Artículos de investigación científica y tecnológica
READING BEHAVIOR OF DIGITAL MULTIMODAL TEXTS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL
El comportamiento lector en textos multimodales digitales en la básica primaria
READING BEHAVIOR OF DIGITAL MULTIMODAL TEXTS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL
PANORAMA, vol. 14, núm. 27, 2020
Politécnico Grancolombiano
Recepción: 26 Julio 2019
Aprobación: 05 Junio 2020
Abstract:
Reading in different media allows identifying readers’ skills and interests that can be evidenced in their attitudes, capacity of analysis and social interaction, which in turn develop behaviors that significantly affect the acquisition of reading behavior, thus establishing relevant factors that influence third grade elementary students’ reading behavior. This study applied a qualitative approach and an action research methodology interviewing twenty third-graders from a public institution in the municipality of Yondo, Antioquia. Factors such as reading habits, types of texts, multimodality and teamwork are highlighted, as well as procedures while students engaged in electronic reading. Schools continue to be a fundamental actor in fostering students’ interest in reading and in favoring their reading behavior. Basic education; reading behavior; multimodal texts. https://doi.org/10.15765/pnrm.v14i27.1518
Keywords: Basic education, reading behavior, multimodal texts.
Resumen: La lectura en diferentes soportes permite identificar habilidades e intereses de un lector, evidenciadas en sus actitudes, en su capacidad de análisis e interacción social, desarrollándose conductas que inciden significativamente en la adquisición del comportamiento lector, y posibilita establecer factores relevantes que influyen en el comportamiento lector de los estudiantes de grado tercero de básica primaria. En este documento se utilizó un enfoque cualitativo, método investigación-acción, mediante entrevista a 20 estudiantes de tercer grado, en el municipio de Yondó, Antioquia, de una institución pública. Se destacan los factores de hábito lector, tipos de textos, multimodalidad y trabajo en equipo, así como procedimientos durante la lectura en medio electrónico de los estudiantes revisados para este estudio. Se concluye que la escuela sigue siendo un actor fundamental para lograr que los estudiantes se interesen por la lectura y favorezcan su comportamiento lector.
Palabras clave: Educación básica, comportamiento lector, textos multimodales.
INTRODUCTION
The practice of reading has had diverse ideas in terms of human beings’ different social contexts, it has been addressed beyond its textual coding as a cultural practice that reveals a subject’s behavior and attitude, and as the bearer of meaning for the reader (Chartier & Bourdieu, 2010). While Cassany (2006) elaborates on the need to advance to a sociocultural level in which communicative practices and interaction make sense in the social context, gaining pragmatic nature and showcasing the different ways in which new readers are tackling reading.
Alpuche and Vega (2014) state that self-efficacy in reading can predict first-graders’ reading behavior; their research suggests that the interaction between context and capacities will help attain meaningful academic performance. For that purpose, researchers applied both an observation instrument for early literacy achievement and a self-efficacy scale for reading, which were proposed by the authors, and concluded that encouraging trust in students’ own skills -based on their basic knowledge- can lead to successful reading practices.
The Organization of Ibero-American States’, OEI, (2006) report on reading and writing promotion policies determined that reading has shown remarkable growth in some countries, and that factors such as pleasure, knowledge update and academic demand are the main reasons why people read. Likewise, research by Yubero and Larrañaga (2010) introduces the fact that children read the most, however, not all children read out of interest or in their leisure time; they state that reading must be driven by the student’s interest and must be backed by it being part of a lifestyle, in which his or her social context -family in particular- are key to acquiring habits since they are the main reading motivators and those the child uses to mirrors his/her reading behavior; the latter should be understood as the expressions taking place between the reader and the text, which evince interests, attitudes, disposition towards reading and feelings, and that make the subject a participant of the social context.
