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Kustaryo 1988: 2 states that reading is the combination of word recognition, and intellect, and emotion interrelated with prior knowledge to
understand the message communicated. Nuttal 1982 in Simanjuntak 1988: 4 defines reading as the meaningful
interpretation of printed or written verbal symbols. It means that reading is a result of the interaction between the perception of graphic symbols that represent
language and the rea der‟s language skills, cognitive skills, and knowledge of the
world. In this process the reader tries to recreate the meanings intended by the writer.
Wiratno 2003: 162 states that based on the way of reading, reading activity is divided into two points of view. First, reading is dissolved the text to
get understanding to its content. Second, reading is pronouncing the text orally. Moreover, Wallace 1996: 4 adds that reading is interpreting which means
reacting to a written text as a piece of communication; in other words, we assume some communicative intent on the writer‟s part in which the reader has some
purposes in attempting to understand. Based on all the definitions of reading above, it can be concluded that
reading involves some processes that are used to get the meaning and ideas from the written text which is symbolized in written or printed language. It is an active
and communicative process, that goes on between the reader and the text, resulting in comprehension. It is a means of communication between the reader
and the writer.
b. The Notion of Reading Comprehension
In reading comprehension, there should be an interaction between the reader and the writer. Adam 1990 in Howell 1993: 182 states that reading
comprehension is an interactive process through which the reader uses code, context analysis, prior knowledge, vocabulary to understand the text. Meanwhile
Burns 1990: 151 states that the basic comprehension units in reading are words, sentences, paragraphs, and whole selections. These units combine to form all
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written material students encounter. Kustaryo 1988: 11-12 states that reading with comprehension means
understanding what has been read. It is an active, thinking process that depends not only on comprehension
skills but also on the students‟ experiences and prior knowledge. Comprehension involves understanding the vocabulary seeing the
relationship among words and concepts organizing ideas, recognizing the author‟s purpose, making judgments, and evaluating.
Reading comprehension means techniques for improving students‟ success in
extracting useful
knowledge from
text http:www.wikipedia
. orgwikicomprehension. meaning
Grellet 1992: 3 states that reading comprehension is understanding a written text and extracting the required information from it as efficiently as
possible. The ultimate goal in reading is to make the meaning from text and to comprehend the information that is conveyed in the text.
Based on the definition of reading comprehension above, it can be concluded that reading comprehension is a thinking process to get understanding
from what has been read and to get information that the reader needs as efficiently as possible. In this process, the reader emphasizes the important of prior
knowledge and reading skills in order to find information in the text.
c. Level of Comprehension
To understanding meaning or message resulted from reading is called reading comprehension. Different types of reading comprehension are often
distinguished, according to the reader‟s purposes in reading and the types of reading used.
Based on the level of comprehension, Burns 1990: 177 divided reading into four types: literal reading, interpretive reading, critical reading, and creative
reading.
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1 Literal reading It involves acquiring information that is directly stated in a selection and also
prerequisite for higher levels understanding. The examples of the skills are the ability to restate the author‟s material. In other words, the basic of literal
comprehensive is recognizing stated main ideas, detail causes and effect, and sequence. It is important to understand vocabulary, sentence meaning and
paragraph meaning thoroughly. 2 Interpretive reading
Interpretive reading involves reading between the lines or making inferences. It is the process of deriving ideas that are implied rather than directly stated.
Skills for interpretive reading include: a Inferring main ideas of passage
b Inferring causes and effect relationship c Inferring referents of pronoun
d Inferring referents of adverbs e Inferring omitted words
f Detecting the author‟s purpose and
g Drawing conclusion
3 Critical reading Critical reading is evaluating written material, comparing the ideas discovered
with known standard and drawing conclusions about their accuracy, appropriateness, and timeless. The critical reader must be an active reader,
questioning, searching for facts and suspending judgment until he or she has considered all of the material.
4 Creative reading It involves going beyond the material presented by the author. It requires
readers to think as they read and use their imagination. Based on the theories above, it can be concluded that to comprehend well,
readers must have literal comprehension, interpretive comprehension, critical comprehension, and creative comprehension. In this research, the writer used the
level of comprehension according to Burns 1990: 177. The researcher did not
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discuss four levels of comprehension but only discuss two levels, literal and interpretive comprehension because the texts for SMP students covers literal and
interpretive comprehension. Based on the curriculum of SMP and level of comprehension above, the
researcher can get some indicators required to the students, they were: literal comprehension finding details information, identifying language feature,
identifying generic structure, and identifying word meaningvocabulary and interpretative comprehension identifying main ideas, identifying referents, and
identifying the author‟s purpose.
d. The Process of Reading
