Objective:

The purpose of this study was to analyze the comprehension performances recorded in the textbooks of eighth grade students, in the subjects of Natural Sciences, History and Geography in Chilean primary education.

Method:

A mixed method is assumed, supporting the data analysis of the comprehensive categories proposed by Perkins (1999), underlying the construction of a checklist, validated by expert criteria.

Results:

In the educational activities recorded in the analyzed Science and History textbooks, learning comprehension performances of all the categories proposed in the model used as a reference are observed. For the most part, textbooks promote activities that allow students to explain, generally in their own words. Also, they record activities that mobilize comparison, that is, to observe, to describe, to identify similarities and differences between objects, things, and phenomena. However, the frequency of these performances is scarce, which implies the absence of mobilizing examples of situations related to the contents treated and allowing to relate the subjects learned with new contents, with the environment, daily life, and other phenomena or areas.

Conclusion:

From the conceptual and empirical analysis, the authors arrived at the conclusion that, in the educational activities recorded in the school texts, for science and history, there is a teaching model that promotes an incipient learning for comprehension performances.

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