Mujica, Guido and Gutierrez (2012), in their research on Mexican students aged 14-20, revealed the existence of motivational factors that affect reading behavior, such as familial influence, and academic and social levels. They clarify that familial support and parents’ academic degree are essential for their children’s reading activities in each socioeconomic level. Furthermore, Mujica et al. (2012) indicate that “insofar as students’ reading behavior is properly encouraged, the activity will increase” (p.29). Therefore, reading motivation is exhorted in each social space, especially schools, considered places to meet and academic and knowledge spaces that foster interaction and dialog aimed at strengthening communicative skills.
The aforementioned in addition to the fact that nowadays, reading in digital media increasingly popular (Cassany & Ayala, 2008), slowly boosting reading in different social environments because technological tools have provided children and teens with new ways to read to stay informed, gain knowledge and interact, thus challenging teachers at the moment of suggesting activities with the same purposes. In turn, Cassany (2009) proposes taking into account the use of literate vernacular practices in classroom activities, which are an opportunity to bring students closer to reading and to reach deeper and experience-based learning that can be integrated with digital media on a daily basis.
Cordon (2010) affirms that the use of digital media to read literature is on the rise, which indicates that students are looking for information in print text and are attempting to complement information or knowledge precisely and quickly through digital media, meaning, with less mechanic demand to be able to focus on cognitive processes. Moreover, they establish reading times with practical and motivating technological means for their reading processes (Daza-Orozco RA., 2018). The aforementioned does not justify laziness towards analog reading, it means that current society looks for the best ways of interacting with reading based on diverse options offered by the context.
In that regard, the doors of information and communications technology, ICT, are open, becoming a road towards new experiences and learning, setting up diverse reading spaces in which image, color and movement constitute an encouraging part of the practice, providing sense to the reader. Additionally, it allows complementing analog reading and digital multimodal reading with diverse aspects.
Although the importance of reading analog text is not taken for granted, there is a need for inclusion of digital media to engage reading processes, being aware that new generations were born in technological environments and are largely dependent on them. Therefore, making digital media a part of reading processes becomes an encouraging aspect for learning in a context that is akin on their interests and that fosters participation, analysis and knowledge (CERLALC-UNESCO, 2014). The aforementioned allows analyzing its incidence in students’ reading behavior, as well as approaching their interests through technological media.
Aspects such as image and movement generate other ways of reading, promoting personal and academic development and contact with other symbolic systems in their educational duties. Reading entails social contact in which subjects dialog with their environment, appropriate their knowledge and experiences and play with their imagination, understanding that reading goes beyond coding. Thus, it is necessary to reconfigure ideas that are responsible for readers’ constant apathy for diverse texts that may unveil realities and collective imagination.
Reading is defined by a series of factors that influence taste, pleasure or apathy for it, setting the tone for reading that differs from the subject’s activities in interaction with his/her environment. In that sense, the subject’s reading behavior is defined, shaped by positive or negative circumstances that meaningfully reverberate on his/her reading experiences. For these reasons, concepts are addressed to analyze and discern some reading practices and experiences that noticeably affect people’s school and social duties. The purpose of this article is to introduce the results of a research aimed at defining relevant factors that influence the reading behavior of third-graders in primary school.
METHOD
Education goes hand in hand with changes in social structures, these have a significant repercussion in teachers’ duties, making way to commitments and possible answers to the educational needs and issues that transcend pedagogical practice, driving reflexive and critical attitudes in teachers amid an increasingly complex reality. This makes teachers participants of experiences and research studies to substantially contribute to personal, educational and social changes -as proposed herein-.
This study followed a qualitative research method, expressed on the problem statement intended to analyze the incidence of digital multimodal texts in the third-grader’s reading behavior; likewise, to identify relevant aspects that influence the study through the implementation of a critical didactic proposal.
For Hernandez, Fernandez and Baptista (2010) “the qualitative approach may be understood as a set of interpretative practices that make the world “visible”, transforming it and turning it into a series of representations, annotations, recordings and documents” (p.10). This way, researchers and participants constantly interact, making it feasible to know and interpret experiences and situations of their environment, respecting their thoughts or opinions. In that regard, this research set out to study reading behavior, digital multimodal reading and critical didactics within the school environment but with a global view. As suggested by Hernandez et al. (2010), qualitative research “provides depth to data, dispersion, interpretative richness, environment or environment’s contextualization, details and unique experiences” (p.17). Therefore, the research possesses reliability, dynamism and flexibility in the use of techniques, information collection and analysis.
