Based on psycholinguistic studies, this article deals with reading comprehension skills focusing prediction and the textual consciousness level imbricated in this strategy. To demonstrate this theory, a research has been carried on with 55 sixth grade-students whose ages ranged from 11 to 13, all attending the elementary educational level of a public school in the city of Porto Alegre. In order to examine the effective use of predictions, a reading task with parts of a fable was presented in paper cards, as well as questions about the story to stimulate the use of those strategies. The verbal protocol of self-revelation was adopted to verify the participants´ textual level of consciousness. The results showed that most of the students managed to deal with reading prediction, making pertinent anticipations, although 27% of them were unsuccessful. In relation to the textual consciousness in the use of this strategy, just over half of the students showed metalinguistic behavior, being capable to explain the generative bases of their predictions efficiently using both intratextual and extratextual information. Nevertheless, 47% of the pupils were not able to achieve the goal, since they responded the questions in a confusing and mistaken manner or used vague and imprecise information while showing evidences of how they had processed the question. Considering the educational context, the research results suggested that both the use of the reading prediction and its conscious awareness are relevant topics to be applied in Portuguese language classes, for they provide the teacher with information concerning the possibilities and difficulties on students´ reading process.
Sixth Grade Students’ Listening Comprehension of the Story Text