Training of literary and critical readers as an institutional challenge. School etnography in vulnerabilty contexts

Participants and information gathering techniques

The three participating schools are located in the northern district of Granada, in areas with vulnerable communities characterised by high illiteracy rates and limited economic and family support. (Government of Andalusia; 2018; 2024). Two schools are public (C1 and C2) and one is a state-subsidised private school (C3) with a learning community. Eight Spanish language and literature teachers from the third cycle of primary education (four women and four men) participated, including a school librarian. The selection was intentional, considering the location of the schools and the participation of all third-cycle teachers, which ensured internal diversity in terms of experience, roles and perspectives on the training of literary readers. In accordance with Universitdad de Granada’s research ethics and data processing commitment, all participants were anonymised.

The information gathering techniques used were participant observation, semi-structured interviews and document analysis. As for observation, an open record was chosen to capture the dynamic nature of the classroom. Nevertheless, some areas of focus were established to ensure that key aspects were covered, such as: a) mediation strategies used by teachers; b) reading practices; c) materials used, among others. As for the semi-structured interview, a number of questions were established to stimulate conversation around specific topics. For the documentary analysis, the official files made available by each school regarding reader training were reviewed.

Research procedure and result analysis

Firstly, authorisation was requested from the Regional Delegation for Educational Development and Vocational Training in Granada, an informative meeting was held with the participants, and informed consent forms were collected.

The ethnographic work lasted nine months and included observation of twenty classroom sessions by each teacher, activities in the school library, and three interviews per participant (initial, intermediate, and final). This was complemented by informal conversations that helped expand ethnographic records and dense descriptions (Díaz-de-Rada, 2012). Prolonged stay, together with the triangulation of space/time and techniques (Álvarez, 2011; Bisquerra, 2019), allowed us to achieve information saturation, evidenced by the recurrence of reading practices and discursive regularities among the teachers.

Content analysis was chosen to process the results, following the three-step sequence proposed by Rodríguez-Sabiote et al. (2005). The relevant discourse units were identified in each of the ethnographic texts produced. They were then classified according to different emerging categories and, through axial coding, grouped into macro-categories that allowed the results to be summarised.

The results were organised into two themes or macro categories: the institutional dimension and reading mediation. The first covers the objectives of training and promoting reading, the role of school libraries and reading practices encouraged at school level. The second is the teacher/librarian as a literary reading mediator, which includes mediation practices and the reading corpus used.

Similarly, a code system was established to differentiate the sources of the interview data, as follows: School documents (DC), Observation records (RO), Initial interview (Eini), intermediate interview (Einter) and final interview (Ef); Informal conversation (Cinf).

Institutional dimension

Overall, the first school (C1) has a weak reading culture. Teachers believe this is partly consistent with the low importance assigned to this practice in families. ‘It goes hand in hand with the type of society we are moving towards, doesn't it? We want everything to be simple and brief. Families do not value reading; there is little tradition of reading’ (M1_Einter).

In view of the above, the absence of a school reading plan (PLC) that includes specific actions or objectives with regard to reading is striking. Although your educational project reads as follows: ‘Reading is an essential factor in the development of specific skills’ (DC); no other references to it are found in internal documents.

As for the school library, internal documentation assigns it the primary function of creating a reading itinerary, understood as ‘a literary journey that all students, from the moment they enter the first year of primary education until they leave the school after the sixth year of primary education, should read’ (DC). However, the selection criteria were not specified, nor are they known to the teaching staff. In turn, it was noted that the library was rarely used, as it remained closed during most of the fieldwork. As a result, no activities organised by the library were recorded, with the exception of a virtual space called the ‘library blog’, where students occasionally recommended reading material to the community.

As for reading practices promoted at the school level, only 30 minutes per day were devoted to specific teaching of comprehension and fluency, in accordance with the provisions of the Instructions of 21 June 2023 (Regional Government of Andalusia, Art. 6, p. 2). There was also a ‘bibliopatio’ (playbrary) initiative, which was not sustained over time due to a lack of staff.

Teachers at the second school (C2) state that their students are occasional readers and that for many, school is the place where they can establish links with literature: ‘The little they read outside of class, they do so because they are motivated by a teacher who managed to get them hooked on a book’ (Einter_M4). ‘Most people here are not in the habit of reading; we don't have that, neither in our families nor in terms of the importance we attach to reading’ (Einter_M3).

In response to this, the school developed a PLC stating: ‘The reading experience that students accumulate throughout their education becomes a means of constructing and communicating knowledge’ (DC). The document sets out the objectives of promoting the enjoyment of reading, improving reading skills and planning teaching activities (before, during and after).

As for the role of the school library, internal regulations state that it should promote activities to encourage reading in collaboration with external bodies. In practice, the space was frequented by teachers and students during school hours and in their free time.

These scenes confirmed the symbolic value of the space as a meeting point for reading. The girls' behaviour revealed a particular way of being in the library, from the silence and comfort they projected. According to the manager, the library also held meetings with authors, storytelling sessions, dramatised readings, among other activities.

At the institutional level, the PLC stated that practices should enhance understanding and the social nature of reading, ‘to promote the role of the reading mediator, the exchange of experiences and guided discussions’ (DC). This was mostly observed on Thursdays, when thirty minutes were devoted to guided reading, selected by the teachers, to encourage expressiveness and comprehension. Most of the texts used in these sessions were short stories adapted from works such as The Mouse, the Frog and the Pig by Erwin Moser and Las babuchas de Abu Kassim y otros cuentos árabes sobre el destino by Julio Peradejordi, among others.

