Reading is an integral part of chemistry education. The language of chemistry plays a major role when reading chemistry texts and textbooks. Reading textual and non-textual explanations impact students' understanding of chemistry texts and textbooks. In our review we outline the importance of reading texts and textbooks in chemistry education. We…

Features of eighth-grade history textbooks were examined through replication of a 20-year-old study that investigated "considerateness" of textbooks. Considerate texts provide clear, coherent information and include features that promote students' comprehension, such as explicit use of organizational structures, a range of question types…

The authors evaluated principles of macroeconomics textbooks for readability using Coh-Metrix, a computational linguistics tool. Additionally, they conducted an experiment on Amazon's Mechanical Turk Web site in which participants ranked the readability of text samples. There was a wide range of scores on readability indexes both among…

English education in Japan and Korea are similar in some respects. Although both countries are not completely but mostly monolingual societies, where citizens do not need English in their daily life, they have begun to realize the importance of English as a tool for international communication, and as a result their English education is becoming…

Indicates that more secondary students were quite uncertain about their textbook clarity. Reveals a need to strengthen textbook readability in United States secondary schools. (RS)

The aims of the social studies curriculums include growth of the pupil in social competence and awareness. In order to permit the teacher knowledge as to what social studies materials best contribute to the development of those aims, this study evaluated the readability level of three second grade social studies textbooks. (1) "We Have…

Presents results of Flesch readibility scores for introductory astronomy textbooks and noncalculus physics textbooks. Two tables list Flesch score, mean error, and grade level for 10 texts in astronomy and eight in physics. (CS)

This study finds that the overall readability level of elementary social studies texts, as well as the range of levels within texts, is decreasing. (HOD)

A study investigated the readability levels of different editions of six college textbooks published in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s ("A History of Civilization,""Government by the People,""Economics,""Introduction to Modern Business,""Introduction to Psychology," and "Pscyhology"). The study also compared the number of pages and chapters appearing…

Examines if the reading levels of state-adopted science textbooks at the high-school level are consistent with their intended reader levels. Finds that four of five chemistry textbooks had reading levels beyond high school, while biology textbooks fared better but not as well as the physics and physical science textbooks, which were on grade level…

Examines the relationship between student perceptions of reading ease and human interest in first-year college writing textbooks and the evaluation results produced by the Flesch formulas and checklist items. Finds that neither the Flesch formula nor checklists relate well to students' perceptions of interest in the writing textbooks evaluated.…

Confirms findings of other studies indicating that textbooks used by college freshmen were in most cases several grade levels above the students' reading abilities. (RB)

This paper presents guidelines for improving instructional text under three main headings: prose and grammatical features; tables and graphs; and typographical design. The paper has been printed in such a way as to illustrate the points made. (Author)

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)