Over the past decade in the United States, levelled texts, or "little books" with finely graduated levelling of text difficulty, have regained their status as a literacy staple for beginning readers. Despite their resurgence, questions remain regarding the reliability and quality of these books. In this study, we conducted a detailed…

The Fry Readability Graph was used to determine the validity of the publisher's recommended grade usage for four reading series at the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade levels. Three samples were analyzed from each text, and these results were compared with the publisher's stated grade levels. The majority of the basals investigated had an average…

An examination and comparison of reading materials intended for elementary and intermediate Italian second-language instruction looks at these aspects: the role of the "ancillary" reader in language instruction; selecting readers that facilitate achievement of the Standards of Foreign Language Learning; the dichotomy between literary and cultural…

Reviews the literature critical of readability formulas as used in second-language reading contexts. It is suggested that such formulas not be used as guides to text production/adaptation or as measures of the difficulty of naturally occurring texts. (Author/CB)

The Fry Readability Formula was used to determine the readability levels of 12 first and second grade basal texts. These texts were part of the Ginn 360, Ginn 720, and Macmillan Series "r" basal reader series. The results showed that 4 of the 12 books tested did not correspond closely to the publisher's readability levels. The Ginn 720 text for…

Focusing on research from the mid-1920s to the mid-1980s, a study examined the published content analyses of college reading texts from the standpoints of methodology employed by various writers, specific information presented in respective content analyses, and observed trends in content presentation that have emerged since the mid-1920s.…

The Nancy Drew adventure series, a classic girls' favorite for over 50 years, offers less sex role stereotyping and sexist cultural indoctrination than the majority of reading textbooks now used in the elementary school classroom. Textbooks were excluded from the Title IX regulations of the 1972 Education Amendments, and a review of studies…

Reviews research in revising instructional text by examining multidisciplinary research in readability, text structure, text interestingness, expert revisers' strategies, and readers' comprehension strategies. Finds that much of this research is limited by a simplistic view of reading, the use of experimentally contrived texts and contexts, and a…

Examines published content analyses of college reading texts with regard to the following: (1) methodology employed; (2) specific information presented; and (3) trends in content since the mid-1920s. (MS)

Working on the theory that intonation miscues caused by confusion over punctuation and other phrase boundaries will make the apprehension of text more difficult than necessary for young developing readers, a study reviewed the research and literature relevant to the effects of location of punctuation, phrasing, and line breaks in text and on the…

Recent research investigating the effects of sexism in elementary school textbooks on readers is reviewed to determine children's responses in terms of reading preferences, sex-role attitudes and behaviors, and comprehension abilities. The degree of sexism in textbooks was determined by the proportion of female main characters, the presentation of…