Rights statement: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Open Learning on 28/05/2021, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02680513.2020.1769585
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Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Accessibility of Open Educational Resources
T2 - how well are they suited for English learners?
AU - Rets, Irina
AU - Coughlan, Tim
AU - Stickler, Ursula
AU - Astruc, Lluïsa
N1 - This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Open Learning on 28/05/2021, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02680513.2020.1769585
PY - 2023/1/31
Y1 - 2023/1/31
N2 - Open Educational Resources aim to offer learning to all, yet the language level used in resources could be a barrier to many potential learners. This paper examines the readability of 200 OER courses in English from two major OER course platforms. We compared the means of readability metrics between these OER courses at different educational levels and subject categories that the platforms offer using inferential statistics as well as cluster analyses. Results prove that there is a progression of difficulty between lower and higher educational levels with introductory courses being easier to read. However, the analysis also highlighted that more than 86% of the courses require an advanced level of English language proficiency. On the other hand, subject matter does not appear to be linked with the readability of the courses. This study contributes further to the current discussion of the inclusiveness of OER and the factors that hinder its universal use. The study addresses a gap in the literature as, to our knowledge, no other studies have analysed the linguistic accessibility of OER English learners and consideration of the meaning of the educational levels assigned to OER courses has been limited.
AB - Open Educational Resources aim to offer learning to all, yet the language level used in resources could be a barrier to many potential learners. This paper examines the readability of 200 OER courses in English from two major OER course platforms. We compared the means of readability metrics between these OER courses at different educational levels and subject categories that the platforms offer using inferential statistics as well as cluster analyses. Results prove that there is a progression of difficulty between lower and higher educational levels with introductory courses being easier to read. However, the analysis also highlighted that more than 86% of the courses require an advanced level of English language proficiency. On the other hand, subject matter does not appear to be linked with the readability of the courses. This study contributes further to the current discussion of the inclusiveness of OER and the factors that hinder its universal use. The study addresses a gap in the literature as, to our knowledge, no other studies have analysed the linguistic accessibility of OER English learners and consideration of the meaning of the educational levels assigned to OER courses has been limited.
KW - Open Educational Resources
KW - accessibility
KW - readability
KW - English as a foreign language
KW - inclusiveness
KW - online learning
U2 - 10.1080/02680513.2020.1769585
DO - 10.1080/02680513.2020.1769585
M3 - Journal article
VL - 38
SP - 38
EP - 57
JO - Open Learning: The Journal of Open and Distance Learning
JF - Open Learning: The Journal of Open and Distance Learning
SN - 0268-0513
IS - 1
ER -