Effects of job instruction on maintenance task performance

Written documentation has been implemented in aviation maintenance errors so that documentation becomes an important safety issue. A restricted technical language for job instruction, Simplified English was tested to determine whether or not it reduced error rate in a maintenance task. Experienced and inexperienced participants performed on easy and a difficult maintenance task on a small internal combustion engine using three languages of job instruction: original, Simplified English and a hybrid. Task errors were reduced with Simplified English but increased with the hybrid version. While the easy task and the experienced participants made fewer errors, neither participant expertise nor task difficulty interacted with instruction language. Hence, Simplified English can be recommended, but hybrid instructions should be avoided.