Third-graders constitute the main axis of this study; their experiences, opinions and stances made it possible to describe, understand and interpret the events and information pertaining reading behavior associated with digital multimodal texts, as well as relevant aspects connected with the object of the study.
This research implemented the method of action research to systematize educational praxis, it defined strategic planning stages or moments: execution, observation, reflection and self-evaluation. It is a qualitative tool with which researchers attain previously defined goals through cyclical work (Carr & Kemmis, 1988) based on two axes: one that is strategic, made up by action and reflection; and another one that is organizational, made up by planning and observation. This with the purpose of understanding and interpreting the situations evinced in classrooms, and of contributing with actions for improvement.
As suggested by Carr and Kemmis (1988), the following were the stages:
The research covered a school term divided in three cycles, each for a type of text: narrative, demonstrative and argumentative, and digital multimodal texts served as tool to steer the project. Each cycle was followed by a detailed final report of the processes, revealing the results obtained considering unexpected events, adjustments and actions developed. Consequently, it was a robust research that showed a team’s project, in which the researcher became an active and self-critic subject that adjusted to certain context, contributing to the improvement of educational and social practices.
The sample of this exercise was made up of 31 students, 18 boys and 13 girls. The population is in the social levels 0 and 1 and it ranges between 7 and 12 years of age. The instrument was applied in the subjects of Social Sciences, Computing Sciences, Ethics and Spanish in different working sessions.
Students in the Luis Eduardo Diaz educational institution were surprised by the stories in digital media, images and comics, all of which served their creative interests. Their breaks took place among tablets and downloading stories on their mobile phones. Which is why they asked their teachers to change their academic routines, with additional use of the institution’s digital tools, creating new interaction spaces.
The critical didactic proposal suggested by this research included the design of a blog to post the digital production and activities proposed by the teacher and students. The work that was posted was selected by the students, since some of them felt insecure about their work. Some parents participated by reading the digital multimodal texts and commenting in the section’s opinion box; they were pleased to interact with the school and to witness their children’s progress throughout the development of the critical didactic proposal.
Semi-structured interviews were used to collect information. Interviews are a research technique aimed at initiating an enjoyable dialog with confessions by the interviewer. For Hernandez et al. (2014), interviews “allow going deeper into details and arguments on topics that have been developed more generically with the application of a questionnaire, thus reaping more quality and reliability in the information obtained” (p.11). According to this, the sequence of the questions could vary depending on the answers of the interviewee, missing questions can also be included. As an advantage, the interview gives the possibility of being face-to-face with the interviewee and of analyzing their physical postures (gestures, body movements), silence as a manifestation of doubt, unconformity, fear, etc. (Callejo, 2002). In this study the interviewees were third-graders, who were given prior instructions to express their opinion and valuable aspects evinced in the research.
The instrument’s validation required a review by two experts who provided their observations. One of them indicated that the instrument was pertinent as per the activities and situations of interest to the students’ age group. Another requested redrafting one of the questions to improve its comprehension. Likewise, the instrument was implemented in a classroom with similar characteristics to that of the real population aimed at posterior application. In the interview, participants were asked to respond freely and based on their own experiences and interests; it was individually applied in a single moment, and its time frame was one hour.
As mentioned before, the semi-structured interview was implemented by one of the researchers at the end of each cycle with a group of approximately seven students, meaning, in three different moments of the development of the critical didactic sequence. The interview led to the identification of aspects that affected third-graders’ reading behavior of digital multimodal texts. Students names were replaced with numbers from 1 to 20, depending on how the interviews took place. No answers were dismissed in the digitalization process, everything was considered valid for the analysis.
