Interpreting Reading Comprehension Test Results: Quantile Regression Shows that Explanatory Factors Can Vary with Performance Level

ABSTRACT

One of the most important findings to emerge from recent reading comprehension research is that there are large differences between tests in what they assess—specifically, the extent to which performance depends on word recognition versus listening comprehension skills. Because this research used ordinary least squares regression, it is not clear that the findings apply similarly to poor and good readers. The current study uses quantile regression to assess whether there might be differences within tests in the relative contributions of component skills as a function of performance level. There were 834 individuals (ages 8–18) who took 5 reading comprehension tests. Quantile regression showed that, for 3 of 5 tests, the contributions of word recognition and listening comprehension vary as a function of reading comprehension skill. These quantile differences hold across both younger and older readers. Our findings show that what skills a test assesses vary not only with the specific test used but also with how well the person performs.

Acknowledgements

Portions of the data in this article were presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading, 2015. We thank all the participants and their families, and all the testers and scorers.

Funding

This research was supported by grant P50 HD27802 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the Colorado Learning Disabilities Research Center, for which J. Keenan is a co-PI.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by grant P50 HD27802 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the Colorado Learning Disabilities Research Center, for which J. Keenan is a co-PI.