EDF3306 Literacy Assessment 2:
Reading Comprehension
As an active social and intellectual practice (Luke et al., 2011), comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading (Konza, 2011; Winch et al., 2011). It involves the dynamic interplay between the text, the reader’s internal cognitive processes and the broader sociocultural context (Hill, 2012; Luke et al., 2011; Woolley, 2008). You can consider reading comprehension from behaviourist, cognitive and sociocultural perspectives.
Theoretical perspectives of reading comprehension
Defining reading comprehension
Theories of reading comprehension
BEHAVIOURIST
COGNITIVE
SOCIOCULTURAL
Meaning is located in the text
Meaning is an interaction between the text and the reader
Meaning is an interaction between the text, the reader and the sociocultural context
Behaviourist perspectives of learning focus on acquired, observable behaviours and the manipulation of specific content, procedures and skills to achieve desired educational goals (Green, 2003, as cited in Woolley, 2011).
In reading comprehension, this involves teaching and learning letters and words in isolation (Woolley, 2011). This perspective has influenced the phonics approach to reading, pronunciation and spelling (Winch et al., 2011).
Behaviourist theories stress the relationship between letters and sounds in cracking the alphabetic code and decoding the written text (Winch et al., 2011). If you taught reading comprehension from this perspective, you might use repetitive chants or songs like the one below to reinforce skills. You should be aware that behaviourist theories have been criticised for producing fragmented and decontextualised understandings of reading, and downplaying the role of reader diversity (Luke et al., 2011; Winch et al., 2011; Woolley, 2008).
Cognitive theories of comprehension highlight the internal thinking processes activated during reading (Winch et al., 2011; Woolley, 2011) and suggest that successful reading comprehension occurs as a result of interactions between the text and the reader (Hill, 2012).
Cognitive theories emphasise the reader’s capacity to access prior knowledge and deploy a range of cognitive strategies to integrate and construct meaning (Luke et al., 2011; Munro & Munro, 1994; Woolley, 2011).
These strategies require readers to personally connect with texts by predicting, visualising, questioning, summarising and critiquing ideas prior to, during and after reading (Duke & Pearson, 2002; Hill, 2012; Munro & Munro, 1994).
You may like to visit the link below for more detailed explanations.
Reading comprehension is now conceptualised within a much broader social and cultural context (Woolley, 2008; Woolley, 2011). Sociocultural perspectives acknowledge the importance of the sociocultural setting in which readers interact with texts as cultural agents (Emmitt et al., 2010; Hill, 2012; Woolley, 2011).
Sociocultural theories respect the culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds of readers (Luke et al., 2011; Winch et al., 2011), and recognise that meaning making practices are woven into the fabric of everyday life.
As more knowledgeable others (Hill, 2012), families and communities scaffold and shape readers' experience with and preference for particular texts. As a teacher, you therefore need to understand that there are as many meanings as there are readers (Winch et al., 2011). It is crucial to respectfully engage with the prior knowledge and experiences, dialogical patterns, and various needs of all students.
Teaching reading comprehension in a socially connected way
While all three perspectives have influenced contemporary reading comprehension pedagogy and practice (Winch et al., 2011), we believe a sociocultural view of reading is most valuable as it emphasises the influence of the social and cultural landscape on meaning making (Emmitt et al., 2010; Hill, 2012). In addition, the fact that sociocultural perspectives recognise that texts are not static, but interactive cultural agents, is especially pertinent in our increasingly multimodal world. As such, our learning activities are informed by a sociocultural perspective of reading comprehension.
The advent of digital technologies has changed the way we read the world and interact with texts
