Abstract:

The deficit in reading comprehension in university students represents a great challenge for the educational system in almost all countries. Numerous investigations maintain that improving the levels of textual comprehension involves a conscious and controlled process of reading activity, so that the metacognitive approach can positively contribute to improving levels of reading comprehension and promote academic performance in general. One aspect that is interesting to develop is a short test of easy use and interpretation for teachers. The study is a pilot trial that examines the 'focus group' as a learning strategy. The participants were 22 students of English studies, who carried out three reading activities: a) a pre-test that measured the strategic reading knowledge; b) a "focus group" activity to discuss and defend the effectiveness of reading strategies; c) a posttest to calibrate the changes of opinion as a result of the debate and argumentation. The result reflects that there was a change in behavior when the two measures were compared. However, the changes were not as significant as it could be expected due to a scarce number of sessions. The conclusion suggested is to continue experimenting with this tool and to consider the study as a very useful preliminary test, since the students were highly motivated and engaged in the debate and argumentation. Finally, the metacognitive judgments and mechanisms used during the execution of pre and posttest tests were examined. The preliminary results lead us to think that improving the development of this new assessment tool and using it widely in university settings would be very useful to promote literacy processes and improve academic performance in various areas of knowledge. On the contrary, to think that this teaching activity is inappropriate for universities, since it is assumed that they are previously developed skills, is a serious error of conception.

Keywords:

Metacognition, reflection, self-evaluation, metacognitive judgments.