CAN READABILITY FORMULAS BE USED TO SUCCESSFULLY GAUGE DIFFICULTY OF READING MATERIALS?

A grade level of reading material is commonly estimated using one or more readability formulas, which purport to measure text difficulty based on specified text characteristics. However, there is limited direction for teachers and publishers regarding which readability formulas (if any) are appropriate indicators of actual text difficulty. Because oral reading fluency (ORF) is considered one primary indicator of an elementary aged student's overall reading ability, the purpose of this study was to assess the link between leveled reading passages and students’ actual ORF rates. ORF rates of 360 elementary‐aged students were used to determine whether reading passages at varying grade levels are, as would be predicted by readability levels, more or less difficult for students to read. Results showed that a small number of readability formulas were fairly good indicators of text, but this was only true at particular grade levels. Additionally, most of the readability formulas were more accurate for higher ability readers. One implication of the findings suggests that teachers should be cautious when making instructional decisions based on purported “grade‐leveled” text, and educational researchers and practitioners should strive to assess difficulty of text materials beyond simply using a readability formula.     

Beyond first grade: examining word,sentence, and discourse text factors associated with oral reading rate in informational text in second grade

Text complexity in elementary classrooms is typically measured by traditional readability tools, which rely on surface-level measures of word and sentence complexity. Theoretical and empirical work on text complexity, however, indicates that additional measures of semantics, syntax, and discourse structure may be equally important for understanding how young children process texts. This study evaluated the components of two available text analysis tools representing different generations of readability: the Lexile Framework and the Coh-Metrix Text Easability Assessor. Using multilevel modeling, informational passage readings were nested in 5133 second-grade children in 459 schools to identify text variables that predicted changes in oral reading rate. Coh-Metrix dimensions of word concreteness, referential cohesion, and deep cohesion were uniquely associated with oral reading rate after controlling for traditional readability components. A full model including both the Lexile components and three Coh-Metrix dimensions provided the best fit to the data. Results suggest that measures of semantic complexity and text cohesion are needed to improve prediction of text difficulty for young readers and better inform text selection in the early grades. Implications for policy and practice under the Common Core State Standards, which emphasize reading complex texts across the gradespan, are discussed.

     

Modality and placement of a pedagogical adviser in individual interactive learning

Fifty‐eight graduate students in an education programme took a 40‐minute computer‐based instructional module on introductory statistics with a built‐in solicited guidance mechanism. Students were randomly assigned to programs that used one of four types of advisement: on‐screen digitised video of a human adviser, on‐screen text‐based adviser, pull‐down digitised video of a human adviser or pull‐down text‐based adviser. Results indicated that the on‐screen video‐based adviser condition resulted in higher adviser use than both the text‐based and video‐based pull‐down adviser conditions. Adviser use was significantly correlated with performance during instruction, with time spent during instruction and with television hours watched per week, but not with retention scores. Two non‐significant but suggestive findings were that the video‐based on‐screen advisers were used twice as much as text‐based on‐screen advisers, and active learners used advisement three times as often as passive learners.     

英语多媒体教学中的教学策略

本通过对英语多媒体教学中的组织策略、实施策略、反馈策略等教学策略的研完，以及多媒体在英语教学中的应用效果推论出：英语多媒体教学策略是英语教学现代化与理论和实践相结合的桥梁和中介，是理论的具体化．英语多媒体教学有利于创设良好的英语交际环境，拓展学生的思维空间，建构学生的认识图式，是极具价值的现代化英语教学手段。     

Researching and writing based on multiple texts

Students perform poorly on multiple text reading-writing (MTRW) tasks. To address this issue, we examine students' strategy engagement during response composition by analyzing five types of data. These include: (a) log data of text access, (b) the notes that students composed during processing, (c) students' modified think-aloud reports, (d) screen-capture videos of writing behaviors, and (e) the written products generated. We report on insights gained by coordinating and juxtaposing these various sources of data on students' writing. Results showed that while students accessed and took notes on the majority of the texts provided, information from texts was rarely connected, neither in students' notes nor in the written responses composed. Moreover, students' effortful engagement in multiple text use, captured via log data, was associated with task performance. Finally, a number of variables, corresponding to students’ strategy reports during processing, were found to be significant predictors of writing performance.     

