TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDINGS OF TEXT COMPLEXITY Janice A. Dole, D. Ray Reutzel, & Kenna Rodgers International Reading Association – Research Institute 2013 San Antonio, TX

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity

Introduction to Text Complexity

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

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The term text complexity is central to the vision of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) A central goal of the CCSS is to increase the level of complexity of the texts students read from grades 1-12 Text complexity refers to the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of a text that make it easy or challenging to read

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

Text complexity—a three-part model (CCSS) ¤  Quantitative

dimensions

n  Vocabulary—frequency

and conceptual complexity

n  Word

length n  Sentence length ¤  Qualitative

dimensions

n  Levels

of meaning n  Structure n  Language n  Knowledge demands ¤  Reader-Task

considerations

Reading Processes n  Assessed Tasks or Outcomes n 

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

Why does the CCSS ask teachers to understand text complexity? What is the purpose of understanding text complexity? ¤  CCSS

asks teachers to increase (or scale up) the complexity of the texts their students read during the year and across years from 1-12.

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity But: ¨  Reading teachers have not and do not use the term “text complexity” to discuss texts ¨ 

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There is no history or record in the reading field for discussing “text complexity” What the reading field has worked with are concepts such as “readability” and “text difficulty”

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

Elementary teachers ¤  Refer

to “readability” ¤  Most common is the use of leveled texts n Guided Reading n Reading Recovery n DRA ¤ Lexile

Levels ¤ Older Readability Formulae, i.e., Fry, DaleChall, Raygor

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

Middle and secondary English teachers ¤  Use

teacher recommendation and agreement for appropriate texts for middle and high school students to read ¤  Use Lexile levels n Primarily narrative texts n Little use of informational texts

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity

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Mismatch between what reading researchers and teachers know about text difficulty and what the CCSS is now asking teachers to know about text complexity

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Text Complexity (CCSS) Quantitative sentence & vocabulary word length reader/text considerations

Qualitative levels of meaning

structure

language

knowledge demands

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity

Pilot Study

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

We wanted to know: ¤  What

are teachers’ understandings about text complexity? (surveys)

¤ If

a teacher had to differentiate text complexity among several texts, on what basis would they do it? (interviews and sorts)

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Sample Characteristics 10

8

8

6

6

4

4 2

2

0

0 Elementary Middle High (K-4) Grades (5-8) School(9-12)

Educational Levels Currently Teaching

Little or None

Some

Moderate Extensive

Amount of Professional Development on CCSS

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Pilot  Study  Text  Complexity  Survey  Ques5ons   1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Think  about  your  (primary,  intermediate/middle,  high  school)  students.  What   makes  a  text  easy  or  hard  for  them  to  read  and  understand?   What  do  you  think  makes  a  text  at  the  (primary,  intermediate/middle,  high   school  grade  level)  complex?   What  do  you  think  the  CCSS  means  by  asking  teachers  to  increase  the   complexity  of  the  texts  they  read?   Is  there  a  difference  between  text  difficulty  and  text  complexity?  If  so  what  is  the   difference?   There  are  two  dimensions  of  text  complexity  that  the  CCSS  talks  about.  One  is   quanMtaMve  and  one  is  qualitaMve.          a.  What  do  you  think  the  CCSS  means  by  the  quanMtaMve  dimension  of  text    complexity?              b.  What  do  you  think  the  CCSS  means  by  the  qualitaMve  dimensions  of  text    complexity?    

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Results  of  Survey  Coding  Reliability  Study   A  pair  of  coders  coded  teacher  responses  to  two  ques5ons  of  the  five   ques5ons  into  axial  coding  categories  independently  of  one  another.  

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity

Pilot Study

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Question 1 Results What  makes  a  text  easy  or  hard  for  students  to  read  and   understand?   u  Four  Categories  or  Themes  were  interpreted  from  the   responses  to  this  quesMon:   u   QuanMtaMve  Factors  Making  Text  Easy  or  Hard   u   QualitaMve  Factors  Making  Text  Easy  or  Hard   u   Reading  Process  Factors  Making  Text  Easy  or  Hard   u   Engagement  or  MoMvaMonal  Factors  Making  Text  Easy  or  Hard  

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Question 1 Results - Quantitative What  makes  a  text  easy  or  hard  for  students  to  read  and  understand?   16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Vocabulary

Word Length

Sentence Length

Quantitative Text Difficulty

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Question 1 Results: Qualitative

Qualitative Text Difficulty

Text Genres

Language Structures

Literary Techniques

Conceptual Density

Background Knowledge

Text Features

14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

Text Structures

What  makes  a  text  easy  or  hard  for  students  to  read  and  understand?  

