MODULE 1: READING AND READING COMPREHENSION

READING
Reading is thinking (Thorndike, 1917). It is a complex psycholinguistic process that involves
the following activities: thinking, making predictions, questioning, evaluating, defining and
problem solving. James (1984) defines reading as the process of communication through
which most formal learning takes place. It involves understanding written language and
responding to an author’s message. Reading is important for academic development,
achievement and advancement in life. One can read for different purposes- for enjoyment
or leisure, for professional development or academic purposes.

READING COMPREHENSION
Reading comprehension is defined as “the process of simultaneously extracting and
constructing meaning through interaction and involvement with written language” (RAND
Reading Study Group, 2002: 11).

READING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES

In this course we will consider, Reading for Academic Purposes – this is study-type reading.
It involves decoding, thinking, interpreting, evaluating, making inferences and problem-
solving. When you read for academic purposes you need to be sensitive to the way written
text discourse is organised, the way writers use language, and be proficient in the use of
skills that make reading a meaningful and worthwhile exercise. You also need to adopt a
flexible reading rate. Some reading skills and strategies are presented below, note that the
list is not exhaustive.

READING FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES INVOLVES THE USE OF A VARIETY OF READING SKILLS
AND STRATEGIES:

 Anticipation  Identifying the writer’s attitude

 Skimming  Making inferences
 Scanning  Using word analysis strategies
 Identifying main ideas and  Applying textbook reading
supporting details strategies
 Understanding the structure of  Using underlining as a reading
texts strategy

READING SKILLS
 ANTICIPATION:
When you use anticipatory skills, you use the title to guess what the author will mention in
the text. For instance, in the short passage below, we may expect the author to discuss
features of Mount Kilimanjaro and perhaps its location.
TASK:
The title of the next passage is ‘Mount Kilimanjaro’. Before reading this passage, use the
title to guess four key words you would expect to find in it.
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, is located in northeastern Tanzania, near the
border with Kenya. Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano, its two peaks stand 11 km (7 mi) apart
and are connected by a broad ridge. Kibo, the higher peak, rises to 5,895 m (19,341 ft)
above sea level, and the summit of Mawensi is 5,149 m (16,893 ft) above sea level. Although
Kilimanjaro lies 3° south of the equator, an ice cap covers the crater of Kibo year-round; this
ice cap is pierced by several small craters. “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” (1938), one of the
most famous stories of American writer Ernest Hemingway, is set in the region. Kilimanjaro
has a number of different vegetation zones on its steep slopes. Coffee and plantains are
grown on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro. The mountain was successfully scaled for the first
time in 1889 by German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountain climber Ludwig
Purtscheller.
Adapted: Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation.

 SKIMMING:
When you skim, you run through a text rapidly to determine its main ideas, or to acquire
superficial information. When you want to skim through a study text, look out for the topic
sentences (since they contain the main ideas expressed in paragraphs). Pay particular
attention to signal words/phrases, these give you the direction of the author’s thoughts. For
instance, to indicate that an author wants to say something in addition to what he had said
before, he may use expressions like: also, besides, in addition, again, furthermore.

 SCANNING:
Scanning requires going through a passage rapidly in order to search for specific
information.

TASK:
Read the passage on Los Angeles very quickly and provide answers to the following
questions.
1. Which city does the author mention? ................................
2. The air pollution problem mentioned is known as..............................
3. The type of pollution mentioned in Question 2 consists largely of oxidizing agents
like........................... and ............................
4. The major constituent of industrial smog is ...............................

The American city of Los Angeles has its own peculiar air pollution problem, known as
photochemical smog. This sort of smog differs from more common forms of smog in that it
consists largely of oxidizing agents such as ozone and nitrogen oxides, whereas the main
component of industrial smog is sulphur dioxide.
Adapted from: Bolitho, A.R. and Sandler, P.L. (1980) Study English for Science
  IDENTIFYING MAIN IDEAS:
The main idea of a paragraph is the central or most important idea in the text and it is
usually expressed as a single statement that summarizes the whole idea in the paragraph. It
is the most important message of the writer.

To find the main idea of a paragraph, ask these questions:

i. Who or what is the paragraph about?
ii. What aspect or idea about the ‘who’ or ‘what’ is the author concerned with?
iii. Identify the topic and ask yourself this question ‘what general point does the author
make about the topic?’
iv. Pay particular attention to any idea that is repeated in different ways. If a writer
repeats the same thought in different sentences or paragraphs, that idea is the main
idea.
v. If you have found the main idea, you need to test it. Do so by asking if the supporting
details, examples and graphic information in the text provide evidence in support of
the main idea that you identified.

FACTORS THAT CAUSE SLOW READING

 Word- by -word reading Inability to skim and scan

 Vocalization and sub-vocalization Slow reading rate
 Poor visual perception Low word power and poor
 Regression retention
 Finger pointing and head Inability to interpret what is
movement read
 Difficulty with the return sweep Inability to read critically
 Inflexibility Difficulty with identifying the
 Lack of comprehension skill, main idea and details
including Poor retention

READING EFFICIENCY
This is the act of reading and comprehending well, it is one of the factors that facilitate
reading to remember. The following lead to reading efficiency: phrase- by- phrase reading,
concentrating on the ideas and thoughts expressed by the writer rather than the words,
establishing a purpose for reading, reading critically, learning to engage higher mental
activities such as – thinking, evaluating, problem solving while reading, adjusting one’s
reading rate to suit the difficulty level of the reading material, sensitivity to the structure of
texts, paying attention to directional words/phrases and punctuation marks, use of
appropriate skills and strategies in reading different types of texts.

FACTORS THAT AFFECT READING EFFICIENCY

We shall consider these under three broad headings: environmental, physiological and
psychological factors.

Environmental factors: a reader remembers what he has read if he reads in a comfortable

environment. Environmental situations that are conducive to study-type reading include: a
comfortable room, adequate lighting, good ventilation, quiet environment and good
weather.

Physiological factors: a reader will read well and remember what he has read if he is he
does not have physical problems such as visual impairment e.g., long or short sightedness,
does not suffer from fatigue, illness, stress, hunger. Factors that have direct positive impact
on the reading/learning process include: the reader’s level of intelligence, motivation,
efficiency and level of cognitive processes.

Psychological factors: emotional problems, lack of interest in the subject matter,

motivation, etc. impede efficient reading; therefore, emotional stability will go a long way in
ensuring that one reads well.

REFERENCES

James, S. (1984). Reading for academic purposes. London: Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd.
Thorndike, E . L. (1917). Reading as reasoning: A study of mistake in paragraph reading.
Journal of Educational Psychology, 8: 328.
RAND Reading Study Group. (2002). Reading for understanding: toward an R and D
program in reading comprehension. Santa Monica, California: RAND. 11.