A new readability formula is designed to work on passages that are 40 to 99 words long, while existing readability formulas require a passage of 300 words or longer. The new formula requires the passage to have at least three sentences and is reliable for the fourth through the twelfth grades. (Four figures which demonstrate the use of the formula…

Among the problems of using readability formulas in education are: reporting standardized scores as grade levels is often meaningless since in a single grade classroom there may be children reading two or three grades above or below grade placement; social mobility, busing policies, and changed patterns of living have increased the heterogeneity…

Describes a study that analyzed the readability of documentation designed for physicians searching the Physician's Data Query cancer database, using the readability formulas in AT&T's Writer's Workbench software package. The results of the analysis are discussed and suggestions for future research are made. (20 references) (CLB)

Investigates whether readability is a key criterion for college and university professors in selecting textbooks. Finds that many selected textbooks are at too high a level for the students. Suggests that students have a difficult time learning when the text is even slightly above their level. (PRA)

Readability indices were used to evaluate job-related reading matter; comparison with high school textbooks was made to determine a reading-level gap. A minimum high school reading comprehension level was assumed in workplace materials; textbooks often exhibited lower scores on reading formulas. (SK)

This paper on readability begins with a brief discussion of comprehension, including a definition, and then lists factors that influence comprehension, such as knowledge of vocabulary, long passages that are ambiguous, digressions, and unnecessary restatements. The paper then explores readability and presents a graph for estimating readability and…

Three readability formulas were recalculated to be more suitable for Navy use. The three formulas are the Automated Readability Index (ARI), Fog Count, and Flesch Reading Ease Formula. They were derived from test results of 531 Navy enlisted personnel enrolled in four technical training schools. Personnel were tested for their reading…

Provides guidelines for analyzing and evaluating textbooks based on their comprehensibility rather than their readability. (MKM)

Provides a 17-item annotated bibliography addressing issues of measures of readability for languages other than English, the mismatch between student reading ability and text readability, and promising new approaches to readability. (MG)

A survey of the current research on readability formulas is presented in this paper, which distinguishes this research from research on the more general questions that surround formulas: What features of a text, particularly the language it is written in, make the text easy or difficult to read? and, What will predict that readers with particular…

Although research on readability is still in its infancy, studies have been conducted concerning typographical features, semantic and pragmatic facets, linguistic factors, and orthographic dimensions. This paper discusses readability formulas, pointing out their limitations and listing 13 generalizations about them. The paper also outlines…

Suggests caution in using readability formulas in determining how to use a textbook for instruction and suggests other factors to consider. (MKM)

Investigates the effectiveness of the prose communication in contemporary corporate annual reports. Indicates that a sample of 65 Canadian annual reports for 1984 were classified as "difficult" to "very difficult" and beyond the fluent comprehension ease of 92 percent of the adult population and 56 percent of the investor…

Readability formulas estimate how difficult text is to read. The resulting "readability level" helps teachers and school librarians match students to appropriate books. Guiding students to appropriate-level books is now easier and more accurate with the ATOS (Advantage-TASA Open Standard) Readability Formula for Books, the new…