Performances en lecture et pratiques de classe en Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles :

l'urgence d'enseigner des stratégies de régulation, d'interprétation et d'évaluation

Abstract

In spring 2021, fourth grade students from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (FW-B) took part in the Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study (PIRLS) survey organized by the IEA. It takes place every five years and assesses reading comprehension  when students are increasingly required to read to acquire knowledge in the various school subjects.

This article puts the spotlight on some highlights of PIRLS 2021. The low average performance of FW-B pupils is compared with the nature of activities aimed at developing reading in grade four. Our results show that the development of self-assessment approaches and the regulation of their understanding by students is not targeted. Reading activities carried out in the school context appear essentially exploited for the purpose of evaluating the product of the comprehension. The place given to the development of approaches based on appreciation and reflection on the subject of the text remains limited. As for exchanges between readers and appropriation writings, their frequency remains low to very low at this school level. These practices are, however, essential levers for improving reading skills, whether viewed from a cognitive or sociocultural perspective. The reflexive dimension of reading highlights a rallying point between the two approaches: the ability to self-regulate one's comprehension but also that of taking distance to reflect on a text and justify one's understanding, interpretation, and personal appreciation of a text. It seems urgent to us that this dimension be anchored more frequently in classroom practices from the beginning of primary education.