Desarrollo de la lectura crítica y su aporte en la comprensión lectora J. Adv. Educ. Sci. Humanit. (January - June 2023) 1(1): 1-5 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14601883 ISSN: XXXX-XXXX ORIGINAL ARTICLE Development of critical reading and its contribution to reading comprehension  Edelita Risco edelita.risco@utm.edu.ec Received: 12 November 2022 / Accepted: 6 January 2023 / Published online: 31 January 2023 © The Author(s) 2023 Edelita Risco Abstract The current reality of Ecuadorian education- al institutions demands urgent changes in the development of the subject of Language and Literature that favor special attention to the act of reading and, therefore, reading com- prehension. Therefore, this research aimed to develop a didactic strategy for developing reading comprehension in students in the eighth year of Higher Basic Education at the Elías Cedeño Jerves Educational Unit in Canoa, San Vicen- te, Manabí. So, it is framed in the qualitative methodology under the case study method. The key informants were thirty eighth-year students surveyed as a study technique. The re- sults allowed us to observe that the application of didactic strategies of a playful and interactive nature favors students’ cognitive skills development. Therefore, it allows them to understand literary texts and develop autonomous learning. Keywords didactic strategy, reading comprehension, skills. Resumen El contexto actual de las instituciones educativas en Ecuador demanda cambios urgentes en el desarrollo de la asignatura de Lengua y Literatura, con el objetivo de priori- zar la lectura y mejorar la comprensión lectora. En este mar- co, la presente investigación tuvo como propósito diseñar un sistema de actividades de comprensión lectora orientado al desarrollo de la lectura crítica. El estudio adoptó un enfoque cualitativo y se desarrolló bajo el método de estudio de caso. Se evidenció que la implementación de estrategias didácticas de carácter lúdico e interactivo facilitó significativamente el desarrollo de habilidades cognitivas en los estudiantes, pro- moviendo tanto la comprensión de textos literarios como el aprendizaje autónomo. Estos resultados resaltaron la impor- tancia de integrar enfoques dinámicos e interactivos en la enseñanza para fomentar competencias críticas y autónomas en los alumnos. Palabras clave estrategia didáctica, comprensión lectora, comunicación oral. How to cite Risco, E. (2023). Development of critical reading and its contribution to reading comprehension. Journal of Advances Education, Sciences and Humanities, 1(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14601883 Unidad Educativa Elías Cedeño Jerves, Canoa, Manabí, Ecuador.

J. Adv. Educ. Sci. Humanit. (January - June 2023) 1(1): 1-5 2 Introduction In today’s society, where information is omnipresent and circulates across all contexts of people’s lives, with unpre- dictable advances in science and technology and the wides- pread presence of media and information in households, ha- ving individuals passionate about reading becomes crucial and necessary. Moreover, there is an urgent need for active, critical, socially, culturally, and environmentally responsible readers. From this perspective, the act and habit of reading becomes a complex, personal, and exclusive activity for each individual. Certain factors play a decisive role in achieving compelling reading in critical reading. Critical reading is es- sential for better comprehension (Nisar et al., 2023). According to UNESCO, millions remain illiterate for various reasons, including the lack of resources to access Education (Wood, 2020). Those who have access to formal Education need to gain the basic skills needed to learn to read, which prevents them from developing critical reading skills for any text (Ciuffetelli & Conversano, 2021). This si- tuation represents a significant concern for the educational system and society as a whole, as the absence of critical rea- ders could lead to significant issues in various areas: social, cultural, economic, and political. In the Ecuadorian context, according to the National Insti- tute of Statistics and Census (INEC), 27% of Ecuadorians do not have a reading habit. The most common reasons include a lack of interest, time constraints, and concentration pro- blems (INEC, 2017). These figures are alarming, especially in a 21st-century knowledge society, highlighting the urgent need for schools, as formative and educational agents, to have committed educators implementing didactic strategies that promote critical reading, particularly among adolescents with greater access to information. Critical reading is fundamental to the educational process. It serves as the foundation for acquiring other knowledge and broadens the understanding of objects and subjects in nature, establishing itself as the central axis of the tea- ching-learning process. Mastering this skill facilitates access to higher educational levels and contributes to academic and professional success from high school to university (Golden, 2023). Therefore, promoting reading habits and critical com- prehension in students from an early age is crucial. One of the essential skills for students is knowing how to read. This ability enables them to perform various functions and activities in their daily lives, both inside and outside the school setting (Parker et al., 2022). Learning to read begins in the early years of schooling when students recognize le- tters, opening the doors to knowledge. As they progress in their studies, so does their learning in the reading process, transitioning from learning to writing to understanding what they read. However, the goal should go beyond mere reading comprehension; reading should become an activity that enri- ches life rather than merely an academic task. Freire argued that the primary goal of critical reading is to uncover the truth. Reading is not limited to the ability to re- construct the general meaning of a text (understanding what is read); it also requires being aware that, beyond communi- cating ideas, the text conveys the thoughts and feelings of the author (Woolley, 2011). When the reader understands both the message and the sender, it is possible to achieve a cons- tructive critique of the text. Critical