Dimensions of Students’ Engagement and Self-Insight in Upper Secondary Education

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse the dimensionality and reliability of an instrument capable of measuring readers' engagement and self-insight in literature education. A self-report questionnaire was administered to upper secondary grammar school students in three Austrian regions (n=417). Principal axis factoring with Promax rotation was conducted. As the number of factors to be retained was ambiguous, various models were tested. Finally, I arrived at an eight-factor solution which fulfilled the most relevant theoretical and statistical criteria for this study. The factors Insight and Self-perceptual depth are considered to be forms of self-insight, the factors Cognitive Perspective-taking, Identification, Narrative Presence, Pre-enactive Empathy, Realism, and Self-implicating Givenness constitute interrelated modes of engagement. The Cronbach alpha values for the subscales generated by PAF indicated adequate internal consistency. Limitations and implications are discussed.