Operational Consequences of Literacy Gap.

Abstract

Abstract : Air Force managers and supervisors often face problems caused by reading difficulties among their personnel. These usually appear to be a joint function of level of reading skill of the personnel and level of difficulty of the materials they face. The term 'literacy gap' refers to the difference between the two levels. This study proposed to examine the effects upon reading comprehension and preferences of three sizes of literacy gaps. This study involved three independent variables: Air Force personnel at tested reading grade levels (RGLs) of 8 and 10; Air Force job related materials, written at literacy gaps of 0, -2, and -4, and reading times of 30, 45, and 60 minutes. A gap of -2, for example, meant that the materials were two grade levels higher than the tested reading ability of the subjects. An additional question of interest was whether increasing the time allocated for reading would mitigate the effect of large literacy gaps. Thus, reading times of 30, 45 and 60 minutes were examined. Subjects were Air Force personnel at two levels of reading ability, 8th and 10th grades. Content was chosen from Air Force job-related material in two areas: Supervision, and Safety/Sanitation. Reading materials consisted of 5250 word passages prepared at readability grade levels of 8, 10, 12, and 14, with content unchanged. Multiple choice tests of comprehension were also prepared and a short questionnaire designed to measure preferences was developed.