ERIC Number: EJ1081056
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0973
EISSN: N/A
An Examination of Text Complexity as Characterized by Readability and Cohesion
Reed, Deborah K.; Kershaw-Herrera, Sarah
Journal of Experimental Education, v84 n1 p75-97 2016
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.
Descriptors: High School Seniors, Reading Materials, Difficulty Level, Readability, Reading Comprehension, Adolescents, Connected Discourse, Comparative Analysis, Effect Size, Statistical Significance, Reader Text Relationship, Grade 12, Urban Schools, Criterion Referenced Tests, Social Studies, Statistical Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Grade 12
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A