and to make sure their comprehension.
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To reach students’ comprehension, they need to pay attention of accuracy of reading regarding to the text, vocabulary, and
organization. The purpose of intensive reading is to help students to get the detail meaning of the text, to develop their reading skill such as identifying main ideas,
recognizing text connectors, and the knowledge of grammar.
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b. Extensive Reading
Extensive reading is reading a larger text in order to comprehend a whole meaningful text. In reading extensively, students usually spend more time because
sometimes they need to understand the part of sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. As Nation stated that extensive reading is a learning activity which
focuses on meaning input and fluency development. When reading, the students need to pay attention to the meaning of the text rather than the language features
of the text.
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Extensive reading can be a way for the students to build a reading culture and their fluency by reading in quantity. In addition, extensive reading
provides positive experiences and motivation for the students in reading.
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3. Purposes of Reading
Students can read anything every time and ever where. Of course, they have different purposes in reading. For example, when students read a newspaper,
getting main point of the information is their purpose of reading. On the other hand, when they read a novel, the purpose of reading is for pleasure. According to
Grabe and Stoller, there are some purposes in reading:
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a. Reading to search for simple information In reading to search, typically the readers do scanning a text for getting a
specific word or specific information.
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I.S.P Nation, Loc. cit.
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Jack C. Richards and Willy A. Renandya, Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice, Cambridge: Cambridge Press University, 2002, p. 296.
10
I.S.P Nation, Op. cit., p. 50.
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William Grabe, Op. cit., p. 322.
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William Grabe and Fredricka L. Stoller, Op. cit., pp. 6—8.
b. Reading to skim quickly In reading to skim quickly, the readers read for getting general comprehension
of text in a short time. c. Reading to learn from texts
Reading to learn from texts refers to learning substantial information which requires linking the text with the readers’ background knowledge.
d. Reading to integrate information For getting information, reading to integrate information requires the reader to
decide what information they are going to pick. e. Reading to write
Similar to reading to integrate information, reading to write refers to reading for selecting information being read which can be a source for developing
writing. f.
Reading to critique texts In reading to critique text, the readers need to select, critique and compose the
information of the text. g. Reading for general comprehension
Reading for general information is actually a complex reading activity which requires the readers to process words, strong skills in forming general meaning
in representing of mind ideas, and efficient coordination of many processes rapidly and automatically under very limited time constraints.
4. Definition of Reading Comprehension
Reading is an activity which requires the reader to interpret a written text. In interpreting the text, students need to convert word by word of the text by using
their eyes and brain simultaneously and process it with their background knowledge in order to get a meaningful understanding of the text. The process of
understanding the meaning of a written text is called reading comprehension.
