Measurement and Comparison of Reader Self-Perceptions of Teacher Board Passers and Non-passers: Application of Factor Analysis and Rasch Model

Abstract

The Reader Self-Perception Scale (RSPS) is widely used to gauge young learners' reading self-efficacy, yet little is known about whether its underlying constructs generalize to adult populations. This study examined the psychometric appropriateness of the RSPS2 for Filipino college graduates and compared reader self-perception between graduates who passed and did not pass the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET). Using exploratory factor analysis on responses from 163 Bachelor in Secondary Education (BSEd) graduates, the observational comparison (OC) and social feedback (SF) constructs — treated as distinct dimensions among younger readers — were found to represent a single construct among adult readers. A subsequent Rasch (Partial Credit) model analysis flagged three items (16, 36, and 39) as misfitting and in need of review to improve the instrument's precision with adult samples. Using a Rasch-filtered subsample of 47 graduates with confirmed LET outcomes, an independent-samples t-test showed that RSPS total scores differed significantly between LET passers (M = 127.76, SD = 15.56) and non-passers (M = 114.29, SD = 15.91), t(45) = 2.697, p < .01. It is assumed that this difference can potentially be used to anticipate future board performance from reader self-perception alone, without directly assessing reading comprehension skills.