Evaluation of Australian Government Literature on the Environment

Abstract

Government environmental agencies around the world produce materials to inform, and possibly educate, the public and students about particular environmental topics. Few evaluations have been conducted on the readability of these materials; neither have the levels of understanding generated as a result of reading the materials been assessed. This article contains a report on a study, commissioned by the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service, in which both the readability of a selection of the information materials produced by the agency and the levels of understanding developed by samples of students and the general public as a result of reading the materials were examined. The Fry readability test and the Flesch test for readability were used to measure the language level and readability of the materials. The levels of understanding achieved by the sample groups were measured by Cloze testing, a specific questionnaire about the materials, and focus group discussions. The findings indicated that the language level of the materials frequently obscured the concepts for the potential audiences. Recommendations were made that (a) materials produced for the general public in the future should be subjected to readability testing before publication; (b) materials should be produced for specific groups rather than a single item being published for all audiences; and (c) materials designed for schools should include additional support materials, such as teachers' notes and videotapes.