pronunciation and speaking.
5
Through reading, students can improve their other skills such as speaking through the learning how to pronounce the words, writing
through the learning the sentence structure from the text, and listening through reading aloud. Moreover, reading also can be a process for students to improve
their linguistic competence. As Grabe stated that reading can be defined as a linguistic process which means that the readers will make phonemic connection,
recognize the words and the structural phrases organizing the words, and linguistic knowledge of the language of the text.
6
Thus, it can be drawn a conclusion that reading is an active attempt that involves the readers to use their eyes and mind simultaneously in order to
construct the message of the text with their background knowledge as information. In addition, the purposes reading can be determined in various ways.
2. Types of Reading
In teaching and learning process, reading is a common activity for students to get information. In the reading activity, there are two types of reading which
are usually done by the students. They usually read a short text for getting detail information. In addition, they usually read a longer text for getting the overall
meaning of the passage. The kinds of reading are intensive and extensive reading.
a. Intensive Reading
Intensive Reading is reading a short text to extract specific or detail information of the text. Students usually need a short time to do this kind of
reading. Intensive reading can be a way for the students to increase their knowledge of language features and their control of reading strategies.
7
In addition, Intensive reading usually involves translation and comprehension of the
text. The use of the translation is to analyze language features that they learned,
5
Sacha Anthony Berardo, The Use of Authentic Materials in the Teaching of Reading, The Reading
Matrix: Vol.6
2, 2006,
p. 60.
Retrieved from
http:www.readingmatrix.comarticlesberardoarticle.pdf .
6
William Grabe, Reading in a Second Language: Moving from Theory to Practice, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009, p. 16.
7
I.S.P Nation, Teaching ESLEFL Reading and Writing, New York: Routledge, 2009, p. 25.
and to make sure their comprehension.
8
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.
9
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.
10
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.
11
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:
12
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.
8
I.S.P Nation, Loc. cit.
9
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.
11
William Grabe, Op. cit., p. 322.
12
William Grabe and Fredricka L. Stoller, Op. cit., pp. 6—8.
