1.
Count 10 sentences in a row near the beginning, 10 in the middle, and 10 in the end for a total of 30 sentences.
2.
In the 30 selected sentences, count every word of three or more syllables in each group of sentences, even if the same word
appears more than once.
3.
Calculate the square root of the number arrived at in Step 3 and round it off to nearest 10.
4.
Estimate the square root of the number of polysyllabicnwords counted. This is done by taking the square root of the nearest
perfect square. For example, if the count is 95, the nearest perfect square is 100, which yields a square root of 10. If the count lies
roughly between two perfect squares, choose the lower number. For instance, if the count is 110, take the square root of 100 rather
than 121.
5.
Add 3 to the approximate square root. This gives the SMOG grade.
38
The conversion table of SMOG formula is stated in table 2.2 :
Table 2.2 SMOG Conversion Table
Word Count Grade Level
0-2 4
3-6 5
7-12 6
13-20 7
21-30 8
31-42 9
38
Hill Walter, Secondary School Reading: Process Program and Procedures, Boston: Allyn Abcon, 1979, p. 194.
43-56 10
57-72 11
73-90 12
91-110 13
111-132 14
133-156 15
157-182 16
183-210 17
211-240 18
c Fry Readability Graph
Fry readability graph is developed by Burns, Roe and Ross in 2006. He claimed did not require the use of long vocabulary and
mathematical computations. He explained that Fr y‟s Graph has its own
advantage. By using a chart, the teacher can write down his own criteria. The procedure involves counting the number of sentences and
syllables in each hundred word samples and plotting on the graph the average number of syllables per hundred words. This method was
popular because it was purposely designed to save time. The attempt to save time
and effort make Fry‟s Graph achieve wide usage because of its convenience and ease of application.
The following are the directions for computing Fry‟s Formula:
1.
Select three 100-word passages from near the beginning, middle and end of the book
2.
Count the total number of sentences in each 100-word passage, estimating to the nearest tenth of a sentence. Average these three
numbers.
3.
Count the total number of syllables in each 100-word sample and average them for the three samples
4.
Plot on graph the average number of sentences per 100 words. Burns, Roe and Ross further assert that the teacher‟s first step in
helping children to read content material is to be aware of the difficulty of the textbook assignments they make.
39
The example of fry graph is shown in table 2.2 :
Figure 2.2 Picture of Fry Graph
However, the most common used formula is Flesch Reading Ease because the formula is easy and simple to be analyzed.
40
39
Bertola Perekeme, Readability of Language Textbooks Prescribed for Junior Secondary Schools and Students‟ Performance in Reading Comprehension in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, British
Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 2012, p. 92.
40
William H. Dubay, The Principles of Readability, Costa Mesa: Impact Information, 2004, p. 22.
.
b. Cloze procedure test
The readability level also can be estimated by cloze procedure test. Cloze procedure text is a readability test which uses the
students‟ ability in comprehending the text. In addition, it is a test constructed by deleting words
from a selection and requiring students to fill in the blanks. The deleted words can be at random or mechanical procedure every n
th
word where n is usually a number 5 or above.
41
As a final point, the writer concerned to the readability assessment using Flesch Reading Ease Formula to identify the sentence length and the number
of syllables in a reading passages. This method will be used because the writer believes that shorter sentences usually are more readable than longer
ones, especially those which contain numerous prepositional phrases and have complex, compound or complex compound constructions.
42
D. The Relevant Previous Study
a. The Readability Level of the Reading Texts on Link to the world: An
English Textbook For Senior High School. A Case Study at the Tenth Grade of MA Pembangunan UIN, Jakarta
This study had been done by Yuli Darmayanti, a student in English Education Departement, Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. This study was
conducted to analyze the reading text on the English textbook entitled “Link to the World”. The problem of this research is that the students often
encounter difficulties in understanding the texts in the textbook. This textbook was used by the tenth grade students of MA Pembangunan UIN
Syarif Hidayatullah. On this research, the writer used descriptive analysis
41
Bertola Perekeme, Readability of Language Textbooks Prescribed for Junior Secondary Schools and Students
‟ Performance in Reading Comprehension in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, British Journalnof Arts and Social Sciences, 2012, p. 92.
42
Hill Walter, Secondary School Reading: Process Program and Procedures, Boston: Allyn Abcon, 1979, p. 191.
method. To find out the readability level of the reading text, she conducted the study by analyzing the reading text using the Flesch Reading Ease
Formula and the Cloze Test. From the 12 reading text, she chose 6 texts as the sample. As the result, among the 6 reading texts analyzed, by using the
Flesch reading Ease Formula, there are 5 texts which is readable for the tenth grade stude
nts and one text is appropriate for university students‟ level. While by using Cloze Test, there are 4 texts categorized as
independent level and two texts are categorized as instructional level.
