Alla ricerca delle informazioni più importanti di un testo narrativo : uno studio esplorativo nella scuola primaria

The article presents a mixed-method pilot study designed to examine the didactic functioning of a learning unit for primary students that comprised a simulation game and class discussion focused on identifying the key infor- mation in a narrative text. The research was conducted in May 2021 with 27 nine- to ten-year-olds attending Ottavio Jacquemet primary school in Verrés, Aosta (Italy). Comparison of the participants' scores on tests administered both before and after the educational intervention indicated that significant gains had tak- en place (pre-test: M = 4.2 SD = 0.9; post-test: M = 5.4; SD = 0.6 at p < 0.05).

Analysis of the dialogue between the teacher-moderator and the student group suggested that the children had been stimulated to identify the key information within a meaning-building process based on: identifying textual cues; connecting and integrating the various items of information contained in the text; and revisiting any erroneous understandings reflected in the video recordings and written materials produced during the simulation game. [Publisher's text]