The authors examined adolescents' detection of features that affect the quality of web information. In experiment 1, participants (12-16 years old) rated the goodness/usefulness of four web-like documents for a simulated study assignment. Each document came with an issue that potentially undermined its quality. Two documents had source-related…

Takes issue with E. Fry's widely accepted claim that the average readability of a book is ascertainable on the basis of only three samples; reports that numerous samples were needed to estimate readability means of 36 basal workbooks. (MKM)

Reviews formulas and related predictive devices that tell whether a particular piece of writing is likely to be readable to a particular group of readers. (RB)

Determined the readability of large circulation, metropolitan newspapers in 11 different languages using the formula of sentence length plus word length. Swedish language newspapers were the most readable, Russian language newspapers the lease. (AEA)

Studies the reading comprehension of high school students who read three expository passages of increasing difficulty. Finds that the two groups use the same type and number of strategies on the easy passage, but as the passage difficulty increased, good comprehenders use more types of strategies and use strategies more often than the poor…

Investigates whether reading ability improves when students read relatively easy library books. Compares reading achievement of students in grades three, four, and five who read books at either above or below their reading level. Finds no evidence that either group gained in reading ability. Notes that later empirical evidence indicated no actual…

Presents a model to predict readability of documents encountered by older adults. Finds a correlation of 0.54 between the readability scores for test items predicted by the model and the percentage of older adults correctly answering those items. Finds that more difficult test items were correlated more highly with fluid intelligence abilities,…

One of four International Reading Association award-winning dissertations from 1975. (RB)

Results of a study of the reading rate of 435 students varying from grade four through college support the theory that individuals typically read at a constant rate rather than adjusting their rate to the difficulty level of the material. (AEA)

Analyzes the concept of literacy for the purpose of identifying the parameters that must be specified in literacy definitions, identifies related measurement problems, and describes literacy assessment procedures currently available. (RB)

Provides an assessment of the linguistic variables which affect the way in which children comprehend verbal data when they read. (RB)

Results of three experiments designed to teach sixth grade students to modify difficult formats of math word problems indicated that treatment effects were effective. Large differences in successful problem solution rates were observed in favor of the easier format word problems. (MKM)