The work deals with the development of readers at second stage of elementary schools with focus to basic reading strategies. Clarifies the concepts of functional literacy Reading literacy. Based on the international research PISA and PIRLS examines the state of reading Czech pupils. It monitors what is the representation of reading strategies in RVP ZV and looks at some of the group of textbooks if promote reading and encourage the use of strategies. The work examines what is the basic readership strategies, what is their application in teaching, what require this lesson for teacher and what are the possible pitfalls. Theoretical knowledge is verified by modeled lessons designed by tutorial course.

In this qualitative study based on constructivist learning theory, nine intermediate level university students of German were observed as they read foreign language texts on the Internet. Through observations, as well as think-aloud protocols and semi-structured interviews, the study identified Internet reading strategies the students used, and determined the difficulties they encountered in Internet reading activities. The observed strategies were related to four different types of reading tasks the students had to complete and to the language levels of the students. The four task types included: (a) scanning for specific information, (b) skimming and summary writing, (c) detailed reading and text comparison, and (d) observing linguistic phenomena in a text. The research questions arose from the observation that, while the Internet has a positive influence on motivation, independent learning and cultural understanding (Alm-Lequeux, 2001; Brandl, 2002; Chapelle, 2000; Lee, 1997), the literature also talks of frustration on the part of the students, and of students being overwhelmed by foreign language Internet pages (Kubota, 1999; Rüschoff & Wolff, 1999; Shetzer & Warschauer, 2000). This frustration is hypothesized to be due to the fact that Internet texts are authentic texts written for readers in the target culture, and have not been adjusted to the linguistic and cultural knowledge level of foreign language students. There is still little empirical research on the specific ways students deal with these difficulties while completing Internet reading tasks. The present study was carried out with the aim of shedding light on the Internet reading process for pedagogical purposes. The think-aloud technique of data collection permitted a deeper understanding and a more precise description of this special type of reading than would have been possible with interviews alone. The data analysis revealed eight key factors playing a role in foreign language Internet reading: course performance level, background knowledge, motivation, strategic reading, computer skills, problem-solving style, hypertext structure, and type of task. These factors lead to pedagogical implications for designing suitable Internet tasks for foreign language students, and for scaffolding the foreign language Internet reading process. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

Orientador: Renata Junqueira de Souza / Resumo: Esta pesquisa está vinculada à linha de pesquisa “Processos formativos, ensino e aprendizagem” do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (FCT/UNESP), campus de Presidente Prudente. O seu principal objetivo é analisar de que maneira um processo formativo, desenvolvido por meio de oficinas de leitura, contribui para a compreensão leitora do texto visual de discentes de 4º ano do Ensino Fundamental em uma escola municipal da cidade de Presidente Prudente-SP. Para esse fim, elaboramos os seguintes objetivos específicos: investigar se e como a sequência narrativa no livro de imagem ajuda na formação do aluno em relação ao aprimoramento de sua compreensão leitora; identificar como as crianças interpretam as questões estruturais da imagem, tais como linhas, cores, formas e técnicas de ilustração; verificar de que maneira as crianças compreendem e interpretam a função expressiva, a partir da apresentação das expressões e dos movimentos realizados pelos personagens nas narrativas. Ademais, tratase de uma pesquisa qualitativa, sendo classificada como uma pesquisa-ação, que faz parte de um dos inúmeros tipos de investigação-ação, pois foi aplicada em campo e, assim como já dito, em uma sala de aula do 4º ano. Considerando a metodologia, a coleta de dados deu-se a partir dos instrumentos da pesquisa qualitativa, por intermédio de observações, de oficinas interventivas e de entrevista reflexiv... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This research is linked to the research line “Formative Processes, Teaching and Learning” of the Graduate Program in Education of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the Paulista State University “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (FCT / UNESP), Presidente Prudente campus. The main objective was to analyze how a formative process, developed through reading workshops, contributes to the reading comprehension of the visual text of 4th grade students in a municipal school in the city of Presidente Prudente, SP.To this end, we elaborate the following specific objectives: to investigate if and how the narrative sequence in the picture book helps in the formation of the student in relation to the improvement of his reading comprehension; identify how children relate the images and colors present in the text to their own emotions; to verify how the students understand and interpret the expressive function, from the presentation of the expressions and the movements performed by the characters in the narratives. This is a qualitative research classified as an action research, which is part of one of the many types of action research, as it was applied in the field in a 4th grade classroom. Considering the methodology, the data collection was based on the qualitative research instruments, we used the observations, the intervention workshops and the reflexive interview. The workshops and interviews took place simultaneously, since during the moments of the training it was possible to verify... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