reading is one of the most important objectives for the education system at all levels, as it is a fundamen- tal activity for developing individuals’ critical and creative thinking. Critically reading a text involves going beyond the written words: the reader recognizes letters and pronounces sounds but feels, gets emotional, communicates, and com- prehends what they read. In this context, the main objective of this article was to design a system of reading comprehen- sion activities to foster the development of critical reading in eighth-grade students of Basic Higher Education at Unidad Educativa Elías Cedeño Jerves, in Canoa, San Vicente, Ma- nabí. Methodology The level of this study corresponded to a qualitative in- vestigation. The related variables were critical reading and reading comprehension. From a population of 90 students, a sample of 30 eighth-grade students from Basic General Edu- cation was selected. The sampling method used in this study was non-random, carried out through intentional sampling by the researcher. A six-item questionnaire was employed as the data collection technique. The variables in this study were critical reading and rea- ding comprehension. Critical reading was measured through the prior selection of texts, reading actions during the rea- ding process, and actions taken after completing the reading. The reading comprehension variable was evaluated through the comprehension of words, sentences, texts, and their rela- tionship with prior experience. A questionnaire was applied as the measurement tool. Results and discussion When asked about their actions when they did not unders- tand the meaning of a word in the text they were reading,

J. Adv. Educ. Sci. Humanit. (January - June 2023) 1(1): 1-5 3 20% stated that they analyzed the context or situation in which the unfamiliar word appeared. In comparison, 80% indicated that they recalled or searched for synonyms. By referring to the context, they tried to understand the meaning of a sentence; in other cases, they reread the text to find re- lationships between sentences and understand its intention. To grasp the general content of the text, 70% of the students expressed that they extracted the main ideas. In comparison, 20% paraphrased the paragraphs to understand the meaning according to their prior experiences. Approximately 57% said they rarely relate the texts they read to their daily experiences, while 40% indicated that they always use this strategy. Additionally, around 74% of the students said that to understand the intention and meaning of the text, they analyzed the language used by the author, while 27% reviewed whether the source was updated to the current context. About 60% of the students used strategies to detect errors in the text, identifying possible causes such as spelling and logical connectors. Twenty percent reported that, upon fini- shing the reading, they generated new knowledge and pro- posed improvement actions to construct or reconstruct the meaning or intention of the text. Meanwhile, another 20% needed to apply strategies, completing the reading without performing comprehension or metacognitive actions. The results indicated the need to implement didactic ac- tions that promote the development of cognitive skills in reading comprehension, aiming to achieve the three major processes involved in critical reading: interpretation, orga- nization, and evaluation. After analyzing the reality of the reading comprehension of eighth-grade Basic General Edu- cation students, a system of activities was proposed to en- courage reading in the classroom. Before designing the system of activities to achieve criti- cal reading through reading comprehension, it was necessary to review the concept of a system of activities. According to Santovenia (2010), a system of activities is “a teaching proposal consisting of a set of collectively planned activi- ties” (p. 3). The proposed system was based on the following design (Table 1). The proposed activity system for developing critical rea- ding is a comprehensive pedagogical tool designed to stren- gthen reading competencies in eighth-grade students of basic general Education. This approach is grounded in the theo- retical foundations of reading comprehension and focuses on developing cognitive skills at the literal, inferential, and critical levels. Additionally, it incorporates interpretive, or- ganizational, and evaluative processes essential for fostering critical reading in the classroom. The design includes three main activities. The first activi- ty focuses on literal comprehension through identifying and retaining explicit information, such as characters, keywords, and main ideas. This stage establishes a solid foundation for more complex analysis. In the second activity, students delve into inferential comprehension by deducing implicit aspects, formulating hypotheses, and filling in missing details from the text, promoting deeper thinking. Finally, the third activi- ty encourages critical evaluation, where students analyze and Table 1. Design of the activity system for critical reading Component Activity Introduction The proposed activity system is based on the theoretical principles previously described. The activities in this design aim to develop cognitive reading comprehension skills: literal, inferential, and sociocultural. Each activity facilitates the achievement of critical reading through its three processes: interpretative, organizational, and evaluative. This activity system is designed for a reading class with eighth-grade students in a general basic education setting. The teacher generates interest in the activities through motivational discourse, encouraging responsible participation, individually or in groups. The reading material for the class will be the first chapter of the book The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle. The system comprises the following activities: Activity 1. Locate, identify, and retain explicit information from the text. Activity 2. Deduce and infer the meaning of the text. Activity 3. Make value judgments about the content of the chapter read. Organization Students are organized into teams of four. The estimated time for each activity is 15, 20, and 15 minutes, respectively.

