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Methods: Materials Analysis
Print materials can be analyzed
in two different ways:
- Is the document readable?
Readability is defined as the grade level at which
a document is written. This measurement is based on the number
of syllables in each word and the number of words in each
sentence in a particular piece of text.
- Is the document comprehensible?
Comprehensibility is defined as the overall understandability
of a text, based on more than just the difficulty of the vocabulary
and the words themselves. It is based on more subjective
qualities such as the relevance and appropriateness
of the information being presented.
These two methods of analysis reach
reveal different qualities of a document, and both contribute
to understanding if the document will be useful.
Readability
There are several different ways to analyze the reading level, or
the grade-level at which a piece of text is written. Some of the
different tests available are the Frye, Dale-Chall, Flesch Grade
Level, Flesch Reading Ease, FOG, SMOG, FORCAST, Powers-Somner-Kearl,
and Spache. To measure the reading level of a text, view the directions
for some of the more commonly used tests.
Common reability formulas:
These tests are based on vocabulary as measured by the number
of syllables per word, sentence length, and the number
of sentences per paragraph.
Design tools can also contribute
to readability and to the usefulness of a document. For example,
crowding many words into a small space, or using long
lines stretching across a page can be daunting for the reader.
In addition, designing text so that important information such as
instructions and numbers to call for more information
are buried in the middle of paragraphs means that they will likely
be overlooked (19).
Example: Low
Reading Level
Why
can Brownfields be dangerous places?
#1
Dangers you can see
There are two kinds of dangers, or risks at Brownfield
sites--things you can see, and things you can't see. Things you
can see, like broken windowns and glass, rotten wood floors, rusty
nails and pipes, and old barrels, are a problem. All of these
things are dangerous. Children playing at an old Brownfield site
have the most risk to get hurt. They can find old underground
storage tanks, and they can fall in. (6)
Example: High
Reading Level s
In
addition to the animal studies, a number of epidemiological studies
of workers exposed to PCBs have been performed. Results of human
studies raise concerns for the potential carcinogenicity of PCBs.
Studies of PCB workers found increases in rare liver cancers and
malignant melanoma. The presence of cancer in the same target
organ (liver) following exposures to PCBs both in animals and
in humans and the finding of liver cancers and malignant melanomas
across multiple human studies adds weight to the conclusion that
PCBs are probable human carcinogens.
(http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/pcb/effects.html)
Comprehensibility
Making a document comprehensible means more than ensuring that it
is written at a lower grade level. In fact, current research is
showing that reading level is less and less important in
affecting the comprehension and usefulness of a document.
Comprehensibility tries to make
the material accessible and useful to readers.
To determine comprehensibility,
ask questions like:
- What level of background knowledge
does the reader need in order to benefit from this information?
- Are there sections which are
easy to read, in terms of vocabulary and sentence structure,
but difficult to understand, in terms of concepts and ideas?
When trying to convey scientific
or technical information, there are other issues to be considered
as well.
Comprehensibility is a slightly
less easy to measure concept than readability, because there is
no numeric way to score the comprehensibility of a document.
Other comprehensibility indicators:
- Is important information highlighted
and easy to find?
- Are there clear directions on
what action should be taken based on the information given?
- Is
the information presented in such a way as to deal with scientific
literacy and cultural concerns?
- Is
the message clear, and not cluttered with irrelevant details?
Example: Not
Very Comprehensible
What
is an Acanthamoeba infection?
Acanthamoeba are microscopic ameba commonly found in the environment.
Several species of Acanthamoeba have been found to infect humans,
A. culbertsoni, A. polyphaga, A. castellanii,
A. healyi, (A. astronyxis), A. hatchetti, A. rhysodes, and
possibly others.
How does infection with Acanthamoeba occur?
Acanthamoeba can enter the skin through a cut, wound, or through
the nostrils. Once inside the body, amebas can travel to the lungs
and through the bloodstream to other parts of the body, especially
the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).
Through improper storage, handling, and disinfection of contact
lenses, Acanthamoeba can enter the eye and cause a serious infection.
(http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/acanthomoeba/factsht_acanthamoeba.htm)
Example: Fairly
Comprehensible
Whether
you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, what, when, and how much you
eat all affect your blood glucose. Blood glucose is the main sugar
found in the blood and the body's main source of energy.
If you have diabetes (or impaired glucose tolerance), your blood
glucose can go too high if you eat too much. If your blood glucose
goes too high, you can get sick.
Your blood glucose can also go too high or drop too low if you
don't take the right amount of diabetes medicine.
If your blood glucose stays high too much of the time, you can
get heart, eye, foot, kidney, and other problems. You can also
have problems if your blood glucose gets too low (hypoglycemia).
Keeping your blood glucose at a healthy level will prevent or
slow down diabetes problems. Ask your doctor or diabetes teacher
what a healthy blood glucose level is for you.
(http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/diabetes/pubs/eating/nutri.htm)
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So,
what was the readability of the documents given to Pascoag residents?
So,
what was the comprehensibility of the documents given to Pascoag
residents?
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