Reading Comprehension III. Typical Development of Reading Comprehension - Methodology, results and research interpretation
Abstract
This collective monograph presents the major analytical outcomes of three-year long longitudinal research on reading comprehension in students of the fi rst four years at primary school. The main focus is on reading comprehension development.
This topic is regarded as an actual issue of clinical and school psychology, as well as from the point of view of developmental, cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics. The authors found theoretical base for their project in the simple view of reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986).
According to this theory, reading comprehension development is formed by two separate skills that infl uence each other: fi rstly, decoding and secondly, language comprehension. The methodological part provides the reader with the research background, aims and methodology of the research.
It puts special emphasis on the original diagnostic devices that contain contemporary international as well as traditional Czech approaches. These include reading out loud, silent reading and listening comprehension tests.
The authors observe the comprehension of the facts that are explicitly mentioned in the text and also the comprehension of clues and context. In nine chapters, the monograph shows in detail the structure and the development of reading comprehension.
In addition, the authors describe the development shifts in the decoding and in the reading comprehension. These shifts are described from the main teaching methods point of view (analytic-synthetic, genetic).
Moreover, the authors identify development the turning points, the critical points in learning, and the precursors of the reading comprehension. Last but not least, the authors focus on environmental context of the reading comprehension.
Based on the data collected from the parent's questionnaires, the authors describe the infl uential factors connected to the family of the reader (for example socio-economic status of the family, educational background of the family members, family literacy environment and reading motivation). Another point of view is provided based on the questionnaires for the primary school teachers.
These show the most commonly used teaching techniques, strategies and materials. Finally, the last chapter includes reader's view.
In the research, the readers were encouraged to self-evaluate profoundly their reading comprehension, reading competence and literacy knowledge.