FIRST STEPS TO ESTABLISH AN EXTENSIVE READING STRATEGY TO DEVELOP COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

A remedial complementary reading strategy was carried out for students with low performance at advanced level in the Foreign Language Bachelor Degree at the Facultad de Ciencias Educativas in the Universidad Autónoma del Carmen. This strategy focus was extensive readings students did extra-class and reported or used as core material in a weekly conversation session held in English. This project main objective was to foster oral interaction among students through extensive reading so they could gain confidence and develop communicative competences. Students chatted about their reading preferences, reflections about their readings, as well as the reading content. To collect the information, a questionnaire, journal, and an interview were used. This information was analysed through a likert scale and discourse analysis principles. The results showed that the objective of this strategy was partially fulfilled, the reading approach neglected, and that more work is needed to establish a complete reading program. As sum, students are eager to participate in projects to improve their language competences, but previous training is required before establishing a program.