Using short stories to enhance literal, inferential, and critical reading comprehension in sixth-grade learners: A mixed-methods study

Abstract

Reading comprehension remains a critical challenge in primary education, where students often struggle to transition from mechanical decoding to inferential and critical thinking. This study examines the association between a pedagogical strategy based on short stories and the reading proficiency of sixth-grade students at the José Vicente Luque Educational Unit. Grounded in Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 2011), the research employed a mixed-methods approach with a pre-experimental design (single-group pre-test/post-test) involving 32 participants. The independent variable—short story strategy—was operationalized as an integrated instructional intervention combining measurable text features (structural brevity, narrative unity, and thematic relevance) with guided pedagogical mediation throughout the pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading phases. After verifying normality via the Shapiro-Wilk test, the paired-samples t-test revealed a statistically significant improvement ($p < .001$), resulting in the rejection of the null hypothesis. Notably, Cohen’s $d$ (0.73) indicated a medium-to-large effect size, reflecting a robust positive trend in student performance. Qualitative findings further identified a reduction in cognitive fatigue and enhanced engagement. Overall, the findings indicate that optimizing cognitive load through brief narratives may facilitate the allocation of mental resources toward higher-order comprehension. Due to the absence of a control group, these results are interpreted as indicative evidence of a positive association rather than definitive proof of exclusive causality. The study concludes that the short story may function as a high-potential didactic resource for fostering analytical reading skills in basic education.