The Summarizing Test U: a tool for talent development at university

Abstract

Summarizing is one of the main processes for reading comprehension. However, in the Italian scientific literature, tools are not widespread to measure the practice of this competence, nor to support its development and improvement in university students. In order to hypothesize a didactic model to help university students monitor their own cognitive activities and their intellectual strengths for creativity - differently from how they normally use them - it is necessary to use initial self-evaluation tools that allow the early identification and understanding of the reasons for academic failure. This means that systematic and periodic plans must be set to identify the most diverse talent types. This paper analyses the results of a preliminary study to construct a tool for measuring university students’ summarizing ability. The data analysis of the pilot experimentation of the Summarizing Test U reveals that it is a potentially promising tool, which can support other existing tools for reading comprehension. This exploratory study aims to provide possible indications both for a following redefinition of the items and for the development of a questionnaire to observe the summarizing ability in the same academic contexts.