Thesis (M.Ed.)--Bowling Green State University, 2009. / Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 137 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 1980. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2795.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 19-20).

In her newsletter “Curriculum News, Improving the Quality of Learning and Teaching: Planning for 2010 and Beyond”, Mrs Angie Motshekga, MP, Minister of Basic Education, positions the textbook very definitely as central to the curriculum and states that it is one of the most effective tools through which to deliver the curriculum and support assessment. Acknowledging the importance of the accessibility of textbooks for the South African classroom audience, this study has sought to investigate the readability of the chemistry section of grade 10 science textbooks. Readability research is concerned with the relationship between the textbook, the reader and the context in which the book is read; research supports the use of both classical quantitative measures and a qualitative cognitive-structural form of analysis to investigate this relationship. The research design is a mixed method one where quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously: the methodical application of selected readability formulae gave rise to quantitative data while the line-by-line textual analysis, tracing cognitive-structural aspects, and focus-group discussions with teachers gave rise to the qualitative data. The results of the merged data analysis were then interpreted together to provide a better understanding of the readability of the texts for a South African audience. The results of the investigation reveal that readability is greatly impaired for a number of reasons, the primary one being a lack of articulation between the textbook writers/editors and the audience for which they are writing and preparing the texts. This is particularly reflected in the inadequate preparation of the material for the English Second Language reader, as certain textbooks are completely out of their reach. Furthermore, this lack of articulation can be traced to the lack of time available for piloting the textbooks: an invaluable intervention in the process of textbook production.

Submitted by Elba Lopes (elba.lopes@fecap.br) on 2017-08-16T18:06:18Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Fab??ola D???Agostini Peleias.pdf: 1095248 bytes, checksum: c2e855673f21c61c746dc10139ca07b2 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-16T18:06:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Fab??ola D???Agostini Peleias.pdf: 1095248 bytes, checksum: c2e855673f21c61c746dc10139ca07b2 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-01-31 / The accounting professional who prepares financial statements, which must be clear and accurate, needs to consider the comprehension degree of the user of financial information. Therefore, they have to enhance the language quality necessary to prepare these statements. In this context, there has been an increase in readability studies and a need to increase the written language of financial information. The aim of this research was to verify the (un) favorable linguistic features in financial statements of companies listed in Brazilian capital market, in Brazilian Portuguese. In this regard, the Textual Linguistics was chosen as a basis theory, because it allows the study of grammatical, semantic and pragmatic features of the Language. Based on the proposed aim, a tool was designed ??? a checklist of (un) favorable linguistic features pointed in financial information literature. Two constructs were considered for this end: cohesion and coherence. The favorable linguistic features categorized in the tool are: pause, ellipsis, simple sentences, sentences up to two lines, connectors and substitution. And the unfavorable are: repetition of words, long sentences, complex sentences, lack of parallelism, lack of pause, confused text, words of more than three syllables and jargon. The financial statements of IBRX50 BOVESPA 2015 social year were researched, and, for each one, the Flesch test was applied. It was observed very little variability in Flesch results. Therefore, three companies with the highest Flesch results and three with the smallest were chosen and analyzed in Atlas TI Software, through the codes. For each code, a(n) (un) favorable feature was categorized and observed in the six selected financial statements. All (un) favorable features were detected in the financial statements, in higher or smaller quantity. However, when comparing these results with the Flesch ones, there was no relationship between them. It was expected that companies with higher Flesch for readability would present more favorable features, and companies with smaller Flesch, more unfavorable. Nonetheless, this was not found in the researched sample. In this sense, it could be said that the Flesch test alone is insufficient for Financial Statements readability. It is necessary to consider other qualitative features. / O profissional cont??bil que atua na prepara????o das demonstra????es financeiras, que devem ser claras, precisa considerar o grau de compreens??o do usu??rio que utiliza a informa????o cont??bil. Por isso, deve buscar melhorar a qualidade da linguagem que utiliza na prepara????o dessas demonstra????es. Nesse cen??rio, tem havido um aumento de estudos da readability e da necessidade de melhora na linguagem escrita das informa????es cont??beis. O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar os mecanismos lingu??sticos (des)favor??veis nas demonstra????es financeiras de empresas listadas no mercado de capitais brasileiro, no idioma portugu??s brasileiro. Para isso, optou-se pela Lingu??stica Textual como teoria de base, pois ela permite estudar as caracter??sticas gramaticais, sem??nticas e pragm??ticas da l??ngua. Ao considerar o objetivo proposto, foi constru??do um instrumento, que ?? um checklist de mecanismos (des)favor??veis apontados na literatura para as demonstra????es financeiras. Para isso, dois constructos foram considerados: coes??o e coer??ncia. No instrumento, os mecanismos lingu??sticos favor??veis categorizados foram: pausa, elipse, estruturas simples, senten??as de at?? duas linhas, uso de conectores e a substitui????o. E os desfavor??veis foram: repeti????o de palavras, frases longas, estruturas complexas, quebra de paralelismo, falta de pausa, confus??o no texto, poliss??labas e jarg??o. Foram pesquisadas as demonstra????es financeiras do exerc??cio de 2015 das empresas do IBRX50 (BOVESPA) e para cada uma, foi aplicada a m??trica de Flesch. Observou-se pouca variabilidade na nota de Flesch nas empresas. Foram ent??o selecionadas tr??s com maior Flesch e tr??s com menor para an??lise no software Atlas TI, por meio dos c??digos. Para cada um, foi elencado um mecanismo (des)favor??vel. Esses mecanismos foram observados nas seis demonstra????es financeiras selecionadas. Todos os mecanismos favor??veis e desfavor??veis do instrumento foram observados nas demonstra????es financeiras, em maior ou menor grau. Contudo, ao comparar esses resultados com as notas de Flesch, n??o se verificou rela????o entre eles. Esperava-se que empresas com maior Flesch para readability apresentariam mais mecanismos favor??veis, e empresas com menor Flesch, mais desfavor??veis. Entretanto, isso n??o ocorreu na amostra pesquisada. Assim, entende-se que a m??trica de Flesch, sozinha, ?? insuficiente para a readability das Demonstra????es, sendo necess??rio observar outros atributos qualitativos.

