Proactive and Technological Techniques to Improve Reading Lag in Eighth-Grade Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/asce.v5i2.949Keywords:
reading lag; reading comprehension; cooperative learning; educational technology; basic educationAbstract
Reading lag in Ecuadorian basic education is particularly acute in semi-rural areas, where comprehension deficits accumulate year after year without conventional classroom strategies managing to reverse them. The aim of this study was to determine whether the integration of proactive techniques (reading mediation, dialogic reading, peer tutoring) and adaptive digital resources affects the reading comprehension level of eighth-grade students at Escuela de Educación Básica "Miguel de Letamendi," Colonche parish, Santa Elena canton, during the 2025–2026 school year. A mixed-methods approach with quantitative predominance and a single-group quasi-experimental design was adopted, with pre- and post-test measurements. Instruments included a three-level reading comprehension test, a Likert-scale survey administered to teachers, and a structured observation rubric validated through expert judgment (Aiken's V = 0.86). Results showed a statistically significant increase: t(33) = 5.43; p < 0.001; Cohen's d = 1.62. Improvements were most pronounced at the inferential and critical levels, which had recorded very low scores at baseline. The nine students with the greatest reading lag were, paradoxically, those who registered the highest relative gains. Intermittent internet connectivity limited the use of digital resources, which reinforced the role of proactive techniques that do not depend on network access. The combined intervention proved feasible in this rural coastal context. Findings suggest that proactive techniques constitute the most decisive component when technological infrastructure is insufficient, and that students with the greatest initial lag concentrate the highest potential for improvement.
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