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From Verbal Complexity to Student Success: Understanding the Role of Linguistic Features in Teachers' Oral Classroom Explanations

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Title: From Verbal Complexity to Student Success: Understanding the Role of Linguistic Features in Teachers' Oral Classroom Explanations
Language: English
Authors: Catharina Tippe (ORCID 0009-0009-3892-814X), Nadine Cruz Neri (ORCID 0000-0002-5414-3854), Poldi Kuhl (ORCID 0000-0001-8021-8840), Jan Retelsdorf (ORCID 0000-0002-9892-9613)
Source: European Journal of Psychology of Education. 2025 40(3).
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 16
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Oral Language, Classroom Communication, Video Technology, Language Processing, Language Usage, Teacher Student Relationship, Difficulty Level, Connected Discourse, Correlation
Geographic Terms: Germany
DOI: 10.1007/s10212-025-00992-0
ISSN: 0256-2928
1878-5174
Abstract: Oral explanations (OE) by teachers are one of the most common forms of communication in the classroom to support students' comprehension of subject-specific content. Thus, students have to deal with the language the teachers use in explanations. Research indicates that linguistic features (LF) of texts can influence students' comprehension as they affect cognitive processes of text comprehension. While the importance of LF of texts has been addressed widely, to date, relatively little attention has been given to the influence of LF of teachers' oral explanations on students' comprehension. We aimed to investigate whether the linguistic design of teachers' OE improves students' comprehension. N = 102 German students (age: M = 14.04; 55.9% female) took part in the study. Students watched explanatory videos on the same content but with differing verbal complexity (simple/difficult). The two versions differed in their levels of cohesion and surface features at word and sentence level. After listening to the explanation, students' comprehension was assessed. The results showed that the simpler version of the explanation was associated with significantly higher results in comprehension. The linguistic complexity of explanations affected students' comprehension. The findings suggest that teachers should pay more attention to the linguistic complexity of OE.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1479212
Database: ERIC
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Catharina+Tippe%22">Catharina Tippe</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0009-0009-3892-814X">0009-0009-3892-814X</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nadine+Cruz+Neri%22">Nadine Cruz Neri</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5414-3854">0000-0002-5414-3854</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Poldi+Kuhl%22">Poldi Kuhl</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8021-8840">0000-0001-8021-8840</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jan+Retelsdorf%22">Jan Retelsdorf</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9892-9613">0000-0002-9892-9613</externalLink>)
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  Data: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
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  Data: Oral explanations (OE) by teachers are one of the most common forms of communication in the classroom to support students' comprehension of subject-specific content. Thus, students have to deal with the language the teachers use in explanations. Research indicates that linguistic features (LF) of texts can influence students' comprehension as they affect cognitive processes of text comprehension. While the importance of LF of texts has been addressed widely, to date, relatively little attention has been given to the influence of LF of teachers' oral explanations on students' comprehension. We aimed to investigate whether the linguistic design of teachers' OE improves students' comprehension. N = 102 German students (age: M = 14.04; 55.9% female) took part in the study. Students watched explanatory videos on the same content but with differing verbal complexity (simple/difficult). The two versions differed in their levels of cohesion and surface features at word and sentence level. After listening to the explanation, students' comprehension was assessed. The results showed that the simpler version of the explanation was associated with significantly higher results in comprehension. The linguistic complexity of explanations affected students' comprehension. The findings suggest that teachers should pay more attention to the linguistic complexity of OE.
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