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Question 1 Results: Reading Process

Reading Processes

Practice

Writing

Comprehension

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Decoding

What  makes  a  text  easy  or  hard  for  students  to  read  and  understand?  

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Question 1 Results: Reader Engagement What  makes  a  text  easy  or  hard  for  students  to  read  and  understand?   4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 Interest

Relate to Text

Stamina

Engagement and Motivation

Laziness

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Question 2 Results

Elements that Make Text More or Less Complex

Reader Variables

Text Structure

Text Genre

Language Structure

Literary Devices

Higher Level Thinking

Vocabulary/ Background

Graphics/Print Size

25 20 15 10 5 0

Word/Sentence Length

What  do  you  think  makes  a  text  complex?  

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Question 3 Results

What  do  you  think  the  CCSS  means  by  asking  teachers   to  increase  the  complexity  of  the  texts  they  read?   18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Question 4 Results: Difficulty

Text difficulty

Language Structures

Students' Abilities

Vocabulary

Text Types

Writer's Craft

Text Levels

Text Features

Instruction

Prior Knowledge

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Ability to Decode

Is  there  a  difference  between  text  difficulty  and   text  complexity?  If  so  what  is  the  difference?  

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Question 4 Results: Complexity

Is  there  a  difference  between  text  difficulty  and   text  complexity?  If  so  what  is  the  difference?   16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Text Structure

Prior Knowledge

Instruction

Text Level

Text Complexity

Writer's Craft Higher Level Thinking

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Question 5a Results: Qualitative

Qualitative

Not Sure

Decodability

Teacher Expertise

Levels of Thinking

Social Justice Issues

Literary Devices

Language Structures

Comprehension

Text Structure

Prior Knowledge

16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

Vocabulary

What  do  you  think  the  CCSS  means  by  the   qualitaMve  dimension  of  text  complexity?    

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Question 5a Results: Quantitative

Quantitative

Literary Devices

Reader Task

Text Types

Reader Fluency

Text Structure

Text Features

Not Sure

Language Structures Lexile/ Measureable

Prior Knowledge

Vocabulary

Sentence Length

14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

Word Length/ Frequency

What  do  you  think  the  CCSS  means  by  the   quanMtaMve  dimension  of  text  complexity?    

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity

Text Complexity Interview and Sorting Tasks: Narrative Texts

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Task 1: Sort Complexity of Primary Grade Narratives   4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 Red Hen 1.5

Miss Nelson

1

Three Pigs

0.5

Collapsed

0

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Task 1: Placement of Primary Grade Narratives on Continuum of Complexity  

Total Average Agreement – 77%

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Task 2: Sort Complexity of Middle School Level Narrative Text 6

5

4

3

2

Hunger Games The Giver House on Mango Street Collapsed Across Texts

1

0

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Task 1: Placement of Middle School Level Narratives on Continuum of Complexity   !

Hunger!Games!

The!Giver!

Rater!1! Rater!2! Rater!3! Percent! Agreement! !

Easiest' Easiest' Next' 66%!

Next' Next'' Easiest' 66%!

House!on!Mango! Street! Hardest' Hardest' Hardest' 100%!

Total Average Agreement – 77%

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Task 2: Sort Complexity of High School Level Narrative Text 7 6 5 4 3 2

To Kill a Mockingbird The Book Thief Eyes are Watching God

1 0

Collapsed Across Texts

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Task 1: Placement of High School Level Narratives on Continuum of Complexity   ! Rater!1! Rater!2! Rater!3! Percent! Agreement! !

To!Kill!a! Mockingbird! Next% Easiest% Next% 66%!

The!Book!Thief! Easiest% Next%% Easiest% 66%!

Eyes!Are! Watching!God! Hardest% Hardest% Hardest% 100%!

