| Open admissions policies and greater availability of financial aid have contributed to an increase in the heterogeneity of students admitted to colleges. These students have a wide range of academic abilities, academic goals, and social interests. They are expected to read at levels required to understand the material assigned by instructors in the various content areas. However, great discrepancies exist between the reading abilities of these students and the readability of their textbooks.;The Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Form C, was the instrument applied to obtain reading scores from students, and the Dale-Chall Readability Formula was used to ascertain readability scores for the textbooks. The Pearson Correlation and the Bivariate Regression Analysis were used to test the reading grade equivalency levels and the students' final course grades.;The analysis of data indicated that there were no relationships between the readability levels of the biology and history textbooks, the vocabulary, comprehension and total grade equivalency scores, and the final course grade. However, there was a relationship between the readability level of the English textbook, the vocabulary, comprehension, and total scores, and the students' final course grades. Students who possessed reading levels higher than the readability levels of their textbooks did not receive higher grades than those who possessed reading levels below the readability levels of their assigned textbooks.;The purposes of this study were to investigate: (1) the reading grade levels of freshman students enrolled in introductory biology, English, and history courses at Palm Beach Junior College, North Campus, during the Fall and Winter semesters of 1985-86; (2) the readability levels of textbooks used in these courses; (3) the relationship between the students' reading grade levels and the readability levels of the textbooks; and (4) the relationship between students' achievement as measured by final course grades and their reading grade levels. |
