NEPS framework for assessing reading competence and results from an adult pilot study

This article sketches the framework for assessing reading competence across the
lifespan in the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). It gives a detailed presentation of the two central dimensions in the framework: (a) text functions and text types and (b) the cognitive requirements of reading tasks. These
are discussed against the background of relevant theoretical models and research
fi ndings. A pilot study of 447 adults is reported that analyzed the dimensionality
and diffi culty of the reading competence test for adults. Results indicated that the
test meets the NEPS research goals. The article focuses particularly on whether
text types and cognitive requirements prove to be appropriate structural elements
for the framework, that is, whether each distinguishes suffi ciently between good
and poor readers. Results also report on the dimensionality of the reading competence test. A comparison between one unidimensional and two diff erent multidimensional models examined whether the text types and/or cognitive requirements
of the items/tasks are separate dimensions of reading competence, or whether
the reading competence measured in NEPS can – as intended – be conceived as
a unidimensional construct. Results are discussed against the background of the
scope and limitations of the NEPS reading competence test and the relevant research literature on reading competence.