Reading comprehension in primary school: textbooks, curriculum and assessment

This study describes the reading comprehension processes present in the most widely sold textbooks at the fourth grade level in Portugal and discusses how they compare to international assessments of reading literacy. We adopted the Progress of International Reading Literacy Study framework to categorize the questions in the textbooks. Our analyses revealed that they focus heavily on the retrieval of explicitly stated information to the detriment of higher level comprehension skills. Portuguese fourth grade textbooks rarely challenge students to make connections between their knowledge and the ideas in the texts and to adopt a critical and evaluative reading stance. This is in sharp contrast to what students are asked to do in the Progress of International Reading Literacy Study, conducted every five years since 2001, and it may help explain the poor results Portuguese students have in national assessment and in PISA. The findings are discussed in light of the curriculum frameworks currently adopted in Portugal and suggestions are made as to how we can improve reading literacy achievement

A compreensão da leitura: Um estudo de caso no quarto ano de escolaridade

Resumo Este estudo descreve a forma como os processos de compreensão da leitura são implementados nos manuais escolares mais adoptados no quarto ano de escolaridade em Portugal e em contexto de sala de aula, e caracteriza a influência que estes processos têm no desempenho dos alunos. Para o efeito, realizamos um estudo de caso em quatro turmas de quarto ano, distribuídas por três escolas do distrito de Setúbal. Os resultados mostram uma forte relação entre os processes de compreensão mais representados nos manuais e os processos de compreensão mais trabalhados pelas professoras, o que tem impacto nos resultados dos alunos em testes de compreensão da leitura. Podemos concluir que as práticas pedagógicas e os materiais didáticos adotados neste nível de ensino no ano 2006/2007 não facilitam a aprendizagem de níveis superiores de compreensão da leitura. Este facto pode ajudar a explicar o fraco desempenho dos alunos portugueses em avaliações internacionais. Abstract: This study describes how the processes of reading comprehension are implemented in the textbooks most widely adopted at the fourth grade level in Portugal and in the classroom context, and it characterizes the influence these processes have on students” performance. We followed a case study methodology in four classrooms at the fourth grade level distributed by three schools in Setúbal's district. The results show a strong relation between the processes of reading comprehension most represented in the textbooks and the processes of reading comprehension most used by the teachers, which together impact the students' results in reading comprehension tests. Thus, the results indicate that the pedagogical materials and practices adopted at this grade level in the year 2006/2007 do not facilitate the development of higher-order comprehension skills. This may help explain the poor results Portuguese students have in international achievement tests