INSTRUCTION IN READING COMPREHENSION IN THE CLASSROOM: WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM A META-ANALYSIS?

ABSTRACT: The theory and research in reading comprehension (RC) make it clear that this ability fails to result automatically from the capacity of decoding a text because it involves linguistic and cognitive components which need to operate together with decoding fluency. Therefore, we must face the ability to understand as an object of teaching which and must be pursued by school instruction must pursue. Intervention studies - and meta-analyses on them - indicate effective interventions to foster this ability. However, the application of scientific evidence to teachers’ practice in classrooms is neither simple nor immediate, requiring new elaboration. This integrative review examines a group of meta-analyses on RC-intervention studies to verify the types of instruction analyzed, their effectiveness, and the main aspects which impacted this effect. Highlights among the findings include: teaching strategies favors all student profiles (with or without difficulties or at risk); some strategies are more recommended than others, such as setting reading goals (which facilitates the monitoring), asking questions about the text (during reading by teachers and students), and using written activities about the text. Furthermore, we found an important moderator effect related to who applies the instruction: its effectiveness diminishes if teachers are its applicators. The complexity of applying and preparing these instructions indicate that training teachers to implement is as important as developing RC programs.