The Effect of Syntax on Readability for ESL Students in Puerto Rico

Blau, Eileen K.

doi:10.2307/3586469

Cited by 63 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…After examining the texts, researchers concluded that the simplification process had resulted in a disjointed string ofsimple sentences which were no longer connected discourse. In a study with Puerto Rican ESL students, Blau (1982) found that comprehension scores were higher on a text which used complex sentences with clues to underlying relationships left intact than on a version of the same text which used only short simple sentences. She concludes that readers benefit from the information regarding relationships that is revealed by complex sentences.…”

Section: Sentence Complexitymentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Stoodt (cited in Hittleman 1973) has found a significant correlation between reading comprehension and the comprehension of conjunctions, indicating more of a semantic than a syntactic problem. Both Blau (1982) and Blachowitz (1978) suggest that simplification through elimination of embedding may work against the natural comprehension process. The limitations of these measures must be recognized if they are to be useful to the L2 teacher/materials evaluator.…”

Section: Sentence Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing the Suitability of Reading Materials for ESL Students

Heatherington¹

1985

TESL

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The paper begins with an examination of the criteria by which first and second language reading texts have traditionally been graded, criteria which focus primarily on the linguistic characteristics of a text. It is proposed that ifreading is viewed as interaction between a text and a reader, there are other variables to consider, those related to the reader side of the process: the readers' interests, background knowledge and purposes for reading. Within this interactive framework and after the reader variables have been considered, the subject matter, format, organization and discourse and linguistic variables of a text can be assessed. Implications of recent research in these areas are discussed. In conclusion, a set of guidelines is proposed for assessing the suitability of both graded and ungraded'texts for ESL students.In addition to all the other tasks confronting ESL classroom teachers is that of choosing suitable reading material for their students. In my own teaching, I have been frequently disappointed to find that published ESL graded reading materials were unsuitable for my ESL students. There is often a wide range of difficulty within a set of reading passages supposedly written at the same level; some are too easy, others appropriately challenging, while others prove frustratingly difficult. First language graded material sometimes provides a suitable alternative but often the same problems arise. I have had much greater success when I have adapted graded materials, adapted "authentic" texts or written my own. My dissatisfaction with much of the available material led me to explore more systematically the criteria I have used in determining the suitability of a text. In this paper I will look at the criteria that have been developed in the past for grading and sequencing reading material for both first and second language learners and will discuss their merits and weaknesses. I will then discuss a number of other factors which are not considered in these formulas but which I have found to be very important when assessing the suitability of reading materials. READABILITY FORMULASIn both first language (Ll) and second language (L2) materials, formulas for determining text difficulty have been developed. Such formulas ASSESSING READING MATERIALS 37 have been extensively investigated and are widely used both for basal reading series and for the writing of textbooks in subjects other than language. Some publishers employ "readability experts" to ensure that materials are written at just the right level of difficulty for their intended readers. Most of the formulas developed and used for assessing Ll materials since 1939 are based on a combination of measures of vocabulary difficulty and sentence length (Klare 1974). Schemes developed for grading materials in second language publications have generally been based on vocabulary size and difficulty of grammatical structures. In some, sentence length and the number and type of complex sentences is also measured.Such schemes and formulas are appealing becau...

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Section: Sentence Complexitymentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Sentence Complexitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Suitability of Reading Materials for ESL Students

Heatherington¹

1985

TESL

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“…Blau (1982) argued that simplified texts result in unnatural and non-authentic language which considerable differs from authentic target language. Considering the fact that the removal of unfamiliar and difficult linguistic items denies L2 learners of the exposure to the items that they eventually need to learn, Yano, Long, and Ross (1994) maintained that simplified language may not be profitable for L2 learners.…”

Section: Input Modificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Persian Elaboration on Incidental Vocabulary Learning from Reading by EFL Learners

Vaezi¹,

Biri²,

Moradi³

2018

WJEL

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This study attempted to tap into the potential of reading for incidental vocabulary learning by exposing EFL learners to elaborated texts. This study was also concerned with investigating learners' attitudes toward using elaborated passages in their reading classes. To this end, 38 students were selected as the participants of this research and divided into two groups. Students attending the experimental group (N=20) read Persian elaborated texts in which the Persian meanings of the specified target words were provided in apposition to them. On the other hand, students of the control group (N=18) were required to read the non-elaborated version of the aforementioned texts. Generally, the results of the post-test pointed to the effectiveness of this approach in incidental vocabulary learning, and the participants of the experimental group were found to gain a significant vocabulary improvement in comparison to the control group. Furthermore, the interview suggested that students held positive attitudes to reading elaborated texts and regarded them as effective in their vocabulary learning experience. The findings of this study have implications for material developers who need to reconsider the role of modified materials.

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“…It is commonly believed that simplifying input will enhance L2 comprehension; however, several researchers have presented against its use as a result of simplifying input does not necessarily help Comprehension (e.g., Blau, 1982), also it removes from the input linguistic items that L2 learners need to learn (e.g., Yano, Long, & Ross, 1994).…”

Section: Theory and Practice In Language Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Lexical Simplification and Elaboration on Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners’ Learning and Retention of Phrasal Verbs

Ghorbanian

Jabbarpoor

2017

TPLS

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Abstract-This study aimed at investigating the effect of lexical simplification and elaboration on Iranian intermediate EFL learners' learning and retention of phrasal verbs. In order to achieve this goal, a PET test was run into 130 learners. When target participants were chosen, they were assigned into three groups including two treatment groups and one control group. Through a multiple choice test, 40 out of 60 phrasal verbs were selected as target phrasal verbs. Through 8 sessions of treatment, each group received a reading comprehension text that contained 5 phrasal verbs. But the way the phrasal verbs in two experimental groups were modified was different. One of them received elaborated input and the other group received simplified input; meanwhile, the control group received unmodified input. After eight sessions of treatment, an immediate multiple choice test was administered to find out which techniques had stronger effect on participant's learning and retention of phrasal verbs. After one month, the same test, with a different order of items, was administered as delayed posttest to check the participants' level of retention. According to the results of the study simplified input group significantly outperformed the control and elaborated group on both learning and retention of phrasal verbs.

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The Effect of Syntax on Readability for ESL Students in Puerto Rico

Cited by 63 publications

References 9 publications

Assessing the Suitability of Reading Materials for ESL Students

Assessing the Suitability of Reading Materials for ESL Students

The Role of Persian Elaboration on Incidental Vocabulary Learning from Reading by EFL Learners

Effects of Lexical Simplification and Elaboration on Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners’ Learning and Retention of Phrasal Verbs

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