The Suffolk reading scale 2 L2 : an item analytic study and a validation on Maltese secondary school students

Abstract

This dissertation sought to assess the suitability of the Suffolk Reading Scale 2 L2 in the Maltese setting. For this purpose, an item analytic and a validation study of the test were carried out. In the item analytic part, an archival research was undertaken. A sample consisting of 304 male and female Maltese students aged eleven and a half years, thirteen and a half years and fifteen and a half years and attending State (Junior Lyceum and Area Secondary), Church and Independent Schools was obtained. Through item analysis, the facility and discrimination indices of all the test items for the three age groups were identified, and the most suitable items were determined. This enabled the researcher to suggest different reordering of the test. For the validation part, the scores obtained by Form 1, Form 3 and Form 5 students in the test were correlated to their scores in reading comprehension for their National English Reading examination. Results indicated that there is a highly significant positive correlation between both scores, helping to validate the test in the Maltese context. Moreover, this test is suitable for Maltese Secondary School students as it was successful in discriminating between low and high achievers and between different form levels. Despite the fact that some items were culturally loaded, the test with its Maltese norms can still be seen as a valid measure of Maltese students' reading comprehension skills in English.