ERIC Number: EJ1348591
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Jun
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-1531-7714
Measuring Student Reading Comprehension Performance: Considerations of Accuracy, Equity, and Engagement by Embedding Comprehension Items within Reading Passages
Guerreiro, Meg; Barker, Elizabeth; Johnson, Janice
Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, v27 Article 11 Jun 2022
Reading comprehension is measured differently between classroom and more formal approaches to assessment. Traditional reading comprehension assessments often prompt students to read a multi-paragraph passage prior to displaying a set of questions that are related to the passage; however, this approach is not utilized during classroom practices. The study suggests that assessments may inadvertently measure extraneous constructs (e.g., working memory, attention, language, reading ability) by prompting students to answer items at the conclusion of the reading passage. The current study evaluates the effect of asking items throughout the passage (i.e., embedding items) to achieve a more precise measure of reading comprehension by removing barriers for students to demonstrate their understanding. Results showed a significant impact of embedding comprehension items within reading passages on the measurement of student achievement in comparison to answering items at the end of the passage. This may be a more valid approach to measurement of reading comprehension resulting in improved student reading comprehension scores. This approach also has the potential to become a more equitable measurement of reading comprehension by removing barriers to measurement, particularly for marginalized groups (e.g., students with disabilities, memory-load difficulties, English language learners, test anxiety).
Descriptors: Reading Comprehension, Accuracy, Reading Tests, Measurement, Reading Achievement, Scores, Barriers
Center for Educational Assessment. 813 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01002. e-mail: pare@umass.edu; Tel: 413-577-2180; Web site: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/pare
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A