A study found that both paradigmatic and syntagmatic aspects of text were important for signifying meaning of text in the reading comprehension of 102 Australian students at 3 age levels (10, 12, and 14 years). Underlying comprehension problems was a lack of prior experience of text topics. Reading preparation through developing shared meanings is…

Reviews research literature on the design of text for older readers. Topics include improving typographically simple layouts through the use of larger type, more readable text, clearer layouts, and summaries, headings and signals; and improving typographically complex texts such as income tax forms, diagrams, and procedural instructions. (31…