The theoretical part presents reading literacy, reading comprehension, reading strategies, reading motivation, and reading self-concept. It also presents the extended programme of primary school as a setting that enables pupils to engage with texts in different, more relaxed, and creative ways.
The empirical part employed a mixed-methods research approach. The study included 20 fourth-grade pupils. Ten pupils formed the experimental group, which participated in the planned reading activities, while ten pupils formed the control group, which did not take part in these activities. Reading comprehension in both groups was compared using a pre-test and a post-test. In the experimental group, interviews were additionally conducted before and after the implementation of the activities to examine changes in pupils’ knowledge of reading strategies, reading motivation, and reading self-concept.
Five teachers were also included in the study, as the integration of reading activities into the extended programme also depends on how such activities are perceived by the teaching staff who plan or implement them. Their opinions provided insight into the usefulness of the prepared activities, the conditions required for their implementation, and possible improvements.
The research results indicate that, after the implementation of the activities, the experimental group made greater progress in reading comprehension than the control group. Positive changes were also observed among the pupils in the experimental group in their knowledge of reading strategies, their attitude towards reading, and their perception of themselves as readers. The teachers assessed the activities as useful and suitable for work within the extended programme, while also emphasising the importance of appropriate materials, adapting the activities to pupils, good organisation, and sufficient time for implementation.
The findings of the study indicate that the extended programme can represent a meaningful setting for developing reading literacy. Planned reading activities can offer pupils additional opportunities to work with texts and contribute to better reading comprehension, greater reading confidence, and a more positive attitude towards reading.
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