Introduction
The results of international assessments such as PISA demonstrate that reading competence is directly linked to students’ overall academic success across disciplines [1, p. 17]. In Kazakhstan, the issue of developing reading literacy remains highly relevant, as many students continue to struggle with the comprehension of complex texts that require higher-order analysis and evaluation [2, p. 46].
Key Challenges
Classroom practice shows that 8th grade students often:
- engage in superficial reading focused only on isolated facts;
- struggle to identify the main idea of a paragraph or text;
- demonstrate weak skills in argumentation when discussing reading materials [3, p. 55].
Pedagogical Strategies
To address these challenges, teachers are encouraged to:
1. Use pre-reading strategies such as predicting content from titles and keywords.
2. Integrate authentic materials (news articles, essays, informational texts).
3. Apply questioning techniques (“thick and thin questions”) to stimulate deeper discussions.
4. Train students in scanning texts to find evidence and arguments.
Table 1. Student Difficulties and Pedagogical Strategies
| Difficulty | Strategy |
| Superficial reading | Use prediction questions before reading |
| Difficulty identifying main idea | Practice finding the topic sentence in each paragraph |
| Weak argumentative skills | Organize discussions based on the text |
Figure 1. Stages of Developing Reading Literacy
(Pre-reading → Reading with idea extraction → Discussion → Argumentative writing)
Conclusion
The development of reading literacy requires consistent integration across all subjects, not only language classes. Incorporating international approaches (PISA, PIRLS) and applying active reading strategies significantly improve students’ functional literacy. These practices prepare learners for participation in the global educational environment.
References
- OECD. PISA 2018 Results. Paris: OECD Publishing, 2019. 380 p.
- Mullis I.V.S., Martin M.O. PIRLS 2021 Assessment Framework. Chestnut Hill, MA: TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, 2021. 210 p.
- Inci S. Developing critical thinking through reading strategies. Language Learning and Teaching, 2016, no. 18(4), pp. 221–236.