Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and

Language Arts

Volume 30 Article 4
Issue 1 September/October 1989

10-1-1989

Success in Reading: Four Characteristics of Strategic Readers

David L. Brown
East Texas State University

L.D. Briggs
East Texas State University

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 SUJ~~~~~ 1m R~~dl1rng:
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David L. Brown
L. D. Briggs
Reading is a complex process which involves the coordi-
nation of a multitude of skills. Strategic readers can be
distinguished from the less-skilled readers by their methods
of interacting with text. The mental processes of good
readers must be understood in order to make assumptions
concerning the nature of reading.

In the primary grades, most students are taught word

attack skills and vocabulary. However, Durkin (1978-1979)
found that adequate instruction was not being given to
comprehension. Without instruction, many children do not
develop the advanced strategies needed for fluent reading.

Several significant differences between fluent and less-

skilled readers have been identified. This article will list and
discuss four characteristics of strategic readers.

Effective Readers
Brown (1982) referred to effective readers as those stu-
dents who have some awareness of and control over their
cognitive reading skills. Interviews with children concerning
their reading knowledge revealed vague and often inaccurate
conceptions of reading (Clay, 1979). The less-skilled readers
showed little awareness of the need to use different strate-
gies for variations in reading purposes and texts. On the other
READING HORIZONS, Fall, 1989 page 31

hand, the good readers used the knowledge of structure and

content to increase reading efficiency.

Strategic readers have the following four characteristics;

• They establish goals for reading.
• They select reading strategies appropriate for the
text.
• They monitor their reading to determine whether
comprehension is occurring.
• They have a positive attitude toward reading.

Establishing Reading Goals

Establishing a goal for reading is a prerequisite for monitor-
ing the reading process and planning appropriate strategies
for understanding the text. By setting goals, students are able
to generate hypotheses and formulate expectations which
will guide their reading. Anderson and Armbruster (1982)
suggested that surveying the text and determining the goal
can improve both enjoyment and comprehension. Seeing a
definite need for goals, Stauffer (1969) emphasized the
importance of goal setting in his Directed Reading-Thinking
Activity. As a result of setting goals, students gain experience
in structuring the specific objectives which will guide and aid
them in reading.

Reading must be goal-directed because readers must

determine strategies for utilizing texts in various ways and
must establish appropriate goals. Once goals are formu-
lated, students will be able to make use of their knowledge of
the topic. These goals, either explicit or implicit, general or
specific, can influence children's understanding of text.

In general, good readers are constantly determining rea-

sons for reading, then reading to achieve these purposes,
READING HORIZONS, Fall, 1989 page 32

and, finally, rereading to confirm understanding of text. This

cognitive process requires readers to depend heavily upon
their experiential background to comprehend what they are
reading.

Appropriate Reading Strategies

Thorndike (1917) recognized the need for developing
readi ng strategies:

Understanding a paragraph is like solving a problem in mathematics.

It consists in selecting the right elements of the situation and putting them
together in the right relations, and also with the right amount of weight or
influence or force for each. The mind is assailed as it were by every word
in the paragraph. It must select, repress, soften, emphasize, correlate
and organize, all under the influence of the right mental set or purpose
or demand. (Thorndike, 1917, p. 329)

Children need to be taught various reading strategies that can

be utilized for different texts.

In a study of fourth-grade readers, Myers and Paris (1978)

found that good readers asked more questions and used
more aids in reading than poor readers. Poor readers usually
asked only about the pronunciation of new words. This study
found that poor readers failed to realize the need for being
strategic readers.

Strategic behavior is essential for the comprehension of

difficult texts. Therefore children should be taught when to
skim for main ideas or scan for particular information. They
must recognize the need to read quickly or slowly, carefu lIy or
casually, silently or aloud (Kleiman, 1982), and when to apply
these reading strategies. Selecting appropriate reading
strategies is a skin that good readers learn to utilize effec-
tively.
READING HORIZONS, Fall, 1989 page 33

Monitoring Comprehension
Recently there has been growing interest by cognitive
psychologists in readers' metacognitive knowledge. Meta-
cognition is a knowledge of and a conscious attempt to control
one's own cognitive processes (Flavell, 1979). During the
reading process, the pupil, the task, and the strategy used are
key factors to be evaluated according to the metacognitive
model (Saker, 1979). In analyzing reading comprehension,
teachers must give consideration to what readers know about
the gaining of meaning, how readers self-regulate the search
for meaning, and what strategies to employ if the reader fails
to understand. This process is known as comprehension
monitoring.

