Although text difficulty evaluation is the most basic stage of study for researchers whose job is to select, develop and revise reading materials for teaching reading in Korean, there have not been many attempts at researching this field. Accordingly...
Although text difficulty evaluation is the most basic stage of study for researchers whose job is to select, develop and revise reading materials for teaching reading in Korean, there have not been many attempts at researching this field. Accordingly, the goal of this study is to investigate the many factors of the text and identify specific factors that deter comprehension for readers. After the various text factors referred in previous studies were classified into three categoriesvocabulary, sentence and text structure, this study attempted to identify the specific factors within the three categories which contribute to text difficulty. Using the results, the study proposed methods to approach text difficulty in the actual Korean teaching setting. In order to achieve these goals, this study used the following research procedures.
After reviewing the results of past research on text difficulty evaluation for teaching Korean reading, it was evident that a comprehensive research had not yet been endeavored. Therefore, this study recognized the importance of selecting appropriate text that meets the learner’s reading level, and posed to identify the most direct and relevant factors that determine the text difficulty of Korean reading as well as the manner in which these factors will be evaluated. In addition, the study attempted to clarify the context in which the theories of text model and the situation model of the process of reading correlates with text difficulty. After clarifying the idea of text difficulty, the study examined the method of evaluation used for text difficulty and then identifies all the variables used in the evaluation. The study subsequently identified the optimal factors among all the variables that help determine the text difficulty for reading in Korean.
To evaluate the text difficulty for Korean reading, the study ultimately selected factors related to vocabulary rating, sentential complexity and text structure factors as well as subcomponents of these factors. Then the study suggested detailed procedures in evaluating text difficulty using these factors and subcomponents. The theoretic research and categorization of the mentioned factors as well as the rating of difficulty of these factors were examined. When necessary, the study proposed a new rating of the factors reflecting the research results of how much the learners were productively using the factors. The study also examined the various manner in which the text difficulty evaluation can be used in the many domains of teaching reading in Korean. In other words, the study considered whether the factors of the text difficulty evaluation can be effectively applied in curriculum development or in developing reading evaluation materials.
In this manner, the study evaluated the text difficulty for teaching reading in Korean and using the results, proposed a comprehensive plan to use in the various areas of teaching Korean. First, before reading lessons are implemented to actual students, the study provided a method that predicts the factors that hinder a learner’s comprehension. In addition, if the evaluation of text difficulty determines that the text is not appropriate for the learner’s reading level, this study’s results provided a criteria for judgment for figuring out how to modify the factors to create an appropriate level of text. Finally, by identifying text difficulty by individual factors, the results of this study provided a specific guideline that demonstrates each learner’s developmental levels for reading competence, therefore, providing a standard with which text difficulty for reading can also be adjusted according to each learner.
Key words: text difficulty evaluation, readability, text model, situation model, vocabulary rating, sentential complexity, text structure
，韩语毕业论文，韩语论文 |
