The construction of mental images as a cognitive strategy to improve comprehension of expository texts in children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the construction of mental images as a cognitive strategy to improve comprehension of expository texts in elementary school children. Since these texts require greater cognitive effort, we investigated whether the creation of mental images facilitates the reading comprehension process. A quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design and a hypothetico-deductive method was used. Fifty-four elementary school students participated (mean age = 9.24, SD = 0.43; 31 boys and 23 girls), distributed in two groups: an experimental group, which applied the strategy during eight 90-minute sessions, and a control group, which received conventional instructions. The results indicated that the experimental group showed a significant improvement in the comprehension of expository texts, with 63% of the students reaching a satisfactory level of achievement, while the control group did not present relevant advances. In conclusion, the strategy of constructing mental images proved to be effective in the development of reading comprehension skills, improving the literal, inferential, and critical levels. The practical implications indicate that implementing this strategy as a key pedagogical tool could positively impact reading comprehension in primary education.