Development of reading competence in native (russian) language and native (russian) literature lessons

Автор: Соколовская Екатерина Дмитриевна

Организация: НИУ «БелГУ»

Населенный пункт: Белгородская область, г. Белгород

Abstract: the article examines the relevance of developing reading competence in native (Russian) language and native (Russian) literature lessons, reveals the essence of the concept of “reading competence”, and describes the approaches and techniques for developing reading competence in these subjects.

Keywords: competence, proficiency, reading, reading strategies, reading competence.

In accordance with the Federal State Educational Standard for Basic General Education (FGOS OOO), a student must not only acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities during the learning process, but also learn to apply them in various situations. To achieve this, a learner must master a range of competencies, one of which is reading competence.

The ability to read means not only fluently reading a text without errors, but also deeply comprehending it. In the modern world, texts surround us everywhere: we hear them, read them, and create them. Reading proficiency is now significant both in speech practice and in professional activities (for some people). Moreover, reading is one of the key ways to acquire knowledge in the modern world; understanding a text is essential for grasping its meaning.

The importance of reading competence is further underscored by modern forms of state assessment (the Basic State Exam − OGE and the Unified State Exam − EGE), which require students to work with texts. Assessment materials for every subject include tasks related to text perception, comprehension, text‑based work, and transforming text into other formats (such as tables or diagrams). Students often make mistakes when completing such tasks. It can be concluded that reading competence is important for learning in general, and the level of its development directly affects academic success.

This is why the Concept for Teaching Russian Language and Literature, approved in 2016 by a Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation [5], places special emphasis on developing students’ reading competence.

Based on the above, it is clear that teachers must actively work to develop reading competence, particularly in native (Russian) language and native (Russian) literature lessons.

Before discussing the specifics of developing reading competence in these lessons, let us examine the concepts of “competence” and “reading competence”.

According to S. I. Ozhegov’s Explanatory Dictionary, competence refers to:

1. The range of issues in which someone is well‑informed;
2. The scope of someone’s authority or rights [4, p. 652].

D. I. Ushakov’s Great Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language defines competence as “the range of issues or phenomena in which a person has authority, knowledge, experience, and powers” [7, p. 651].

A. S. Belkin believes that competence is what a person possesses [1].

Alongside the term “competence”, there is another term − “proficiency”. Let us clarify this concept.

According to D. I. Ushakov, proficiency means awareness and authority [7]. A. S. Belkin considers proficiency to be what a person masters [1].

Thus, the concepts of “competence” and “proficiency” are interrelated but not identical. Proficiency is a broader concept that includes a set of several competencies.

What is reading competence?

T. G. Ovsyannikova, I. V. Movnar, and T. L. Shishigina note that “federal state standards define reading proficiency as a set of knowledge, skills, and abilities that allow a person to select, understand, organise information presented in symbolic‑alphabetic form, and successfully use it for personal and social purposes” [3, p. 19].

Based on this, they conclude that the term “reading competence” includes “a set of knowledge, skills, and abilities through which a student can independently plan and carry out work to master texts” [3, p. 5].

According to N. N. Smetannikova, reading competence is a personal quality formed on the basis of intellectual abilities and personal traits [6]. E. L. Goncharova believes that reading competence is the ability to transform the content of a text into the reader’s personal experience [2].

How to develop reading competence in native (Russian) language and literature lessons?

In native (Russian) language lessons, work on developing reading competence can follow three main directions:

Mastering different reading types: studying, ознакомительное (familiarisation), abstractive, and skimming reading.

Analysing model texts: this involves linguistic and stylistic analysis of literary texts, including tasks to identify the topic, main idea, and select a title for the text.

Text editing: this direction is important because the editing process enhances text comprehension. It includes three stages:

Stage 1: the student checks whether the text matches the topic, whether the main idea is conveyed, whether there are any redundant parts, and whether paragraphs are properly structured.

Stage 2: the student considers speech presentation and lexical compatibility.

Stage 3: proofreading the text.

Techniques for native (Russian) language lessons include:

• selecting an epigraph for a text;
• formulating questions about the text and creating an outline;
• using cinquains (cinquains).

Developing reading competence in native (Russian) literature lessons involves applying various reading strategies. There are several stages of working with literary texts, each requiring specific strategies (Table 1):

Table 1. Reading strategies for developing reading competence in native (Russian) literature lessons, by stages of working with a literary text

In summary, developing reading competence is an important focus for teachers, as reading ability affects knowledge levels, academic success, and, for some, professional quality. Work on developing reading competence should be carried out in both native (Russian) literature and native (Russian) language lessons. By knowing and applying specific teaching techniques, teachers can improve students’ level of reading competence.

References

1. Belkin, A. S. Competence. Professionalism. Mastery / A. S. Belkin. − Chelyabinsk: Yuzhno‑Ural’skoe knizhnoe izdatel’stvo, 2004. − 171 p.
2. Goncharova, E. L. Early stages of reading development. Towards a theory of the issue / E. L. Goncharova // Defectology. − 2007. − No. 1. − P. 4–12.
3. Ovsyannikova, T. G. Developing students’ reading competence in Russian language and literature lessons: methodological recommendations / T. G. Ovsyannikova, I. V. Movnar, T. L. Shishigina; ed. by S. Yu. Baranov. − Vologda: VIRO, 2016. − 80 p.
4. Ozhegov, S. I. Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language: 100 000 words, terms, and expressions / S. I. Ozhegov; ed. by L. I. Skvortsova. − Moscow: Mir i Obrazovanie, 2015. − 1375 p.
5. Government of the Russian Federation: official website. − Moscow. − Updated daily. − URL: (accessed: 05.09.2022). − Text: electronic.
6. Smetannikova, N. N. Reading and literacy. Reflections in the context of the National Programme for Supporting and Developing Reading / N. N. Smetannikova // How to break the vicious circle: supporting and developing reading: problems and opportunities: scientific and practical collection / Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications, Interregional Library Cooperation Centre. − Moscow: MCBS, 2007. − P. 53–61.
7. Ushakov, D. N. Great Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language: modern edition / D. N. Ushakov. − Moscow: Dom Slavyanskoi knigi, 2008. − 959 p.