4. Theory of Reading
This section refers to some theories related to reading that supports this study. The theories include reading comprehension, the teaching of reading, and
the English curriculum for senior high school.
a. The Nature of Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension is a process of understanding written information that requires underlying knowledge of the reader in order to be able to get the
purpose from the writer in a certain text and understand the text thoroughly. Some experts have their own definition about the meaning of reading comprehension.
Griscoe and Gee 1984: 24 say that the essence of reading is comprehension. Comprehension is a bridge between what is being read and what
is already known. While Anderson 1979:384 says that the result of reading is the comprehension of the written material.
Kustaryo 1988: 11-12 states that reading with comprehension means understanding what has been read. It is an active thinking process depending not
only on comprehension skills but also on the students’ experiences and prior knowledge. Comprehension involves understanding vocabulary, seeing the
relationship among words and concepts, organizing ideas, recognizing the author’s purpose, making judgment and evaluation.
b. Skills in Reading Comprehension
In reading activity, many reading skills of the reader are required. The skills include the ability to get the meaning of words, understand the structural
pattern, perceive ideas, and so on. Each reading skill does not stand by itself, however it depends and interrelates one another.
According to Heaton 1979: 104, there are some specific skills involved in reading. They are defined as the ability to:
1 distinguish between letters and recognize the letter sound relationship,
2 recognize words and word groups, requiring ability to associate sounds with
their corresponding graphic symbols, and understanding meaning, 3
understand the meaning of words and word groups in the context in which they appear,
4 recognize structural clues and comprehend structural patterns,
5 comprehend the plain meaning of a sentence or any complete sequence of
words, 6
perceive relationship and sequences of ideas, 7
comprehend paragraph and longer unit of prose and select the main idea, 8
draw conclusion, make inferences and ‘read between line.’ Kustaryo 1988: 12 states that in a broader sense, comprehension can be
divided into three levels of skills. They are literal, inferential, and critical. 1
Literal Literal reading refers to the ideas and facts that are directly stated on the
printed page. The literal level of comprehension is fundamental to all reading skills at any level because the reader must understand first what the author said
before drawing an inference or make an evaluation.
2 Inferential
To obtain inferences, or implied meanings, from the reading material one must ‘read-between lines’. Inferences are ideas a reader receives when he goes
beneath the surface to sense relationship. Making inferences requires more thinking because the reader must depend less on the author and more personal
insight. 3
Critical Critical reading requires a higher degree of skill development and
perception. Critical reading requires reading with an inquiring mind and with active, creative looking for false statements. It means questioning, comparing, and
evaluating. In order to read with a degree of comprehension to succeed in reading
process, the reader must be proficient in each of the reading level. Each reading skill depends on another skill.
c. Basic Principles in Reading Comprehension
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