Readability of Textual Material--A Survey of the Literature

This literature review documents the state-of-the-art of readability assessment and indicates directions for future research in readability measurement. The period since 1953 is emphasized, although there is some consideration of earlier work. Primary emphasis within the review is based on readability measurement; however, a final section is included which reviews recent work bearing on the topic of increasing comprehensibility through multimodal presentation methods. Various formulas for calculating readability are presented and placed in historical perspective. The contents include: "Introduction," which presents the scope and organization of the review; "Methods for Measuring Reliability," which discusses rating methods, use tests, readability formulas, early formulas, detailed formulas, recent formulas, cloze procedures, and multimodal presentations; and "Discussion," which discusses the estimation of reading levels, formulas, and future research. An appendix of various readability measures is also included. (WR)