Reading strategies used by undergraduates from different areas to read study texts

Abstract

This work was exploratory in nature, aimed at investigating the reading strategies used by students enrolled in different degree courses of a public University. The option of selecting undergraduate students was due to the fact that they, as future teachers, will be responsible for training their students as readers, regardless the subject they teach. The participating students (N = 366) were enrolled in the freshman and senior year in the courses of Biology (n=59), Geography (n=124), Languages (n=106), Mathematics (n =45) and Philosophy (n=32). In order to collect data it was used the Scale of Reading Strategies, translated and adapted by Kopke Son. The participants were informed that the answers should focus the reading of the texts assign in their courses. Comparisons focusing different series and areas of knowledge were made. In general, the results indicate that senior students report regularly using reading strategies that promote a more appropriate reading of the academic texts assigned. The need for teachers of higher education to focus on teaching students how to read the texts that are assigned is stressed.