Based on definition above, it can be said that reading and comprehension are two elements that cannot be separated each other. As the
result, reading comprehension is activities to understand writer ideas through interpretation of meaning and interaction with existing knowledge.
Meanwhile, asserted by Cathy Collins Block, Lori L. Rodgers and Rebecca B. Johnson, reading comprehension is an active process connected
to the thinking process, textual content and knowledge, expectations and purpose of reading.
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In addition, Dorothy Piercey states that t he students’ ability to
comprehend the written language depends on their ability to understand what the writer says. Reading activities in contents areas about
comprehension depends on one’s ability: a To evaluate and make a judgment
b To distinguish between what an author offers as fact and the author’s opinion about those facts.
c To recognize the difference between what is fact and what is assumed to be fact.
d To compare e To categorize
f To grasp the explanation of a process g
To identify an author’s theme h To know characters
i To recognize a main idea and the data that support it j To distinguish between cause and effect
Comprehending requires the reader a To interpret
b To solve problem c To visualize
d To hypothesis e To observe and report
f To gather and organize data g To follow directions
h To draw conclusion i To predict outcomes.
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50
Cathy Collins Block, Lori L. Rodgers and Rebecca B. Johnson, Comprehension Process Instruction: Creating Reading Success in Grades K-3, New York: Guilford Press, 2004, p. 3.
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Dorothy Piercey, Reading Activities in the Content Areas, Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc. 1982, p. 26.
Also, Scott G. Paris and Ellen E. Hamilton pointed out that there are many definitions of reading comprehension, however, they emphasized
“Reading comprehension is the process of understanding the message that the author is trying to convey. Very simply, it is making meaning from the
text at hand.”
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From all definitions about reading comprehension above, it can be understood that reading comprehension is a process of understanding textual
content, knowledge or ideas through thinking process which requires analysis, coordination and interpretation.
4. Reading and Learning Style
Reading is useful for language acquisition. Many people want to be able to read text in English either for careers, for study purposes or simply
for pleasure. Further, reading has a positive effect on students’ vocabulary knowledge, on their spelling and on their writing.
The way students reading depend on their learning styles. The learning styles of students are uniquely diverse. Therefore, it is important to
understand and being aware of students’ learning style preference in reading
because their learning style preferred could bring improvement in students’
reading achievement in school. According to Miles V. Zint, the cause of reading failure is individuals
are different from each other in learning rates.
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It can be said that low reading achievement can be caused by different ways of learning among
people which is depends on preferred ways of people to receive or understand knowledge.
Then, Rod Ellis stated that students’ preferred ways of learning affect
their second language learning input and output, such as learning task or
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Pamela J. Farris, Carol J. Fuhler and Maria P. Walther, Teaching Reading: A Balance Approach for Todays’ Classroom, Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2004, p. 321.
53
Miles V. Zint, Corrective Reading, Dubuque, Wm. C, Brown Company Publishers, 1966, p. 17.
comprehension of four English skills whether productive or receptive skills.
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As supported by Armbruster, Lehr and Osbrn, “reading as a
complicated process, and achievement in reading has been linked to learning styles
.”
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Therefore, it can be said that reading comprehension that can be seen to their achievement relate to learning styles.
In adddition, Stahl on Abu Ibrahim Saadi reported, “teachers need
different approaches to teach students to read, because learning styles indicate that different children differ in their phonemic abilities, in their
ability recognizing words, and ability to comprehend and learn from the text, and their motivation and aprreciation of literature.
”
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Thus, from the statements above, it can be understood that reading and learning styles relates each other. Learning styles are important to be known
and awared whether by students or teachers due to its indication to the ability of people in reading or recognizing meaning of the text.
B. Previous Study
There are some previous studies which relates to comparison between learning style and reading comprehension.
Firstly, the research was conducted by Endang Rahmatullah, he
conducted the research which comparing between visual and auditory learning style through students’ achievement in English and found out the
significant difference on students’ English learning achievement based on
their visual and auditory learning style in the second grade of SMAN 1 Sepatan. T-
test is used to compare the differences between students’ visual and auditory learning on English achievement. As a result, his study revealed
54
Rod Ellis, Second Language Acquisition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003, p. 73.
55
Armbruster, et.al., Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read, Kindergarten through Grade 3 3rd Edition, Jessup: MD National Institute for
Literacy, 2003.
56
Stahl in Ibrahim Abdu Saadi, An Examination of the Learning styles of Saudi Preparatory School Students who are High or Low in Reading Achievement, Thesis of Victoria
University, 2012, p. 3, published.
that there is a significance difference between students’ visual and auditory
style in English achievement.
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Secondly, the research was conducted by Cendy Septianty Rizky. She conducted causal comparative study which finding out whether there was
significant differences of students’ English achievement based on their visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning styles at second grade of SMP Islam
Harapan Ibu. The data analysis revealed that auditory dominated the stud ents’
learning styles and the highest score was gotten by kinesthetic learners. She used ANOVA to analyze the data. The result showed that there is a
significance difference among student’s English achievement. Therefore, it can be understood that there is significant differences value
in students’ English achievement based on their learning styles.
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The last related previous research was conducted by Tanta. The purpose of her research was to know the
impact of students’ learning style towards their academic achievement on the subject of general biology. The
instruments that the writer used to gathering the data were observation, questionnaire, and documentation. She used SPSS to analyze the data and in
analyzing data, she also tested the normality test and she calculated the regression analysis. The research result of the research showed that
students’ learning style belonged to visual type because 22 students from 31 sample are
visual learners. Then, it revealed that there is an influence of learning styles to the academic achievement of the students of semester I 20092010 of biology
education program.
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57
Endang Rahmatullah, “Students’ English Achievement based on their Learning Style An Ex Post Facto at Second Grade students SMAN 1 Sepatan Tangerang
”, Skripsi Universitas Islam Negeri Jakarta, 2009, pp.1- 26, unpublished.
58
Cendy Septianty Rizky , “Students’ English Achievement based on their Learning Style
A Causal Comparative Study at Second Grade students SMP Islam Harapan Ibu ”, Skripsi
Universitas Islam Negeri Jakarta, 2013, pp.1- 26, unpublished
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Tanta
,
The Impact of Learning Style towards Students’ Study Achievement on the Subject of General Biology, of Biology Education Program, Cenderawasih University
.
Kreatif Jurnal Kependidikan Dasar,
vol. 1 no. 1, 2010, pp. 7-20.
