TEXT READABILITY OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL’S TEXTBOOKS

The aims of this study were (1) to investigate the levels of text readability of Senior High School’s textbooks, (2) to select the highest and the lowest level of Text Readability and Grammatical Intricacy (GI) in the textbooks, and (3) to describe how the text readability is represented in those textbooks. The study was conducted by using descriptive qualitative method, particularly in content analysis. The sources of data were two English language textbooks; they are published by Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia 2014 and Erlangga. The data were12 texts from different publishers. In Erlangga’s textbook are 6 texts and in Kemendikbud are also 6 texts. All of the selected texts were analyzed by using Flesch Reading Ease Formula and Eggins’ Formula. The Flesch Reading Ease Formula is used to know the highest and the lowest level of the readability, while the Eggins’ Formula is used to know the highest and the lowest level of Grammatical Intricacy (GI), by seeing which one are the dominant, Simple Clause or Complex Clause. The results of this study were (1) the level of text readability in Erlangga’s textbook is easy and in Kemendikbud’s textbook is also easy. (2) a) the highest level of text readability on FRE Score in Erlangga’s textbook is text 6(narrative text) and the lowest level is text 2(descriptive text); however the highest level in Grammatical Intricacy is text 2(descriptive text) and the lowest level is text 3 (descriptive text), b) the highest level of text FRE Score in Kemendikbud’s textbook is text 5(recount text) and the lowest level is text 3(descriptive text). However, the highest level in Grammatical Intricacy is text 2(descriptive text) and the lowest level is text 6(narrative text). (3) In Erlangga’s textbook, there are 6 texts. Text 1 has simple grammar and short sentences (94.6/very easy);Text 2 has complex grammar and long sentences (54.2/fairly difficult);Text 3 has simple grammar but long sentences and words (87/easy); Text 4 has partially long sentences and partially short sentences (81.6/easy); Text 5 has short sentences and simple grammar (93.1/very easy); Text 6 has short sentences and simple grammar (97/very easy). In Kemendikbud’s textbook there are 6 texts. Text 1 has simple grammar and short sentences (94.1/very easy); Text 2 has complex grammar and quite long sentences (67.5/standard); Text 3 has a very complex grammar and very long sentences (58.3/fairly difficult); Text 4 has simple grammar and short sentences (86.7/easy); Text 5 has simple grammar and short sentences (99.6/very easy); and Text 6 has simple grammar and short sentences (87.2/easy). The conclusions were the reading materials in Erlangga’s textbook are more readable than in Kemendikbud’s textbook.