Reading comprehension of scientific informative texts among schoolchildren

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to determine the contribution of fluid intelligence and executive functions such as working memory and inhibitory control and verbal fluency, to the understanding of reading informative texts of a scientific nature in schoolchildren. Likewise, the contribution of syntactic consciousness was analysed, seen as a metalinguistic ability, to reading comprehension of this type of textual structure. A cross-sectional, exploratory-descriptive design of correlational scope was used. The sample included 175 Chilean schoolchildren of both sexes, in their 4th and 5th year of primary education of two educational centres. Measures of fluid intelligence, working memory, inhibition, syntactic awareness and reading comprehension of expository texts were taken. The results show statistically significant, but weak, relationships between fluid intelligence, working memory, inhibition and reading comprehension of informative texts and moderately significant relationships between syntactic awareness and reading comprehension of this type of textual structure.