Baker (1979) has described monitoring:

Comprehension monitoring involves the evaluation and regulation of

one's own ongoing comprehension processes. To evaluate is to keep
track of the success with which comprehension is proceeding and to
regulate is to ensure that the process continues smoothly, including
taking remedial action when comprehension fails. (Baker, 1979, p. 365)

Good readers appear to be more proficient at monitoring

their understanding of text than poor readers. For example,
Swanson (1988) found that better readers were more likely to
use higher level strategies, such as inferencing, to obtain
meaning from text than less skilled readers. When failing to
comprehend text, good readers begin to employ subcon-
sciously a number of strategies to self-regulate their search
for meaning. Common strategies include rereading of the
text and drawing from prior knowledge to assist in obtaining
meaning. According to Johnston (1983), the failure to gain
meaning can occur at the word, sentence, or discourse level.

In order to become successful users of comprehension

READING HORIZONS, Fall, 1989 page 34

monitoring, readers must have three competencies. First,

they must be able to assess the present state of their
knowledge, including what they know and what they do not
know about the encountered text. Next, they must be
knowledgeable about various elements of text. Finally, they
must have the strategic knowledge to select the necessary
information to reach meaning (Baker, 1979).

Some techniques have been identified that can be used to

determine whether comprehension monitoring is occurring.
For example, Baker (1979) recommended three strategies:
1) ask readers to imagine hypothetical reading situations and
how they would perform; 2) ask readers what they are doing
while actually reading; 3) assess the ongoing comprehension
monitoring by using a variety of performance measures.

Children "who successfully monitor their comprehension

of text know when they understand, when they don't under-
stand, and when they partially understand" (Baker, 1979).
Markman (1979) studied comprehension by presenting third,
fifth, and sixth graders with passages containing incomplete
or inconsistent information. When awareness of comprehen-
sion problems was assessed, the younger children were
found to be less likely than the older children to realize the
extent of their understanding.

Myers and Paris (1978) surveyed a group of second-grade

pupils to determine the strategies utilized when an unknown
word was encountered. The most common action was to skip
the word. Other strategies included looking back at the text,
rereading, and asking for assistance. Comprehension moni-
toring does not seem to be a skill that automatically develops
with maturity; rather, this monitoring tends to be highly
dependent on the children's knowledge and experience in
READING HORIZONS, Fall, 1989 page 35

dealing with texts. In a later study, Paris and Myers (1981)

found that poor readers remembered less than good readers
from stories read aloud and were not even aware of their
failure in comprehending text. Surprisingly, Baker (1979)
found that many college students also lacked this essential
skill.

Successful comprehension monitoring requires the detec-

tion of unknown or inconsistent information and an aware-
ness of strategies that can be utilized to alleviate the problem.
Effective readers are able to monitor their own comprehen-
sion and take the necessary steps to cope successfully with
difficulties encountered in comprehending text.

A Positive Attitude Toward Reading

The children's attitudes toward reading can influence
achievement. The parents playa major role in promoting and
sustaining children's enthusiasm for reading. Regularly, chil-
dren observe their parents and other individuals reading.
Therefore "by observing their parents and others interacting
with print, children learn that reading and writing have func-
tional environmental uses" (Brown and Briggs, 1987, p. 278).
The children easily ascertain the attitude that others have
toward reading and the importance of reading in daily life.
Therefore, "over a period of time, children gradually assimi-
late attitudes [toward reading] from the actions and beliefs of
those with whom they regularly come in contact" (Briggs,
1987, p. 203). Children who develop positive attitudes toward
the value of reading will approach reading instruction with a
greater possibility for success.
Extensive research has been conducted on the teacher's
influence in helping to foster children's attitudes toward
reading. Schofield (1980) found that teachers who value
reading tend to promote positive attitudes and higher
READING HORIZONS, Fall, 1989 page 36

achievement among their students. Obviously, when learn-

ing to read, children are also developing attitudes toward
reading and their own reading proficiency.

Children are also affected by the instructional behavior of

their teachers. Allington (1980) discovered that teacher-pupil
interaction was different for good and poor readers. He found
that teachers are more likely to interrupt poor readers who err
when reading aloud than good readers who err similarly. As
a result, the actual instructional time allocated for reading
tasks is much less for the poor readers.

In general, research (e.g., Kennedy and Halinski, 1978)

has shown that good readers have a more positive attitude
toward reading than poor readers. The poor attitude of
disabled readers may have a negative effect on reading
achievement. High interest in reading tends to be associated
with high achievement, and low interest in reading tends to be
associated with failure in reading.

