ANALYTIC AND PRAGMATIC FACTORS IN COLLEGE STUDENTS' METACOGNITIVE READING STRATEGIES

Abstract

The present study describes the development and validation of a self-report instrument that is designed to measure college students' use of reading strategies for comprehension and for studying while reading school-related materials. Principal components analysis (PCA) of an initial sample (n = 575) of college students showed that the Metacognitive Reading Strategies Questionnaire (MRSQ) measured two constructs: analytic cognitions aimed at reading comprehension, and pragmatic behaviors aimed at studying and academic performance. Cross-validation of the constructs with a second sample (n = 574) revealed that the MRSQ demonstrates high validity and internal reliability, simple and stable structure, and meaningful interpretability.