Effects of a Reading Comprehension Intervention Program on Brazilian High School Students

Renata Francisca Ferreira Lopes1 , Tatiane Lebre Dias2 , Rafael José Triches Nunes1 , Rauni Jandé Roama-Alves3

3. Psychology Course, Rondonopolis Federal University, Brazil)

Abstract: The academic performance of Brazilian students in national assessments in recent years has proved to be very unsatisfactory in Portuguese. Based on this data, this study aimed to verify reading habits and the effects of an intervention program on reading comprehension (PPCL) in high school students (age: A = 15.1; SD = 0.5). The program contained activities of reading strategies that aimed to expand the student’s lexical knowledge, exercises to promote the development of their reading skills and understanding of texts, circles and reading workshops. The PPCL was structured in 7 meetings of approximately 3 hours ea ch. To check the reading habits of the students, the questionnaire “Me and my reading habits” (QEHL) and the Cloze test were used to assess the effects of the program. For the total sample (N = 40), the QEHL and the Cloze Test were initially administered, then the students were divided into an Experimental Group (n = 19) submitted to PPCL and a Control Group (n = 21). The results showed that: a) the majority (80.5%) said they like to read; b) more than half (53.7%) read 2 to 4 books per year; c) more than half (56.1%) confirmed visiting the institution’s library, however, only 37.1% voluntarily borrowed a book; d) there was a significant difference in the EG and in the CG in the mean of points in the Cloze test between the pre and the post-test; e) the means of correct answers in the Cloze test revealed an expressive result for the EG between the pre and post-test stages compared to the CG. From the results it is possible to observe that the effects of the intervention based on teacher mediation during the PPCL were positive in order to stimulate reading practices with the students who participated in the study.

Key words: reading comprehension; high school, intervention, cloze test