ERIC Number: EJ866312
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0360-1277
EISSN: N/A
Comprehension of Health-Related Written Materials by Older Adults
Liu, Chiung-Ju; Kemper, Susan; Bovaird, James A.
Educational Gerontology, v35 n7 p653-668 2009
This study examined how Flesch Reading Ease and text cohesion affect older adults' comprehension of common health texts. All older adults benefited when high Flesh Reading Ease was combined with high cohesion. Older adults with small working memories had more difficulty understanding texts high in Flesch Reading Ease. Additionally, older adults with low verbal ability or older than 77 years of age had difficulty understanding texts high in text cohesion but low in Flesch Reading Ease. These results imply that writers must increase Flesch Reading Ease without disrupting text cohesion to ensure comprehension of health-related texts. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)
Descriptors: Older Adults, Verbal Ability, Reading Comprehension, Reading Materials, Health, Short Term Memory, Writing (Composition), Measures (Individuals), Statistical Analysis, Literacy
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A