Literacy learning in the early years of primary education: a systematic review of Brazilian scientific production (2013-2023) ⁴

This systematic bibliographic review focuses on literacy learning in Brazil from 2013 to 2023. Our aim is to find articles with scientific evidence about practices that favor literacy learning in schools in the early years of primary education. This systematic review followed the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses recommendations. We analyzed 33 articles in four categories: pre-literacy factors; methods, strategies, and resources for literacy learning; reading difficulties, especially in special education students; and reading assessment instruments. Our results show (a) the coexistence of several perspectives on literacy learning (especially on the centrality of phonemic awareness, the relevance of preventive interventions for difficulties, the need for systematic and explicit teaching, and the interrelationship between reading and other areas of knowledge); (b) the predominance of research analyzing reading assessment and/or verification instruments to the detriment of those dedicated to teaching practices that ensure reading mastery; and (c) the emphasis of research on teaching perspectives and assessment instruments, with few investigations on effective practices and strategies in literacy learning. These results raise reflections on the alignment between scientific production and the political decisions that guide the financing of reading programs, especially regarding the need for such decisions to be anchored in socially impacting scientific evidence.

Keywords:
Literacy learning; Primary education; Teaching reading.