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supporting idea, new information, given information, generalization and exemplification.
l. Distinguishing between literal and implied meanings.
m. Detecting culturally specific references and interpreting them in a context
of the appropriate cultural schemata. n.
Developing and using battery of reading strategies, such as scanning and skimming, detecting discourse markers, guessing the meaning of words
from context, and activating schemata for the interpretation of text.
2. The Nature of Reading Comprehension
a. Definition of Reading Comprehension
To make clearer about what is meant by reading comprehension, it is important for the researcher to discuss the definitions. There are various
definitions suggested by experts. Lenz 2007 says that reading comprehension is the process of constructing meaning from text. He explains that the aim of all
reading instruction is ultimately targeted at helping a reader comprehend text. Reading comprehension involves at least two people: the reader and the writer.
The process of comprehending involves decoding the writer’s words and then using background knowledge to construct an approximate understanding of the
writer’s message. Furthermore, Pressley 2001:1 defines reading as often thought of as a
hierarchy of skills, from processing of individual letters and their associated sound to word recognition to text-processing competencies. He clarifies that skilled
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comprehension requires fluid articulation of all these processes, beginning with the sound out and recognition of individual words to understanding of sentences
in paragraphs as part of much longer texts. Harris and Sipay 1980:447 po
int out “the heart of the act of reading is obtaining appropriate meanings. Word recognition, which has been considered, is
necessary prerequisite for reading comprehension, but recognition without understanding is worth very little.” From this quotation one knows that
comprehension is the essence of reading. Without comprehension, one will not get the information needed.
Meanwhile, according to Bormuth 1969 in Harris and Smith 1980:479, comprehension ability is thought to be a set of generalized knowledge acquisition
skills which permit people to acquire and explore information gained in consequence of reading printed language. Then, Glinkoff 1973 in Harris and
Smith 1980:479 listed the three main components of reading comprehension as; 1
decoding, 2
lexical access have a meaning from printed words in one’s memory, and 3
text organization obtaining meaning from units larger than the single word.
The last of these, obtaining meaning from printed units larger than the single word is meant to be reading comprehension.
