Reading comprehension levels in mestizo children from La Guajira: a comparative analysis between literary and scientific texts

This study analyzes the levels of reading comprehension, both literal and inferential, in white mestizo children of 11 and 12 years of age from schools in the Department of La Guajira, Colombia. The results obtained in two types of texts are compared: artistic-recreational and techno-scientific. A sample of 106 children in 5th grade of elementary school, from 14 schools distributed in 5 zones of the department, were given 424 reading tests. The evaluation instruments were based on the approaches of authors such as Ramos Chagoya, De Zubiría, Martínez and Cuentas. The results reveal that the averages of literal comprehension in artistic-recreational texts are significantly higher than those of inferential comprehension in these texts. Similarly, a significant difference is observed in favor of literal comprehension in artistic-recreational texts compared to literal comprehension in techno-scientific texts. As for the comparison between literal and inferential comprehension in techno-scientific texts, no significant difference was found. However, a significant difference was found between literal comprehension of artistic-recreational texts and low literal comprehension in techno-scientific texts. In relation to the percentage of students who passed the reading comprehension tests, it was observed that this was higher in the cases of literal comprehension in both artistic-recreational and techno-scientific texts, compared to inferential comprehension in techno-scientific texts. The study shows significant gaps in the reading comprehension levels of mestizo children from La Guajira, according to the type of text and the level of comprehension (literal or inferential). These findings suggest the need to implement pedagogical strategies that strengthen inferential comprehension of texts, particularly in the scientific and technical fields.