Reading comprehension and inferential skills: Exploring the knowledge and reported practices of primary teachers
The ability to correctly generate inferences is a vital skill for reading comprehension (RC). However, the teaching practices relating to this skill have been little documented. To better understand current practices, a questionnaire was administered to 15 teachers in order to draw up a preliminary portrait of the knowledge and of teacher’s reported practices linked to inferences in RC. The results illustrate that most participants exhibit adequate general knowledge on inferences, and less than 60%, a deeper level of knowledge on this topic. Most of the teachers report optimal documented practices, even though fewer than 50% report regularity and guidance. For 73% of the participants, their reported practices appear to correspond to the knowledge they demonstrate in this area.