The effect of two types of text modification on English language learners\u27 reading comprehension: simplification versus elaboration

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of two types of modification (simplification and elaboration) on fourth grade English language learners\u27 reading comprehension scores of an expository text. Three English reading passages in one of three forms, unmodified, simplified or elaborated, were presented to seventy participants who were divided into high and low proficiency groups. To test the participants\u27 reading comprehension of three expository texts, a nine-item multiple choice test was administered. Each of the texts had a total of three comprehension questions corresponding to its content. The test items consisted of three types of comprehension questions, one each of general, specific and inferential. The analysis of variance done on this study showed that there was not a statistical difference between the mean scores of the students\u27 reading comprehension tests based on the form that they read, nor based on their reading proficiency levels. In general, the results of this study do not provide a clear indication of any significant effect that text modification can have on fourth grade English language learners reading comprehension. Therefore, these findings suggest that caution should be used when generalizing the findings and claims from other text modification studies done with high school and university level students to elementary level students