Graded reader readability: Some overlooked aspects (original) (raw)

The Reader-Text-Writer Interaction: L2 Japanese Learners' Response toward Graded Readers

Reading in a foreign language, 2013

This paper reports on two projects which investigated graded readers (GRs) as meaningful input for learners of Japanese as a foreign language (JFL). Project One examined the intentions of six writers of Japanese GRs. A focus group interview demonstrated that the writers had a genuine communicative intent in the writing process. Project Two investigated how fourteen learners of JFL responded to the GRs produced by these writers. Most participants welcomed lexical simplification in the GRs and their think-aloud protocols indicated that they experienced an effortless reading process with the GRs. This implies that GRs can be productive reading materials for JFL reading fluency development. In the affective domain, the less proficient participants tended to react favourably to the writers’ communicative intent, whereas advanced participants demonstrated negative perceptions toward reading the GRs. The paper argues that the potential of GRs as meaningful input for learners of JFL is maxi...

Graded Readers: Validating Reading Levels across Publishers

Hispania, 2016

Graded readers can be an optimal resource to help language students improve and personalize their learning experience. An extensive reading library with graded readers and well-defined levels of reading difficulty increases language students' chances of having a successful reading experience and become independent readers. However, when it comes to implementing such a library, there is a practical issue. A review of the graded readers available in Spanish reveals different proficiency levels and a lack of a uniform set of criteria for establishing levels of reading difficulty. Through the analysis of 203 titles by 12 publishers (from Spain, England, Italy, and the United States) complemented by an objective and uniform tool-a readability test-the present study validates and suggests alignment among reading levels across publishers. The ultimate goal of this study is to provide language teachers and program administrators with a uniform system of cataloging graded readers under the premise that a well-established library fosters independent language learning.

What types of texts and reading aids are good for Japanese graded readers

2016

This study investigates what types of texts and reading -aids are suitable for Japanese graded readers. Thirty-one New Zealand university students of Japanese as a foreign language read one authentic text and four differently modified texts. The four differently modified texts were simplified texts, elaborated texts, texts with marginal glosses and texts with on-screen pop-ups. The participants completed an oral free-recall task and a short-answer reading comprehension test. Statistical analysis showed that their scores on reading tasks for the four modified texts were significantly higher than their scores on the tasks for the authentic texts. The participants gained the highest scores with the simplified texts, followed by the elaborated texts. Qualitative analysis was conducted on data from the free-recall protocols and exit -interview. Both quantitative and qualitative results suggest that simplified texts are the most suitable for graded readers targeted at developing students;...

Japanese high school textbooks: How readable are they? Working

1998

Guidelines for the high school English classroom, there is much evidence to suggest that, for many teachers, teaching practice still remains focused primarily on grammar-translation, pattern drills and memorization. This seems to be especially true of the English reading classroom. Other research which had looked into the prevalence of the Yakudoku method of translating English passages into Japanese has suggested that it is largely a result of either historical or sociological factors. The research presented here adds to this discussion by exploring whether or not reading difficulty and lexical load also contribute to this overreliance on translation. Randomly selected passages from the top three selling Mombusho approved reading textbooks were scanned into a computer and analyzed for readability via traditional readability formulas such as the Flesh-Kinkaid, and for lexical difficulty via VocabProfile (Nation, 1993). Results indicate that although most passages were rated as relat...

Japanese High School Textbooks : How Readable Are They ?

2009

Despite the clear focus on the development of students' communicative competence in the 1994 Mombusho (Japanese Ministry of Education) Course of Study Guidelines for the high school English classroom, there is much evidence to suggest that, for many teachers, teaching practice still remains focused primarily on grammar-translation, pattern drills and memorization. This seems to be especially true of the English reading classroom. Other research which had looked into the prevalence of the Yakudoku method of translating English passages into Japanese has suggested that it is largely a result of either historical or sociological factors. The research presented here adds to this discussion by exploring whether or not reading difficulty and lexical load also contribute to this overreliance on translation. Randomly selected passages from the top three selling Mombusho approved reading textbooks were scanned into a computer and analyzed for readability via traditional readability formu...

What can readers read after graded readers?

2016

Nation (2014) concluded that most of the vocabulary one needs to read challenging texts in English can be acquired incidentally through voluminous reading. This study examines possible texts that second language (L2) readers can use to move from controlled-vocabulary materials such as graded readers, which go up through approximately the 4,000-word-family level, to more challenging texts such as newspapers, classic novels, and academic texts, at the 9,000-word-family level. An analysis of a set of popular fiction series books found that such books can provide a sufficient amount of input, with 98% vocabulary coverage, so as to serve as one possible " bridge " to more challenging texts.

CHOOSING THE ADEQUATE LEVEL OF GRADED READERS - PRELIMINARY STUDY

Abstract: Graded readers have been used as second language teaching material since the end of the Second World War. They are an important source of simplified material which provides comprehensible input on all levels. It is of crucial importance for a successful usage of graded readers in the classroom and in studies which focus on graded readers, that an adequate level of graded readers is chosen. In this paper the following will be explored: the theoretical background of choosing the adequate level of graded readers, explanation of the criteria for placement of graded readers in different levels, the differences in levels between the most important publishers and the selection of the adequate level of the graded readers. Furthermore, this paper presents preliminary research results, the goal of which was to test whether assigned CEFR levels represent a sufficient criterion for the selection of graded readers without previously testing reading skills or using tests provided by the graded reader publishers. Six subjects participated in the research; they were divided into three levels of English language knowledge (A2, B1, C1). Each participant read one and listened to another graded reader. In this research an interview was used for gathering data, the key component of which were text and audio material comprehension questions. The results showed that not all graded readers used in the study were adequate and that there are grounds for conducting further research with a larger sample.

Measuring and predicting graded reader difficulty

This study used many-faceted Rasch measurement to investigate the difficulty of graded readers using a 3-item survey. Book difficulty was compared with Kyoto Level, Yomiyasusa Level, Lexile Level, book length, mean sentence length, and mean word frequency. Word frequency and Kyoto Level were found to be ineffective in predicting students’ perceptions of book difficulty. Book length was found to be highly predictive of perceived book difficulty, with the Yomiyasusa Levels predicting 68% of variance, while the Lexile measure of mean sentence length was moderately predictive, with 40% of variance explained. These results show that current headword levelling of graded readers is ineffective and that publishers’ book levels do not provide useful guidance in selection of books to read. It is therefore recommended that students use book length as their primary consideration in choosing books and that reading recommendations and purchasing decisions be based on Yomiyasusa Levels rather than publishers’ levels. Keywords: extensive reading, book difficulty, readability, Rasch analysis, many-faceted Rasch measurement

The Readability Level of English Reading Texts in Senior High School Textbooks

2019

This research aims to reveal (1) the types of texts in Bahasa Inggris SMA for Grade X Semester 1 revised edition of 2017 published by the Ministry of Education and Culture, (2) the readability level of the reading texts in the textbook using a cloze test, (3) the readability level of reading texts in the textbook using Fry Graphs and the SMOG Formula, (4) the differences of the readability level of reading texts based on the types of the texts in the textbook, (5) the factors affecting the readability level based on the results of the cloze test, Fry Graph and SMOG Formula, (6) the most suitable formula for the results of the cloze test. This research is quantitative descriptive research. The subjects are the texts in the textbook entitled Bahasa Inggris SMA for Grade X Semester 1 and the objects are the tenth grade students of state senior high schools in the city of Yogyakarta. The research procedure is divided into four stages, consisting of: (1) procurement of data, namely deter...