TEXT COMPREHENSION OF VARIOUS VERSIONS OF THE BIBLE

JOHN ROBERT YEATTS, Purdue University

Abstract

This study evaluated the comprehensibility of six versions of the Bible: the King James Version (KJV), the Revised Standard Version (RSV), the New English Bible (NEB), Today's English Version (TEV), the Living Bible (LB), and the New International Version (NIV). The subjects were 324 undergraduates from a Christian liberal arts college in the eastern United States. They were designated as either liberals or conservatives by a median split based on their scores on the Biblical Literalism Scale. Nine liberals and nine conservatives were then assigned at random to each biblical passage in each version. The experimental design included three independent variables: biblical version (KJV, RSV, NEB, TEV, LB, NIV); theological orthodoxy (liberal, conservative); and type of literature (narrative, poetry, proclamation). Two dependent variables, comprehensibility ratings (seven-point scale) and recall proportions (number of textual units recalled as a percentage of the total possible) were investigated. The 6 x 2 x 3 analysis of variance revealed a main effect for the Biblical versions both on the comprehensibility ratings and on the recall proportions. This verified that differences among the versions did exist. The nature of these differences was probed in four major areas. First, differences between the KJV and the five modern versions were explored. The KJV was judged to be less comprehensible than were the modern versions, and the modern versions facilitated better recall than did the KJV. Second, differences among the modern versions were probed. It was found that the LB and TEV were judged to more comprehensible than either the RSV or NEB. Third, differences for each type of literature were considered. For narrative literature, no difference among individual versions could be detected by either dependent variable. For poetic literature, it was found that the TEV and LB were judged by subjects to be more comprehensible than the KJV and that the NIV was recalled better than either the RSV or the KJV. On proclamation literature, the LB was judged to be more comprehensible than both the KJV and NEB. Fourth, no difference was found between liberals and conservatives in their comprehensibility ratings or in their ability to recall the various versions of the Bible.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

Religious education

COinS