Le rôle des stratégies de justification lors de l'élaboration de réponses à la suite d'une lecture : une recherche collaborative menée en 2e et en 4e année du primaire

This collaborative research aims to better understand the concept of reading response. More specifically, we have identified the strategies used by 2nd (N=5) and 4th grade students (N=6) and teachers (N=2) when developing their responses. We also wanted to check whether the degree of support offered had an impact on the frequency or diversity of the response strategies used by 2nd and 4th grade students. Three didactic methods were used: the interactive read aloud, the think-pair-share strategy and literature circles. Teachers in Grades 2 and 4 used the same literature books and the same questions related to the four dimensions of reading (comprehension, interpretation, reaction and critical judgement) with their students during the discussions. The teachers also assessed the students' written responses and we identified the criteria they used to judge the quality of a good response. Our results indicate that 16 response strategies were used by students or teachers to develop their response to literature: Use of an excerpt, a quote or an example from the text, Use of an example that is NOT taken from the text or its personal experience, Use of an illustration, Making a comparison, Use of a strong image or metaphor, Use of a philosophical message, Use of a personal experience or a connection with one's life, Visualization, Reinvesting the response of a peer, teacher or authority, Use of implicit information or inferences, Use of characterization, Noticing author’s purpose and illustrator’s intent, Use of a judgment, Use of linguistic cues, Use of structures and features of the narrative text to describe an element of the story and finally, Use of specific and precise words to respond. Grade 4 students use more response strategies, not only in frequency, but also in variety when developing their reading responses. They are also the only ones to use the response strategy: Use of linguistic cues. Several techniques are used by 2nd and 4th grade teachers to support students in developing their responses. Our results indicate that the students' responses strategies vary according to the degree of support offered by the teachers (shared and guided approach). 8 Regarding the results related to the interactive read aloud, 2nd grade students "learn to use" their strategies in this didactic method through modeled, shared and guided strategies. 4th grade students "develop their autonomy" by using their response strategies independently during interactive read alouds. We also find that the use of high-level response strategies by teachers pushes students to use response strategies that they don’t usually, or rarely, use. The Think-Pair-Share strategy is the didactic method that has generated the most response strategies on the part of 2nd grade students. Thanks to its structure, several levels of support are possible, which allows the students to help each other in the construction of their responses (peer-guided approach). Literature circles turn out to be the least effective method for 2nd grade students. The drop in the number of response strategies observed is directly linked to the low level of support offered by the teacher. On the other hand, literature circles are an interesting didactic method for 4th grade students. It is the method that generated the most response strategies. By its very structure, it allows students to help their peers (peer-guided approach), but also to co-construct the discussion. Finally, the teachers who participated in this research project identified more response strategies at the end of this project than they did before it began. We also note that their evaluation criteria for judging the quality of a good response deepened during the second evaluation phase. More research is needed to better understand the teaching practices that promote the development of reading response. We believe that orienting training towards formative assessment would allow teachers in Quebec to better identify, give feedback and support the response strategies of their students.

Keyphrases: Strategy, understanding, reading, response, reading response, evaluation, assessment, teaching, interactive read aloud, literature circles, support, feedback, think-pair-share