Properly written waiver of liability forms can be an effective tool in decreasing injury liability of intramural and recreational sports programs. In order for a waiver to be effective, (i.e., held up in court), participants must not only read and sign the waiver, but they must understand it as well. Readability, the ease of which text can be read and understood, is an important part of a well-written waiver. Waiver of liability forms should be written at a reading level consistent with that of the intended audience. On average, students read three grade levels below the last grade they completed in school. The highest grade level at which waiver of liability forms written for use in college settings should be the 9th grade. The main goal of this study was to assess the reading level of intramural and recreational sport waiver of liability forms, and compare them to the 9th grade level. Nine NIRSA member schools and nine non-NIRSA member schools from each of the six NIRSA regions were randomly selected for inclusion in this study. Following multiple mailings, the forms received were scanned into a computer, and readability was assessed using the Readability Calculation software (Micro Power & Light, Dallas, TX) for McIntosh. A one-sample t-test was performed to compare the forms to the 9th grade reading level. Forms were written significantly higher than the 9th grade level (t[26]=14.53, p<.0001). An analysis of variance was performed to assess possible moderating variables (e.g., NIRSA membership status and involvement of a risk management team in writing the waiver). No significant differences were found. Font size was also measured, and forms were found to have been written at a significantly higher level then the recommended 12 point font (t[28]=-2.88, p<.01). This study brings into questions the efficacy of waiver of liability forms used in many collegiate/university intramural and recreational sports programs in the U.S. / Graduation date: 2003

