Comprehension Reader Factors

Comprehension: An Overview

Definition: Reader factors refer to the characteristics, knowledge, and strategies that a reader brings to the task of reading, which significantly influence comprehension.

Understanding the key pillars of reading instruction is essential for effective teaching and learning processes.
The primary pillars include:
- Phonological Awareness: The ability to recognize and work with sounds in spoken language.
- Phonics: Understanding the relationship between letters and sounds.
- Fluency: The ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression.
- Vocabulary: Understanding the meaning of words and the ability to use them.
- Comprehension: The ability to understand and interpret what is read.

Active Process: Comprehension is described as a thinking process aimed at seeking meaning, especially in situations of confusion or lack of understanding (Dewey, 1910 & 1997).
Construction of Meaning: It involves the reader intentionally constructing meaning using prior knowledge and engaging in various cognitive strategies, such as identifying the main idea, making connections, inferring, questioning, and predicting (Westwood, 2008).

Good Readers:
- Utilize a variety of cognitive skills, such as creating mental images and critically reflecting on the text.
- Employ metacognitive strategies, actively monitoring their understanding and re-reading as necessary.
- Have an emotional connection to the reading material, seeking to discover new information and enjoy the text.
Poor Readers:
- Struggle with slow and laborious word identification, limiting comprehension.
- Have difficulty making connections or retaining details from the text.
- Engage superficially, failing to apply strategic thinking or critically analyze the content (Westwood, 2008).

Historically, comprehension was not always emphasized in reading instruction. Its significance emerged in the 20th century due to:
- Increased population diversity and immigration.
- The necessity for universal literacy in workplaces and society.
- Increased efficacy in assessing silent reading comprehension.

Current educational curriculum frameworks require explicit instruction in comprehension strategies. For instance, Year 3 students are expected to use comprehension techniques to derive literal and inferred meanings from texts (ACELY1680).
Educators are encouraged to utilize broader contextual knowledge and the characteristics of different text structures and language features to guide comprehension.

Activating Background Knowledge: Helps readers connect to the text based on prior experiences.
Connecting: Relating content to personal experiences enhances understanding.
Determining Importance: Identifying key ideas within the text.
Drawing Inferences: Making logical guesses based on the text.
Evaluating: Critically assessing the material.
Monitoring: Keeping track of one's understanding.
Predicting: Anticipating what comes next in the text.
Questioning, Summarizing, Visualizing, Setting a Purpose: These strategies enhance active engagement with text.

Concept of Schema Theory: This theory posits that comprehension is about how individuals process and store knowledge in memory—a reader's schema acts as a mental framework that assists in understanding new information.
Application of Schemata:
- Allows for the assimilation of text information.
- Influences attention, inference-making, memory retrieval, summarization, and information reconstruction.
Constructivist Perspective: Viewer as a "builder" of meaning, where understanding is actively constructed rather than passively received.

Dewey, J. (1910/1997). How we think. New York: Dover.
Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed). Boston: Allyn Bacon.
Westwood, P. (2008). What teachers need to know about reading and writing difficulties. Canberra: ACER Press.