Designing Accessible Texts for Adults Readers: Comparing Simplified, Authentic, and Parallel Text Versions

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:45 pm - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Literacy Development and Achievement across the Lifespan

Abstract

This study examined whether reading times and comprehension outcomes differed across three versions of the same narrative short story—authentic, simplified, and parallel. Adult multilingual and struggling readers (n = 83) completed pre-reading measures of vocabulary and prior knowledge and then were assigned to one of the text versions. Kruskal-Wallis tests showed no significant differences in reading time or comprehension across text formats. However, linear mixed effects models revealed vocabulary knowledge significantly predicted comprehension performance. There was also evidence of an interaction between vocabulary knowledge and text version, suggesting readers with stronger vocabulary may benefit more from the parallel text. These findings provide support for aligning text design with reader characteristics to support access to complex texts and improve adult literacy outcomes.

Authors

• Amanda Jensen, University of Minnesota

• Panayiota Kendeou, University of Minnesota