Reading and Comprehension in the African Context: A Cognitive Enquiry

Chapter Two: Reading and Comprehension: An Overview

An Overview CHAPTER TWO Reading and Comprehension:An Overview What Happens When We Read T he ability to read with understanding is a skill that is essential in modern society as there is a lot of material that needs to be read and understood. Yet, a large number of people never master it completely. Readers go unprotected from the struggle with job application forms, and insurance policies, recipes, and advertisements; and they also miss much of the joy of reading for pleasure. In a literate society, skill in reading is imperative since so much of what one needs to know is communicated via written text. For example, instructions on how to perform a task, or find out directions, instructions on how to operate machines, precautions one needs to take when trying a new drug or ointment. This indicates that it is not possible to function in modern society without reading. Most learners rely on their reading ability in order to gain information or expand their knowledge. Learners’ proficiency in reading is essential since most of their learning of all subjects is available to them in written text and is processed to them through reading. For learners who are learning English as a second language, reading skill is of great importance since in most cases it is the only readily available exposure to the target language which might not be spoken outside the classroom. That means that in order to retain some of the knowledge gained in a course of study, the learner of a 13 Reading and Comprehension in the African Context second language must continue to read in that language for many years after graduating from the course. Reading is interactive in nature. It is viewed as an interaction between the reader, the author and the text.This interaction is defined in terms of the relationship between the reader, the text and the context in which the reading act is being preferred. The reading process inherently involves the interaction of a reader and a text. The reader is considered to be a language user and the text is considered to be an instance of language in use. The implication here is that if readers are proficient in the language, they will be capable of ascribing meaning to and interpreting meaning from the text. When a person reads the text, she or he responds not only to the meaning expressed in the linguistic elements, but also takes into account the socio-cultural context which is reconstituted through the language patterns. Thus, it can be concluded that the ability to comprehend depends on a variety of factors. These are factors within the reader, which have been shown to have an effect on reading process and the product of reading. There are also aspects of texts to be read and which could contribute to the reading process. The interaction aspects within the reader and that of the text give an overall picture on the act of reading. Aspects within the reader include the state of the reader’s knowledge, the reader’s motivation to read and the way this interacts with the reasons why the reader is reading. It also includes the strategies readers use when processing the text, other reader variables like sex, age and personality are important aspects within the reader. Aspects of the text that might facilitate, or make difficult the reading process include text content, text organization, sentence structure, layout, the relationship, verbal and non-verbal text, and the medium in which the text is presented. The role of the reader and the specific use of the context within this relationship are important if we have to understand how reading comprehension is achieved. It is within this model that background 14 An Overview knowledge or prior knowledge of the reader plays a great role in the reading process. Definitions of Reading Linguists categorize reading into three capacities: reading as saying, reading as understanding, and reading as thinking (reflective). In the contemporary parlance of reading, these three fundamental competencies are referred to as decoding, comprehension and response. In general language, the term decoding implies understanding. In reading, the term generally means converting printed language to spoken language whether it is understood or not, and whether it is converted overt (oral speech) or to covert (inner speech). In decoding, the reader produces the spoken analog of the printed language but not necessarily the thought analog.Another preferable term...