Progress of error typology and self-correction in schoolchildren’s text reading

Abstract

Purpose: to verify the progress of error typology and percentage of self-correction in text reading and their association with reading fluency in second/third graders (group 1) and fifth/sixth graders (group 2) and the influence of education level on the typology of errors and percentage of self-correction. Methods: an observational, analytical, and longitudinal study. Altogether, 41 students were assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding text reading fluency, percentage of self-corrections and errors, and error typology. The Wilcoxon and paired t-tests were used to compare means, and Pearson’s and Spearman’s tests for correlations. The p-value was set at p < 0.05. Results: group 1 had a decrease in the percentage of errors and an increase, followed by a decrease, in self-corrections. Group 2 had an increase in the percentage of self-corrections, with no variation in errors. The association analysis revealed that the higher the reading speed, the lower the percentage of self-corrections. In the second assessment, group 1 had more self-corrections than group 2 and, in the third one, group 2 had more errors than group 1. Conclusion: the increase in reading fluency and the decrease in errors occur progressively - unlike self-correction, which varies throughout the school year. However, there is an inverse relationship between speed and self-correction.