The Reliability of Reading Efficiency Measures

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The Reliability of Reading Efficiency Measures Obtained by Classroom Educators Using a Low-Cost Eye Movement Recording System

Assessment | Upper Elementary School | Middle School | High School

Summary of Findings:

This research examined the test-retest reliability of the Visagraph when used by classroom educators to measure silent reading efficiency in students ranging from second to twelfth grade (approximately 7 to 18 years old).

Mean values for each measure closely matched reading efficiency norms reported by previous studies. Across all measures, reliability was lowest in grades 2-4. In grades 6 and above, reliability coefficients averaged .86 for reading rate and .80 for fixations, with CVs between 9% and 11%.

“The present results provide estimates of measurement reliability at different grade levels using the Visagraph – data that can be useful when designing experiments (e.g., selecting sample size) and evaluating results.”

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Study Profile

Type of Study: Reliability and Validity Evaluation

Participants: N = 827

Measure: Visagraph

Presentation: 19th European Conference on Eye Movements (ECEM), Wuppertal, Germany, 2017

Authors: Alexandra N. Spichtig, Jeffrey P. Pascoe, and John D. Ferrara