The Seer Technique: A Non-Computational Procedure for Quickly Estimating Readability Level

Abstract

A sample-methods scales technique, analogous to Thomdike's procedure for rating handwriting, was used to determine readability levels of eight randomly arrayed paragraphs selected from children's literature covering the range from grades 1 through 6. Readability levels were arrived at by having judges match the randomly arrayed paragraphs either to a scale constructed for the study from paragraphs taken from children's literature or to a scale of paragraphs taken from Spache's Diagnostic Reading Scales. Validity of the technique was established by the chi-square finding that judged versus computed readability levels of the randomly arrayed paragraphs were not significantly different. Moreover, the average readability estimates for the 32 judges deviated less than an average of 1.0 grade levels from their computed readability levels. Comparisons with other simplified readability procedures revealed the technique was more valid than McLaughlin's computational procedure and as valid as Fry's graphed estimate for determining readability, but quicker, requiring approximately only two minutes per paragraph to estimate readability level. The paper concludes with discussion of a rationale for the technique's effectiveness.