Average Readability Score Research Articles

IMPROVING THE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH NUMBERED HEADS TOGETHER TECHNIQUE

The method applied in this research was a classroom action research. After three cycles consisting of two meetings each were conducted, the appropriate model of NHT technique in teaching reading encompassed the following steps: (1) leading students to the topic by giving some questions and/or showing a picture(s), (2) connecting the topic with the students’ real experience, (3) introducing the topic and explaining the instructional objectives, (4) assigning students to predict the words used in the text, (5) informing students about the things they should do in their groups, (6) reading the text clearly, loudly, and slowly and asking some students to re-read the text, (7) clarifying the difficult words and discussing the words the students have predicted, (8) asking students to predict the content, (9) giving individual task to the students, (10) assigning students to put their heads together and discuss the answer they have done individually, (11) checking the groups’ answers, and (12) asking students to conclude the lesson. The finding showed that NHT technique was successful in improving students’ reading comprehension. The improvement could be seen from the increase of students’ average reading scores. Besides, the finding also showed that NHT technique was effective in enhancing the students’ participation, especially in raising their hands competitively to answer the questions during the answer-checking session.

Readability of Healthcare Literature for Hepatitis B and C.

Patients increasingly use the Internet for educational material concerning health and diseases. This information can be utilized to teach the population of hepatitis B and C if properly written at the necessary grade level of the intended patient population. We explored the readability of online resources concerning hepatitis B and C. Google searches were performed for "Hepatitis B" and "Hepatitis C." The Internet resources that were intended for patient education were used with specific exclusions. Articles were taken from 19 and 23 different websites focusing on the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of hepatitis B and C, respectively. The articles were analyzed using Readability Studio Professional Edition (Oleander Solutions, Vandalia, OH) using 10 different readability scales. The results were compared and averaged to identify the anticipated academic grade level required to understand the information. The average readability scores of the 10 scales had ranges of 9.7-16.4 for hepatitis B and 9.2-16.4 for hepatitis C. The average academic reading grade level for hepatitis B was 12.6 ± 2.1 and for hepatitis C was 12.7 ± 2.1. There was no significant discrepancy between the hepatitis B and C Internet resource averaged grade levels. The resources accessed by patients are higher than the previously determined necessary grade level for patients to properly understand the intended information. The American Medical Association recommends material should be simplified to grade levels below the sixth grade level to benefit the ideal proportion of the patient population.

Can Patients Comprehend the Educational Materials that Hospitals Provide about Common IR Procedures?

PurposeTo assess the readability of online education materials offered by hospitals describing commonly performed interventional radiology (IR) procedures. Materials and MethodsOnline patient education materials from 402 hospitals selected from the Medicare Hospital Compare database were assessed. The presence of an IR service was determined by representation in the Society of Interventional Radiology physician finder directory. Patient online education materials about (i) uterine artery embolization for fibroid tumors, (ii) liver cancer embolization, (iii) varicose vein treatment, (iv) central venous access, (v) inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement, (vi) nephrostomy tube insertion, (vii) gastrostomy tube placement, and (viii) vertebral augmentation were targeted and assessed by using six validated readability scoring systems. ResultsOf 402 hospitals sampled, 156 (39%) were presumed to offer IR services. Of these, 119 (76%) offered online patient education material for one or more of the eight service lines. The average readability scores corresponding to grade varied between the ninth- and 12th-grade levels. All were higher than the recommended seventh-grade level (P < .05) except for nephrostomy and gastrostomy tube placement. Average Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease scores ranged from 42 to 69, corresponding with fairly difficult to difficult readability for all service lines except IVC filter and gastrostomy tube placement, which corresponded with standard readability. ConclusionsA majority of hospitals offering IR services provide at least some online patient education material. Most, however, are written significantly above the reading comprehension level of most Americans. More attention to health literacy by hospitals and IR physicians is warranted.

Readability of online patient resources for the operative treatment of breast cancer

Increasing use of Internet resources for health information is important in promoting patient involvement in medical care and decision-making. The National Institutes of Health and American Medical Association have recommended that patient health information should be written at a sixth-grade reading level. This study evaluates the readability of the most commonly used Internet resources for the operative treatment of breast cancer in the context of average American literacy. The top 10 websites for "breast cancer surgery" based on public Internet search engines were identified. Patient-directed content was downloaded from all relevant articles on these sites. A total of 104 articles were assessed with the use of 10 established readability analyses. Average readability scores were analyzed for all articles as well as by website. The overall average reading level across all sites was 12.9; this was similar between tests (Coleman-Liau 12.6, Flesch Kincaid 12.3, FORCAST 11.2, Fry 14, Gunning Fog 14.4, New Dale-Chall 12.4, New Fog 11, Raygor 14, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook 14.3). Comparing readability by website showed disparity in average reading level from 11.2 to 16.5. Online patient resources for breast cancer surgery exceed recommended reading levels and are too difficult to be understood by a large portion of the United States population.

