Textbook readability and ESL learners

Daniel Kasule

doi:10.4102/rw.v2i1.13

Abstract

This paper reports activities (as part of a university course in language teacher education on teaching reading) in which primary school student teachers (all ESL in-service teacher trainees) explored their own skills of determining textbook readability using an online software tool and a cloze test completed by two hundred and seventy-eight Grade Seven primary school pupils. Findings from the online tool were that the text was difficult. The cloze test confirmed this when it showed that only eighteen pupils could read the text unassisted while the rest were frustrated by it. The paper uses these findings to describe the challenges pupils face and how readability research is beneficial to the reading development of ESL learners if reading of academic texts is approached from the principles of the interactive view of reading; of cognitive learning theory; and of second language acquisition theory. It is concluded that teachers’ awareness of readability issues is helpful for effective reading instruction during the critical formative years of school.

Highlights

An early de nition of readability by Dale and Chall (1949) included the concept of interest, but since textbooks are not read because they are interesting, readability will be understood as the ease or di culty with which the textbook may be understood
As a language teacher educator I am concerned about my student teachers’ awareness of the readability of the textbooks which they nd recommended for use in the classes they teach
E number of years of formal education that were required so as to understand the text on rst reading varied according to the formula: 9.89 on the Gunning Fog Index; 9.35 on Coleman Liau Index; 7.30 on the Flesh Kincaid Grade level; 7.00 on the Automated Readability Index (ARI); and 10.11 on the SMOG index

Summary

DANIEL KASULE University of Botswana

Abstract: is paper reports activities (as part of a university course in language teacher education on teaching reading) in which primary school student teachers (all ESL in-service teacher trainees) explored their own skills of determining textbook readability using an online so ware tool and a cloze test completed by two hundred and seventy-eight Grade Seven primary school pupils. Findings from the online tool were that the text was di cult. e cloze test con rmed this when it showed that only eighteen pupils could read the text unassisted while the rest were frustrated by it. Abstract: is paper reports activities (as part of a university course in language teacher education on teaching reading) in which primary school student teachers (all ESL in-service teacher trainees) explored their own skills of determining textbook readability using an online so ware tool and a cloze test completed by two hundred and seventy-eight Grade Seven primary school pupils.. E cloze test con rmed this when it showed that only eighteen pupils could read the text unassisted while the rest were frustrated by it. E paper uses these ndings to describe the challenges pupils face and how readability research is bene cial to the reading development of ESL learners if reading of academic texts is approached from the principles of the interactive view of reading; of cognitive learning theory; and of second language acquisition theory. It is concluded that teachers’ awareness of readability issues is helpful for e ective reading instruction during the critical formative years of school

Introduction

Measuring readability

Class G

Demand from the cloze test

Conclusion