From pages to practice: improving reading comprehension and learning strategies through physics learning

Abstract The study presents the effects of an educational intervention designed in the physics and Spanish classroom to encourage reading comprehension and learning strategies for meaningful learning. The intervention includes the reading of popular science books and group-level activities for solving a sequence of physics questions, conducted over an academic semester (2022) in a sample of 9th and 10th grade students from a secondary school in Chile. The study features a pre-experimental design with pre and post-tests to measure reading comprehension, learning strategies, student working networks during the intervention, and academic performance. Statistical comparisons show significant changes in reading comprehension, and improvements in learning strategies consistent with a transition towards strategic and meaningful learning orientations. Analysis of the collaboration networks allows us to understand these changes from a relational perspective, characterising subgroups and their development. These findings highlight the importance of reading exercises and group-level activities for human development, while social interactions offer alternative insights to understand the classroom experience.