connects readers’ background knowledge and their processing strategies to the text they read.
3
From those definitions, it can be concluded reading is getting
process the reader always tries to catch what the writer says and means actually.
In addition, Grellet added that reading is an active skill. Reading obviously involves some strategies such guessing, predicting, checking, and asking oneself
questions.
4
Moreover, Daiek and Anter also stated that reading as an active process. They propose that reading is an active process that depends on both an
author’s ability to convey meaning using words and your ability to create meaning from them.
5
By the definition of reading is an active skill above, it can be concluded that when we read a book or a text, we are getting involved in the reading of a
text. To get involved into the reading text, we can explain about what we have read to someone else, make some summarize points of the text, or raise some
critical questions about the text. So, we are more likely to better understand the
meaning within the text.
In conclusion, reading is an activity that involves both the eyes and the brain to draw the meaning from the text or printed materials. It requires the
process of getting and interpreting the message sent by the authors appropriately
through the printed materials.
2. Definition of Reading Comprehension
Reading involves comprehension and they cannot be separated each other. Reading has not happened yet, if the reader has not reached the comprehension of
the text. Comprehension is making connections between what the readers read and what the readers already know. Sometimes the connection seems to happen by
3
Kristin Lems, Leah D Miller, and Tenena M Soro, Teaching Reading to English Language Learner, New York: The Guilford Press, 2010, p. 33.
4
Francoise Grellet, Developing Reading Skills, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010, p. 8.
5
Deborah B. Daiek and Nancy M. Anter. Critical Reading for College and Beyond, New York: McGraw Hill, 2004, p. 5.
itself – especially when the information is important or interesting to the readers.
6
It means that reading comprehension can be seen as one of reading goals. In reading comprehension, the readers should have knowledge about understanding
the reading passage, because without comprehension, reading has not truly happened.
Other experts said that reading comprehension refers to reading for meaning, understanding, and entertainment. It involves higher-order thinking
skills.
7
It can be defines as the readers understand what the text tell about, knowing the main idea of the text, and the details of the text tell about, knowing
the main idea of the text, and the details of the text, then combine it with their knowledge about the topic discussed.
Kristin and her colleagues also propose a definition of reading comprehension “Reading comprehension is the ability to construct meaning from
a given written text.”
8
It means that the readers need to understand the ideas of the author’s mind to the reader’s mind, in other words, what the author means should
be understood well by the readers. Reading and comprehension cannot be separated each other. Reading
comprehension is an activity to understand written ideas through recognition of written materials.
3. Characteristics of Reading
Richard Anderson and the Commission on Reading define reading as the process of constructing meaning from written texts. Skilled reading is:
a. Constructive: learning to reason about written material using knowledge
from everyday life and from disciplined fields of study; b.
Fluent: mastery of basic processes to the point where they are automatic so that attention is freed for the analysis of meaning;
6
Beatrice S. Mikulecky and Linda Jeffries, More Reading Power Second Edition, New York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2004, p. 16.
7
David Nunan, Practical English Language Teaching: Young Learners, New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005, p. 71.
8
Kristin Lems, Leah D Miller, and Tenena M Soro, Teaching Reading to English Language Learner, New York: The Guilford Press, 2010, p. 170.