American psychological association : Official business of division 15 : Business meeting division of educational psychology

Within a general framework of structure‐of‐text research, a new definition of readability is proposed, based on three textual variables: structure, “texture,” and informational density of text. For structure, three kinds of superstructures and three categories of sectional structures are described, and various combinations of these are placed on a gradient of difficulty. For “texture,” or explicitness, a continuum is sketched. Informational density is described in general terms. Empirical evidence for each of the proposed variables is reviewed. The interactions of reader and textual variables in the act of comprehension are discussed, the reader variables being world knowledge and ability to use learning strategies. A number of hypotheses for future research on readability are presented, and implications for teaching are suggested.     

Characteristics of the Effective Teacher based on Pupil Evaluations

This research compared high-load and low-load versions of a text by manipulating text presentation, text organization, and example context on measures of fact and concept learning. The low-load text presentation variable enhanced fact and concept learning and post-reading ease of comprehension ratings. The low-load text organization variable led to higher post-reading ease of comprehension ratings. Ease of comprehension was related significantly to fact and concept learning. These findings are supported by cognitive load theory and extend the research to include variables that influence text processing.     

Word frequency and readability: Predicting the text‐level readability with a lexical‐level attribute

Assessment of text readability is important for assigning texts at the appropriate level to readers at different proficiency levels. The present research approached readability assessment from the lexical perspective of word frequencies derived from corpora assumed to reflect typical language experience. Three studies were conducted to test how the word‐level feature of word frequency can be aggregated to characterise text‐level readability. The results show that an effective use of word frequency for text readability assessment should take a range of characteristics of the distribution of words frequencies into account. For characterizing text readability, taking into account the standard deviation in addition to the mean word frequencies already significantly increases results. The best results are obtained using the mean frequencies of the words in language frequency bands or in bands obtained by agglomerative clustering of the word frequencies in the documents – though a comparison of within‐corpus and cross‐corpus results shows the limited generalizability of using high numbers of fine‐grained frequency bands. Overall, the study advances our understanding of the relationship between word frequency and text readability and provides concrete options for more effectively making use of lexical frequency information in practice.     

Two new readability predictors for the professional writer: pilot trials

A combination of two new, but very different, approaches to the prediction of readability could be particularly valuable in evaluating English texts written for native and non-native speakers. One approach develops the concept of lexical density, whereas the other is a novel measurement of two mechanical variables of text. The paper first outlines the traditional approach to readability. Next, it explains the concept of lexical density, and presents the results of a pilot study into reader preferences for different levels of density in text. It then offers an alternative approach to readability that uses sentence and ‘packet’ lengths. Finally, it indicates how the two approaches have been combined into a computer software program, and suggests the direction of future work. Our conclusions are threefold. Firstly, the lexical density of text is a better indicator of its readability than the scores given by many of the more common readability formulae. Secondly, the effective breaking up of sentences into ‘packets’ is as important to readability as sentence length. Finally, in looking at the mechanical variables of texts, we should not only be concerned with averages, but with distributions and most frequently occurring values.     

The effects of reading speed and reading patterns on the understanding of text read from screen

With increasing use of the World Wide Web, rapid scanning or skimming of material on screen has become a frequent activity. However, the outcome of this method of reading has not been thoroughly investigated. Using a range of question types, comprehension was measured after reading from screen at both a normal and fast reading speed. In addition, by automatically recording how readers scrolled through each document, reading patterns were explored. A speed‐accuracy trade‐off was found and, in general, the recall of specific details was less accurate than responses to ‘higher order’ questions. However, questions that addressed the structure of the text were hardest. Analysis of the scrolling movements showed that the overall time spent pausing between movements was the best predictor of comprehension. At a normal reading speed, the most effective readers, in terms of higher comprehension scores, were those who spent more time between scrolling movements, which were fast and frequent.     

