Analyzing the Readability Level of the English Textbooks Used in Jordan

Subject Areas : Research in English Language Pedagogy

Rami Abu ¹ , Abdullah Khataybeh ²

1 - Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Yarmouk University, Jordan
2 - Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Yarmouk University, Jordan

Received: 2020-03-09 Accepted : 2020-06-13 Published : 2020-09-01

Keywords: Jordan, readability, English textbooks, Action Pack, Fry Graph, Grade 12,

Abstract :

Because of the significance of the textbooks in the teaching and learning processes, it is essential to revise them permanently. This study investigated the readability level of the 12th- grade English textbooks and also examined if the reading texts used in Action Pack 12 were suitable linguistically for the 12th -grade students. This study adopted the qualitative descriptive design by using the Fry Graph to calculate the readability level. The researchers chose randomly 20 texts out of 36 texts as a sample of the study. The results revealed that 80% out of the 20 texts were under the level of the 12th-grade students in Jordan. Also, the results indicated that 15 % of the texts were invalid and only 5% of the texts were within the 12th-grade students’ level. The findings also indicated that Action Pack 12 was suitable linguistically for 12th-grade students. Several recommendations are put forth.

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