Development of the Reading Comprehension Strategies Questionnaire (RCSQ) for late elementary school students

Rielke Bogaert; Emmelien Merchie; Yves Rosseel; Hilde Van Keer

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1016761

Development of the Reading Comprehension Strategies Questionnaire (RCSQ) for late elementary school students

Front Psychol. 2023 Jan 4:13:1016761. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1016761. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Rielke Bogaert¹, Emmelien Merchie¹, Yves Rosseel², Hilde Van Keer¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Educational Studies, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
² Department of Data-analysis, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.

Abstract

Late elementary education constitutes a critical period in the development of reading comprehension strategies, a key competence in today's society. However, to date, appropriate measurements to map late elementary students' reading strategies are lacking. In this respect, the present article first describes the development and validation of the 26-item reading comprehension strategies questionnaire (RCSQ). To this aim, exploratory (sample 1: n = 1585 students) and confirmatory (sample 2: n = 1585 students) factor analyses were conducted. These analyses resulted in the RCSQ, consisting of five subscales: (1) overt cognitive reading strategies, (2) covert cognitive reading strategies, (3) monitoring, and (4) evaluating. For non-native and bilingual students, a fifth subscale 'using home language in view of comprehending texts' emerged. Second, multilevel analyses were performed to explore individual differences in late elementary students' reading comprehension strategy use. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Keywords: factor analyses; late elementary education; questionnaire development; reading comprehension; reading strategy use.