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A COMPLEX READING MODEL FOR EFFICIENT COMPREHENSION OF LITERARY TEXTS
https://doi.org/10.53656/ped2026-7.07
Резюме. This paper analyses the reading comprehension models that are applied in teachers’ practice at elementary schools in North Macedonia and suggests a complex model that can help surpass the problems that arise in the reading process. The research was conducted in seven primary schools in North Macedonia, which encompassed 20 classes, 21 native language teachers of Macedonian and 381 fourth-graders. The analysis helped determine five different reading models applied by teachers and to better understand the teaching process in relation to reading literary texts. Moreover, the students shared their opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of these type of reading comprehension methods. Hence, we propose the application of a complex model for reading comprehension that represents a combination of different models and its application is conditioned by the specifics of the literary text that needs to be learnt.
Ключови думи: reading; literature; literary text; reading comprehension
Introduction
Language lessons in the native language in primary education has multiple aims. It enables the students to comprehend the language, then to acquire and follow the essential grammar rules and structures, and most importantly enables the students to understand and experience literary works. The comprehension of a literary text depends on the acts of reading and experiencing. Reading involves three interrelated elements: the reader, the text, and the activity or reading task, all situated into a broader sociocultural context (Butterfuss, Kim, Kendeou, 2020, p. 2).
One of the tasks of language learning is to enable the student to independently experience, comprehend and value literary works from different genres. Stevanovic (2003, pp. 264 – 265) points out that the success in interpreting a text will depend largely on the way the recipient identifies with the given data, with the emotional sphere of this identification being particularly important. The interpretation of a literary work interrelates the text, the teaching process and the student. It is further influenced by: the aim and tasks of the teaching process, the teaching curriculum, the applied interpretation models, the textbook, the teacher’s characteristics and the student’s abilities. The four main processes for text comprehension as described in the PIRLS1 assessment framework are: focus on and retrieve explicitly stated information, make straightforward inferences, interpret and integrate ideas and information, evaluate and critique content and textual features (Bruggink, Swart, van der Lee, et al., 2022, p. 15).
Reading comprehension is a process that involves observation of new information and its connection to already acquired information. “This connection can consist of different thinking operations: classification (new information is classified as learnt), analogy (new information is similar to certain previous information), ordering the new information in a string” (1989, p. 297). The term ‘comprehension’ is often equated with the term ‘understanding’ and “comprehension is sometimes determined as a result of cognition, although not as a final aim in the teaching process, but as a precondition for practical application” (1989). As Purik (2006) explains, reading comprehension is a state in which operate cognitive, emotional and motivational factors. It represents a direct interaction between an individual (the reader or the student) and the text itself, which is labelled by Kant as “a unique experience” (Hewes, 1995).
The roots of most reading comprehension problems lie in the early elementary years (Kirby, 2007, p. 6). The process of teaching and acquiring reading comprehension is a complex process that starts with formed speech production, continues with content comprehension then to comprehension of the general message of a text and its motive. The reading comprehension process is possible only under three conditions. First the reader should have a perception ability to understand certain lexical items. Second, the reader should be able to understand the sentence structure or to uncover the meaning in the set of words. Third, the reader should know that the sum of the words’ meanings does not equate the meaning of the sentence, and certain speech or discourse meaning does not derive from sentence meaning; therefore, the reader should successfully surpass any ambiguity.
Stages of reading comprehension development
Reading comprehension is a reading model characteristic for readers of literary or other type of texts that aim to understand the meaning of that text by simultaneously experiencing it with much attention and emotion. The main aim of reading comprehension of a literary text is that the reader is a collaborator, so that he/she upgrades the reading process with his/her own reading fantasy. As Vilotijevic (2000) explains, reading as a layered process encourages the student to think, to love the book, to delve into the literary text and to understand it comprehensively.