The analysis was inductive and it set out to respect the students’ answers. Sentences or expressions that were related to concepts addressed in the research were highlighted. The analysis was conducted with twenty interviews, taking into account that the interviews were applied to students who were willing to participate.
:Planning: in this first stage an idea or problem that needed improvement was identified; a diagnosis of the situations showed the stances of subjects involved, to then plan a strategy.
:Action: the second stage was an execution of the action plan, which was flexible because it allowed adjustments to be made after a reflection based on the review and analysis of previously obtained data and information.
Observation: this stage conducted supervision and analysis of what was evinced. To achieve an accurate observation, it was necessary to use instruments that contributed valid and sufficient information to the undertaken action.
:Reflection: the objective of this stage was to analyze and interpret obtained information. This required information to be reduced to the extent of coding every piece that was meaningful for the research, validating the information and making it believable.
RESULTS
The following is the analysis of the semi-scheduled interviews with third grade students. Its purpose was to inquire into aspects pertaining students’ reading experiences, uses and environments, the context in which it takes place and the involvement of ICT in these practices; likewise, it intended to analyze how digital multimodal texts affect third-graders’ reading behavior. Interviews took place at the end of each cycle of the critical didactic sequence, meaning there were three interview sessions. The implemented interview guide included fifteen open questions. The analysis considered all of the answers provided, which resulted in a series of subcategories that are connected with the study’s objectives.
Factor 1: the Reading Habit
The analysis of students’ interviews found that, from the first to the last session, students consider reading as a leisure-based activity and are interested in knowing what lies behind each text they have read (Daza-Orozco, 2019). To the question: Which moments of the day did you choose to read? Students answered at the weekends or with schedules differing from school hours. Student 1 states: “late afternoon, when I am not busy or in the morning when I come to school or get home from school”. Student 2 answers: “on my days off because I don’t do homework on those days and I am free. On Friday I do my homework and I am free for the day, and the other two days are off so I can read and I don’t have to do anything”. Although their answers do not have a direct connection with school hours or reading spaces available in school, these could be the foundation for their personal search and for peer interaction because students do not seem to refuse reading in the classroom.
In the second and third interview sessions, some students mentioned they used digital media to read. Student 15 expresses: “each morning, Monday, Tuesday and Sunday, when I do not have homework I surf the web and read”. Digital tools have enabled students to read based on their own interests and indications by the teacher, which were mostly shared in the classroom or the edublog. Consequently reading becomes meaningful because they engage with their environment. The reading habit contributes to the reading behavior based on the connection established by components such as familial accompaniment, example, motivations and interests and reading moments defined at home, school or by the students themselves. An interesting reading-context relationship emerges, readers are acknowledged as subjects that link their emotions and feelings with the reading practice and who are not unaware of their reality.
The community of Yondo has been reassessing the importance of reading, regarding it as a space for interaction, dialog and construction of knowledge, revealing particular and common interests that are mediated by social and academic factors. The social context is a decisive factor that helps visualize the interest for reading in different media, those with higher social status display a larger reading habit than those with lower status (Moya & Gerber, 2016). This evident fact also affects the municipality of Yondo, however, strategies are being developed to connect the subject to spaces of context in which reading is the main axis and that benefit the reading behavior from early age, educating critical, reflexive and autonomous individuals.
Factor 2: Types of Text
When students were asked: which digital texts do you enjoy reading the most? Their interest on digital multimodal reading during the didactic sequence was the narrative text, they added that they find these texts interesting due to their stories and characters that leave a message and amusement. Some expressions include: Student 7: “because I learn and I like the characters. Because they are not the same in the story of the book.” Student 13: “because I like it and they make me laugh sometimes”. Students are drawn to fiction since it helps them develop imagination with more ease than other types of texts. In that sense, Camps (2005) affirms that “stories allow to evoke worlds of fiction through language in children’s minds, they contribute with the construction of mind schemes that are typical of narrative genres” (p.7). Hence, the texts students share with their family members or friends are of this type, opening up spaces to dialog or share experiences that are filled with magic and illusion and that are relatable with their daily life.
