A Theory and Model of Item Readability,
Abstract
This paper reviews the literature relevant to readability prediction, critiques past and present models of readability, and presents a comprehensive model of test-item readability. These are four basic groupings of characteristics which impact on the predictability of item readability: personal cognitive characteristics--those cognitive characteristics which each person brings into every testing situation; other personal characteristics--those motivational and tool-skill characteristics each person brings into the testing situation; environmental characteristics--the purpose and use a test will serve, that type test it is, and the conditions of equal employment opportunity surrounding the test's use; and item characteristics--those semantic and syntactic item characteristics which have been identified as predictive of item comprehensibility. A definition of the comprehension of item text and a general procedure for estimating an item's readability are also discussed. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADP001409
Entities
People
- R. Eric Duncan
Organizations
- United States Department of the Air Force