information stated in the text. General ideas deal with paragraph and text comprehensions. To find these comprehension, students can use skimming
technique. Whereas, specific information deals with word and sentence comprehensions. To find these comprehension, students can use scanning
technique. In the following explanations, the researcher explains further about
skimming and scanning techniques. 2.5 Skimming and Scanning Techniques
Skimming and scanning techniques are used in this research. Skimming technique focuses on the students’ ability in finding general ideas from the text.
The general ideas consist of paragraph and text comprehension. Whereas, scanning technique is a technique which focuses on the students’ ability in finding
specific information from the text. The specific information consists of word and sentence information. In detail skimming and scanning techniques will be
explained as in the following parts.
2.5.1 The Meaning of Skimming Technique and its Steps
A skimming technique is a technique which deals with the ability in finding general ideas or information from the text. According to Beale 2013, the
skimming technique refers to looking only for the main ideas or general information stated in the text. In line with that, Brown 2003:213 states his idea
about skimming technique, that this technique deals with the process of rapid coverage of reading a text to determine its gist or main idea. In reading a text, we
are recommended to read the first and the last sentence of the paragraph, because usually the writer states his main idea in those parts. If we want to find more
information of the text, we look through the paragraph quickly for the key words and the facts.
Based on Hutabarat 2012, in doing skimming technique, the readers have to learn how to select the keywords. The students have to be sure that the
keywords are needed for them to answer the questions as predictions. Thus, it is important because in skimming a text, the students do not read all the sentences in
the text. Then, Grellet 1981:4 says that the skimming technique deals with “the
readers’ ability in quickly running one’s eyes over a text to get the gist of the text
”. So, we go quickly through the reading matter to get the essence of it and to gain the writer’s ideas.
The steps to skim are as follows: 1.
Read the title of the matter. 2.
Read the introduction or lead-in paragraph. 3.
Read the first paragraph completely. 4.
If there are subheadings, read each one, looking for relationships among them.
5. Read the first sentence of each remaining paragraph.
6. Dip into the text looking for clue words, proper nouns, unusual words,
enumeration, qualifying adjectives, and typographical cues. 7.
Read the final paragraph completely. Anne Arundel Community College, 2008
2.5.2 The Meaning of Scanning Technique and its Steps
The scanning technique is the ability to find out the specific information that is stated in the text. According to Brown 2003:209, scanning is a technique
that is used by the readers in order to locate relevant information in the text. In line with that, Wallace 2004:10 points out that scanning deal with the readers’
ability in looking for specific information which the readers know and suspect are there. It means that when we read a text to find particular information only, we do
not need to read the whole of the text. We only need to read the part we need. Furthermore, Grellet 1981:4 suggests that the scanning technique is
quickly going through a text to find a particular piece of information. Besides that, the scanning technique is done to locate specifically required information. Thus,
from that explanation we can conclude that scanning technique deals with the readers’ ability in finding certain information they need in the text without reading
the whole of text.
The steps to scan the text are as follows: 1.
Keep in mind about the information that is needed from the text. 2.
Anticipate about the form of the information needed. It can be in the form of number, proper nouns, etc.
3. Analyze the organization of the text.
4. Let your eyes run rapidly over the text for several times.
5. When you find the sentence that consists of the information you need, read
the whole sentence. Anne Arundel Community College, 2008
2.6 The Procedures of Implementing Skimming and Scanning Techniques in Teaching Reading