In a lesser amount, some students expressed being interested in demonstrative texts. Student 11 says: “because these are important things, because I like it and I learn.” Student 14 answers: “because they have images explaining that we need to take care of the planet, protect rivers, lakes, fish, all of it. We must not litter nor contaminate the planet because that pollutes planet earth.” In their words´, there is a connection between what they know and the construction of new learning based on the interaction with their environment, reality and ideas for a common benefit. Likewise, the text’s image and color captivate students and allow them to increasingly make their own reading in association with their knowledge and environment.
During the exercise, students were presented with narrative, demonstrative and argumentative texts in several modalities, with narrative texts being the most interesting to them. Camps (2002, p.34) suggests that:
Reading materials accessed by individuals are linked to literacy processes in the circles they live in. One of the likely causes for students’ preference for narrative texts is that despite being exposed to other texts, has to do with the fact that in their homes or cultural settings, narrative texts are available for them to read, write and attain reading comprehension levels.
Reading
materials accessed by individuals are linked to literacy processes in
the circles they live in. One of the likely causes for students’
preference for narrative texts is that despite being exposed to other
texts, has to do with the fact that in their homes or cultural
settings, narrative texts are available for them to read, write and
attain reading comprehension levels
Factor 3: Multimodality
Reading on a computer is an interesting experience for students, likely because analog reading is more common. Also, because they do not think their search could result in texts, and because of the short reading that takes place when logging in social networks or links of interest, which Cassany (2009) has dubbed vernacular literate practices. For students, reading on a computer is significant because it is faster, new texts are posted every day, due to the images and color and because it generates learning and practicality. Student 10 asserts: “because I read images, I read what is interesting, because I find it interesting, because I find things I did not know about and I can do it by myself or with my parents”. The student has understood that aside from the alphabet, he/she can read other semiotic resources, which encourage knowledge and inquiry. It is evident that accompaniment by the family becomes an important factor for their reading behavior (Mujica et al., 2012). Some students are not allowed by their families to visit the library, so they believe that using the computer at home can get them closer to reading different texts of their interest. Student 17 says: “I am very interested because I am not allowed to go to the library but I can read from home”. The use of digital multimodal texts enables students to connect with a diversity of texts so they can gain insight on the use of digital tools, since these are used not just to play games but to read texts that he/she can share with family or close classmates.
Students are more interested in teachers working with digital texts in the classroom due to accessibility to texts and topics, different semiotic resources they can find and because it drives their attention. Student 10 states: “you can find everything. You may read any type of story to us, colors are more beautiful, and books look heavier… sorry, because we do not carry the books”. Similarly, they consider these types of texts provide access to new learning, which they can share with their classmates, have opinions about, analyze and expand their knowledge based on the social context. Student 5 adds: “because there are many things to learn, for example learning how to show respect”. Student 16 says: “because I can read more, because I can learn more”. Student 11 answers: “because I like it, we pay more attention, there are lots of colors, and taking care of the water and manatees, that is why we need to protect water”. Expressions such as the aforementioned lead to the conclusion that although students have fun with these texts, they also manage to establish connections with their environment. Moreno (2002) indicates that while reading is connected with the school (as the place where the development of reading habits occurs), family and social settings are factors that affect this social practice.
Factor 4: Teamwork
When students were asked: how do you feel working in teams and fulfilling established roles? Answers evinced that it was satisfactory, and they admitted they had become more proactive, decided and confident with their opinions. Students believe their confidence, comradeship, and solidarity were strengthened. In that sense, student 18 answers: “good because we do that as a team and we can help each other”. Student 14 expresses: “very good because my classmates have explained things to me and I am learning, those who know more teach the others”. Hence, most students improved their interpersonal relationships and became aware that everyone deserves the same treatment to improve coexistence; this has revolved around suggested readings and reflections that have been brought up from their experiences. Only two students felt dissatisfied with the work conducted with their classmates, they felt unmotivated because their classmates failed to value their contributions and comments.
