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http://dx.doi.org/10.14697/jkase.2021.41.2.71

An Analysis of Linguistic Features in Science Textbooks across Grade Levels: Focus on Text Cohesion  

Ryu, Jisu (Konkuk University)
Jeon, Moongee (Konkuk University)
Publication Information
Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education / v.41, no.2, 2021 , pp. 71-82 More about this Journal
Abstract
Learning efficiency can be maximized by careful matching of text features to expected reader features (i.e., linguistic and cognitive abilities, and background knowledge). The present study aims to explore whether this systematic principle is reflected in the development of science textbooks. The current study examined science textbook texts on 20 measures provided by Auto-Kohesion, a Korean language analysis tool. In addition to surface-level features (basic counts, word-related measures, syntactic complexity measures) which have been commonly used in previous text analysis studies, the present study included cohesion-related features as well (noun overlap ratios, connectives, pronouns). The main findings demonstrate that the surface measures (e.g., word and sentence length, word frequency) overall increased in complexity with grade levels, whereas the majority of the other measures, particularly cohesion-related measures, did not systematically vary across grade levels. The current results suggest that students of lower grades are expected to experience learning difficulties and lowered motivation due to the challenging texts. Textbooks are also not likely to be suitable for students of higher grades to develop the ability to process difficulty level texts required for higher education. The current study suggests that various text-related features including cohesion-related measures need to be carefully considered in the process of textbook development.
Keywords
science textbooks; text analysis; Korean text analysis; text cohesion;
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