is expected that the users or so called the students are able to practice the intensive reading skills in order to be more competence as the part of students of English
Letters department.
2. Reading
Reading is the main skill that will be learned in this research. Therefore, it is important to know about reading in depth.
a. Nature of Reading
As described by Grabe 1997 reading is a communication between reader and text. Grabe states that reading involves efficient knowledge of world and a
given topic also an efficient knowledge of the language. As it is described, reading requires a rich background, and also some ability to comprehend the texts. In
contrast, Rebecca Sadow 1985 claim that reading is related to language and it requires being efficient in L2. Reading is one of the four main skills in language
learning and also one of the hardest one for a foreign language learner. Moreover, this situation is stated by writers: According to Susser and Robb 1990, reading is
a skill, that is most emphasized in a traditional FL teaching. In the context of second ESL or foreign language EFL learners, reading
is considered as a complicated process because they usually don‘t have enough language background and knowledge that they can get to the task of obtaining
literacy as do first language learners. Therefore, reading comprehension strategies must be taught directly with modeling to reveal how reading tasks can be
accomplished by a proficient reader. A well-planned comprehension strategy for
instruction that involves directly teaching reading strategies is especially recommended for second or foreign language readers Ediger, 2001. English
language learners in an EFL context, such as Indonesia, do not have much exposure to foreign language use. Therefore, reading English texts plays a vital
role for Indonesian students to improve their English skills as a whole.
Reading is categorized into two categories: initial reading and reading comprehension. Initial reading is a work made by readers who have not been able
to learn reading, while reading comprehension is an activity meant to understand the messages of a particular text Williams, 1998. The teaching of reading as a
foreign language EFL reading in Indonesia can be commonly involved in the teaching of reading comprehension. This is because it goals to develop the skills
of learners, who have been able to read in their first language and in EFL, in understanding the meaning of a written text. Thus, the term reading in this context
refers to the nature of reading in this sense, not to the initial reading.
b. Approaches in reading in EFL classrooms
Some scholars believed in the bottom-up approach in order to define the condition of the reader. In this approach reader puts together letters to form words,
clauses, sentences, and paragraphs to understand the meaning. Thus, by doing this, reading activity is conducted by the structure of the text that is read by
language learners. In line with Miller 2007 bottom-up processing assists students to become a fast and good reader but on the other hand, without having
any well-organized knowledge on the second language, this processing does not
be effective. In the contrary, other researchers focus on the top-down approach that is theoretically driven. This encourages students to use their background
knowledge in order to make predictions about the texts they read Carrel, 1998. In the top-down understanding of foreign language reading, not only is the reader
an active participant in the reading process, making predictions and processing information, but all in the readers‘ previous understanding or background
information has a substantial part in the process. Miller 2007 in his study traces upon reading strategies; he offers evidence about thirty years ago and recent times
also. Miller also states that reading was constructed on top-down skills about thirty years ago, the main concern of reading was meaning. In this technique,
teachers were supporting students to use their background knowledge in order to improve their reading comprehension. On the other hand, Miller states that there
has been a modification from bottom-up skills to top-down ones recently; it emphases on firstly the exact, literal comprehension of the text.
Hayashi, who investigated university students in Japan 1999, states that students in his research may have used numerous reading strategies while
performing reading activity, he highlights the top-down and bottom-up strategies. In addition, he also states that, after his research with Japanese
students, in their first stages of learning they use dictionary, memorization of words, taking notes and translation word-for-word into L1. In the advanced stage,
they refer to guessing the meaning of the word from the context. In the final
stages students use strategies such as transitional words, finding clues and using background knowledge.
c. Types of Reading
The theories on foreign language teaching commonly divides two skills of reading: intensive and extensive reading. Intensive reading is a slow reading of a
text meant to identify each unidentified word, grammar structure, and style. Intensive reading is related with short texts used to make students discover the
meaning and get familiar with the writing tools. It also frequently includes translation of the read passage. It is used to practice or focus on specific lexical,
syntactical or discoursal aspects of the target language or to practice a selected reading strategy Hedge, 2003. However, Hedge 2003 states that it is only
through more extensive reading that learners can gain substantial practice in operating these strategies more independently on a range of materials. As the
main importance is on structures of the text, rather than on its semantic context, the reader‘s attention in the story may be reduced. The main objective of intensive
reading, though, is complete and thorough understanding of the text, thus it is made use of when the reader encounters a more challenging foreign language
reading. However, intensive reading requires a lot of patience and attention, it helps strengthen the reader‘s knowledge.
In contrast, extensive reading emphases on the gist of the story, and very little consideration is paid to details. Some authors define it as activities of
skimming and scanning. For others, it is the amount of reading of material. The
reader predicts the meanings of words and uses a dictionary only to translate key words essential for the general meaning of the text. This sub skill supports to get
the sense of the language. While intensive reading deals with shorter texts, extensive reading is generally related with reading large amounts of material.
Until, however, students read in quantity only, they will not become fluent readers. Extensive reading inspired by Krashens Input Hypothesis, has been
readopted in various EFL schools and universities since students are asked to read independently using available material online or at their reach Hedge, 2003. As
stated by Hedge, extensive reading differs according to stude nts‘ motivation and
school resources. Then, the teacher has to find the appropriate material to meet the students‘ needs. Extensive reading is an individual activity that can be not only in
class but also at home. It helps students to find their way to be independent. Learners can be allowed to select their own reading materials according to their
interests and level of language they have. Hedge 2003 describes the advantages of extensive use in the following lines: Learners can build their language
competence, progress in their reading ability, become more independent in their studies, acquire cultural knowledge, and develop confidence and motivation to
carry on learning. Thus, both intensive and extensive reading should be applied in the learner‘s reading skills development.
d. Reading Strategies
