Contributions to the development of reading competence: results of an action research in the Teacher Training

ABSTRACT Although linguistic theories have advanced and reading is a central topic in various discussions and recent research, large-scale assessment results show that Brazilian students still face significant difficulties in reading competence. Therefore, the question arises: why is there still so much difficulty in teaching and learning to read? In view of this, this study aims to analyze the development of reading competence among students entering the Curso Normal (teacher training program) at a state public school in Rio de Janeiro. The investigation is guided by the following hypotheses: (i) There is little encouragement for the development of a taste for reading; (ii) in practice, at school, work is restricted to decoding and locating information in the text; (iii) there is low reading proficiency among students entering the Normal Course; (iv) there is a direct relationship between teaching reading strategies and developing literacy levels in reading. This research highlights the close relationship between the development of reading competence and an in-depth approach to different texts through appropriate pedagogical interventions, based on the theoretical perspectives defended, namely: sociocognitive theory (Koch; Cunha-Lima, 2011) and the theoretical assumptions of Tedesco (2012; 2020), Cosson (2021). Methodologically, action research with a qualitative-quantitative approach was conducted. The results revealed that teaching reading strategies, considering the levels of reading literacy, significantly improved students' reading ability, moving them from level 2 to level 4 of literacy. KEYWORDS: Curso Normal; Reading instruction; Pedagogical intervention; Literary text reading; Levels of reading literacy.