43
b. The Readability of Reading Passages in English Textbook of
“Contextual Learning” Published by Grafindo Media Pratama. A Case Study at the Eleventh Grade of SMA Negeri 9 Tangerang Selatan
In 2012, Ade Afrizal conducted the research about readability of Reading Passages in English Textbook of “Contextual Learning”
Published by Grafindo Media Pratama as this textbook is used at the Eleventh Grade of SMA Negeri 9 Tangerang Selatan. The research
problem is that students feel bored with reading, not only with reading materials but also many unfamiliar words which are not suitable with the
basic ability of students. This research used Descriptive Annalysis method. The objective of the research is to see the readability reading passages in
English textbook untittled “Contextual Learning” Published by Grafindo
Media Pratama. The result shows that according to the analysis through the Flesch Reading Ease Formula, from 5 texts, 2 texts are catagorized in
the Very Easy Level. 2 text are in the Easy Level, 1 text is in the fairly Easy Level and 4 texts are in the Plain English Level. While, from the
43
Yuli Darmayanti , “The Readability Level of the Reading Texts on Link to the world:
An English Textbook For Senior High School ”, Skripsi of Undergraduate of Syarif Hidayatullah
State Islamic University Jakarta, Jakarta, 2010, unpublished.
analysis through Cloze Test, the result is that 1 text is in the Independent
Level, and 4 texts are in the Instructional Level.
44
c. An Analysis of the Readability of Educational Materials on the
Costumer Webpage of a Health Professional Organization: Consideration for Practice.
Nadia Valconer conducted this study in 2011. The problem of this research is that the reading texts for many patient education materials were
too high for patients to comprehend. The purpose of this study was to determine the readability level of educational brochures found on the
American Physical Therapy Association APTA consumer website. Fourteen educational brochures on the APTA website in March 2008 were
analyzed using the following assessments: Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease, Fry Readability Formula, Simple Measure of
Gobbledygook SMOG, Checklist for Patients Education Materials, and Customer Health Website Evaluation Checklist. According to Flesch-
Kinchaid and Flesch Reading Ease, over 90 of the brochures were written at greater than a sixth grade level. The mean reading level was
grade 10.2 with a Flesch Reading Ease score was between 31.5 to 79.9. Using the SMOG formula showed that the brochures had a mean reading
level of grade 11.5. The Fry Readability showed that 85 of the brochures were written higher than sixth grade level, with a mean reading level of
grade 9.5. Findings suggest that most of the customer education information available on the website of this health professional
44
Ade Afrizal, “The readability of Reading Passages in English Textbook of “Contextual Learning” Published by Grafindo Media Pratama”, Skripsi of Undergraduate of Syarif
Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, Jakarta, 2012, unpublished.
organization had readability scores that were too high for average consumers to read.
45
The difference of these studies is the writer used only one method in finding the readability level of the reading texts; that is Flesch Reading Ease
Formula, whereas, the previous studies used more than one method. Yuli Darmayanti and Ade Afrizal used Flesch Reading Ease Formula and Cloze
Procedural Test on their study. Moreover, Naudia Falcouner‟s research also
about readability level of reading text. She used some readability formulas on her study such as Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease, Fry
Readability Formula, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook SMOG, Checklist for Patients Education Materials, and Customer Health Website Evaluation
Checklist. The similarity of these studies is about the object of study. Yuli
Darmayanti and Ade Afrizal‟s object of study was reading texts in the textbook that were used in the teaching and learning process at the school.
However, NaudiaFalcouner‟s object of study is reading text on the customer website. The purpose of those studies is also same. It is to find out the
readability level of reading texts for certain students or customer .
The writer just used one method in deciding the readability level of the reading text because it has no bias. The writer saw the readability level based
on the textbook itself; not based on students‟ perception. Therefore, the result of this study was clear and there was not bias. Moreover, the writer decided to
use Flesch Reading Ease formula because it is the easy method in finding the readability level of reading text. Furthermore, the writer also agreed upon the
statements of Hill Walter that shorter sentences usually are more readable than longer ones, especially those which contain numerous prepositional phrases
45
Naudia Falcouner, et al. An Analysis of the Readability of Educational Materials on the Costemer Webpage of a Health Professional Organization: Consideration for Practice. The
Internet Journal of Alliced Health Sciences and Practice. 9, 2011.