Although it may seem logical that the student first needs to acquire the reading technique and then to continue with the reading comprehension skill, these two processes are taught and learnt simultaneously. As important as foundational wordreading and bridging skills are to reading comprehension, research has shown that they are not sufficient for strong comprehension (Duke, Ward, Pearson, 2021, p. 665). Moreover, some researchers believe that in certain cases reading comprehension might be acquired before the reading technique. For example, children at a young age would be not able to understand any literary texts if these skills are not already partially developed. In this context reading comprehension covers understanding of words, sentences and text content, understanding and transmitting of speech and the reading of a text by discovering the text’s message.
Stage 1: Speech development
Children learn speech from adults as young as 1 year old by asking questions about everything around them. The speech development includes comprehending words and relating them into sentences, as well as the understanding of the whole discourse section.
Stage 2: Development of text - content comprehension
This type of a development also begins in early childhood, when parents tell stories to their children. In this way children come to a conclusion that something is happening in the story, that there are characters that have certain relations to each other. During this period children understand a story as a text with a beginning, main part and an ending.
Stage 3: Comprehension during the transfer of speech into text
When a child is presented with a text, first we need to observe the child’s ability to read, and if not, to present the text through pictures and speech by the teacher. On the other hand, if the child is able to read, we need to suggest the most suitable reading method in order to ensure the comprehension of the text.
Stage 4: Fluent reading and comprehension
When interpreting a certain picture book or text it is very important to follow the rules for reading. This means to read each sentence from left to right, to read each page from the book and in this way to show that each text has a beginning and an ending; moreover, if we want to understand it correctly, we need to read it in order.
Herein the process of learning a certain text, requests the application of certain techniques: phase of full recognition of a text, a phase of beginner’s sectioning of sounds, phase of transferring a letter into a sound and a phase of fluent reading. The recognition phase includes student’s comprehension of the correspondence among the full sentences and their meaning. The phase of sectioning sounds means forming words and learning unknown words with the help of the teacher. The phase of letter to sound transference is the most important phase in reading, since the student needs to perfect the reading and be able to read as fast as he/she speaks. The phase of fluent reading is the phase when the student does not break down the words, but reads fluently which expresses the student’s speed and level of fluency.
The act of experiencing a literary text as part of the educational lesson is conducted in multiple phases and levels that are all divergent. The interpretation of a literary text includes the creation of a sense in the mind of the student related to that text. The text is especially open for interpretation for those students, who have larger intellectual and psychological abilities and it is further conditioned by the students’ personal interests and habits. The literary text is a living organism that represents a constant challenge for the reader or the interpreter. The reading comprehension of literary works is an attempt to get closer to the work’s value and discover the final truth. Learners are thought to independently decide on literary text’s value through different teaching models. The comprehension of a literary work as part of the lessons of language and literature can be divided into a few operational levels.
Methods
This research focuses on description and analysis of the methodological approaches applied in classrooms, the influence of the teacher on the students, the students’ motivation and task achievement during lessons in literary text reading. The research was conducted by the application of an analytical - descriptive method to describe classroom practices, instructional models and student behaviour as they occur in natural teaching context, and also an analytical - explanatory method to observe and identify the relationship between teaching approaches and students’ responses. We have applied both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data, which enabled us to create a complete picture of all the features related to the lessons of literary texts reading comprehension relating the situation at the school, the actual teaching process, the views and opinions of both students and teachers.
Participants
The participants of the study are 21 language teacher and 381 fourth grade students. The research process included: observation of lessons with reading comprehension activities, application of a questionnaire for the students, an and interview with the teachers.
Instruments
The research instruments used to gather data are an observation protocol and two questionnaires. The observation protocol is used to observe the organization and the structure of the classes during the lessons, the applied methods in the lessons, the form of the teaching process, resources etc. It was designed by the researchers for a systematic analysis of lessons in literary reading comprehension. The protocol was designed by converting key aspects of instructional practice and the cognitive process of text comprehension into clearly defined observational categories. It was divided into two parts. The first part included general information related to the examiner, the time and the place of observation, the topic of the lesson and information about the students. The second part focused on the instructional process involved in understanding the read text, documenting the applied reading model and techniques, the teaching form and the teaching aids that were applied. Also, the protocol contained an open section for any additional notes, allowing observers to record contextual factors and emergent aspects of the lesson that were not captured in the predefined categories. All the observations were recorded by one of the members of the research pair using the same template to ensure methodological coherence.
