Early motivational profile of students with difficulties of access to lexico and reading comprehension on primary education

Abstract

The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the early motivational profile of different groups of students categorized according to their reading performance level in lexicon access and understanding in 2nd year of Primary Education. The initial sample consisted of 208 preschoolers from 5 to 6 years old and their tutors, of whom 179 were evaluated again two years later. In Early Childhood Education, teachers completed the scale of the Preschool Learning Behaviors Scale (PLBS, McDermott, Green, Francis, Stott, 2000) that evaluates different behaviors related to motivation towards learning (competence-motivation, attentionpersistence and attitude towards learning). Two years later, the Battery for the Evaluation of Reading Processes was administered (PROLEC-R, Cuetos, Rodríguez, Ruano, Arribas, 2007). Participants were categorized into 4 groups based on their performance in tasks of lexicon access and understanding of PROLEC-R (Cuetos et al., 2007): difficulties in lexicon accessing (DLA, n = 27); difficulties in reading comprehension (DRC, n = 69); difficulties in both domains (DLA + DRC = 32) and average performance (AP, n = 51). The results revealed significant differences between groups in all the variables of motivation towards learning evaluated in Early Childhood Education, with a worse functioning of the groups with difficulties in comparison with the students with average performance. A greater affectation of the DLA + DRC and DLA groups is highlighted in comparison with the students with MRC in the ability to persist before the tasks (attention-persistence). The implications of these findings for research and psychoeducational practice are discussed.

Keywords

• estudio longitudinal
• dificultades lectoras
• motivación
• competencia percibida
• persistencia
• actitud hacia el aprendizaje