Readability Analysis of Otolaryngology Consent Documents on the iMed Consent Platform

ABSTRACT Introduction The American Medical Association (AMA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommend all patient information and consent materials be provided at the fourth- to sixth-grade level. The iMed Consent platform is used nationally by the Veterans Health Administration and private hospitals. We aimed to assess the readability of otolaryngology consents at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs (WLA-VA) hospital to determine whether they conform with AMA/NIH guidelines. Materials and Methods A readability analysis of 27 otolaryngology iMed consent documents was performed. The main outcome measure was the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL). The setting of the study was an otolaryngology clinic at a major VA hospital. All consents used in the WLA-VA otolaryngology clinic for the month of October 2018 were analyzed using readability metrics. These included the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) score, the FKGL, the Gunning Fog Index (GFI), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), and Coleman–Liau Index (CLI). Results The following means of all consents were calculated for each of the readability metrics: FRE 56.3, FKGL 8.3, GFI 14.5, SMOG 11.3, and CLI 11.2. The standardized anesthesia and blood consent were analyzed separately with the following scores: FRE 45.1, FKGL 11.7, GFI 15.5, SMOG 14.6, and CLI 12.6. The average FKGL of the consents was found to be significantly above the sixth-grade level (P: .0013). Conclusion The average grade level of the otolaryngology iMed consents reviewed was at a reading level above the AMA/NIH recommendations. This objective measure should be taken into consideration when revising the iMed system and in the creation of future standardized consents. Readability analysis does not take into consideration the significant variance that exists as part of the verbal consent process that takes place between patient and provider.

Construction and Simulation of Online English Reading Model in Wireless Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor Environment Optimized by Particle Swarm Optimization

English reading is an important way to consolidate and expand English language knowledge, and it is also an important way to obtain information and understand British and American culture. Therefore, reading teaching has always been an important part of English education and teaching at all levels and types of schools, and college English teaching is no exception. College English teachers have been carrying out teaching reflections in their reading teaching practice and constantly exploring teaching modes and teaching directions that improve students’ reading engagement and reading comprehension ability. However, the current daily teaching of English reading still generally maintains the traditional teaching mode. The entire reading learning process is monotonous, boring, and stylized, and the ability to acquire and process information cannot be combined with language knowledge and language skills. This kind of teaching mode severely inhibited the college students’ involvement in English learning model. Based on the electromagnetic-polarization response expression in a uniformly polarized half-space, this paper transforms the problem of polarization parameter extraction into a minimum optimization problem and constructs a fitness function. A set of polarization parameters is selected to calculate the electromagnetic-polarization response under trapezoidal waves in a uniform half-space, and the basic particle swarm algorithm is used to extract single and multiple parameters, respectively. In this paper, by adding a window to the test data in the time domain, the multiplicative and additive interference in the test signal is suppressed, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the test result is improved. We use the platform built in this article to wirelessly test the temperature characteristics of the surface acoustic wave sensor. The research results identified eight cognitive attributes of English reading and successfully generated diagnostic information at the group and individual levels and finally formed graphics and textual diagnostic feedback. There is a certain correlation between students’ vocabulary mastery and English reading performance, which shows that the vocabulary teaching method can help students better understand the reading materials and improve their reading performance. Combining two student interviews and learning logs, it can be seen that students’ understanding and frequency of use of vocabulary knowledge have increased significantly after the action research. It is generally recognized that vocabulary has a positive effect on improving reading level and can be based on the recognition and understanding of vocabulary. The mastery of vocabulary can promote the improvement of college students’ English reading level to a certain extent. Learners should strengthen vocabulary learning and face up to the importance of vocabulary knowledge in English reading.