TITLE: International trends in reading strategy instruction and their possible aplication in Czech schools. AUTHOR: Ladislava Whitcroft DEPARTMENT: Primary Education, Faculty of Education SUPERVISOR: prof. PaedDr. Radka Wildová, CSc. ABSTRACT: This study focus is based on detailed analysis of reading strategy instruction abroad and possible strategies for application in Czech schools. The theoretical part of the study brings definition to the term reading strategies, and it maps different approaches to reading strategy instruction on the basis of relevant international studies. The empirical part is based on qualitative case study research methods. It presents a description and analysis of two Czech teachers; both are distinctive advocates of reading strategy instruction in the Czech Republic. The study shows how their values get reflected in their approach to reading strategy instruction and how they influence the way these teachers scaffold comprehension of their pupils. The US programme CORI was chosen for detailed analyses as an example of an international research-proven programme. In the concluding part, the study summarises practical recommendation for future teachers' preparation (inclusion of systematic reading strategy instruction methods as well as drama teaching methods and instruction in...

This study investigates the potential benefits of reading strategy instruction in the English classroom in an L2 learner context. We examined the effects of reading strategy instruction on reading comprehension for L2 learners and investigated howreading strategies should be taught in the context of Swedish upper secondary school. To this end, six empirical studies were evaluated. We found that reading strategy instruction had a positive impact on reading comprehension in general, but that it was especially effective for certain student groups. Namely, intermediate learners benefitted more than other groups, while the weakest students improved the least in response to instruction. Furthermore, the research we examined suggests that it may be advantageous to focus on teaching a single strategy at a time. However, it is important to eventually expand students’ range ofstrategies long-term, since many pupils tend to over-rely on problem-solving strategies to the detriment of their progress in reading. Thus, emphasizing the less frequently used support strategies during instruction may help students read moreefficiently. Additionally, for reading strategies to best benefit learners, they should be taught in a clear, step-by-step manner. Finally, we argue that using aspects of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory to inform lesson plans would greatly benefit students, especially those who are less proficient. Due to the lack of research in the increasingly heterogeneous Western world, future research should investigate how reading strategy instruction behaves in a multicultural context in the West.

Studiens syfte var att öka kunskapen kring hur lärare i årskurs 4–6 förhåller sig till olika lässtrategier i relation till skönlitteratur samt hur lärare motiverar elever till läsning av skönlitterära verk. Studiens undersökningsmetod var kvalitativa intervjuer med hög grad av standardisering och låg grad av strukturering. I studien ingick 10 grundskollärare. De kvalitativa intervjuerna har genomförts genom digitala videomöten. Resultatet visade att övervägande del av lärarna använder sig av reciprok undervisning, detta genom Läsfixarna från En läsande klass. Textsamtal och upprepad läsning är två andra lässtrategier som lärarna i studien var överens om som fungerande metoder. Genom intervjuerna kan också ett antal syften som lärare ansåg att skönlitteraturen fyllde urskiljas. Det handlade om att ha gemensamma texter i klassen att diskutera kring, men också att låta eleverna få förståelse för andra människor och andra kulturer genom skönlitteratur. Lärarna arbetade med motivation dels genom att läsa och låta eleverna möta många olika typer av böcker och genrer, dels genom att låta eleverna önska böcker de vill höra eller läsa. Just mötet med många olika sorters böcker och genrer var ett genomgående svar från många lärare i studien. Bibliotek och bibliotekarie var också någonting som lärare ansåg bidrog positivt till elevernas motivation för läsning av skönlitteratur. / The purpose of this study was to increase our understanding of how teachers in grade 4-6 relate to different reading strategies for reading fiction and how teachers motivate students to read works of fiction. The method used in this study was qualitative interviews with a high degree of standardization and a low degree of structuring. The study included 10 teachers. The qualitative interviews were conducted through digital video meetings. The results showed that most teachers used reciprocal teaching, through Läsfixarna from En läsande klass. Teachers in the study also agreed that literature discussion and repeated reading are two other methods that work well. Through the interviews, the teachers all agreed that working with fiction has several purposes. These purposes were to have texts in common that the class could discuss, and to let the students develop better understanding for other people and cultures through fiction. The teachers worked with increasing the students’ motivationpartly through reading for the students and letting the students encounter a lot of different kinds of books and genres, partly through letting the students participate in choosing what kind of books they would like to hear or read. To let the students’ encounter different kinds of books and genres was a consistent answer from many of the teachers in the study. The teachers also believed that the library and the librarian had a positive influence on students’ motivation ofreading fiction.

