who are academically ready, but still building English proficiency. In this project, we tracked **405 students** across a **28-week** English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program and asked a simple question: *Do the reading gains students make before they start university actually matter later on?* Using a **Random Forests** approach plus regression modeling, we found that **growth in silent reading fluency** (words per minute) was a standout predictor of later undergraduate **GPA**. Roughly, a **1 SD boost in reading-rate growth (~26 WPM)** predicted about a **0.21 increase in GPA**. This project was published in [Reading and Writing](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11145-024-10514-x).
Do students with lower incoming reading scores *catch up* during an English-for-Academic-Purposes (EAP) bridging program—or does the gap stay the same? We tracked **405** Chinese-speaking students across a **28-week** program using **eye-tracking during passage reading** plus comprehension questions. Using incoming **IELTS Reading** scores as a baseline, we found clear overall improvement in reading efficiency and comprehension—but the growth trajectories were **parallel across ability levels**, meaning the gap neither widened nor closed (a **stable change** pattern). This project was published in [Bilingualism: Language & Cognition](https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728922000542)
In this study we used machine learning to investigate factors that predict EFL reading development. This project was published in [Reading Research Quarterly](https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/rrq.362/).