The questionnaires were applied in order to obtain systematic data from the teachers and the students. Therefore, two paper based anonymous questionnaires were predesigned as structured instruments for collecting both general and subject-specific information. The first part covers general information about the participants, while the second covers features of the reading process. such as questions about the views and opinions of the teachers and the students in relation to the reading comprehension models, their recommendations and suggestions. The teacher questionnaire was designed to obtain information about teaching practices, instructional methods and perceptions of student engagement. The questions aimed to explore teaching strategies and challenges through a combination of multiple-choice and open-ended questions. The student questionnaire was simpler in form, aiming to gather information on students’ perceptions and learning strategies using Likert-scale questions, and open-ended questions that allowed students to express their views more freely.
Overall, the questions included various types: closed, open-ended and semiopen; organized into thematic sections. These sections focused on examining the attituded and opinions of both teachers and students regarding the use of reading comprehension models, their perceived effectiveness and their experiences in classroom practice. Also, it included items soliciting respondents’ recommendations and suggestions for improving instructional work in the area of literary reading comprehension. Hence, individual but conceptually aligned versions of the questionnaires were administered to both teachers and students.
Procedure
The research was conducted at the end of the school year (from May to June) and it included 20 classes at 7 different primary schools in North Macedonia. More specifically, there were 4 schools located in Stip and 3 schools located in Skopje. First, the research instruments were developed collaboratively by the researchers and the teachers of the participation primary school classes. This collaboration helped significantly in refining the clarity and difficulty of the used questions. Furthermore, it ensured that the questions reflect authentic classroom practices and students’ instructional experiences. Second, all reading texts and comprehension tasks were aligned with the national curriculum and established primary-level reading comprehension. Researchers and native language teachers jointly reviewed the materials to ensure age appropriateness, linguistic suitability, and construct relevance. Third, the research was conducted in accordance with ethical standards for educational research involving minors. The reading comprehension was carried out anonymously as part of regular language lessons and was fully integrated into the approved school curriculum. Parents were informed by head teachers about the ongoing analysis during regular monthly parent-teacher meetings. As the research relied exclusively on anonymized student work collected during routine instruction and did not involve any personal data, formal parental consent was not required in accordance with applicable educational research guidelines.
Results & Analysis
Classroom observation
The first stage of the analysis was conducted through an observation of the lessons led by different teachers in a different school and class environment and on a different topic. This initial analysis helped us determine 5 main reading comprehension models that are described based on their key analytical components: operative steps, teaching situation, micro strategies and source material.
Model 1 – Reading comprehension through key words
Model 1 is based on the key word’s etymology, since it marks the original meaning of the word and explains the application of the word in various situations. The application of this model is most appropriate for the interpretation of texts where one key word is distinguished; hence, with the analysis of this word, the teacher can conduct the set aims in a more complex way and to devote more time of the functional and educational aims. The teacher needs to distinguish the key word within the lesson preparation, and again during the interpretation of the text, and then to continue with an explanation about its etymological meaning to the students. The explanation of the word needs to be prepared in detail, if not, it may result with difficulties during the lesson realization process and failed comprehension by the students. Therefore, when determining the key word, the teacher needs to pay attention to the following aspects:
– The word meaning in the text’s context.
– The word’s meaning in a general sense.
– The word’s meaning from a lay’s perspective.
This step covers the operative phase of an identification of a word with an unknown meaning. The continuous flow from the first to the second step is seamless; they have an unbreakable bound. The process of explaining the etymological origin of the word entails the teaching aspect itself. The teacher needs to be prepared for a variety of questions and for additional difficulties that students might show such as other unknown words or concepts. It is very important to answer all of students’ question, and if the teacher is unsure about certain parts, he/she should inform the students about a follow up with explanations in the next lesson. According to Lekjik (1991), there are a few ways to introduce unknown words: to demonstrate objects or movements, to demonstrate with a photo of an object, with synonyms, to explain a certain concepts in more general/broader manner, by describing or paraphrasing.