J. Adv. Educ. Sci. Humanit. (January - June 2023) 1(1): 1-5 4 Component Activity Tasks Activity 1 Search for the meanings of unfamiliar words. Recall passages and details from the chapter read. Identify the primary and secondary characters and the main idea of the chapter. Guiding questions: What is the text about? Who said it? What caused the topic? Activity 2 Uncover implicit aspects of the text. Complement details not included in the text. Formulate hypotheses about the characters. Guiding questions: What conclusions does the author reach? What is the meaning of the word…? Activity 3 Formulate opinions predicting outcomes or consequences. Differentiate facts from opinions. Propose an alternative title for the chapter. Guiding questions: What type of text is it? What does the author mean by this expression…? What do you think of what the author proposes? Resources Printed chapters from the book, highlighters, dictionaries, pencils, erasers, colored cards, and paints. Process Activity 1 The teacher projects a motivational video related to the reading. Through the "Earthquake" dynamic, groups of four students are formed. Students underline unfamiliar words with highlighters and write them on cards. They then take turns reading the chapter and dividing the paragraphs among themselves. Finally, each group writes down identified characters, draws representative scenes from the chapter, and agrees on the central idea to present to the class. Activity 2 Using the drawn scenes, each team considers what events should be explicitly included in the reading. They modify a paragraph to complement the story. The team selects one character to describe their role and propose alternative roles. All of this will be shared with the other teams. Activity 3 Teams make predictions about the next chapter and write an alternative name for the current chapter. The teacher chooses one team representative to present this activity. Evaluation The teacher provides each team with a peer evaluation sheet, allowing them to rate team members' participation on a 10-point scale. Additionally, using the guiding questions, the teacher administers a written test for students to answer. Conclusion The teacher invites students to voluntarily share a general conclusion about the activity and commit to reading the next chapter. Finally, the teacher provides feedback and conducts a general reflection on the activity. make value judgments, predict outcomes, and suggest new interpretations, such as alternative titles for the chapter read. The system also stands out for its dynamic organization. Students work in teams of four and use resources such as highlighters, cards, and dictionaries, stimulating collabora- tive and active learning. The methodology includes creative tasks, such as drawing scenes and modifying text fragments, helping students connect emotionally with the reading and fostering imaginative thinking. Lastly, assessment and feedback are key aspects of the system. Through peer evaluation sheets and an individual test, both group participation and individual performance are assessed. The activity concludes with a general reflection, consolidating learning and motivating students to continue reading. This system represents a comprehensive and effec- tive pedagogical proposal for developing critical reading in students.

J. Adv. Educ. Sci. Humanit. (January - June 2023) 1(1): 1-5 5 Conclusions Implementing playful didactic strategies allows students to focus better on reading objectives by relieving tension and facilitating text assimilation through entertainment. Interac- tive strategies are helpful for both individual and group rea- ding, as they promote interaction among students and their environment. Reading comprehension involves developing cognitive skills applied sequentially, enabling students to use appropriate strategies for each reading stage, understand the text, and recreate the knowledge acquired. A well-plan- ned activity system is an effective didactic strategy that tea- chers can implement to motivate reading and foster critical comprehension, contributing to developing critical-thinking students and enhancing an essential process in teaching and learning. Despite its importance, reading remains a challen- ge in many school contexts. References Ciuffetelli, D., Conversano, P. (2021). Narratives of System- ic Barriers and Accessibility: Poverty, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and the Call for a Post-Pandemic New Nor- mal. Frontiers in Education, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/ feduc.2021.704663 Golden, B. (2023). Enabling critical thinking development in higher Education through the use of a structured plan- ning tool. Irish Educational Studies, 42(4), 949–969. https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2023.2258497 Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas y Censos. (2017). Pro- grama Nacional de Estadística. https://www.ecuador- encifras.gob.ec/documentos/web-inec/Normativas%20 Estadisticas/Planificacion%20Estadistica/Programa_ Nacional_de_Estadistica-2017.pdf Nisar, A., Sarfraz, A., Abdulelah A.A., & Tribhuwan, K. (2023). Relationships among students’ reading habits, study skills, and academic achievement in English at the secondary level. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, https:// doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1020269 Parker, R., Thomsen, S., & Berry, A. (2022). Learning Through Play at School – A Framework for Policy and Practice. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://doi. org/10.3389/feduc.2022.751801 Santovenia, J. (2010). Propuesta de un sistema de actividades docentes para el conocimiento de los repositorios científ- icos. Ciencias de la Información, 41(2),39-44. https:// www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=181421569005 Wood, J. (2020). This is why many young people have no access to proper Education. Worl Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2020/07/unesco-edu- cation-inclusion-inequalities/ Woolley, G. (2011). Reading Comprehension. In: Read- ing Comprehension. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi. org/10.1007/978-94-007-1174-7_2 Conflicts of interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Author contributions Edelita Risco: Conceptualization, data curation, research, methodology, software, visualization, writing the original draft, writing, review and editing. Data availability statement The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Statement on the use of AI The authors acknowledge the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies to improve the readability and cla- rity of the article. Disclaimer/Editor’s note The statements, opinions, and data contained in all publi- cations are solely those of the individual authors and contri- butors and not of Journal of Advances Education, Sciences and Humanities. Journal of Advances Education, Sciences and Humanities and/or the editors disclaim any responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, ins- tructions, or products mentioned in the content.