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The New Readability studies were characterized by these features:
- A community of scholars. The periodical summaries of the progress of
readability research (Klare 1952, 1963, 1974-75, 1984, Chall 1958,
and Chall and Dale 1995) revealed a community of scholars. They were
interested in how and why the formulas work, how to improve them,
and what they tell us not only about reading, but also about writing.
- The cloze test. The introduction of the cloze test by Wilson Taylor in
1953 opened the way for investigators to test the properties of texts and
readers with more accuracy and detail.
- Reading ability, prior knowledge, interest, and motivation. A
number of studies looked at the manner in which these reader variables affect readability.
- Reading efficiency. While other studies looked at the effects of
readability on comprehension, these studies looked at the effects on
reading speed and persistence.
- The measurement of content. The influence of cognitive psychology
and linguistics in the 1980s stimulated renewed studies of cognitive and
structural factors in the text and how they can be used to predict readability.
- Text leveling. Cognitive and linguistic theory revived interest in the
qualitative and subjective assessment of readability. With training,
leveling can be effective in assessing the elements of texts not
addressed by the formulas.
- Producing and transforming text. Several studies examined the
effectiveness of using the formula variables to write and revise texts.
When writers attend to content, organization, and coherence, using the
readability variables can be effective in producing and transforming a
text to a required reading level.
- New readability formulas. Extensive studies of readability by John
Bormuth and others looked at the reliability of a wide range of
measurable text variables. They produced an empirical basis for
criterion scores and criterion texts for the development of new formulas
and reworking of old ones.
- Formula discrepancy. A look a the discrepancy between the results of
different formulas and how writers can benefit from it.
A community of scholars
Two notable features of readability research were a community of scholars
and a long research base. The recognized bibliographer of that effort was
George R. Klare, now Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology and
former Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the Ohio University.
Formerly the Dean of the Department of Psychology, his field was
psychological statistics and testing as well as readability measurement. He
not only reviewed readability research (1963, 1974-75, 1984), but he also
directed and participated in landmark studies and took the results of research
to the public. His reviews established the validity of the formulas and their
proper use not only in English, but also in many other languages. Among
Klare's many important publications were:
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