Evaluating SLA Textbook Comprehensibility : Comparing Coh-Metrix Results With EFL Teachers’ Ratings

Abstract

Target language textbooks are widely used in English teacher preparation programs, but the decision to use them is commonly made with minimal consideration of their difficultly level for the teacher candidates. The purpose of this study was to assess their readability for bilingual pre-service teachers. To accomplish this task, the Coh-Metrix linguistic analysis software was used to analyze the readability and easability of five widely-used SLA textbooks. Additionally, a class of pre-service teachers provided readability ratings of these texts. Coh-Metrix readability indicators showed many of the texts to be at the postsecondary level for L1 speakers. Easability results revealed that texts often lacked many of the features that would make them easier to comprehend. Human readability ratings suggested that many pre-service teachers found them to be moderately challenging revealing somewhat of a mismatch with Coh-Metrix results. EFL teacher educators should consider readability when selecting textbooks for teacher education programs as they may need to provide teacher candidates with access to materials to scaffold their comprehension of these textbooks.