All of Lithuania Reads to Kids (based on the international All of Europe Reads to Kids initiative) involves Lithuanian schools, teachers, and students with their parents. Established in February 2014, the European Literacy Policy Network (ELINET) unifies Lithuania and other European countries engaged in literacy policymaking and reading promotion for the purpose of reducing the number of children with low literacy skills and helping to improve reading skills (All of Lithuania Read to Kids, 2012).

PISA-study (2009, 2012, 2015) found that Lithuanian students’ performance in science, reading and mathematics scores were below the OECD average, while the indicators in recent study have decreased even further. To improve this situation, in 2015, PIRLS 2011 results and recommendations led to changes to the pre-primary curriculum and the design of new methodological tools to improve reading skills in the primary grades.

Administrative restructuring of curriculum alone, as shown by studies in other countries (i.e. Star, Rittl Johnson, Durkin, 2016) is not sufficient to enable the change of practices in the classroom. Star et al (2016, p. 156) study did not show a noticeable improvement in student achievement and later analysed how teachers use the learning material. The reason was the lack of interest among the majority of the teachers to use systematically a carefully planned training material in the classroom. According to the researchers, teachers needed a clearer structure and direction, also didactic recommendations which training tools to use; what consistency and when to use them in order for the learning strategies become an integral part of each lesson, not just an addition.

The research question is thus to what extent the instruction of the learning strategies has an impact on the performance of the primary school students’ nonfiction texts comprehension. To answer this question the objectives of the current study are to investigate the impact of the instruction of learning strategies on nonfiction texts comprehension of the third grade primary school students’ and to examine whether two factors – students’ cognitive abilities and their socio-economic status – affect each other to influence the performance of the nonfiction texts comprehension.

The theoretical framework of this study is based on vast research showing that learning strategies instruction may help students to reach higher reading performance. Baten, Praet, & Desoete (2017) emphasize a meta-cognitive training design consisting of a clear demonstration of strategies, practical training and systematic interpretation as a model to stimulate development of skills in early childhood. Gibson (2008), Tracy, Reid & Graham, (2009), De Smedt & Van Keer (2018), Baten et al. (2017) discusses the enhancement of meta-cognitive knowledge and skills of primary school students by modelling, providing pedagogical support, reflecting together, applying feedback and feedforward, assessment and advice to the learner, and monitoring. The same principle of systematism and consistency is important in strengthening reading skills: the learning of reading strategies should be a systematic, consistent and student-centred process, i.e. gradually moving from being led to self-regulated reading, gradually increasing the degree of autonomy of learning (Sičiūnienė, Toleikytė, 2017). Therefore, capacity to use reading strategies would be a solution to the complex problem of reading motivation. Collaboration enhances the learning of reading strategies, motivates students and helps them, especially for less successful learners, to understand the text better. Pennequin et al. (2010), Cornoldi et al. (2015) revealed that training to use metacognitive strategies is particularly valuable for less successful students.

The two experimental groups included 46 girls and boys aged 9–10 years, and the two control groups included 59 girls and boys of the same age. One experimental group was 3rd grade students in a city school, and a second experimental group was the same grade in a small-town primary school. Control groups were formed similarly. The study participants were randomly assigned to all four groups. The collected data was then analysed according to the scheme of the experimental research, performing primary and final measurements in different groups. The independent variable in this study is educational activity, and the students' abilities and achievements – dependent variables. First stage. At the beginning of the study, schools were asked for their consent to participate in the research and, with the approval of the schools’ authorities, the students' parents were contacted. Then the students were presented with test tasks. Second stage. The participants of the experimental and control groups carried out a diagnostic test and performed the task of nonfiction text comprehension from 2018 diagnostic tests for 4th grade "Snow Arena". Third stage. The training program and material was developed, and a workshop on the concept, types and classification of learning strategies for teachers and teacher assistants in experimental classes was organized. The following were explained to the participants of the research: the theoretical model of the learning strategy and the stages of instruction to use learning strategies. Fourth stage. A scenario for the insertion of learning strategies and their ability to apply them in experimental classes were planned and aligned with the existing curricula. It was planned together with the teachers what learning strategies will be taught during the study. The subject World discovery was chosen to teach reading strategies and use them for reading informational, nonfiction (related to subject) texts. Fifth stage. Instruction (teaching) and learning to use learning strategy took place in real-life classes of experimental groups. Sixth stage – the final measurement of the dependent variable is currently being performed. Measurements will be made in all 4 groups. Experimental and control groups will perform the other than used before version of the cognitive skills diagnostic test (Lucid Recall, GB), and the new text reading comprehension task. Two experienced primary school teachers according to the diagnostic standardized test evaluation methodology did the assessment of reading literacy (second stage and will do on sixth stage).

The independent variable in this study is educational activity, and the students' abilities and achievements – dependent variables. The paper ascertains the impact of the instruction of learning strategies on informational texts comprehension of the 3rd grade primary school students’ and examines whether two factors – students’ cognitive abilities and their socio-economic status affect each other to influence the performance of the informational texts comprehension. The data will be analysed by methods of descriptive, probability and multidimensional statistics. Multiple linear regression analysis and One-way analysis of variance ANOVA will be used to assess an effect of instruction of learning strategy (teaching to use learning strategy) on student nonfiction texts comprehension, learning achievement and cognitive abilities. Two-way analysis of variance ANOVA will be used to assess effect of two factors (socio-economic status and educational activity on nonfiction texts comprehension), and examine whether the two factors affect each other to influence the continuous variable. Path analysis will be used to verify the compliance of the hypothetical model depicting the key links of the attributes with the empirical data, and to identify the direct and indirect effect of instruction of learning strategy on student learning achievements. The findings of our study attach evidence and details to the assumption that there is a relationship between learning strategies’ instruction and academic achievements of primary school students. It is expected that no variable demonstrates significant association with socio-economic status or school’s geographical location.

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