Most reading educators believe that reading is either a process or group of processes employed by an individual to discover what an author say
from the text as efficiently as possible.
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They would agree that many thinking processes intertwine in order to get the message. This definition explains a
number of processes used by an individual in order to gain the message that the author wishes to say. It can be said that reader needs skills and strategies to
read the texts to comprehend the messages. Comprehension then becomes the main purpose of the reading process.
In another view, reading is interpretation and understanding.
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The reader interacts with, and tries to reconstruct, what a writer wishes to
communicate. If the reader’s anticipations and predictions are pretty much in line with what a writer says, and how it is presented, comprehension is likely
to be easy and rapid. If there is a great distance between the backgrounds of the reader and a writer, comprehension is likely to be slow and poor.
Based on the opinions given by the experts, the writer can conclude that reading is a kind of activities to understand a written language. It is not
only how to get the meaning of each words or sentences but also the important one is how the reader can get and conclude the ideas of the writer’s writing. It
requires a high level of effort and concentration, also involves many complex skills that have to come together in order for the reader to be a successful
reader.
2. The Purpose of Reading
A person may read for many purposes, and that purpose helps understand more what is read by people. If she or he is reading for pleasure or
reading for recreation and enjoyment, she or he may read quickly or slowly based on the way she or he likes or feels. However, if she or he is reading for
study or to get the information such news, science or some line, which are part
21
Fancroise Grellet, Developing Reading Skills,Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010, p.3.
22
Deborah B. Daiek, and Nancy M. Anter, Critical Reading for College and Beyond, Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2004, p. 5.
of his study or assignment, it does very slowly and carefully. In addition, generally the aim of reading is to find some information from the text.
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As we know that, the purpose of reading is the learner understands the written language. In other words, how the learner gets the message from the
writer’s symbols. One of the most important tasks of the reader is to dig out and find out what the writer would like to say. The purposes of reading are
divided into four main headings. a. Reading to search for simple information
Most people said that reading to search for simple information is a kind of common reading ability; reader typically scans the text for specific
information or a specific word. Skimming is also including in this type of aim. It is a common part of many reading tasks and useful skill in its own
right. b. Reading to learn from text
It is usually occurs in academic and professional context when people need to learn a considerable amount of information from a text.
This purpose usually carried out a reading rate somewhat slower than general reading comprehension mainly due to rereading and reflection
strategies to help remember information. c. Reading to integrate information, write and critique the texts.
These are purposed to compose, select, and critique information from text, and they represent common academic tasks that call upon the
reading abilities needed to integrate information. d. Reading for general comprehension
It requires very rapid and automatic processing of words, strong skills in forming a general meaning representation of main ideas, efficient
coordination of many processes under very limited time constraints.
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23
Christine Nuttal, Teaching Reading Skill in Foreign Language, London: Heinemann, 1989, p.3.
24
Nida Husna, Step by Step to Reading Skill: Step 1, Jakarta: English Department, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers Training “Syarif Hidayatullah” State Islamic University, pp. 9-
10.
