Measuring strategic knowledge in multiple text reading: links to strategy use and comprehension

• We developed and validated the MTSKI to measure knowledge of multiple-text reading strategies. • IRT analyses supported the MTSKI’s reliability and unidimensional structure. • Integrative strategy items were more informative at higher proficiency levels. • MTSKI predicted intra- and inter-textual comprehension beyond control variables. • MTSKI advances research and instruction in strategic multiple-text reading. Although effective strategy use is essential for successful multiple-text comprehension, little attention has been given to systematically measuring students’ knowledge of such strategies. While existing research has primarily focused on assessing strategy use, validated tools to measure readers’ knowledge of multiple-text reading strategies remain lacking. To address this gap, this study developed and validated the Multiple-Text Strategy Knowledge Inventory (MTSKI), designed to assess students’ declarative, procedural, and conditional knowledge of strategies for comprehending and integrating information across multiple texts. Grounded in established theoretical models of multiple-text comprehension and strategy use, the MTSKI was administered to 194 ninth-grade students in South Korea. Item Response Theory (IRT) analyses supported a unidimensional structure, with the inventory demonstrating strong reliability and validity. Items targeting deeper-level integrative strategies were more informative at higher ability levels. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that strategy knowledge significantly predicted both intra-textual and inter-textual comprehension, even after controlling for prior knowledge and strategy use. These findings highlight the foundational role of strategy knowledge in supporting complex reading tasks and offer a validated tool for advancing both research and educational practice in multiple-text reading.