The methodology used to determine readability of English texts (cloze procedure and word lists) is not applicable to foreign-language material. Linguistic variables are proposed as the basis for readability formulas. Contrastive and error analysis are possible strategies. (JB)

Results of a study conducted to determine at what level sixth-grade children selected trade books indicated that most children selected fiction and very few children selected books at frustration level. (MKM)

Answers questions most frequently asked about the cloze procedure; suggests using cloze exercises to gauge the suitability of reading materials, showing how the technique taps meaning derived from text and indexes both textual reading difficulty and students' comprehension ability. (AEA)

Describes the use of the Flesch readability and interest formulae to evaluate textbooks intended for use in college level introductory educational computing courses. Variables that influence what textbook is chosen for a college course are discussed, and readability scores, human interest categories, and subject matter coverage are examined in…

Examines the readability levels of two current children's periodicals and two nineteenth-century periodicals. Finds the language skills used by children writing poetry and letters to the editor have not declined over the last century. Finds nonfiction and recreational fiction articles to be more difficult in the nineteenth century. (RS)

This article provides college teachers with specific suggestions for improving students' writing styles and techniques. Elements of readability, sentence structure and combination, and overall construction are outlined and stylistic strategies are explained with numerous examples. (MSE)

Examines undergraduate students' imaginative processes (i.e., spontaneous imagery and emotional response) to newspaper articles. Finds that, as in previous studies with literary texts and feature journalism articles, imagery and affective responses (i.e., emotional response and story interest) were moderately to strongly related. Finds that both…

Discusses colleges' use of popular financial reporting to make their annual financial reports more readable to citizens and legislators and to make their reports useful marketing and recruitment tools. Highlights research about financial reports and performance reporting conducted by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. Describes the…

Offers a critique of existing methods of assessing the human interest of basic writing textbooks, contending that most are abstract and subjective and that the more objective Flesch formula inflates texts' human-interest level. Advocates modifying existing formulas and guidelines. Suggests criteria (e.g., appropriateness of readability level) for…

Tests the effects of number of data points and type of statistical display on time spent answering questions about information. Finds that tables and graphs are more efficiently processed than text presentation of the same data. Suggests that the time variable is a more realistic measure than information recall of cognitive processing effort. (SR)

Discusses the attributes of daily comic strips that make them an ideal media for use in reading and English courses. Presents information and readability analyses of various comic strips readily available to students and teachers. Argues that comic strips can be used effectively to build reading skills and processes. (HB)

Compares three online databases designed for elementary school use for searching periodicals. Highlights include limiting the ability to surf the Web; print capabilities; available resources included in the database, including full text versus abstracts; user-support materials; reading levels; and ease of interface use. (LRW)

Presents results from an evaluation of several textbooks used in secondary and postsecondary technology education programs. Evaluation criteria included readability scores (grade level equivalencies), human interest, and writing style. A table depicts the results for 15 widely used textbooks. (AEF)

Although many foresee the end of books with the rise of computers, there are good reasons to believe that books will survive, including their permanence, their value as historical records, and ergonomics. Librarians should continue to sponsor summer reading programs and book groups, serve as reader advisors, and prepare and post book lists. (PEN)