Students granted that digital tools were an opportunity to express and read their classmates’ opinions. In the edublog, students gave their opinion freely and contributed experiences and knowledge. Moreover, some parents connected and openly commented and contributed. Student 5 says: “yes, because we can read our friends’ thoughts, or even disagree and my parents can join me”. The integration of areas allowed students to strengthen foundations to develop the suggested activities, logging in to the blog with ease, fulfilling the interactive activities and reading, developing critical comments and stances, and reading the multimodal texts designed by their classmates, such as posters, comics and videos.
All of the students used the edublog while they were at school. Castillo, Pedraza and Roa (2015) point out that implementing a blog as learning strategy can promote enhanced reading in students by driving comprehensive relationships between image, video and text, thus favoring teamwork and construing digital texts and feedback processes.
The following chart summarizes relevant factors and aspects of the students’ interviews, which entail an analysis of the reading behavior of digital multimodal texts:
During the interviews conducted in each session of the didactic proposal, students exhibited interest for the types of texts that were suggested. Also, they expressed their tastes, largely for narrative texts and specifically for stories. Their motivation to read has always been notorious, but for some students their reading spaces were conditioned by school, and sometimes, by spaces offered in their neighborhoods.
The interviews unlocked students’ expectations, reading processes, reading spaces and interests beyond the academic nature, their reality was addressed and considered in each session of the didactic sequence. It made way to an analysis of diverse reading spaces that involve digital multimodal texts, considering students’ interests even more and how to link them with learning intended in school. Therefore, connecting diverse academic areas, students’ daily situations and the edublog can encourage participation of students and their parents or close family members, and can foster meetings, get to know their children’s interests and significantly interact with digital tools. The research by Mujica et al. (2012) reveals the existence of several motivational factors that largely influence students’ reading behavior and specifies that families’ example and accompaniment inspire their children to read. However, this accompaniment goes hand in hand with children’s socioeconomic level, which can also hinder reading motivation.
While print text is important for students’ reading process, digital multimodal texts bolster an exploration of different semiotic resources, reading on their own and/or complementing previous readings, favoring their analysis and comprehension. For students, reading digital multimodal texts has provided new ways of accessing reading, even more so when they cannot visit libraries, having motives to engage in conversation and debate with their classmates aspects pertaining these texts and establishing hypotheses concerning their understanding.
DISCUSSION
The interviews revealed that students are persistently interested in converging with digital multimodal texts and in discovering what their reading will bring, also, that the edublog managed to lay down new relationships with classmates and their parents by providing a common space to interact, share new readings and comments that would be interesting for many of them. Orihuela (2006) states that blogs “increase students’ interest to learn and open effective participation flows that assist dialog and academic discourse” (p.170). This was present in each of the suggested activities and, to this point, it constitutes a meaningful option to make sense of acquired learning.
Answers point out that when reading digital multimodal texts, students were often more interested in the text’s images, which enabled them to discriminate space, color, expression and movement. Chacon (2015) mentions that “the experience of reading images in early school years demands complex visual and intellectual skills from the reader, which children are able to fulfill” (p.5). When they were asked for the texts they had read, they frequently mentioned punctual aspects, moreover, if they were asked about the title of the story some children answered with the name of a character or a place.
Students’ reading behavior is discernible in their interest to read the texts, preferences, increased reading hours in and out of the institution without teachers insisting. Students asked for spaces to interact with technological tools to read and socialize their points of view. Consequently, reading levels rose more and more. In that sense, reading must entail an approach to the students’ context in order to allow them to identify situations of their environment in their reading, which can steer decisions and stances according to their age (Cassany, 2009).
Reading in digital media became an opportunity to interact with other types of texts. Without questioning the use of print text, digital reading significantly connected with students’ reading processes, admitting their access to technological tools is increasing. Cassany (2011) adds “nowadays, digital reading is a common practice for many students, and it will continue to rise, to the extent that access to the Internet via smartphones, laptops and public screens continues expanding” (p.31). Its use revealed readers’ interests and attitudes towards what it was expressing to them, therefore, non-verbal codes also became an important aspect to interpret and show their opinions about the reading.
