University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center

College of Nursing

ENGLISH 2

The Nature and Psychology of Reading

W h at i s read i ng?
It is the transaction with text. The reader brings meaning to a text in order to create meaning from it (Galda, 1993). To read is to comprehend the meaning of something written or printed by looking at and interpreting the written or printed characters (Hank, 1983). Reading is the recognition of printed or written symbols which serve as stimuli for the recall of meanings built up through the readers past experience (Bond and Tinker, 1967). Reading experts explain that reading is a subtle and complex process of thinking, evaluating, reasoning, and problem solving. Reading is decoding written symbols, getting meaning from printed page, putting meaning into the printed page, interpreting the written symbols, and communicating between author and reader (Romero, 1985).

C h aracteri sti cs of th e R ead i n g P rocess

1. Reading is a complex process. Ones reading performance is affected by a number of correlates so that it is not easy to explain why an individuals reading performance may be satisfactory or unsatisfactory. 2. Reading is a two-way process. Reading is communication between author and reader. Communication gap between author and reader results to poor comprehension. When that gap is bridged, better communication takes place. 3. Reading is largely a visual process. Normally, good eyesight is required for good reading. 4. Reading is an active process. It is a thinking process. A reader usually reacts physically, emotionally, or intellectually with what he reads. 5. Reading makes use of linguistic system which enables readers to be more effective users of written language. A reader who has some knowledge of the syntax, orthography, and morphology (formation of words) of a language can interact more effectively with the printed form of that language. 6. Effective reading is partly dependent on the readers prior knowledge or background experiences. (Romero, 1985)

Th e C om p l ete R ead i n g A ct
Perception is the ability to recognize the word read and the letters that made up the word. Understanding is the ability to tell what the word stands for in relation to the other words or its context. Interpretation is the ability to react to the new knowledge which the words convey in relation to past experiences. Use is the ability to apply what is read in appropriate situations.

Th e R ead i n g M ateri al
1. Is the subject matter familiar to you? Have you read something on the topic or have you experienced it yourself?

Is the language structure within your understanding? Are many of the words familiar or are they familiar? 2. Are the sentences simple or complex? Are they long and difficult to follow? 3. Is the topic or subject matter interesting? 4. Is the type or print readable? Do your eyes feel comfortable as you read?

Th e P u rp ose i n R ead i ng
1. Do you have to read the selection? Are you to recite in class or take a test on it? 2. Do you have adequate time to read it thoroughly? 3. Are you to make decisions or judgments based on your reading? 4. Do you have nothing to do but amuse yourself? Are you waiting for someone or something and you want to kill time?

Ki n d s of R ead i ng
A. Rapid reading involves skimming and scanning, the fastest rates at which a person reads. Skimming and scanning are reading by signposts or clues set by the writer: chapter titles, section heading, boldfaced or italicized types, and underlined. B. Extensive reading is to read for leisure as well as for entertainment. C. Intensive reading often involves getting detailed information. Study reading get maximum understanding of main ideas and their relationship Critical reading check accuracy or ideas to make judgments, draw conclusions, make predictions Analytical reading have a questioning mind, pay attention to words and their importance to other words, weed out

Level s of C om p reh en si on
1. Literal get facts or ideas from explicit or stated information 2. Interpretative understand ideas from implicit information in text; inferential 3. Critical Analysis identify ideas stated and implied which lead to conclusions and judgments 4. Application and Creation apply knowledge in a related situation; share appreciation or knowledge gained in activities; oral interpretation, dramatics, writing original selections

means to seize or to conceive. A simple definition of comprehension is understanding. Reading comprehension involves a number of interrelated skills and ever-widening circle of specific knowledge. Reading experts give many ways if thinking which lead to the comprehension of a selection. Nine of them are given as follows: 1. Subject matter What is the selection about? Is it clearly stated or implied? 2. Generalization Can you identify the essential points? Always bear in mind that supporting details must support each main idea. 3. Details What specific facts or opinions are used to clarify or prove the main thought? 4. Significance What message does the writer have for the reader? What does he or she want you to do or believe? 5. Conclusion What conclusion can be reasonably drawn from the generalization or the details of the selection, which the author has not explicitly stated or strongly implied?

I m p rovi n g R ead i ng C omThe p reh en si on word comprehension came from the Latin word comprehendere, which

Would you be expected to make judgments of right or wrong? 6. Applications How can you apply the conclusions you make omni a selection to a new selection? 7. Tone and attitude What emotions or feelings do have as you read? What is the attitude of the author toward the subject matter? 8. Vocabulary in Context What is the precise or specific meaning of a word used in the selection? 9. Communication Techniques How are the ideas organized or developed? How are the generalizations related to each other? What level of language is used?

Effects of R ead i ng
Carl Woodward refers to books as the instruments to perpetuating a body of knowledge painfully and slowly accumulated through the ages of man. They are also the means of preserving and sustaining the solid foundations of culture and leaning. They provide a record of mans progress and the point of departure for steps into the future. Through them the recourse of mankind becomes the birthright of generations to come (Romero, 1985). It is through the magic of reading that all the wisdom of the ages, all the stories that have delighted mankind for centuries are available at negligible cost. Reading is worth ones effort, with the little expenses it may entail if any. Specifically, these are some of the important things that reading does for us: 1. Reading makes us well informed. It is a means of gaining access to various areas of knowledge. Though reading we learn the mistakes of the men before us and learn some recipes for human success. Books tell us how to be happy when sad, how to grow thin when fat, fat if thin. They tell us how to grow plants, repair machines, build houses, lose our wrinkles and keep young. 2. Reading can be a worthwhile form of recreation . It is fun to read. Bennet Cef once said that, the most unfortunate people in the world are those who have never learned the soul satisfying pleasure of reading good books. (Stefferud, 1962) 3. Books we read can be a source of information . The vision of the better-yetto-be is the stuff of inspiration. Given this vision, our lives lived under the light of distant stars, foreseeing upon our present workmanship the judgment of future generations. The man of imagination has already tasted the bliss of every heaven and felt the pang of every hell. Inspiration leads us to put our energies to full account. 4. Reading can be a form of therapy . Books furnish us a form of sublimation. There are times when things in the world are too much to bear and we need grievance drainage. Sublimation is a way of draining-off, of our malevolence upon substitute objects. And what a world of substitute objects books provide! (Romero, 1985) Waples (1940) identified five general effects that reading has on people. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Instrumental knowledge and information Prestige self-approval, approcal of others Aesthetic beaity of expression, love of the beautiful Respite relieve ones tension, for leisure Reinforcement reaffirm or uphold ones attiude or belief

References : Romero, A. & Romero R. (1985). Developmental Reading. Quezon City: Rex Publishing House. Salazar, E., Villamin, A., & Pecana, J. (2003). Skill Builders for Efficient Reading 11 . Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House Inc..