Motivation Scale for Reading Skill: A Case Study of Closed Prison Facility

Reading serves as a crucial skill for incarcerated individuals and ex-convicts to enhance personal growth, exhibit good behavior, and reintegrate into society. This study aims to gather data on the validity and reliability of the Prisoners’ Reading Motivation Scale (PRMS) as an effective tool for assessing the factors that impact the reading motivation of inmates and convicts. In this context, a preliminary scale comprising 20 items was formulated by consulting with academics, and psychologists, and utilizing information from literature reviews. A total of 224 participants, with 70 in the pilot phase and 154 in the primary scale application, took part in the research. The initial phase of scale development involved Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), which identified the scale’s composition of 14 items across 4 factors. Subsequently, through an expanded sample size, a second CFA was conducted to determine reliability coefficients. The second CFA indicated the scale’s ability to measure variances effectively, with acceptable Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients. The two-stage investigation concluded that the PRMS is well-suited for identifying the factors influencing inmates’ reading motivations and can serve as a dependable measurement tool.