as a part of a broader research aimed at investigating the learning strategies among brazilian students of a public school in an inner city of s？o paulo, the objective of the present study was both to explore the spontaneous reading comprehension strategies mentioned by elementary school students while reading, and analyse the reading strategies reported by subjects in relation to age, gender, school grade level and repetition of a school grade level. results evinced participants’ lack of a variety of reading strategies. significant relationships emerged between reading strategies mentioned and repetition of a school grade level. the study points out the need that teachers and educators engage in a preventive work towards the development of an independent, reflexive and critical reader.