According to teachers at the third school (C3), which was governed by the learning community model, there was an established reading culture, nurtured by the continuity of institutional practices: ‘The fact that we have discussion groups from the earliest years helps them to develop a certain relationship with literature’ (Eini_M8). Although the school had not implemented any PLC, teachers referred to the principles of learning communities in interviews: ‘Pleasure, reading habits, literary reflection, and dialogic learning. I believe they are the pillars’ (Eini_M6).

As for the school library, its use was focused on the ‘tutored library’ model, an educational initiative specific to communities to provide support with schoolwork. This instrumental approach relegated free reading time to the end of so-called ‘study hours.’ Similar to the first school, its role in promoting reading was unclear and it was undergoing restructuring. ‘There used to be a teacher in charge, there were books, and readings were organised, but that has been lost recently’ (Eint_M8).

Among the institutionalised practices, the regular holding of Dialogue Literary Gatherings (TLD) stood out. Twice a month, the class would meet to discuss exclusively classical works, which drew criticism from the teachers themselves due to the lack of diversity. In addition, the school had a website where teachers and students shared reading recommendations.

The teacher/librarian as a mediator of literary reading

The mediation practices observed among teachers at the first school (C1) focused almost exclusively on reading fluency and learning formal content.

Situations like this occurred repeatedly in the classroom, where literacy skills such as fluency and intonation took precedence over literary aspects. When asked about the objectives pursued when reading, the teacher explains: ‘I'm not pursuing any educational goal, so to speak. Well, yes, they should be able to read and read quickly, have a good rhythm and be able to imagine things, get into the book’ (Einter_M2).

In addition to these reading activities, there were individual activities from the textbook. During the observations, no support was found to deepen understanding of what had been read, which reflects the low importance assigned to developing interpretative skills, the socialisation of ideas or the collective construction of meaning. In sixth year, most reading time was devoted to learning literary content focused on recognition of elements, rather than enriching literary discussions. ‘You may or may not like the story you read, it may not be entertaining, but I am more interested in your ability to analyse the composition of the text’ (Eini_M1).

As for the literary corpus used, the teachers refer to encouraging reading habits and comment that, on a personal level, they are interested in the class group being able to identify with what happens in the works. With this in mind, stories from the library are routinely selected that tell of ‘adventures of boys and girls, ideally of the same age as them’ (Einter_M2). This intention contrasts with observed practices, as dynamics that do not favour the socialisation of reading experiences predominate.

The mediation practices observed in the second school (C2) were consistent with the PLC objectives, particularly in terms of promoting reading habits. Of particular note here is the weekly poetry reading by one of the teachers, with a clear intention to broaden the cultural references of the students. ‘They should leave school knowing who Machado, Lorca, and Zambrano are, right? (…) if at the end of the class, at least one person wants to take one of their books home, then the class has been successful’ (Efin_M3).

There were also frequently areas for free and/or guided reading, both in the library and in the school garden or playground, where interaction between readers was encouraged, promoting the construction of interpretive communities, as they are referred to in the curriculum guidelines.

In addition, the teacher-librarian (MB5) provided cultural mediation, expanding the students' reading experiences and social circle through guided visits with the students to the neighborhood library. During one of these visits, it was possible to see how, together with other cultural mediators, spaces were being created for discussion and the production of literary texts by the students.

The development of interpretative skills, another of the reading objectives set out in current regulations, is one of the weak points observed in guided reading settings. The few strategies available to mediate comprehension difficulties often give way to interpretations imposed by teachers or direct responses in order to continue with the lesson. ‘How would you describe the fairy godmother's assistant? (There is silence). Can anyone give me a description? Well, I'll write down some characteristics on the board, we'll copy them down, and then we'll review the next one’ (RO_M4).

As for the corpus used, one of the criteria for teachers is to avoid using texts that are difficult to interpret. As one of the teachers explains, it is more a question of ‘readings with simple vocabulary that can be adapted to the type of students we have’ (Eini_M4). Added to this is what was stated above regarding the aim of broadening the cultural references of the student body.

The formation of reading habits and the consolidation of a relationship with literature emerge as fundamental pillars of teaching practices at the third school (C3). Literary discussions, in the form of TLD, were organised as the main activity for this purpose. Through observation, it was possible to see how the teachers' mediation questions acted as catalysts for exchange between readers, while also helping them to overcome misunderstandings.

One girl chose a passage that said the earth had shrunk, mentioning that this made her sad. The teacher asks: ‘Why does it make you feel sorry?’ As there is silence in the classroom, the teacher asks again: ‘What do we understand when we are told that ‘the earth has shrunk’?’ Another child clarifies that it is not that the earth is shrinking, but rather that we now have the means to travel across it in less time. The girl looks surprised, as if she has suddenly understood the passage she has chosen. The teacher thanks her for the clarification and looks at the girl, who nods (RO_M6).

Mediation aimed at enhancing interpretative skills was frequently observed in this teacher's classes (M6), but was not generalisable to the rest of the teaching staff. As the main mediation tool, weekly worksheets were handed out to accompany the reading of the works. These mostly pointed to a fruitful reading, focusing on the aspects they enjoyed most and the passages with which they could identify.

In the short readings carried out in class, an activity called ‘multilevel’ was implemented, based on five questions that progressed in complexity. However, the so-called analysis questions focused on linguistic or grammatical aspects.

With regard to the reading corpus, which consisted mainly of classics, the teachers expressed some disagreement. ‘I would like them to be different kinds of books, different stories’ (Ef_M7). ‘They have to see themselves reflected, even if it is sometimes difficult with certain texts’ (Ef_M8). Faced with selecting from a closed list of canonical works, teachers refer to identification as a criterion for reworking the corpus.