Four Readability Tests on Four Comic Books

By MaryAnn Rizzo

This research paper reported on the results of three readability tests and an interest test, which were performed on four comic books. The four comic books were Superman, Wonder Woman, Fantastic Four, and The Amazing Spider-Man.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MaryAnn Rizzo
• Release date: Apr 4, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452366340

Book preview

Four Readability Tests on Four Comic Books

BASED ON ORIGINAL WORK

BY

MaryAnn Doty

EDITED BY

MaryAnn Doty Rizzo

Maricopa, AZ

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rizzo, MaryAnn Doty, 1951-

Four readability tests on four comic books / by MaryAnn Doty Rizzo.

ii, 207 p. : ill. ; 28 cm. + 1 CD-ROM (4 ¾ in.)

Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Readability (Literary style). 2. Books and reading. 3. Children—Books and reading. 4. Comic books, strips, etc.—History and criticism. I. Title.

741.5/09 21

Copyright 2010

by MaryAnn Doty Rizzo

Based on the 1977 edition of Four Readability Tests of Four Comic Books and

Four Readability Tests of Four Comic Books, copyright 2003

by MaryAnn Doty Rizzo

Published by Rizzo Publications. Maricopa, AZ. at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

FOUR READABILITY TESTS ON FOUR COMIC BOOKS

A Research Paper

Presented to

The Faculty of the Graduate School of Librarianship

University of Denver

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Masters of Arts in Librarianship

by

MaryAnn Doty

August 1977

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I wish to thank my family for all of their support while I have been going to school and especially during the time that it took to write this paper. My mother listened and advised me on the paper. My father listened, advised, and proofread many of my papers. My brother encouraged me to continue and listened to me.

I also wish to thank my advisor, Miss Hatch, for all the guidance and help that she has given me.

Finally, I wish to thank my friends who listened while I went on about my paper. They gave me advice and support that I needed.

With the good advice, support, and help of family, advisor, and friends, this paper has been a lot easier to produce.

ABSTRACT

This research paper reported on the results of three readability tests and an interest test, which were performed on four comic books. The four comic books were Superman, Wonder Woman, Fantastic Four, and The Amazing Spider-Man.

The lowest readability level of any comic was a third grade reading level. The highest readability level of any comic books was an eleventh grade reading level. The average reading level for these comics was seventh grade.

The results of these reading tests make the exclusion of comic books from the library because of the supposed low reading levels unfair. It is the conclusion of this research paper that comics should not be excluded from any library because the reading levels are supposed to be low.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ITEM

Acknowledgments

Abstract

Table of Contents

Forward from 2003

Addendum for the 2005 Edition

Addendum for the 2010 e-book Edition

Introduction

Chapter I: Readability Formula Information

Chapter II: Methodology

Chapter III: Results

Chapter IV: Comparisons and Discussions

Chapter V: The Flesch-Kincaid Test vs. The Flesch Test

Readability Formula Information

Methodology

Results

Comparisons and Discussions

Chapter VI: Conclusions

Footnotes

Appendix

Bibliography of Sources

Bibliography of Comic Books Used for Paper

FORWARD FROM 2003 PUBLICATION

This book is based on my Master Thesis for the University of Denver, which I did in 1977. I decided that the thesis would look much better and be much more professional if I used the modern technology of 2003 to produce the graphs and tables. The footnotes and bibliography were done with common procedures at the time. That is, the footnotes were at the bottom of each page and the bibliography was done by the Turabian style of 1977. I have placed the footnotes at the end of the text and kept the bibliography in the same format.

MaryAnn Doty Rizzo

Sierra Vista, AZ

May, 2003

ADDENDUM FOR THE 2005 EDITION

My original thesis was done without the benefit of computers, spread sheets, or calculators. The math and the placement of the scores were done by hand, as were the graphs. After I had retyped the material and placed the statistics in spread sheets for graphing purposes, I noticed that I had made a seven errors that were mathematical or transposition errors while typing. Although these errors did not change the overall conclusions of the paper, I have corrected them in this edition and placed them in a different font. They did not change the results of the conclusions. Any other additions, mostly due to the recognition of the technological changes through time, are also in a different font than the regular paper. I also added the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test to the overall study. I placed it in a separate chapter because it was not part of the original study. The color images are available for viewing on the accompanying CD-ROM.

