Reading comprehension in the academic performance of basic education students

Abstract

Introduction: Reading comprehension is a fundamental skill for learning and academic performance in basic education. This research aimed to determine the impact of reading comprehension on the academic performance of students at the Pedro Lucas Barberán Educational Unit, given the evidence of reading difficulties that limit text comprehension and academic success. Materials and Methods: The study employed a mixed-methods approach (qualitative and quantitative) with a non-experimental descriptive design. Surveys were administered to 5 teachers, an interview to 1 administrator, and observations were conducted with 37 students, using non-probability sampling by criterion. The analysis included inductive-deductive and statistical methods to examine the relationship between reading comprehension and academic performance. Results: 60% of the teachers identified a low level of reading comprehension among the students. Observation revealed that only 27% of the students consistently recognized important details in the text, although 57% applied their understanding in subsequent activities. Teachers (80%) recognize the crucial importance of reading comprehension and attribute 60% of low academic performance to this deficiency. The implementation of the "I Read" project showed improvements in motivation and reading participation. Discussion: The results confirm previous findings on the positive correlation between reading comprehension and academic performance. The lack of effective pedagogical strategies and insufficient reading practice outside the classroom explain the identified difficulties, coinciding with studies by Sandoval (2023) and Bernardo and Zayas (2019). Conclusions: Reading comprehension directly impacts academic performance, requiring the implementation of active, personalized, and cross-curricular pedagogical strategies to strengthen reading skills and, consequently, improve academic results in basic education.