Validation of «Tell Me How You Read» Reading Strategies Questionnaire for Upper-Secondary School Students

Abstract

The study presents the factorial validity of the version of the questionnaire on reading strategies, «Tell me how to read», aimed at the students of upper-secondary schools. The dimensions investigated correspond to the 7 strategies already validated in the previous versions (lower secondary and primary school, pilot study; Castellana, 2018, 2020a; Castellana & Lucisano, 2021): Identifying reading purposes; Activating previous knowledge; Making predictions; Identifying the most important information; Using graphic organizers; Controlling, Monitoring and a scale on the perception of difficulty. The questionnaire consisting of 57 items, was administered to a convenience sample of 1527 students, attending upper-secondary school. Results of the factor analysis confirm the seven-dimensional structure while Cronbach’s alpha ranges from .836 to .925, with the total reliability coefficient of .933. Furthermore, data analyses reveal strengths and weaknesses of the readers in terms of the strategies they employ and suggest areas and paths for improvement of their reading skills, stressing once again the importance of tools aimed at measuring the use of metacognitive strategies.