Providing critical care patients with a personalised discharge summary: A questionnaire survey and retrospective analysis exploring feasibility and effectiveness

This paper reports on the potential value and feasibility of providing patients with a personalised discharge summary of their critical care stay. Fifty-one patient discharge summaries, written by nurses during a randomised controlled trial, were retrospectively analysed for readability, structure and quality. A questionnaire survey completed by trial patients (n=42), their relatives (n=21) and nurses (n=170) explored user experience and feasibility. Quantitative questionnaire data were analysed descriptively and inferentially; qualitative data were subjected to content analysis. Most completed summaries achieved at least an average readability score and were of an acceptable quality. Motivation, time constraints and competing priorities were identified as key barriers to writing an effective summary; however, in the majority of cases, writing them had taken less than 15 minutes. Questionnaire data support that patient discharge summaries can help patients, relatives and ward nurses better understand and patients accept, what happened in critical care. Patient discharge summaries are likely to be a useful adjunct to existing discharge information, but further work is required to determine when and how they should be provided. With appropriate training and support, it is feasible for nurses to write discharge summaries in a busy critical care environment.

Prescription painkillers and controlled substances: an appraisal of drug information provided by six US pharmacies

BackgroundHealth literacy impacts health outcomes. Health literacy is a measure of a person’s competence to find, access, contextualize, and understand the information needed to make health decisions. Low levels of health literacy have been associated with poor health status. Health literacy can be enhanced by improving the readability of health literature. Misuse and abuse of prescription medicines and controlled substances is rising. It could be argued that improving the readability of the drug-information documents associated with these medicines could serve to alleviate this situation in a small, albeit incremental, manner. This paper provides a readability assessment of 71 such documents.MethodsThe readability of drug-information documents associated with 12 commonly misused and abused painkiller medicines and controlled substances published by the top six US pharmacies was assessed. The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) indices were used to assess the readability of these drug-information documents. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the readability of the documents.ResultsThe average Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level index score was found to be 11.16. The average Flesch Reading Ease index score was found to be 45.94. The average SMOG index score was found to be 13.60. Pharmacies C and E had the best average readability scores, whereas pharmacies A and B had the worst average readability scores.ConclusionAccess, contents, and formatting of the documents were qualitatively analyzed to make recommendations to improve readability. Pharmacies C and E were used as benchmarks to identify the seven best practices. Good drug-information documents should have: (1) clear purpose, (2) limited scope, (3) summary/brief review, (4) well-placed graphics, (5) informative illustrations, (6) clean layout and lucid formatting relevant to the media, and (7) focus on the intended users.

Reassessing the Achievement Gap: An Intergenerational Comparison of African American Student Achievement before and after Compensatory Education and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Using data from the Digest of Educational Statistics, this article argues that an intergenerational comparison is a more productive, progressive method to interpret data used to gauge the achievement gap. It applies this method by comparing the academic achievement scores and educational outcomes of African Americans over a nearly 70-year period, 1940-2008, and uses the metrics’ National Assessment of Educational Progress average reading scores in fourth and eighth grade and high school and college completion-most often applied in assessing the achievement gap. It argues that since the inception of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965), and the compensatory education programs that have grown out this act, African Americans have made some of the greatest strides in improving their educational performance and outcomes in virtually every measureable category used to assess the achievement gap. The intergenerational comparisons offered serve as a counterassessment to the traditional modes of analysis that compare the achievement scores and educational outcomes of white to minority students.

Readability of Patient Education Materials Available at the Point of Care

Many patient education materials (PEMs) available on the internet are written at high school or college reading levels, rendering them inaccessible to the average US resident, who reads at or below an 8(th) grade level. Currently, electronic health record (EHR) providers partner with companies that produce PEMs, allowing clinicians to access PEMs at the point of care. To assess the readability of PEMs provided by a popular EHR vendor as well as the National Library of Medicine (NLM). We included PEMs from Micromedex, EBSCO, and MedlinePlus. Micromedex and EBSCO supply PEMs to Meditech, a popular EHR supplier in the US. MedlinePlus supplies the NLM. These PEM databases have high market penetration and accessibility. Grade reading level of the PEMs was calculated using three validated indices: Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), Gunning Fog (GFI), and Flesch-Kincaid (FKI). The percentage of documents above target readability and average readability scores from each database were calculated. We randomly sampled 100 disease-matched PEMs from three databases (n = 300 PEMs). Depending on the readability index used, 30-100% of PEMs were written above the 8(th) grade level. The average reading level for MedlinePlus, EBSCO, and Micromedex PEMs was 10.2 (1.9), 9.7 (1.3), and 8.6 (0.9), respectively (p ≤ 0.000) as estimated by the GFI. Estimates of readability using SMOG and FKI were similar. The majority of PEMS available through the NLM and a popular EHR were written at reading levels considerably higher than that of the average US adult.

