Identification of the Problem

background information and life experiences and identify and sift which is the relevant information and which is not. Similarly with Norstratiana, Israel and Duffy said that reading comprehension is an active and complex process in which the readers try to understand the text, get the meaning, and use it to the appropriate type of text, purpose and situation. 3 It needs some specific skills like comprehending, interpreting, organizing idea, recalling background knowledge and experience to get the meaning from the text. Therefore, the essence of reading is to understand what the writer wants to say through the text and get the clear information from that. Based on Tankersley, reading comprehension is influenced by three factors. The first factor is that the readers are able to understand the linguistic structures of the text. They know what the words or sentences mean. The second factor is that the readers are able to exercise metacognitive control over the content being read. This means that the reader is able to monitor and reflect on his or her own level of understanding while reading the material. The third and most important factor influencing comprehension is that the reader has sufficient background in the content and vocabulary being presented therefore they can understand the text easier. 4 Sutarsyah explained that if readers do not know or never experience about the topic discussed in the text, they will have a serious problem to understand the text and will not be able follow the story nor predict the end of the story. Also, having enough background knowledge will make them feel more about the story and bring their personal view. 5 Good readers need to have a purpose for reading and use their experiences and background knowledge to make sense of the text. Making connections is the key to comprehension. We have not comprehended the text yet unless we make connections and are able to process the words that we read at the thinking level. 3 Susan Israel and Gerald G. Duffy, Handbook of Research on Reading Comprehension, New York: Routledge, 2009, p. 32. 4 Karen Tankersley, The Threads of Reading, USA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2003, p. 90. 5 Cucu Sutarsyah, Reading Theories and Practice, Lampung: Lembaga Penelitian Universitas Lampung, 2013, p. 36.