In today’s society it’s important to teach our pupils to identify the messages in the texts they meet. From a critical literacy perspective, no text is neutral and analysing texts is about learning how language is related to power and how it affects us. The purpose of this degree project has therefore been to create, test and evaluate a material that aim to enable pupils´ development of strategies for critical reading and writing as well as providing support for the teacher in working with texts from a critical literacy perspective. The study is based on theoretical views within literacy with a socio-constructivist view on language, where learning takes place in a social context, through communication. This interventional study was conducted in a Swedish school with pupils aged 9–10 years. We observed two lessons where the material was used in teaching, to examine how critical reading and writing activities were carried out in practice. Interviews were also made with the teacher and some of the pupils in the class, to further examine how the material was perceived. Our analysis shows that strategies for reading comprehension such as, questioning, summarizing, predicting, clarifying, making connections and creating mental images was being used before, during and after the reading. When reading strategies were used without explicit instructions the pupils was given the opportunity to make connections to their previous experiences from various literacy practices when needed, in order to build their comprehension of the text. Moreover, the material provided support for the teacher in working with critical reading and writing but did not affect the teacher´s general approach to reading and writing.

Studien behandlade huruvida lässtrategier ger positiv effekt i läsförståelse. Studiens syfte har således varit att fördjupa kunskaperna kring elevers läsförståelse och då inom olika lässtrategier. Frågeställningen är: Vilka lässtrategier har visat sig ge positiv effekt på elevers läsförståelseutveckling?    Studien har behandlat och lyft fram forskning, som i sin tur använts i syfte att svara på frågeställningarna. Vidare har studien utgått från en systematisk litteraturstudie vilket också innebär att studiens analysdel utgått från en kvalitativ deduktiv metod som metodansats. Metoden har varit användbar i den bemärkelsen att syftet varit att kritiskt granska avhandlingar och vetenskapliga artiklar i syfte att få en ökad förståelse för ämnet. Studien avslutas med en resultats- och analysdel, diskussionsdel samt slutsats.   Studien visade att det finns diverse lässtrategier som är gynnsamma för läsförståelseutvecklingen. En lässtrategi som tar stor plats i samtliga studier är den som handlar om textsamtal, nämligen reciprocal teaching.

This study investigates reading comprehension strategies amongst 298 Swedish ESL students in upper-secondary school, possible relationships between high motivation to learn and high strategy use, and whether more experienced readers tend to use reading strategies more frequently than lesser experienced readers. Data was collected through online surveys, and the findings were analysed using quantitative analysis. The results of the study showed that experienced readers tend to use reading strategies more often than less experienced readers, but that the most employed strategies amongst students seem to be naturally occurring rather than metacognitive and self-regulated ones, indicating that the participating Swedish upper-secondary students lack sufficient knowledge of other reading strategies. The data regarding the possible relationships between high levels of motivation and a more varied use of reading strategies do not indicate a strong correlation. One possible conclusion of the study is that even if students seem to perceive themselves as strategy users, the strategies deemed most important by researchers still end up amongst the least used strategies, indicating that students still need to receive more explicit training in the use and functions of such strategies.

This Master's thesis deals with the reading literacy development of primary school students, focusing on their use of reading strategies, and is divided into two parts. The theoretical part defines reading literacy and other related terms, as well as specifies the relationship between functional and reading literacy. It describes the development of reading literacy, its dimensions and explains the factors that influence it. It presents the differences between reading strategies and skills, describing the relationship between them. This section introduces methods of developing reading literacy using the RWCT programme. The work also monitors the representation of reading literacy in the Framework Educational Programme for Basic Education (FEP BE) and, based on the results of international surveys PIRLS and PISA, describes the situation of Czech students in terms of reading. The main goal of the practical part of the work was to find out what reading strategies are applied by selected fourth-grade primary school students. The investigation was conducted through online in-depth interviews with students over the literary text. The survey results show differences between students in their ability to apply selected reading strategies. The research further confirms that the quantity and type of children's...