Literacy and Informed Consent

Literacy and Informed Consent

Student Attendance and Mobility in Minneapolis Public Schools

The Minneapolis Public Schools addressed student attendance during 1999-2000 as one strategy to improve student achievement. A particular concern was the school attendance and achievement of highly mobile students. This article describes how the district identified system-wide standards and practices to help all students achieve the aggressive goal of 95% attendance. Meeting this attendance goal is a challenge for students, their schools, and the community, but it is especially critical to include highly mobile students in this goal. The Kids Mobility Study (Minneapolis Public Schools et al., 1998) documents the connection between (a) residential mobility and student achievement and (b) attendance and achievement. Recommendations for action in both schools and community are presented. The Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) addressed student attendance in an unusually thorough way during school year 1999-2000 as one of a number of strategies to improve student achievement. The school district was especially concerned about the school attendance and achievement of highly mobile students (10% of the students were documented as staying in the main shelters in Minneapolis throughout the 1999-2000 school year). A goal of 95% student attendance for all students was identified in the District Improvement Agenda. This article describes the district's approach to developing an implementation plan, and how it identified system-wide standards and practices that would help all students achieve this attendance goal. MPS set an aggressive goal of 95% student attendance due to the well-documented connection between attendance and achievement at all grade levels. A Comprehensive Attendance Plan was developed based upon a review of attendance policies and practices. The Board of Education received the Comprehensive Attendance Plan and directed staff to develop a district-wide implementation and support plan, with full implementation planned for Fall 2001. One of the immediate outcomes was that major revisions were made to the existing student attendance policies with related procedures adopted by the Superintendent to ensure support for the 95% attendance goal. Also, community awareness was raised by communicating attendance issues and the consequences for student achievement. It is helpful to understand this planning and implementation activity in the context of the student enrollment of Minneapolis Public Schools. The district is very ethnically and racially diverse, and it has an enrollment of 48,000 K-12 students, with 72% students of color (44% African American, 15% Asian American, 8% Hispanic American, and 5% Native American). The district student data also indicate special needs to be addressed. For example, 66% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, 22% of students are enrolled in the English Language Learners program, and the K-12 mobility rate is 44.8%. (The mobility rate, also known as turnover rate, is the total transactions-student ins and outs-divided by fall enrollment.) This mobility rate is influenced by the high degree of residential mobility among some of our students. The connection between student residential mobility and student achievement has been documented in The Kids Mobility Study (Minneapolis Public Schools, Hennepin County, University of Minnesota: CURA and CAREI, and the Family Housing Fund, 1998). Elementary students who changed residences three or more times during the school year had average reading scores half that of students who did not move. The study also documented the connection between attendance and achievement. Students with nearly perfect attendance on average had reading scores 20 points higher than those who attended less than 84% of the time. More recently, researchers at the Roy Wilkins Center of the University of Minnesota examined four years of test data on the Minnesota Basic Standards Test and confirmed the impact student mobility and attendance have on achievement (Myers, 2000). …

Decline in Average Reading Scores in Year 6 in One Area (Research Note)

This study examines the reading standards of eight cohorts (years 1989 to 1996) of Year 6 children (mean age 11.31) from five randomly selected primary schools within one Local Education Authority in England. The total size of the sample was 1,503 children. The analysis focuses on the extent to which average scores in reading comprehension have changed over the eight years from 1989 to 1996. Examination of the means of the standardised comprehension scores for each cohort reveals a significant fall in attainment between Cohort 1 (1989), on the one hand, and Cohorts 6 (1994) and 7 (1995), on the other. The percentage of children with scores greater that one standard deviation above the mean (i.e. above standard score 115) declined from 22 per cent in Cohort 1 (1989) to 7 per cent in Cohort 6 (1994), with a similar increased in the percentage of children scoring less than one standard deviation below the mean. The implications of these findings are briefly discussed.

Test-Retest Stability and Concurrent Validity of Two Reading Tests With a Drug-Abusing Population

The Wide Range Achievement Test—Revised (WRAT-R) and Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests—Revised (WRMT-R) were administered twice to 269 current drug abusers over an average time interval of 204.20 days. Stability coefficients were very strong, ranging from .84 to .94. Correlations between the two instruments, ranging between .72 and .90, demonstrated strong concurrent validity. Average reading scores and grade equivalent scores were significantly higher at the second test. Exploratory data analyses revealed no demographic or drug-taking variables related to this increase. No relationship between length of interval and difference scores was found. Overall, this study demonstrated that the two instruments have strong psychometric properties and that the results obtained from current drug abusers are reliable.

Reading Ability as a Performance Predictor in a Behaviorally Based Psychology Course

The use of lectures for motivational purposes and to stress the written word were original components of the personalized system of instruction (PSI). These features assume that students have the study skills to acquire information on their own. We investigated the relation between reading ability and course performance in PSI and contingency managed lecture (CML) sections of a developmental psychology course. Results indicated that grade point average (GPA) and reading comprehension scores best predicted final exam performance in CML and that reading comprehension scores and GPA were the best predictors in PSI sections. Students in the PSI and CML sections achieved average reading scores and vocabulary subtest scores at or above grade level, but average reading rate and comprehension subtest scores were below grade level.