Summary
What are four characteristics of strategic readers? Strate-
gic readers establish goals, select appropriate strategies,
monitor comprehension, and display a positive attitude to-
ward reading. Reading is a major academic skill that is
introduced to children during the early school years. There-
fore reading instruction should prepare students to interact in
a meaningful manner with a variety of texts. Good readers
focus their attention on the major ideas as they incorporate
the metacognitive skills needed to accomplish the task of
understanding text. Consequently, good readers are strate-
gic readers who have developed the necessary skills to profit
fully from the decoding process of reading.
READING HORIZONS, Fall, 1989 page 37

References
Allington, R. L. (1980). Teacher interruption behaviors during primary-grade
oral reading. Journal of Educational Psychology, 72, 371-377.
Anderson, R. H., & Armbruster, B. B. (1982). Reader and text studying
strategies. In W. Otto & S. White (Eds.), Reading expository material.
NY: Academic Press.
Baker, L. (1979). Comprehension monitoring: Identifying and coping with
text confusions. Journal of Reading Behavior, 11, 365-374.
Briggs, L. (1987). A poor attitude: A deterrent to reading improvement.
Reading Horizons, 27,202-208.
Brown, A. {1982}. Learning how to leam from reading. In J. Langer & M. T.
Smith-Burke (Eds.),Reader meets author: Bridging the gap. Newark, DE:
International Reading Association.
Brown, D., & Briggs, L. (1987). Collaborative learning: Bridging the gap
between reading and writing. Reading Improvement... 24,278-281.
Clay, M. (1979). Reading: The patterning of complex behavior. Auckland,
New Zealand: Heinemann.
Durkin, D. (1978-1979). What classroom observations reveal about reading
comprehension instruction. Reading Research Quarterly, 14,481-533.
Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring. American
Psychologist, 34, 906-911 .
Johnston, P. (1983). Reading comprehension assessment: A cognitive
basis. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Kennedy, L. D., & Halinski, R. S. (1978). Measuring attitudes: An extra
dimension. Journal of Reading, 18,518-522.
Kleiman, G. (1981). Comparing good and poor readers: A critique of
research. Center for the Study of Reading, Technical Report No. 246.
Markman, E. M. (1979). Realizing that you don't understand: Elementary
school children's awareness of inconsistencies. Child Development, 50,
643-655.
Myers, M., & Paris, S. G. (1978). Children's metacognitive knowledge
about reading. Journal of Educational Psychology, 70,680-690.
Paris, S., & Myers, M. (1981). Comprehension monitoring, memory and
study strategies of good and poor readers. Journal of Reading Behavior,
13,5-22.
Schofield, H. (1980). Reading attitude and achievement: Teacher-pupil
relationships. Journal of Educational Research, 74,111-119.
Stauffer, R. (1969). Directing reading maturity as a cognitive process.
New York: Harper & Row.
Swanson, B. (1988). Strategic preferences of good and poor beginning
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READING HORIZONS, Fall, 1989 page 38

David L. Brown and L.D. Briggs are faculty members in the

Department of Elementary Education at East Texas State
University in Commerce, Texas. Address correspondence to
Dr. David L. Brown, Department of Elementary Education,
East Texas State University, Commerce, TX 75428.

.... Expanding Horizons ...

This teaching idea is shared by Pat Vanderbilt, English teacher
at Hudsonville Junior High School, Hudsonville, MI.

My eighth grade class of academically advanced students studied Chaucer's

Canterbury Tales in a modern translation. We learned about and discussed the
historical setting of the tales, the purpose for the pilgrims' journey, and the
identities of the vast variety of pilgrims. We read several of the tales and noticed
that the pilgrims told their tales out of their own identities and interests.

After our reading was completed, I set up the following hypothetical situation:
As a group we will go to Lansing to watch a basketball game in which MagiC
Johnson is going to be playing. The weather is favorable and we plan to hike on
the back roads from Hudsonville to Lansing. We are going to camp along the way
and in order to make the trip more fun, we will be telling stories along the way as
well as around the campfire.

We brainstormed possible topics, discussed a variety of formats and the style

and length of the tales, and students were assigned to come to class on Monday
prepared with written stories ready to relate to the group.

Monday arrived. I had slipped out between classes and had built a "campfire"
in a vacant inner room, from crumpled red tissue paper piled overflashlights. We
left our classroom, destination unknown to the students, walked down the hall
and entered the darkened room to a whispered chorus of "Oooh, neat!" We read
our various tales by the light of a flashlight which was passed around, and found
that, as the pilgrims, we had many and diverse tales to tell.

The experience was worthwhile and enjoyable for us all. Each student had
a chance to shine, and the class had an opportunity to transcend the "here and
now" through their writing.