چکیده:
The research on the nature of the underlying reading sub-skills is still unsettled, Nor is there any consensus over the divisibility of reading into a set of component skills, Improving construct validity of tests of L2 reading comprehension requires further investigation on the variables underlying reading ability and the possibility of operational izing the underlying traits. To this end, a Test of Reading Sub-skills (TRS) was developed which operationalized the components of the Comprehensive Taxonomy of Reading Sub-skills (CTRS) derived from major taxonomies in the literature through a detailed comparative analysis of their proposed components. The TRS employed a wide variety of test methods in two general categories of the Expected Response Format, namely, `Selected Response' and 'Constructed Response'. Data was collected on the performance of 1606 Iranian EFL learners including English majors and non-English majors, each subject randomly answering one of the eight forms of the TRS. Data were analyzed using Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The results showed that L2 reading ability is composed of a number of underlying latent traits or macro-skills. It is maintained that a componential approach to reading assessment and pedagogy should be informed by empirical evidence on the nature of variables underlying reading ability
خلاصه ماشینی:
2 Reading Comprehension Skills Hossein Farhady Iran University of Science and Technology Cholam Reza Hessamy University of Tehran Abstract The research on the nature of the underlying reading sub-skills is still unsettled, Nor is there any consensus over the divisibility of reading into a set of component skills, Improving construct validity of tests of L2 reading comprehension requires further investigation on the variables underlying reading ability and the possibility of operational izing the underlying traits.
An important part of reading research and theory is the study of the nature of underlying variables that together make up fluent readers' ability to understand different levels of meaning in a text.
Process analysis 36 Construct validity of L2 reading comprehension skills The test operationalized each sub-skill in two general categories of the expected response format, namely 'Selected Response' (SR) and `Constructed Response' (CR) using a large variety of test methods including multiple-choice, multiple-matching, dichotomous, multiple-choice rational doze, rational doze, short answer question, sentence/table/diagram/summary completion, and editing.
40 Construct validity of L2 reading comprehension skills However, a close examination of the factor loadings revealed the clustering of the variables that in the majority of the cases indicated meaningful relationships with regard to their underlying linguistic and processing characteristics.
The following hypothetical latent abilities underlying reading ability were therefore identified: (1) Inferential and interpretive skills; (2) Linguistic and textual contributory skills; (3) Understanding explicit information; (4) Process analysis; (5) Transcoding skills (diagram to writing or vice versa); (6) Summarizing; (7) Selective extraction of relevant points; (8) Recognizing textual inconsistencies.