Self-regulated learning with hypermedia: The role of prior domain knowledge

Think-aloud and pre-test data were collected from 49 undergraduates with varying levels of prior domain knowledge to examine the relationship between prior domain knowledge and self-regulated learning with hypermedia. During the experimental session, each participant individually completed a pretest on the circulatory system, and then one 40-min hypermedia learning task during which he or she learned about the circulatory system. Think-aloud data were collected during the 40-min learning task to measure each participant’s use of specific self-regulated learning processes related to planning, monitoring, and strategy use. Results indicate that prior domain knowledge is significantly related to how the participants self-regulated their learning during the 40-min learning task with hypermedia. Specifically, prior domain knowledge is positively related to participants’ monitoring and planning and negatively related to their use of strategies during the hypermedia learning task.     

Using elaboration strategies training in computer-based instruction to promote generative learning

Use of subject-generated elaborations, taught via embedded and detached training strategies, was compared with experimenter-provided elaborations or no elaborations (control) on a CBI training unit on computer professional development. Subjects were 80 administrative assistants (20 per treatment) at a large corporation. Results showed advantages for one or both subject-generated elaborations strategies relative to the control treatment on measures of recall and application learning; the experimenter-generated group did not differ significantly from any other group. Additional analyses indicated that the embedded-training elaborations group gave more personal and paraphrased elaborations than did the detached-training group. Results are interpreted as favoring the use of elaborations strategies, particularly when taught by embedded training, for promoting generative learning.     

The effects of search tool type and cognitive style on performance during hypermedia database searches

This study investigated the effects of search tools and learner cognitive styles on performance in searches for information within a hypermedia database. Seventy-five students in a university English as a Second Language (ESL) program were blocked for field dependence and assigned to one of four treatments: browser, index/find, map, and all tools. Subjects searched the hypermedia database, EarthQuest, for facts to answer practice and posttest questions on science topics. Results revealed a significant interaction between search tool and cognitive style. Field-independent learners performed significantly better than field-dependent learners under the index/find and map treatments. Subjects in the four treatment groups accessed information from the database differently. Furthermore, cognitive style was significantly related to achievement, tool use, and attitude. Implications for the design and instructional use of hypermedia databases are provided.     

Exploring metacognitive strategies and hypermedia annotations on foreign language reading

The effective use of reading strategies has been recognized as an important way to increase reading comprehension in hypermedia environments. The purpose of the study was to explore whether metacognitive strategy use and access to hypermedia annotations facilitated reading comprehension based on English as a foreign language students’ proficiency levels. The primary investigation finding revealed that the strategies used the most were problem-solving strategies, followed by global strategies, whereas support strategies were used the least. The specific strategy of guessing content was used much more frequently which was reliably predicted by their comprehension scores; on the contrary, reading slowly might hinder hypermedia reading comprehension. Regarding the frequency of access to annotations, background information was viewed the most frequently, while word glossary was identified as least frequently; no significant relationship, however, was observed among proficiency levels, frequency of annotation use, and reading strategies. Based on further think-aloud investigation results, limitations and future research are discussed and presented.     

Reconstructing Readability: Recent Developments and Recommendations in the Analysis of Text Difficulty

Largely due to technological advances, methods for analyzing readability have increased significantly in recent years. While past researchers designed hundreds of formulas to estimate the difficulty of texts for readers, controversy has surrounded their use for decades, with criticism stemming largely from their application in creating new texts as well as their utilization of surface-level indicators as proxies for complex cognitive processes that take place when reading a text. This review focuses on examining developments in the field of readability during the past two decades with the goal of informing both current and future research and providing recommendations for present use. The fields of education, linguistics, cognitive science, psychology, discourse processing, and computer science have all made recent strides in developing new methods for predicting the difficulty of texts for various populations. However, there is a need for further development of these methods if they are to become widely available.     