Bilingualism, Deafness, and Literacy

Deaf students commonly leave high school with no higher than a fourth-grade reading level. This commonality may prompt certain assumptions regarding deaf children's strengths and weaknesses, particularly relating to reading development as well as broader academic and professional endeavors. The following review examines reading development among deaf, native sign language users as a bilingual process. Specifically, four common assumptions surrounding deaf learners' potential for ASL-English bilingual development are addressed including those relating to phonological accessibility, English-based signed system efficacy, ASL-English transference of language proficiency, and strategies for emergent literacy development in young, deaf learners. Finally, suggestions for future research endeavors are posed by the author.

Accelerated Learning Is Possible for Special Education Students

Accelerated learning has been historically absent in conversations driving the instruction of students being served in special education. A prevailing deficit mindset commonly exists within the special education community leaving expectations of increased student learning to chance. This chapter aims to share data from a large-scale, national sample of special education students receiving the powerful literacy intervention, Literacy Lessons. These data detail the possibility of accelerated student learning by measuring the text reading level of students at entry and exit of the intervention, and even more, compared to their rate of progress before entering the intervention.

PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ READING LEVELS OF LINE GRAPHS

The aim of this research was to describe the errors and reading levels that 6th and 7th grade Chilean primary school children reach when working with line graphs. To achieve this objective, we gave a questionnaire, previously validated by experts with two open-ended tasks, to a sample of 745 students from different Chilean cities. In the first task, we asked the children to read the title of the graph, describe the variables represented and perform a direct and inverse reading of a data value. In the second task, where we address the visual effect of a scale change in a representation, the students had to select the line graph more convenient to a candidate. Although both tasks were considered easy for the grade levels targeted, only some of the students achieved the highest reading level and many made occasional errors in the reading of the graphs. Abstract: Spanish El objetivo de esta investigación es describir los errores y niveles de lectura que alcanzan estudiantes chilenos de 6º y 7º grado de Educación Primaria al trabajar con gráficos de líneas. Para lograr este objetivo, se aplicó un cuestionario, previamente validado por expertos, con dos tareas abiertas a una muestra de 745 estudiantes de diferentes ciudades chilenas. En la primera tarea, se pidió que leyeran el título del gráfico, indicaran las variables representadas y realizaran una lectura directa y otra inversa de un valor de datos. En la segunda tarea, los estudiantes deben seleccionar y justificar el gráfico de líneas más conveniente para respaldar a un candidato, donde se aborda el efecto visual de cambio de escala en una representación. Aunque ambas tareas fueron fáciles, solo una parte de los estudiantes logró el máximo nivel de lectura y aparecieron errores ocasionales en la lectura de los gráficos.

Secondary School Students’ Construction and Interpretation of Statistical Tables

Understanding statistical tables is a main component of statistical literacy, although related research dealing with secondary school students is scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate secondary school students’ performance when translating graphs to tables and then interpreting the resulting table. Using content analysis of the responses to a questionnaire given to a sample of Spanish students, we analysed the correctness of the constructed table, the semiotic conflicts that appeared in their construction, the interpretation of the table elements, the ability to argue on the basis of the information in the table, and the reading level exhibited by the student in this task. Most students correctly translated a pictogram to a frequency table, and a half of them a double bar graph to a two-way table. The main semiotic conflicts were misinterpretation of the icon in the pictogram and incorrect computation of marginal frequencies. About 40% of the sample correctly justified a statement using the data in the graph and then reached the upper reading level of the graph and table, but only a minority achieved that level when the question required knowledge of the context. The findings of the study suggested points to reinforce the teaching of statistical graphs and tables.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LITERACY MAPPING ON STUDENTS’ READING NARRATIVE TEXT

The objective of this research is to decrease students' reading narrative text and effectiveness their reading level using literacy mapping students' from 8G of SMP Negeri 18 Depok. This study used a Quantitative Method with a Pre-Experimental design by implementing the design of pre-test and post-test. In this study, the writer used one class as the sample with a total of the students' are 30 students'. The data were collected by giving pre-test and post-test as the instrument. The result of the study was calculated using a t-test. The findings showed that the students' post-test scores (were was higher than pre-test scores. By using the t-test, the result of the t-table with degrees of freedom (df) 0.01 obtained 2.048. The findings reveal that these research successes to decrease students' reading narrative text and effectiveness their reading level using literacy mapping.

