Intervenção em compreensão de leitura e funções executivas: efeitos na resolução de problemas matemáticos

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of a intervention program on reading comprehension and executive functions, which has demonstrated efficacy in improving reading comprehension (RC) and executive functions (EF) abilities, on quantitative problem-solving (PS). Fifth-grade students from two public schools were divided into two control classes (CG; n=35) and two experimental classes (EG; n=29). The experimental classes’ teacher received training to implement the program, which was composed of a selection of narrative texts and activities aiming to promote RC and EF development. Students’ performance on PS was evaluated pre- and post-intervention. Compared to the CG, students from the EG showed higher scores on PS broadly and, particularly, on the multiplicative reasoning task, with medium effect sizes (Cohen’s d=0.69 and d=0.52, respectively). Exploratory analysis of the strength of the association between PS and RC and PS and EF demonstrated moderate to strong correlations between measures of PS and several RC tasks, as well as between additive reasoning and auditory attention and working memory (phonological component and central executive). In terms of educational implications, this study highlights the relevance of including reading comprehension in mathematics education, since PS abilities were improved through an intervention focusing on RD and EF.