MaryAnn Doty Rizzo

Sierra Vista, AZ

September, 2005

ADDENDUM FOR THE 2010 ELECTRONIC BOOK EDITION

This format does not have a CD-ROM version available. In addition, page references are not valid for this format but do indicate that information is available elsewhere in the text. And, all text is in one format. So the changes from the 2003 edition to the 2005 edition no longer apply. Next, I removed the parts of the Table of Contents that listed the graphs and the tables individually and the different sections of the appendix. Finally, I have attempted to remove all page references since they do not apply in an e-book format.

MaryAnn Doty Rizzo

Maricopa, AZ

April, 2010

INTRODUCTION

Should comic books be included in the library? This question has been debated since the late forties and early fifties when the use of comic books began to be questioned. One area that was questioned was the idea that reading comic books was harmful to young people both psychologically and educationally. In all of the debate, whether or not the authors favored the use of comic books, there was no mention of any readability tests being done on comic books.

The idea that comics contributed to reading problems was expressed in the early fifties, despite the lack of proof. Rodrich Ronson, a detractor of comic books, indicated that Nevertheless, I have come to the conclusion that this narcotic kind of reading is contributing in no small measure to our deplorable national illiteracy. (1) This conclusion was not based on any proof or actual data, but rather reflected the author’s personal opinion.

One of the major critics of comic books, Fredric Wertham, a psychiatrist, who saw little of value in comics, said: Reading troubles in children are on the increase. An important cause of this increase is the comic book. A very large number of children who cannot read well habitually read comic books. ...They are bookworms without books. (2) However, Wertham did not offer any proof of his statement, other than a few case histories, which were based on a population of students who already had learning problems rather than the general population of students.

The discussion on comic books continued. The detractors of the comic book even blamed the comic book for readers not reading long books. Wertham again postured that the students may pass through grammar school, or even high school; but they cannot sit down and read a book of 200 or 300 pages with leisure and profit. (3) Again, Wertham offered no proof of his statement, other than the few case studies he saw in his practice as opposed to a study that should have been based on the average student population. Making the selection of population that Wertham did skewed the results of the study in favor of Wertham’s biases.

Lack of statistical data did not stop Wertham and the other detractors from making similar statements. The most important harm that comic book reading does is interference with the acquisition of good reading habits. We established this beyond any doubt, not only from children seen in clinics and in private practice but also from whole school classes and remedial reading clinics. (4) This final statement is based on the students who came into the clinics who had already presented problems rather than on the comic books themselves.

Other writers continued to downgrade comics. Attempts to give intelligent directions to children’s interest in comics seems necessary, since excessive reading in this area may lead to a decline in artistic appreciation, and a taste for shoddy, distorted presentations. ...Survey after survey has disclosed that boys and girls in the middle grades typically develop reading tastes far from commendable. (5) The studies were surveys of what the children enjoyed reading. However, the surveys did not consider the readability levels of comic books or any other factor except to report on what the students enjoyed reading.

Even those who were in favor of using comic books did not cite readability studies to back up their statements. The statement that if you have pupils who can’t read or pupils who won’t read, don’t shrug off the comic book idea too quickly (6) implies that comic books are useful especially for the poor reader; however, no proof was offered as to what level of reading the comic books have.

The comic book has real potential in remedial reading. A slow sixth-grader would much rather read a comic book that a fourth-grade reader. (7) This is a restatement of the concept stated earlier, that is, that comics are useful for the poor reader. In addition, this quote offers a view of the comics from the vantage point of a sixth-grader. However, the assumption is that the reading level of the comic book is the same as the fourth-grade reader. This assumption was made without readability studies being done.

This view is again expressed in this quote, For the nonreader, the late elementary or junior high student who is reading well below grade level, and for whom a book with more than an hundred pages is too much, carefully chosen comics are an answer and have a place in the library. (8) However, this author again does not back up this statement with a readability test and assumes that the comic book has a low readability level.

For the writers who hold this viewpoint, the point to be borne in mind is that reading difficulties are never created by comic books or other reading matter. The reading difficulty is present in the child long before he turns to the comic books. (9) This idea is in direct opposition to Wertham’s idea, but no proof is offered to back this concept either.

The other alternative of those who were in favor of comics is expressed in this quote: "one other thing the little books do—and it is no