The Readability Level of Reading Texts in Erlangga Straight Point Series: English for Eleventh Grade Students

<p><strong>Abstract:</strong> This study aims to describe the readability level of reading texts in <em>ESPS: English</em> for the 11^th grade students. The measurement tools were Coh-Metrix RDL2, Miyazaki EFL Reading Index and teachers’ professional judgment. The formula were effective in measuring the texts readability by calculating the number of words, letters, and sentences in the text. The Score of Coh-Metrix RDL2 showed that the reading texts was easier for reading level of 11^th graders. MEFLRI claimed that reading texts in <em>ESPS</em> textbook are match for reading level of 11^th graders. Teachers’ judgment claimed, the texts were suitable for eleventh grade students.</p><strong>Abstrak:<em> </em></strong>Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan tingkat keterbacaan 19 teks bacaan dalam <em>ESPS: English</em> untuk siswa kelas 11. Tiga alat ukur digunakan untuk mengukur tingkat keterbacaan yakni Coh-Metrix RDL2 dan Miyazaki EFL Reading Index, dan penilaian guru. Kedua formula terbukti efektif dalam mengukur keterbacaan teks dengan menghitung total huruf, kata, dan kalimat dalam teks. Coh-Metrix menunjukkan bahwa teks bacaan lebih mudah dipahami oleh siswa pada kelas 11, sedangkan MEFLRI menunjukkan bahwa teks bacaan sangat cocok diberikan pada kelas 11. Penilaian guru menyatakan teks bacaan sesuai untuk siswa kelas 11.

An Evaluation Of The Quality Of Patient-Oriented Online Resources For Hemodialysis Access (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Patients and families increasingly turn to the internet for information and resources regarding their medical conditions. These searches are conducted in an independent and unsupervised manner, often without guidance from providers. Multiple reports in the medical oncology literature have cast significant doubt on the accuracy and currency of the data found on patient-focused websites OBJECTIVE To critically appraise the quality of patient-focused online resources concerning hemodialysis access procedures. METHODS A recently validated search strategy using the meta-search engines Google, Dogpile, and Yippy with the query “hemodialysis access” was performed on a cleared-cache web browser during January 2020. Inclusion criteria for the study were websites intended for patient education in English. Exclusions criteria consisted of online monographs, academic journals, and sites requiring paid subscription. Three independent reviewers evaluated the websites using a validated, structured rating tool that scored the Affiliation, Accountability, Interactivity, Structure and Organization, Readability, and Content of the websites. Inter-rater reliability was quantified by calculated kappa coefficients for each element of the instrument. RESULTS Out of more than 27 million collective search results using the three meta-search engines, the first 269 hits were considered for analysis. Only 63 unique patient-oriented sites were acceptable for analysis. 46% were sponsored by commercial entities. Accountability and interactivity were weak across sites. Readability as determined by Flesch-Kincaid and SMOG indices ranged from 6th grade to post-graduate level. 19% were written at a college reading level or higher, however these sites had content quality comparable to those utilizing more elementary prose. 85% of non-commercial domain sites were free of inaccuracies compared to 59% of commercial sites (P=.02). Non-commercial domain sites trended toward more comprehensive content as well as superior readability (average 10th grade reading level compared to average 11th grade reading level, P=.08). The average composite score of all the websites was 2.8 out of a maximum possible weighted score of 7.8, indicating poor global quality of websites. Kappa coefficients were 0.7 or greater for a random sample of 10 websites. CONCLUSIONS This is the first report on the quality of online patient resources in vascular surgery. The study demonstrates that online patient education resources regarding hemodialysis access are poor and require input from the vascular surgery community. Providers need to be aware and understand this issue and seek to inform and mitigate misinformation and potential misguidance. The vascular surgery community should invest in more readable and comprehensive web resources. CLINICALTRIAL n.a