Students were interested in reading the proposed texts, they inquired into the proposed topics to attain bases to express opinion and suggest situations and experiences to their classmates. In their inquiries, the preferred multimodal texts were digital stories, which were introduced to their classmates orally or with the edublog. According to the students, its appeal resides in fantasy and fun: magic, color and characters inspire readers to follow the story and to establish a relationship with events present in their daily lives.
Regarding the factor of social context, the relationship between the subject and its environment is acknowledged as a factor that influences the construction of new knowledge. Hence, students felt comfortable interacting with the texts, finding spaces to participate, concentrate and question in order to become proactive and critical subjects. Duarte (2012) indicates that reading behavior is evident in a subject when he/she appropriates the meaning of a text, understands it and can maintain an effective dialog with others, exhibiting capabilities of analysis, autonomy and criticality.
The presence of digital multimodal texts brought up new challenges to prepare students to access their understanding and configure the action of reading as a fundamental practice aimed at developing thinking, as means to access information and acquire knowledge about their social reality, even though digital reading evinced other ways of interacting with their reality. Also, it implies the emergence of critical stances revolving around their social environment, turning them into subjects that think, give opinions, decide and get involved with situations that concern them, contributing proposals that favor personal and intellectual growth based on their knowledge and being. CERLALC-UNESCO (2014) explains that reading behavior manifests through different reading practices, understood by the readers’ diverse representations or formats. This manifestation goes hand in hand with their own actions, interests or purposes, tastes, motivations and meanings, mediated by their sociocultural context, which in turn shapes the reading competences that emerge from and impact reading behavior.
The incursion of new technological tools in the lives of children and teens is decisive for schools to become aware of its implementation in pedagogical practices and activities. Its use encourages experimentation, reflection and collaborative learning (Coll, Mauri and Onrubia, 2011). Promotes strengthening individuals’ communicative skills, knowledge and active participation. Accordingly, it is important to address aspects that really impact students’ learning, in which the time allocated and the objective to reach are consequent with students’ needs and interests as well as with the institution’s curriculum.
The multimodality factor was visible at all times, the texts had an implied use of diverse semiotic resources. The implementation of videos, digital texts, comics and posters became a significant vehicle for students in terms of reading; it propitiated meaningful reading and interaction environments, accomplishing active participation. Likewise, it allowed spaces to communicate and introduce stances that were connected with situations pertaining students’ social reality. “…these environments make way for new ways of reading and writing and for new reading and writing practices that press for the reader –and writer’s– new knowledge, skills and competences” (Coll, 2005, p.8).
Students exhibited interest in design and in reading digital multimodal texts, they made it easier for them to exemplify, express and defend their comments and arguments with their classmates and possible readers. They were motivated by having to frequently log in to the activities and conducted them as many times as they wished to further discuss with their classmates. Students regarded digital tools as a way to interact with texts and, while strengthening their reading processes, they have also impacted their reading behavior: interest for a text in particular, reading spaces and times, an interaction with text when print versions are lacking or they cannot visit the library, as mentioned by some, gaining intellectual and personal robustness. The implementation of digital multimodal texts favors thinking processes that test their skills of interpretation, inference and construction of meaning (Calle, 2014).
Teamwork was also discernible from the early sessions. The first session instated coexistence guidelines to foster good relationships in the classroom. Setting up the teams allowed to allocate roles that encouraged security, responsibility and leadership. Likewise, respect for others significantly strengthened active listening skills, whereas before the proposal students failed to pay attention when other classmates expressed their opinions or experiences.
Personal experiences and prior knowledge that surfaces from proposed texts made students more aware of social topics that involved them, such as protection of the environment, and respect for their bodies and for others, to the point that several of the developed activities were replicated by them to students in other classrooms. Two students felt uncomfortable working in teams, because they felt their classmates did not take them seriously and failed to value their opinions. This situation was addressed and agreements were reached to minimize this behavior in the classroom.
