The goal of this research is to find evidence of the power of the programme Llegim en parella (Reading by pairs,) which proposes peer tutoring as a method to develop reading competence; focusing in two key aspects such as comprehension and a self-concept as a reader. The design involves a methodological multiplicity that permits first a quantitative approach, which allows the identification of the changes observed in each variable under study: reading comprehension and self-concept as a reader. Then, after these changes have been recorded, we can analize the process - especially the interaction in a subsample of pairs - through a qualitative approach that allows us to figure out the moments and the actions that induce the changes observed in the quantitative approach. We are using a sample of 577 students, of which 441 belong to the intervention group and 136 belong to the comparison group; and 20 teachers from 10 different education schools that during the academic years 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11, were developing the programme Llegim en parella. This research takes place in the natural framework of the classroom. The quantitative results show significant differences between pre-test and post-test for all students in the intervention group on the reading comprehension variable under the different tutoring modes (fixed and reciprocal), and also under the different developed roles (tutor and tutee). The results of the analysis of the process show that the improvements are due to the application of reading strategies, either cognitives or metacognitives, proposed in the structure of the sessions of the programme Llegim en parella, and also due to the scaffolding help by the tutors to their tutee in order to improve their reading comprehension. We observe the richest situations in the interactions within pairs when trying to solve inferential and critical questions about comprehension. Regarding the self-concept as a reader, quantitative results show significant differences between pre-test and post-test for students developing the role of tutor, however it is not so for tutee nor for students developing reciprocal tutoring. The interactivity analysis shows that students in the role of tutors have elements to improve their self-concept as a reader, due to the development of their role, while tutee students normally explain their improvements by the tutor's help and not by their own effort, and they do not perceive themselves as better readers. Participants in the reciprocal tutoring probably do not have enough time to develop changes in their self-concept as a reader due to the fact that they spend half of the sessions in each role. However, we find that metacognitive reflexion processes can promote the improvement of self-concept as a reader and induce the students to become more conscious of their abilities and of their potential for improvement. Keywords: inclusive education, cooperative learning, peer learning, peer tutoring, reading competence, reading comprehension, self-concept as a reader.
Llegim en parella. Influència de la tutoria entre iguals en la comprensió i l'autoconcepte lector
Flores Coll, M. (Author). 18 Sept 2012
Student thesis: Doctoral thesis
Student thesis: Doctoral thesis