Formulation of The Problems

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CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW

The aim of this research is to develop appropriate reading learning materials for International Mathematics Education Study Program of Yogyakarta State University. To support the understanding of the background formulated in Chapter I, some theories related to the concepts of reading, English for specific purposes, and materials development were reviewed.

A. Literature Review

1. Reading

a. The Nature of Reading

Reading is one of skills in English which is important to be mastered by students. International students must have strong relationship with this skill. This skill will be used in contracting the meaning of the text and inferring messages of the writer. Reading is a process in comprehending and interpreting a written text. From a reading process the learners will able to figure out the main idea, literal, and implied meaning of texts. Urquhat and Weir cited in Feng Liu 2009 state that a reading skill can be described as a cognitive ability which should be used by learners when interacting with texts. Although it is a receptive skill, learners must be able to extract the meaning from texts, not only literal meanings but also the implied meanings. In addition, Brown 2001 proposes the nature of reading through three theories namely bottom-up and top-down processing as well as schemata theory. Led by Goodm an’s 1970 cited in Brown 2001:298-299 states the bottom-up processing requires the readers to recognize a multiplicity of linguistics signals and use their linguistics data-processing mechanism to impose some sort of order on these signals. Meanwhile the top-down processing, Brown 2001 says this is a process in which the readers draw on their own intelligence and experience to understand a text. This process requires the readers’ background knowledge before they read a text. The last is schemata theory which not only requires the background knowledge of the readers. Further Brown 2001 states that schemata is the condition where the readers bring information, knowledge, emotion, experience, and culture. Besides, Harmer 1983 also defines reading as a receptive skill which has two purposes. Firstly is reading instrumental. It means that the reading activity takes place because it will help a person to achieve some clear aims. In other words, instrumental reading is done when a person has an intended purpose in mind. The second one is pleasurable reading. It means that reading takes place only for pleasure. As an example is when people read magazines, illustrated cartoons, photo-stories and so on. Based on the previous theories, it can be said that reading is the skill to extract the stated and implied meaning of the text. The process of extracting the meaning can be obtained through recognizing linguistics signals, the reader’s background knowledge, emotion, experience, and culture.