Working in teams aided the creation of small reading teams in which students shared their reading experiences during the break or before class, students commented on what they had read, what they found interesting and not, and suggested reading or inquiring into texts for their upcoming meeting. Some of them felt they could not participate due to lack of access to the Internet or a technological tool. This situation motivated the teacher to set some time aside on Fridays to inquire into texts, read and share with each other.
CONCLUSIONS
Reading has been and will always be a topic of extensive research as long as there is a specific problem and population. In this study, reading behavior became more than a problem, it turned into a motivating situation to delve into. The aforementioned, based on a multicultural environment in which an array of interests is present. In this opportunity, reading is a space for interaction and fun. For third-graders in the Luis Eduardo Diaz educational institution, reading turns into a space of enjoyment where they can freely read, imagine, dialog and discuss an exciting topic. Alpuche and Vega (2014 imply that students are active subjects and that, under contextualized learning environments, their experiences and capacities may achieve reading levels that benefit their reading behavior.
Reading behavior in primary school introduces concepts, motivational factors, strengths and weaknesses of a particular context which cannot be evaded by the school and family. It can be concluded that families, based on reading habits, occupations or lack of education, have a hard time instilling the taste for reading, yet the environment offers spaces for students to fall in love with reading: libraries and schools. Educational institutions are responsible for bringing children closer to reading, facilitating spaces to meet in which students may recognize their tastes while opening up to other types of texts. Afterwards, students will become autonomous, reflexive and critical of what they read. Schools must consider the approach of state policies in terms of reading processes and how these affect students’ reading behavior and implement the programs. It was demonstrated that students have their own reading style based on their level of attention, memory and use of the senses. Likewise, reading times vary according to the curiosity awakened by certain types of texts. Students’ vernacular practices are also noteworthy, these become a relevant aspect of their reading practices because they refer to reading tastes, spaces and times. It is thus acknowledged that reading can occur in digital media.
Currently, people have more access to technology and take advantage of it to interact in websites, webpages, games and various types of information. This allows bringing students closer to reading spaces in order to impact their reading behavior. Early on, children become familiar with diverse types of texts as to let them define their tastes. A larger amount of students manifested feeling more inclined towards reading digital multimodal texts because they focused on images, color or movement. Cordon (2010) sustains that implementing digital media significantly encourages reading habits and consequently benefits reading behavior.
Implementing reading of digital multimodal texts entails more than a shift in reading practices, it is a meaningful approach to making sense to what students read and understand through social interaction that might lead to the search for other ways of developing skills, in which knowledge and experiences will not be linked to society’s daily life (Gutierrez, 2008). It is not possible to be unaware of the technical changes and social practices that emerge with people’s interactions. There is an urgent need to be at the forefront, of being familiar with students’ interests and needs, even more so with the rise of technology and social changes that come with the acquisition of knowledge and social practices.
It is imperative to consider the students’ social context as a fundamental element of their reading practices and elements. The context of Yondo is multicultural. As a result, people there have different forms of expressing, relating and living; these reflect on educational levels, interests and reading habits and affect students’ reading behavior. Some students master the written code better; others are more visual and are driven to images, color and movement; other students are more auditory and relate to audiobooks or reading out loud. Yet, all of them are interested in reading.
Reading is regarded as an indispensable practice in a social environment. Achieving it requires certain levels of skill, which are often unmet due to factors that significantly echo on reading practices. Research by Moreno (2002), Yubero and Larrañaga (2010), Duarte (2012), Mujica et al. (2012) and Palacios-Almendro (2015) has demonstrated that factors such as family, school, habit, media and reading modes, teamwork, may encourage or discourage reading behavior. Among other aspects, the following are noteworthy: reading accompaniment, example, reading meetings, providing various reading materials, attending libraries or reading spaces. Because of this, school is a fundamental stakeholder to get students interested in reading and to boost their reading behavior.
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