This step is followed by a teaching situation, which is considered the second step.
The third step is the micro-strategy, which may involve the use of antonyms, synonyms or paronyms. For this step, the teacher also does a preparation and the aim is to help the student to determine the new word’s meaning through associations. The final step involves sources that can be used to better determine and comprehend the key word, we can classify them in the following way: textual (for example: dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks…) and illustrative (such as drawings, photos, visualization etc.). One of the most frequent techniques or strategies applied for the realization of this model is “Predictions using key words”. The procedure is as follows:
1. The teacher gives a short introduction to carefully guide the students, but also tries not to reveal the key moments within the text.
2. Key terms and concepts are presented, which can be illustrated with pictures.
3. Students are asked to think how these concepts can be related and to write their ideas in a free form writing.
4. Students share what they have written in pairs or within their assigned group.
5. Some of the students read in front of the class.
6. Students read the text which derived the previously mentioned key terms/words.
7. The students discuss how similar or different their writing is to the main text.
This is only one technique which has been confirmed as a well-accepted in the teaching practice, that comes from the “Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking technology” proposed by the International Readers’ Association.
Model 2 – Reading comprehension through meaning of phrases
The second model focuses on the comprehension of a phrase in a context, which can be done through a sentence analysis or through a symbol analysis. This model is most appropriate for an interpretation of texts that allow the separation of a certain expression or a phrase, which usually represent wise thoughts or sayings that express the main idea or the main message of the text. Moreover, the meaning of the phrase can be explained with symbols that represent concepts, creatures or objects. For example, the teacher can start the lesson by sharing an experience that includes the separated phrase. After the students share their ideas and opinions, we determine a sentence and then section the phrase from the sentence.
Another technique derived from the “Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking technology” follows these steps: sentence, phrase, word, symbol, picture, color, open clause sentence. Students are encouraged to: use one sentence to describe the text; use one phrase to transmit the message of the text, use one word to describe the topic of the text, paint/draw, choose a color, add open clause sentences.
Model 3 – Reading comprehension by asking questions about the text
The basic aim of native language lessons is to enable the students to use sentence structures. Some of the important aims that need to be fulfilled is to develop a sense of sentence as a speech unit and as a tool that help them express their thoughts and feelings. These aims are best developed through the application of model 3 in the reading comprehension activities. In order to check if a sentence is acquired as a speech unit and to check if it is understood, the teacher might choose the following activities: to ask questions, to request a drawing by the students or a graphic design. The process of asking questions might be conducted by a presentation of a picture or a drawing by the student about something related to the text. The questions should not be generalized, but specific and to require specific answers. On the other hand, the technique of requesting a drawing is most suitable for introverted students. Another technique from “Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking technology” that might be used to check text comprehension is the technique “Mixed sequences”. It is conducted in the following way: a few sentences that represent a logical unit are extracted from the text; each sentence is written on a separate piece of paper, the papers are mixed and then presented to the students, the teacher asks the students to put them in the correct order, each student needs to physically get up and make a change in the order; after some time the teacher reads the sentences and check their order; when the correct order is achieved, the whole text is being read again.
Model 4 – Reading comprehension by dividing the text into sections
In text interpretation, a very important segment is the division of the text into sections, which enables a more detailed interpretation. This model encompasses a range of techniques that will lead to a logic pondering on the text and its context. This model is most applicable on texts that have more than one aim based on their educational dimension. For example, one technique that can be applied is “Stop” that aims to start a discussion about a read section from the text and to ask questions to ponder on further. The questions need to be in accordance with the text and with the Bloom Sanders taxonomy. This technique is realized in the following way: the teacher chooses a text suitable for a discussion; the text should be previously divided into sections and at each end the teacher writes ‘stop’; first students read the first part and discuss it; then they make suggestion about what follows; then they continue in the same way for all sections; at the end it is concluded by making general conclusions and the text is fully read again.