Total Average Agreement – 77%

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity

Text Complexity Interview and Sorting Tasks: Information Texts

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Task 2: Sort Complexity of Primary Grade Information Texts 8

7

6

5 Little Seeds 4

You Have Mail How Life Changes

3

Collapsed

2

1

0 Background Knowledge

Vocabulary

Text Features

Text Structure

Student Text Match

Close Reading Teacher Interest

Decoding

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Task 1: Placement of Primary Grade Information Texts on Continuum of Complexity  

Total Average Agreement – 77%

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Task 2: Sort Complexity of Middle School Level Information Text 7

6

5

4

Pyramids Great Fire

3

Plant Invasion Collapsed Across Texts

2

1

0 Literary Devices

Student Interest

Vocabulary

Student-Text-Match

Background Knowledge

Concepts

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Task 1: Placement of Middle School Level Information Texts on Continuum of Complexity  

Total Average Agreement – 100%

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Task 2: Sort Complexity of High School Level Information Text 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Cod Black Boy Bury My Heart Collapsed Across Texts

0

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity Task 1: Placement of High School Level Information Texts on Continuum of Complexity   ! ! Rater!1! Rater!2! Rater!3! Percent! Agreement! !

Cod!

Black!Boy!

Bury!My!Heart!

Easiest' Hardest' Easiest' 66%!

Next' Next'' Next' 100%!

Hardest' Easiest' Hardest' 66%!

Total Average Agreement – 77%

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity

Conclusions

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

Some Tentative Conclusions

1. The practicing teachers we interviewed

described four superordinate dimensions that made texts complex for students: ¤  Quantitative

elements of texts ¤  Qualitative elements of texts ¤  The reading process demands ¤  Readers’ engagement

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

2. Teachers thought the CCSS discussed text complexity in terms of: ¤  More

emphasis on informational texts ¤  Need to frontload instruction or scaffold ¤  Understanding the authors’ craft ¤  Higher-level thinking

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

3. The practicing teachers we sampled displayed a notable appreciation for students’ background knowledge and achieving a match between students’ background knowledge and the corresponding demands of the text.

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity We should celebrate this since the importance of background knowledge was one of the single, most important and robust findings of reading research in the 20th century.

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity 4. The teachers sampled described text complexity using quantitative, qualitative and reader/task descriptors as in the CCSS model. ¨  They did not, however, make clear distinctions between the dimensions affecting text complexity contained within the three categories of quantitative, qualitative and reader/task considerations. ¨ 

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

5. The teachers sampled were not perfectly consistent in their identification of text difficulty and complexity of specific texts. Total agreement for placing texts on a continuum of easy to hard was 81%. Although not perfect, clearly within a respectable range of agreement.

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

Limitations of the Study ¤ 1.

Small sample size ¤ 2. Local and regional sample that is likely not to be representative of all teachers nationally. ¤ 3. Small sample of books. Responses likely to be dependent upon the nature of the books themselves.

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity

Implications for the Field

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

Theoretical gap between how reading scholars and how humanities scholars conceptualize text complexity (See below). ¤  e.g.

Mesmer, Cunningham & Hiebert (2012) cohesion and coherence, text structure, text/word length, semantic features ¤  CCSS = levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, knowledge demands

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

In part this gap also reflects a difference between early grade level text and high school text.

In addition, though, ¨ 

Also a theoretical and empirical difference between the way in which two fields (literary studies vs. socio-cognitive) conceptualize complex text.

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

Practical gap between how reading scholars and teachers conceptualize text complexity ¤  Reading

scholars look at quantitative and qualitative dimensions including n  cohesion

and coherence, text structure, genre, text length, content, sequence, pacing, repetition, possibility for text to be self teaching, etc.

¤  Reading

scholars also look at reader/task dimensions

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¤  Teachers

may blur the difference between these dimensions of text complexity n  Teachers

know less about issues of cohesion and coherence, text structure, genre, text length, content, sequence, pacing, repetition, and the possibility for text to be self teaching, etc. (Mesmer et al. (2012)

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

Future professional development ¤  Assist

teachers in looking at different kinds of texts much more closely before they start to plan

¤  Analyze

different narrative texts and informational texts to determine dimensions of complexity—CCSS and also based on reading research (especially for informational text

Teachers’ Understandings of Text Complexity ¨ 

This analysis should guide teacher planning of what to do with the text—close read, developing textdependent questions, higher-level thinking, culminating task

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