Abstract
The goal of the present study was to create a brief reliable scale for measuring reading anxiety in college students, a time when reading demands are particularly high. Results revealed individual differences in reading anxiety in a sample of 402 university students, showing reliable measurements from a 10-item scale and replicated in a sample of 198 undergraduates. Reading anxiety related to reading fluency, reading self-concept, self-perception of reading ability compared to others, reading enjoyment, and reading for pleasure frequency. Furthermore, higher reading anxiety was observed in students with a known learning disability compared to those without. How well each of the 10 items differentiated levels of reading anxiety were explored using a graded response model. We provide evidence for the reading-specific nature of reading anxiety by demonstrating a higher correlation between reading anxiety and reading fluency than math fluency and that reading anxiety exists separable from general and social anxiety.
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Appendix
Appendix
See Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13.
Item Response Category Curves for item 1 (Do you feel self-conscious about your reading ability?). The x-axis represents the latent trait score of reading anxiety and the y-axis represents the probability of selecting a response at a given latent trait score. The probability of selecting a 1 is depicted by the black line, 2 in red, 3 in green, 4 in dark blue, and 5 in light blue. (Color figure online)
Item Response Category Curves for item 2 (Do you feel uncomfortable reading out loud in front of people?). The x-axis represents the latent trait score of reading anxiety and the y-axis represents the probability of selecting a response at a given latent trait score. The probability of selecting a 1 is depicted by the black line, 2 in red, 3 in green, 4 in dark blue, and 5 in light blue. (Color figure online)
Item Response Category Curves for item 3 (Do you fear people correcting you when you make a mistake reading?). The x-axis represents the latent trait score of reading anxiety and the y-axis represents the probability of selecting a response at a given latent trait score. The probability of selecting a 1 is depicted by the black line, 2 in red, 3 in green, 4 in dark blue, and 5 in light blue. (Color figure online)
Item Response Category Curves for item 4 (Do you worry you don’t understand what you read?). The x-axis represents the latent trait score of reading anxiety and the y-axis represents the probability of selecting a response at a given latent trait score. The probability of selecting a 1 is depicted by the black line, 2 in red, 3 in green, 4 in dark blue, and 5 in light blue. (Color figure online)
Item Response Category Curves for item 5 (Do you avoid reading?). The x-axis represents the latent trait score of reading anxiety and the y-axis represents the probability of selecting a response at a given latent trait score. The probability of selecting a 1 is depicted by the black line, 2 in red, 3 in green, 4 in dark blue, and 5 in light blue. (Color figure online)
Item Response Category Curves for item 6 (Does reading make you upset?). The x-axis represents the latent trait score of reading anxiety and the y-axis represents the probability of selecting a response at a given latent trait score. The probability of selecting a 1 is depicted by the black line, 2 in red, 3 in green, 4 in dark blue, and 5 in light blue. (Color figure online)
Item Response Category Curves for item 7 (Does reading make you nervous?). The x-axis represents the latent trait score of reading anxiety and the y-axis represents the probability of selecting a response at a given latent trait score. The probability of selecting a 1 is depicted by the black line, 2 in red, 3 in green, 4 in dark blue, and 5 in light blue. (Color figure online)
Item Response Category Curves for item 8 (Does having to read a book or textbook feel like an insurmountable task?). The x-axis represents the latent trait score of reading anxiety and the y-axis represents the probability of selecting a response at a given latent trait score. The probability of selecting a 1 is depicted by the black line, 2 in red, 3 in green, 4 in dark blue, and 5 in light blue. (Color figure online)
Item Response Category Curves for item 9 (Does looking through/reading a textbook for class feel overwhelming?). The x-axis represents the latent trait score of reading anxiety and the y-axis represents the probability of selecting a response at a given latent trait score. The probability of selecting a 1 is depicted by the black line, 2 in red, 3 in green, 4 in dark blue, and 5 in light blue. (Color figure online)
Item Response Category Curves for item 10 (Do you have reading anxiety?). The x-axis represents the latent trait score of reading anxiety and the y-axis represents the probability of selecting a response at a given latent trait score. The probability of selecting a 1 is depicted by the black line, 2 in red, 3 in green, 4 in dark blue, and 5 in light blue. (Color figure online)
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Edwards, A.A., Daucourt, M.C., Hart, S.A. et al. Measuring reading anxiety in college students. Read Writ 36, 1145–1180 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-022-10324-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-022-10324-z