Model 5 – Reading comprehension by determining the text’s main message
This model is most applicable for the interpretation of longer texts. The student is requested to express a text’s idea or message in a concise manner. Therefore, students are under pressure to explain the text’s content in one sentence. In this way, the text is narrowed down to the most fundamental form and major important part from it are not mentions since it is not possible to do it in one sentence. A technique that can be used to derive major important elements from the text and acquire basic information is “Square”. It includes the following activities presented in a square in the students’ notebooks: describe color, form or size; compare (to what is similar, with what is different); associate what it leads you to think; analyze what it consists of and how is it structured; discussions practical applications; for or against - take a viewpoint.
As it can be noted from the specific explanations and descriptions of the 5 models above, each has its own advantages and specific circumstances where it can be best in the most successful manner. The variable characteristics of all 5 models and the teacher’s tendency of mixing parts of the models, as well as the success in the reading comprehension derived from that combinatory use led as to propose a new model labelled as “Complex model for reading comprehension of texts”. This model includes all other 5 models and applies the techniques characteristics for those models in a combination. Some texts allow the application of all the models, while others require only 2 or 3 models. Regardless of the choice of the teacher, it is important that the application of this model requires the application of certain phases that each student needs to undergo in order to achieve the aim and develop his/her skills.
The observational analysis showed that all of the methods were implemented by teachers as single practices rather than in combination. Moreover, the two most frequently observed as being used independently are the method of reading and analyzing text into paragraphs and the method of pondering on the main message of the text. This highlights the teachers’ main focus is mostly on the general form and the general meaning of the literary text.
Student questionnaire
The second stage was the gathering of data on the students views about the lessons and the lesson activities. The students filled out a questionnaire, which included 5 statements that they were supposed to mark as true, partially true or false. The statements and the results are presented in table 1 below.
Table 1. Results from students’ questionnaire
Also, the students were asked to marked factors that they believe influence their comprehension skills from a given list, such as text’s content, text’s length, explanation of unknown words, the reading model applied during the lesson, the type of book etc. The results undoubtedly confirmed that the leading factor that was marked as the most influential one with 340 responses by the participants is the act of explaining unknown words within the text by the teacher.
Teacher questionnaire
The third stage of the analysis was a questionnaire administered to the teachers. The questions are listed below.
In the first questions teachers are asked to rate on a scale from 1 to 5 how much does a thorough teacher’s preparation of the lesson help the students’ comprehension of the text that is being taught. The obtained results show that 76% of the teachers chose number 4, while 24% chose number 5.
The second question is a multiple-choice question, where teachers express the amount of time they spent in preparation of new words from a literary text. The results show that 71% spend 10 minutes, 24% spend 15 minutes and only 5% of them spend an hour. Hence, the results suggest that the number of teachers that devote time to prepare for a reading comprehension lesson is very low, and this process is frequently conducted routinely. Teachers do not believe that the explanation of the new words is an important factor for reading comprehension, which is direct oppositeness of the students’ view.
In the third questions, teachers list and rank the features based on which they take into consideration the students’ individual motivation. The results are presented in table 2 below.
Table 2. Teachers’ characteristics rating
The questions four, five and six ask the teachers if they agree, partially agree or disagree with the following statements:
– From the student’spresentation, teachers can assess the student’s comprehension ability (Q4);
– The usage of a mixture of reading and writing activities offers a higher frequency of unknown terms, which consequently eases the comprehension process for the students (Q5);
– The application of a mix of reading models results with higher activity and higher comprehension by the students (Q6);
The results show that 95% agree and 5% partially agree with the first statement; 94% agree and 6% partially agree with the second statement and 78% agree and 22% partially agree with the third statement. None of the teachers disagreed with the statements above.
In the seventh question, the teachers were asked to rank how frequently they use each of the models for reading comprehension. The results are presented in table 3 below.
