When selecting a textbook, college instructors must weigh a variety of factors. One is whether the text is written at a level that is accessible to one's students. An important factor in this is how many technical words are used. I developed an index to calculate logodiversity, a term I coined that reflects the number of technical words and the…

The possibility of changing the prosaic style of college level science textbooks to increase readability was investigated. Conclusions suggest that the readability of college textbook prose is not significantly affected by the stylistic factors employed in most readability formulas. (CJ)

Presents a readability formula and compares it with existing formulas and procedures. The formula uses reader feedback (identifying unclear words, sentences, paragraphs, figures, tables, and equations of reading material) and is considered appropriate for science and mathematics curriculum materials. (JN)

Parts 1 and 2 (SE 524 424 and 527 089) described Flesch readability for determining a text's reading level and results of applying the test to astronomy/physics textbooks. This part presents results for a new sample of texts, including calculus-level texts. A comparison with high school physics texts is provided. (JM)

Provides step-by-step procedures for developing an index which uses the Gunning Fog technique to evaluate the level of reading difficulty of textbooks. Cites examples, illustrations, and several warnings in the discussion. (RT)

Reported is a study designed to determine whether reading grade level (RGL) assessment techniques used for elementary and secondary education textbooks would discriminate among plant and soil science textbooks. The study was to select the RGL indices suited to quantify the readability of these sources, and to identify the factors affecting…