A Comparison of the Comprehensibility of Modified and Unmodified ESL Reading Materials

Abstract

Reading instruction for ESL students depends upon materials of modified vocabulary and syntax. The rationale is that students progress through stages of increasing complexity to the native speaker comprehension level. Research indicates the information level within text is more relevant to comprehension than structure. This study compares the reading comprehension of ESL students on separate versions of a text that had been modified at the input and interactional levels. Results indicated that modified versions of the text were of greater comprehensibility than the native speaker version. The modified texts were of almost equal comprehensibility despite levels of readability.