Innovation in Language Learning

Science education plays a major role in the development of every nation. Therefore, teaching science at every level of education should be done with appropriate and suitable materials. The case is more so when it comes to the use of textbooks in science pedagogy. The textbooks must be appropriate and meet the level of the learners. Over the years, several methods have been used to judge the suitability of textbooks. Recently however, technology has come with a more scientifically proven and effective method known as readability formulas to determine the suitability of textbooks. This study thus examined the readability of SHS Integrated Science textbooks used in Ghanaian Senior High Schools. With the aid of flesch kincaid grade level and SMOG formulas, the readability scores of the textbooks were generated. Frequencies, percentages, and standard deviation were computed to describe the readability scores of the textbooks. Means, Anova, and Post hoc analysis were computed to compare the readability levels of the textbooks. The relationship between readability and lexical density was also analyzed. The results of the test showed that the textbooks had low readability and can pose reading problems for the learners. The study also showed the positive relationship between readability and lexical density. The researcher recommended the review of the textbooks to match the reading levels of the students.

Keywords: Technology; Readability; Readability formulas; SMOG Readability formula; flesch kincaid grade level.

References:
[1] Gyasi, K. W. (2013). The role of readability in science education in Ghana: A readability index analysis of Ghana association of science teachers textbooks for senior high schools, IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education, 2(1), 9-19.
[2] Ayodele, M. O. (2012). Readability levels of basic science and technology textbooks for primary schools. Research Journal in Organizational Psychology & Educational Studies 1(1), 33-36.