ERIC Number: EJ956572
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1938-8071
EISSN: N/A
Mining the Text: 34 Text Features that Can Ease or Obstruct Text Comprehension and Use
White, Sheida
Literacy Research and Instruction, v51 n2 p143-164 2012
This article presents 34 characteristics of texts and tasks ("text features") that can make continuous (prose), noncontinuous (document), and quantitative texts easier or more difficult for adolescents and adults to comprehend and use. The text features were identified by examining the assessment tasks and associated texts in the national assessments of adult literacy administered by the U.S. Department of Education, as well as existing research in literacy, linguistics, reading, and mathematics. The contribution of the proposed text features to the overall ease or difficulty of literacy tasks has been largely validated through psychometric analyses. The article explains how knowledge of text features might enhance teacher preparation, professional development, and text selection or creation. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Reading Comprehension, Reading Skills, Reader Text Relationship, Adult Literacy, Reading Strategies, Reading Processes, Barriers, Sentences, Syntax, Cues, Psychometrics, Item Response Theory, Adult Reading Programs
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Adult Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A