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
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/31713 |
| Date | 28 May 2002 |
| Creators | White, Benjamin J. |
| Contributors | Cardinal, Bradley J. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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