Reading in the classroom in two secondary school subjects: a comparative study

Abstract:

This study aims to perform a comparative analysis of reading activities in two first-year subjects of secondary school in Argentina: Prácticas del Lenguaje (PDL) [Language and Literature (LAL)] and Ciencias Sociales (CS) [Social Studies (SS)]. Eight lessons were audio-recorded, four from each study area. They were analyzed in accordance with pre-existing theoretical proposals, which made it possible to segment the observations into different units, characterize the types and functions of readings and the strategies promoted. In Language and Literature, reading was a more frequent classroom activity and was carried out with a greater variety of strategies than in Social Studies. Genuine mental collective reading prevailed in Language and Literature, whereas teachers’ reading with comments prevailed in Social Studies. The results lead to reflections on different teaching interventions in reading practices according to the school subject and the different challenges involved in teaching them.

Keywords:
reading; text comprehension; school subjects; secondary education