Samples of government publications, legal documents, newspapers, paperback novels, and instruction manuals were among the items used in a study to determine the degree to which the readability levels of materials used by adults reflect an awareness of and adjustment to the average reading ability of the adult population. The readability levels of…

Random samples were drawn from the city directories of Columbus, Nebraska, and Grand Forks, North Dakota, for a study of the ability of readers to detect and differentiate between straight news and editorials. Each respondent completed a Likert-type instrument, which had a split-half reliability of 0.87. Analyses indicated that there were…

To investigate whether certain sections of the newspaper could be used effectively in teaching critical reading and thinking skills to educationally disadvantaged adults, 29 students enrolled in a developmental reading class were instructed for eight weeks using specific newspaper articles to develop critical and analytical skills. A control group…