14.
Develop and using reading strategies such as scanning and skimming, detecting discourse markers, guessing the meaning of words from context and
activating schemata for the interpretation of texts.
In addition, Spratt, Pulverness and Williams 2005 states that when readers read, they do not necessarily read every single word in the text. It depends on their
reason or reading purpose which eventually influences the way they read. Consequently, it determines which reading subskills they should use. According
to Spratt, Pulverness and Williams 2005, reading subskills involves reading for specific information scanning, reading for gist skimming and reading for
details. It can be assumed that these reading subskills are reading strategies which the use need to suit readers’ reading purpose.
In relation to teaching-learning activities, teachers should consider these reading subskills in order to specify reading objectives. Given the research focus,
this study only focused on improving several reading subskills that help students comprehend a text better. Those subskills were the ones related to the students
’ abilities to access information from the text such as the main idea and supporting
details of a text as well as knowledge related to generic structures and linguistic features of the text.
g. Strategies for Reading Comprehension
Strategies are defined as ways of reaching a certain goal. Westwood 2008, May 2009 and Lems, Miller and Soro 2010 confirm that strategies can be
applied to enhance reading comprehension. In addition, Brown 2001: 306 states that “reading comprehension is primarily a matter of developing appropriate,
efficient, comprehension strategies.” In brief, reading strategies helps readers comprehend a text.
There are many experts offering strategies for reading comprehension, among of them are Brown 2001, Richards and Schmidt 2002, Maharaj 2007
and Neufeld 2005. Brown 2001 lists ten strategies for reading comprehension which relate ether to the bottom-up approach or to the top-down approach. Those
are: identifying the purpose of reading, using graphemic rules and patterns to aid in bottom-up decoding, using efficient silent reading techniques for relatively
rapid comprehension, skimming the text for main ideas, scanning the text for specific information, using semantic mapping or clustering, guessing when the
readers feel uncertain, analysing vocabulary, distinguishing between literal and implied meanings, and capitalizing on discourse markers to process relationship.
Moreover, Richards and Schmidt 2002, Neufeld 2005 and Maharaj 2007 concur that reading strategies, in practice, should be used before, while,
and after reading. Richards and Schmidt 2002 exemplify reading strategies to be used in each stage. They suggest that readers should preview and set purposes for
reading first before reading, monitor comprehension and adjust their reading purposes while reading then summarize and evaluate the text they read after they
finish reading. Besides using strategies before, while, and after reading, Neufeld 2005
also states that readers should be armed with the skills to raise and to answer the questions they have asked in the attempt to comprehend the text. These question-
raising and answering are integrated with each reading strategies. They provide
reading purposes, i.e. to answer the questions raised, and drive the use of reading strategies, given that different reading purposes employ different reading
strategies. In summary, a number of reading strategies help readers understand a text.
These reading strategies are related to the bottom-up approach and the top-down approach to reading. In practice, readers should use these strategies before, while
and after reading.
2. Teaching Reading Comprehension
