Utility of ict for the development of reading competence and promotion of reading at university

Abstract

This article presents the results of a research aimed at establishing conclusions regarding the usefulness of the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to promote reading in higher education students of a Mexican public university. Based on the assumption that young university students extract information from websites using navigation shortcuts without deepening reading, and taking as reference previous studies that indicate poor motivation to read, null reading habits, a level of reading comprehension below the requirements for higher education and the use of technology for social and leisure activities, a reading program was conducted for initial students, where activities were designed to be carried out through mobile devices, addressing readings through quick response codes (QR for its acronym in English). The process analyzed changes in the reading practices of university students from the development of ICT and their inclusion in the academic field, assuming that these are a tool of the teaching-learning process and constitute an alternative to promote reading. The results suggest a pedagogical proposal based on the method of direct instruction, application of reading strategies (Solé, 2006), cognitive strategies for information processing in different degrees of abstraction and complexity (Kabalen & De Sánchez, 2005) and use of ICT to arouse interest in reading, creating reading habits, and contributing to the development of reading competence. It is proposed in the future, the development of applications to support reading with ludic activities more attractive for the students.