Effects of Text Revision on EFL Readers’ Comprehension: Simplified vs. Elaborated Text

Abstract

　　The present study examines effects of text revision on readers of English as a foreign language (EFL). Reading includes interactions between a text and its readers. Previous studies have focused on text features (i.e., cohesion), and investigated the effects of text revision on readers' comprehension. Some studies have revealed that elaborately revised texts contribute to facilitating readers' comprehension, whereas some have claimed that this can have the opposite effect. Hence, the effects of different types of text revision on readers' comprehension need to be further explored. This study investigates whether and how both simplified and elaborated texts affect EFL readers' comprehension. A total of 25 Japanese university students participated in the experiment. Participants read two texts in different conditions of revisions (i.e., simplified and elaborated), and completed a free written recall task and why-question task as comprehension questions. The results showed that the simplified text facilitated readers' understanding at both the textbase and situation-model levels, suggesting that text revision affects EFL readers' comprehension at different levels. The pedagogical implications of these results are discussed in light of teaching materials and instructions for EFL leamers.