Table 3. Features of a reading model
Results show that a detailed preparation of the teacher has a direct influence on the degree of reading comprehension and the motivation of the student. Moreover, none of the teachers have minimized the importance of a thorough and detailed lesson preparation as a factor that influences the degree of comprehension of new texts. In a time of an amplitude of available information, it is even more important to prepare the lessons, and to use a differential approach with the students that will respect and satisfy their needs and potential for knowledge. In accordance to the view of Adamceska (1996), the lesson plan model is subject to change, improvement and development, and therefore teachers should not be burdened with creating a single model of a successful lesson. However, at the same time the results emphasize the fact that the teachers do not have an appropriate approach toward lesson preparation and consequently they endanger and condition the comprehension and the motivation of the students; although they agree that it is of utmost importance for a correct organization of the lesson. The analysis of the lessons that include a literary text interpretation showed that there is a lack of quality preparation that is essential for the realization of the lesson. On one hand, teachers agree that lesson preparation is an essential element of the teaching process; but on the other hand, they consider it as a routine activity. This approach by the teachers has a direct impact on the students’ motivation and results. Although teachers agree that a well-structured and detailed lesson plans are essential, the time that teachers dedicate to this activity is in gradual decline each study year.
Based on the results, it can be stated that the choice of reading model needs to be adjusted to the needs and abilities of the student. The observation stage showed that the most acceptable and most used are those reding comprehension models that aim to detect the main message of the text, the reading comprehension of through parts or sections of the text and the model that is based on the understanding of a key word or key words. The use of new terms through a variety or mix of reading models increases the degree of text’s reading comprehension. The application of the complex reading method and the interpretation of multiple texts simultaneously help the students to learn numerous new words, define and explain them through mutual discussions and the teacher only guides them in the process. In this way they interpret a literary text faster and learn the new terms more easily. This was confirmed within the observation stage. Hence the general notion from the results is that most of the teacher agree that the application of a mixed model or a complex model for reading comprehension is the most appropriate model for literary text interpretation and comprehension for 4th grade students.
Discussion
Reading comprehension is realized by the students through 3 dimensions: form, competence and context. The form of the written text needs to be in accordance with the aims that need to be realized with that text. The competence includes the ability to perform multiple activities such as: understanding the text, reflecting on the information from the text, an interpretation of important aspects of the text etc. The situation or the context entails the definition of the readers’ aim or reason for reading; is it for personal use, for participation in a certain task, for a profession or educational tasks. These dimensions can be expressed and realized through different type of models. In the first stage of the data analysis, we have determined the application of 5 different models of teaching reading comprehension, which were often applied in combination by the teachers. The detected models are described by a few key analytical components: operative steps, teaching situation, micro strategies and source material.
Hence based on the observation protocol, the questionaries results and the basic repetitive features of the reading techniques, we have detected and distinguished five most common models. These models, which include a variety of methods for reading comprehension of literary texts, can be categorised as conventional. Despite their long-term presence in teaching, they remain applicable and pedagogically justified in contemporary language teaching. Their individual use has proven effective in achieving fundamental objectives in language teaching, especially in the development of students’ knowledge and skills in reading. For instance, model 1 that is based on understanding the meaning of key words successfully supports the acquisition of new concepts and vocabulary. However, when applied in isolation, such models tend to emphasize cognitive outcomes while offering limited instruction for the comprehensive development of students’ personalities, particularly from motivational and emotional aspect. Herein, we propose a novel complex model that is adaptable, economical and multi-effective.
Model 6 – Complex reading comprehension model for texts
The complex model that we suggest is an integrative and flexible methodological approach. It encompasses an interpretation of multiple text with similar content simultaneously and the use of a combination of all the previously explained models. Hence, it facilitates more rational and efficient comprehension process. The teaching curriculum in North Macedonian for teaching the native language in primary schools includes thematically related texts, which provides a suitable framework for the application of the proposed model. Moreover, the comparative and integrative reading will encourage students to engage in other cognitive processes such as analysis, synthesis, abstraction, deduction etc. while also developing organizational skills essential for effective learning.
This model is flexible and rational and therefore it speeds up and simplifies the reading comprehension process. Furthermore, this model is aimed towards the development of the students’ skills and their full personal development. Teachers can easily and rationally conduct the educational and functional skills. We would specifically emphasize the emotional and motivational aspect of the student’s personality, which we believe are often neglected. This reading comprehension model enables advancement of all perception activities such as induction, deduction, synthesis, abstraction etc. Also, the use of this model implies the importance of organization for the students or i.e., it develops their organizational activities, which is of high importance for education in general.
