21:15
R4Y Jr
Reading comprehension has multiple definitions and explanations. Therefore,
it depends on writer’s mind in modifying
comprehension definition. Comprehension is the outcome of reading when readers
successfully connect statements and ideas in the text in order to form a
coherent mental representation of the text (Kondeou,
2005). Many students get stuck when they meet some
difficult words on the text and they ignore them. In some cases, however, that
the difficult words are key in comprehending the text. Anderson (2003) states that aim of the reading is comprehension. Reading is
one of important skills in learning English and it has many purposes that
provide for the students’ abilities to improve their comprehension of reading
text. Comprehending one sentence is better than we read many books but we do
not know them. Reading is not to pronounce or utter the voices but it
means to recognize and understand how to pronounce words. There are four skills
of language, they are: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The four
skills can not be separated. Reading skill is developed in societies with an
extremely developed literary traditions and culture. Reading helps to increase
vocabulary which helps for listening comprehension too.
According to Linse (2005:69) reading is a set of skills that involves making
sense and deriving meaning from the printed word. Therefore, people are not
said reading yet before they can get the meaning of what they read.
The most important thing about reading is
comprehension. It is the reason that we read (Scharlach, 2008). However,
comprehension depends on knowledge that can not always be found in a single
word or sentence. Consequenly, students should master
some reading strategies in comprehending the text. Many students give up in
reading a book because they get stuck in reading first paragraph. Allyn and
Bacon (1989) states that understanding words, sentences and paragraphs are
essential to comprehend the reading selection. Comprehension is also the
process of deriving meaning from connected text. Therefore, comprehension is
not a passive process, but an active one. The reader actively read the text to
construct meaning. This active reading includes making use of prior knowledge.
Recent studies have focused on how readers use their knowledge and reasoning to
understand texts. Good readers are aware of how well they understand a text
while reading. Good readers also take active steps to overcome difficulties in
comprehension.
Hirsch (2003) states the three principles of reading
comprehension (which subsume a number of others), they are fluency allows the
mind to concentrate on comprehension, breadth of vocabulary increases comprehension
and facilitates further learning, domain knowledge, the most recently
understood principle, increases fluency, broadens vocabulary, and enables
deeper comprehension.
Reading with
comprehension involves not only understanding the words in the sentences but
also understanding through the writers’ mind. Comprehension process can be
challenging for any student with impoverished language and background knowledge
(Kieffer, 2010:600). Comprehension entails a process whereby an incoming
linguistic message interacts with the world knowledge base and it is
transformed into a representation which preserves the meaning of the message,
but not its form (Anderson et al., 1977).