In 1990, German literary critics agreed that the end of the Cold War should mark the end of politically committed post-war literature. The political caesura prompted a debate about the future of German literature during which the concept of 'readability' evolved as a contested issue. It was championed in particular by the author Matthias Politycki and the publishers Uwe Wittstock and Martin Hielscher. Ever since, 'readability' has remained a benchmark for authors and critics alike in the battle for value and success. The thesis will establish a theoretical basis for 'readability' that draws on narratology, the Aristotelian concept of 'mimesis', classical rhetoric, and the poetics of contemporary authors who explicitly engage with 'readability'. Discussion will centre on the novel since this genre has been the focus of debate ever since the novel gained prominence with the rise of the reading middle classes in the eighteenth century. An analysis of the historical role of 'readability' will demonstrate that the debate as it manifested itself around 1990 developed out of a specifically German tradition, in which authors and critics alike viewed it as potentially in conflict with true art. In 1990, German literary critics agreed that the end of the Cold War should mark the end of politically committed post-war literature. The political caesura prompted a debate about the future of German literature during which the concept of 'readability' evolved as a contested issue. It was championed in particular by the author Matthias Politycki and the publishers Uwe Wittstock and Martin Hielscher. Ever since, 'readability' has remained a benchmark for authors and critics alike in the battle for value and success. The thesis will establish a theoretical basis for 'readability' that draws on narratology, the Aristotelian concept of 'mimesis', classical rhetoric, and the poetics of contemporary authors who explicitly engage with 'readability'. Discussion will centre on the novel since this genre has been the focus of debate ever since the novel gained prominence with the rise of the reading middle classes in the eighteenth century. An analysis of the historical role of 'readability' will demonstrate that the debate as it manifested itself around 1990 developed out of a specifically German tradition, in which authors and critics alike viewed it as potentially in conflict with true art. The thesis will demonstrate that 'readability' is key to understanding the debates about German literature in an era of globalisation when readers are more attracted to works by foreign authors than to works by German ones. It will examine how writers such as Helmut Krausser, Daniel Kehlmann, and Thomas Glavinic have exploited the opportunities of the changed parameters by writing and promoting 'readable' books. It will further explore to what extent 'readability' has opened up new avenues even for authors like Felicitas Hoppe and Ulrike Draesner, who distrust the quest for 'readability'. The thesis will conclude with a reflection on the prospects for 'readability' in the current literary landscape in Germany.

In 2016 employers hiring four-year college graduates indicate that 27.8% have deficiencies in written communication. Postsecondary learning objectives should focus on improving specific writing skills like grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary usage for individual students and monitoring text readability as an overall score to measure learning outcomes. Web-based applications and the tools integrated into them have the potential to serve as a diagnostic solution for analyzing the text readability and writing skills of students. Organization and structuring of Canvas data was required before adding text readability and other writing skills analytics as part of the process to develop diagnostic learning analytics that interprets student writing skills in the learning management system. Decision modeling was used to capture and describe the specifics of literacy improvement decisions for instructors and administrators in a graphical notation and structured format.

L’exprérience d’enseignement et l’examen des mémoires en français des étudiants en Agroaliemtaire ont montré que nos apprenants produisaient souvent des phrases longues et peu compréhensibles à cause des erreurs morphosyntaxiques. En conséquence, les mémoires sont peu lisibles sur le plan linguistique. <p>De plus, nous remarquons des traces de la langue vietnamienne dans la production en français des étudiants. Or, les apprenants sont obligés de consulter les articles scientifiques en vietnamien de leurs enseignants lors de la préparation du mémoire. De plus, l’étude des articles montre que les auteurs formulent aussi des phrases très longues de plusieurs informations.<p>Ainsi, toutes ces constatations nous orientent vers une analyse contrastive des phrases longues en vietnamien des scientifiques avec celles trouvées dans les mémoires en français des étudiants. <p>Selon notre revue de littérature des recherches précédentes, des auteurs prédécesseurs mesurent la lisibilité d’un texte en se basant statistiquement sur la familiarité du vocabulaire, la longueur des mots, la longueur des phrases, ou la longueur des sous-phrases. <p>Toutefois, la mesure par le comptage du nombre de mots par phrase des auteurs semble inappropriée à notre travail par la différence des objectifs. <p>Nous avons donc essayé de trouver une unité de mesure de la longueur des phrases pertinente à notre propre corpus :« informations enchâssées ».<p>Selon les auteurs prédécesseurs, une phrase sera vue comme longue si elle contient plus de trois sous-phrases. Quant à nous, les phrases seront jugées longues si elles dépassent trois informations enchâssées. <p>Après la collecte des phrases longues, nous avons utilisé l’approche qualitative pour les analyser. Après l’analyse du corpus, nous avons obtenu des résultats suivants :la production des phrases longues ainsi que la présence des erreurs morphosyntaxiques dues à l’interférence du vietnamien constituent des caractéristiques typiques des mémoires des étudiants francophones à Can Tho. Ce sont ces traits représentatifs qui ont compromis la lisibilité des phrases de nos apprenants.<p>Face aux difficultés de nos apprenants, nous essayons de trouver quelques esquisses didactiques adéquates à notre propre public.<p> / Doctorat en Langues et lettres / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished