Comparison of comprehension abilities according to different conditions of text presentation

Abstract

Reading comprehension is a complex ability that involves diverse processes such as the decoding of words, memory and knowledge of the world. Difficulties in reading comprehension could cause problems in the learning of some specific contents. This study aims to investigate which condition of text presentation improves comprehension. Objectives: To compare the performance in reading comprehension on three conditions text presentation in 3rd grade children with no reading difficulties (GB) and with reading difficulties (GM). Material and Method: The participants were 51 children with ages between eight and ten years and two months, students of a public school of São Paulo. Reading comprehension was evaluated in different conditions of text presentation. Order of presentation and condition of reading of the texts were random to prevent any influence of difficulty of texts and/or condition of presentation. Results: The type of text influenced the performance in comprehension in all participants. When comparing the two groups (GB) presented better performance independently of the condition of text presentation. Conclusion: Condition of text presentation did not determine a better comprehension, however good readers presented a better performance, in all conditions.