Do We Comprehend Texts More if We Like to Read?: Reading Attitudes and Performance of Students of Public Schools in Araucanía, Chile

ABSTRACT

Reading levels in primary education students are still deficient in Chile, despite the development of reading promoting iniciatives. Moreover, teaching practices of reading are present a low cognitive challenge. Therefore, the objective of the research was to evaluate the reading comprehension and attitudes of the 4th, 5th and 6th grade students of public schools. Regarding to the methodology, was descriptive and quantitative, the sample was representative and it was composed by 18 public schools of the Araucanía, whose students (n=1.197 approx.) were given a reading comprehension assessment and a reading attitudes survey. Among the results, it was identified that the performance of the students is low and it decreases along with their reading attitudes as they pass the course. In addition, there is a low magnitude correlation between their performance and their reading attitudes.

KEYWORDS:
reading attitudes; reading; reading comprehension; reading promotion