Abstract:

Comprehension of a foreign language text requires a higher cognitive effort compared to reading a text in the mother tongue, whether in terms of vocabulary, sentence structure, or intercultural aspects embedded in the text, which naturally affects the comprehension of the text but also the fluency of reading. Even successful word recognition and fluent reading may not automatically lead to comprehension of the text. For this reason, it is necessary to deal with the psychological and pedagogical aspects of understanding in terms of intervention, or, in other words, using the intervention program.

In the paper, we deal with the development of text comprehension in a foreign language using the reading comprehension intervention program for English. The Intervention Program for Reading Comprehension in English is a specific incentive support program. It was designed with the intention of helping teachers prepare the student to understand the text and work with the text in English. We pay considerable attention to the development of cognitive and metacognitive processes (for example, to realizing our own limits in the process of understanding an English text, being aware of our own strategy of working with the text, identifying problems that require solutions, creating plans and strategies, evaluation, self-assessment, and others). In the process of the intervention program application, we work with a combination of several types of foreign language learning. It represents an eclectic interconnection of different strategies and practices in learning and teaching.

The research goal is a qualitative analysis of the understanding of intensive and extensive reading in the application process of the Intervention Program for Reading Comprehension in English using the research method of observation. We carried out the research with Slovak grammar schools students whose level of language proficiency in English was B1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference. The research results point to remarkable findings.

Keywords:

Foreign language, text comprehension, intervention program, teacher, reading comprehension in English, development of cognitive and metacognitive processes.