An Examination of Text Complexity as Characterized by Readability and Cohesion

To better understand dimensions of text complexity and their effect on the comprehension of adolescents, 103 high school seniors were randomly assigned to 4 groups. Each group read versions of the same 2 informational passages and answered comprehension test items targeting factual recall and inferences of causal content. Group A passages had a challenging readability level and high cohesion; Group B passages had an easier readability and low cohesion; Group C passages had a challenging readability level and low cohesion; and Group D passages had an easier readability and high cohesion. Students in Group D significantly outperformed students in Group C (g = 0.78). Although the effect sizes of comparisons among all groups ranged from g = 0.13 to 0.73, no other comparisons were statistically significant. Results indicate that adolescents’ reading comprehension is dually influenced by a text's readability and cohesion. Implications for matching readers to instructional text are discussed.     

Reconceptualizing Readability: The Relationship between Surface and Underlying Structure Analyses in Predicting the Difficulty of Basal Reader Stories

Abstract

Readability has traditionally been predicted by tabulating surface structure variables such as vocabulary and sentence length. These criteria are used in determining levels within basal reading series. The prediction of readability as a function of underlying structure- or the logical relationship among higher-order text elements-has not been systematically investigated. In this study a difficulty formula based on underlying structure analysis was applied to basal reader stories and compared to difficulty levels as determined by the Fry Readability Formula. Results indicated that there is no systematic increase in underlying structure difficulty with increase in grade level. Implications for readability research and for basal reader content and instruction are discussed.     

A study of readability of texts in Bangla through machine learning approaches

In this work, we have investigated text readability in Bangla language. Text readability is an indicator of the suitability of a given document with respect to a target reader group. Therefore, text readability has huge impact on educational content preparation. The advances in the field of natural language processing have enabled the automatic identification of reading difficulty of texts and contributed in the design and development of suitable educational materials. In spite of the fact that, Bangla is one of the major languages in India and the official language of Bangladesh, the research of text readability in Bangla is still in its nascent stage. In this paper, we have presented computational models to determine the readability of Bangla text documents based on syntactic properties. Since Bangla is a digital resource poor language, therefore, we were required to develop a novel dataset suitable for automatic identification of text properties. Our initial experiments have shown that existing English readability metrics are inapplicable for Bangla. Accordingly, we have proceeded towards new models for analyzing text readability in Bangla. We have considered language specific syntactic features of Bangla text in this work. We have identified major structural contributors responsible for text comprehensibility and subsequently developed readability models for Bangla texts. We have used different machine-learning methods such as regression, support vector machines (SVM) and support vector regression (SVR) to achieve our aim. The performance of the individual models has been compared against one another. We have conducted detailed user survey for data preparation, identification of important structural parameters of texts and validation of our proposed models. The work posses further implications in the field of educational research and in matching text to readers.     

Exploring the Relationship Between Text‐Leveling Systems and Reading Accuracy and Fluency in Second‐Grade Students Who Are Average and Poor Decoders

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between different text‐leveling systems and reading accuracy and fluency in second‐grade students with and without decoding difficulties. Two‐hundred‐forty‐eight second‐grade students, 44 identified as low achieving (LA) and 204 identified as average achieving (AA) in decoding skill, participated in the 15‐week study. During the study teachers collected data weekly on students' text‐reading accuracy and fluency using curriculum‐based measurement (CBM) techniques. Text attributes such as readability, decodability, percentage of high frequency words, average words per sentence, and percentage of multisyllabic words were estimated for each passage. Results using the entire sample of children indicated that accuracy of text reading was uniquely predicted by the percentage of high frequency words in the passages, whereas both the percentage of high frequency words and passage decodability made unique contributions to variance in passage‐reading fluency. Moreover, results suggested that the relationship between text‐leveling variables and reading performance was similar in the LA and AA groups, with only a slight trend favoring a stronger relationship between passage decodability and measures of text‐reading performance in the AA group compared to the LA group.