The successful implementation of this model requires careful planning and preparation by the teacher, including the selection of texts and the establishment of an appropriate time framework for interpretation. However, this initial increase in workload results with long-term benefits that include more efficient use of instructional time and deeper student understanding. Spending extended time on thematically similar texts will allow students to consolidate knowledge, memorize key concepts and achieve more durable learning outcomes. Frequently students can forget some of the new terms or phrases if they are not frequently repeated. This model offers texts with similar content, so words and phrases often overlap and are repeated, therefore the repetition of similar words, phrases and abstract concepts across related texts will improve students’ comprehension and use of the new vocabulary.
Another advantage of this methods is prevention of the problem with lack of time for literary interpretation. Teachers often complain about the lack of time for the interpretation of the literary texts included in the teaching curriculum. By organizing students into groups that analyse different texts using multiple or a combination of methods and techniques, teachers can achieve more comprehensive coverage of curricular content, while fostering collaboration and active learning. Consequently, the complex reading model enables the realization of the set aims by the teaching program, longer time for repetition of the newly acquired knowledge and comprehension of the text.
Another significant strength of the complex model is its contribution to students’ overall personal development. In addition to supporting educational goals, this model places special emphasis on the emotional and motivational aspects of learning, which are often insufficiently addressed in conventional reading comprehension models. Repeated exposure to similar vocabulary, phrases and abstract concepts across multiple texts enhances retention and creates deeper understanding, especially of abstract meanings. Also, through comparative reading, discussions and group-based interpretation, students are more likely to develop emotional engagement with texts, increased motivation for reading and a sense of ownership over the complete learning process. Furthermore, this model enables more systematic repetition and consolidation of acquired knowledge, thereby improving longterm comprehension and application.
Finally, it is important to emphasize that the complex model does not replace the existing conventional methods, but simply synthesizes them into a coherent and unified methodological framework. It incorporates all previously mentioned methods and applies them selectively, depending on the topic and content of the literary text. Regardless of the specific choice of method combination, this complex method ensures that each student experiences a comprehensive developmental process. This method progresses from building context and motivation, through independent content development toward identification of the central idea of the text and ending with functional application of the acquired knowledge.
Conclusion
The main aim of any kind of reading is to understand the semantic meaning of the words and to comprehend the overall text; therefore, reading comprehension is a type of interaction of new terms and previously acquired knowledge. Moreover, choosing the correct reading model for a text interpretation and making an appropriate lesson plan influence the acquirement of the reading comprehension skill.
Effective reading comprehension is central to literary interpretation, yet students’ success in this area or skill depends heavily on the models employed by teachers to guide their engagement. Although the classification of these models is extensive, our paper focuses on the most frequent and conventional models as suggested by the teachers as participants in the study. The different models are highly influenced by the type of the analysed text, the complexity of the content and the lexical density as well. Moreover, there are other factors that shape the applicability of these models such as the pedagogical objectives pursued by the teacher, the developmental level of the students’ reading skills and the literary type of the text.
The teachers as participants in our study expressed their views on the complex model as a very interactive model. Therefore, the complex model of reading comprehension was determined as the most appropriate model for a literary text interpretation by fourth grade students. The complex model has a significant impact on the reading comprehension. The application of this model includes simultaneous learning of a few texts which means more new terms for the students in one day that they discuss and explain to each other with the guidance of the teacher. In this way, the complex model enables the development of critical thinking and independence of the students. It serves as a balanced, flexible and integrative approach that aligns cognitive, emotional and organizational aspects of learning.
Although the proposed complex model integrates a variety of methods in a theoretically robust way, its application may involve certain practical limitations. The use of several methods may create instructional and cognitive difficulties for both teachers and students due to the limited time of the planned lessons. However, the possible constraints do not undermine the value of the model, but simply highlight the need for flexible and adaptive use in classroom practice, allowing teachers to tailor it based on their specific goals and classroom diversity.
NOTES
1. Progress in International Reading Literacy Study.
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