Reading Quotient: A Measure of Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension is a critically important skill in education and in life. It is an indicator of cognitive development and is associated with academic achievement, particularly in school-aged children and adolescents (Gullo et al., 2006). However, there is no agreed-upon measure of reading comprehension that can be used in both research and educational settings. The Reading Quotient is a new measure of reading comprehension that was developed to fill this gap.
The Reading Quotient (RQ) is a 30-item multiple-choice test that measures a person’s ability to comprehend written material. The test consists of three sections: a passage comprehension section, a text organization section, and a text analysis section. The passage comprehension section assesses a person’s ability to identify the main idea, draw inferences, and make connections between ideas in a passage. The text organization section assesses the ability to recognize and summarize the structure of a written passage, while the text analysis section evaluates the ability to identify and interpret figurative language, recognize tone and author’s purpose, and analyze the author’s argument.
The RQ is designed to be administered to both children and adults, and is appropriate for use in both research and clinical settings. It has been validated in studies with both children and adults, and has been shown to have high internal reliability and validity (Gullo et al., 2006; Lee et al., 2008). It is particularly useful for assessing reading comprehension in students with learning disabilities, as it can detect subtle deficits that may be missed by more traditional methods (Lee et al., 2008).
In summary, the Reading Quotient is a reliable and valid measure of reading comprehension that can be used in research and clinical settings. It is particularly useful for assessing reading comprehension in students with learning disabilities. As such, it is a valuable tool for educators, clinicians, and researchers alike.
References
Gullo, D. F., Black, E. R., & Engle, L. (2006). Validation of the Reading Quotient. Reading and Writing, 19(5), 541-560.
Lee, Y., Park, S., & Kim, K. (2008). The reliability and validity of the Reading Quotient in assessing reading comprehension in children with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 31(1), 47-56.