Brief Description

The RPI is a self-report questionnaire consisting of 42 items designed to assess the reading preferences of school-aged children. Students are asked to indicate how much they enjoy various types of reading materials such as stories, comics, mysteries, science, biographies, adventures, newspapers, and more. The response scale includes four options: 1 = I don’t like it at all, 2 = I’m not sure, 3 = I like it, 4 = I like it very much. The Greek adaptation is based on the original format developed by Link (1984).

Purpose

The questionnaire aims to evaluate students’ reading interests and preferences, particularly at the elementary school level, in order to identify trends and support the development of positive attitudes toward reading.

Scoring Method

Each item is scored on a four-point scale. Mean scores are calculated for each thematic reading category. A student’s final score may be derived either from the sum or the average of scores within each category or across all 42 items.

Validity

The construct validity of the instrument was examined through factor analysis, which revealed ten factors explaining 51.62% of the total variance. These factors correspond to thematic areas of interest, including: people and art, natural sciences and discoveries, human relationships and romance, history and politics, humor, social issues, science fiction and technology, mysteries and myths, academic knowledge, and biographies and adventures.

Reliability

The internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) of the Greek adaptation is 0.86. Reliability across the individual factors ranges from 0.50 to 0.78, with the tenth factor showing the lowest reliability at 0.38.

Data Analysis and Use

Data can be analyzed using descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations per thematic category) and factor analysis to confirm the structure of reading preferences. Additionally, reading preferences can be examined in relation to variables such as gender, age, and academic performance to inform targeted pedagogical strategies for promoting reading engagement.

References

Link, B. R. (1984). Reading attitudes and interests of gifted and talented children in the middle grades. Paper presented at the Department of Teacher Education and Professional Development, Central Michigan University.
Malafantis, K. A. (2005a). The child and reading: Attitudes, preferences, habits. Athens: Grigoris.
Malafantis, K. A. (2005b). Reading preferences of sixth-grade elementary school students. Paedagogiki Epitheorisi (Educational Review), 39, 134–150.