The Cloze Test as a Reading Comprehension Assessment Strategy: Evidence for Reading Instruction

Abstract

Reading comprehension is a complex process involving the integration of lexical recognition, prior knowledge, and inferential processing to construct textual meaning. In this context, assessing reading comprehension requires instruments capable of providing evidence about readers' performance and supporting instructional practices aimed at developing reading competence. This study aimed to analyze the potential of the Cloze Test as a strategy for assessing reading comprehension and to discuss its contributions to reading instruction in lower secondary education. The study presents findings from a doctoral research project based on a mixed-methods, descriptive-analytical design involving 96 eighth- and ninth-grade students from one public and one private school in southern Brazil. The Cloze Test was developed using the fixed-ratio deletion procedure, and the data were analyzed through descriptive and comparative statistical methods, interpreted in light of the Lexical Quality Hypothesis. The results showed superior performance among students from the private school compared with those from the public school, indicating significant differences in reading comprehension across the educational contexts investigated. Although no statistically significant differences were found between eighth- and ninth-grade students, the findings suggest that performance on the Cloze Test may serve as an indirect indicator of the quality of lexical representations activated during reading. It is concluded that the instrument provides evidence for identifying reading comprehension difficulties and for planning evidence-based reading instruction strategies.