Foreign Literature

Basic Reading Comprehension

The importance of understanding the character of effective reading instruction within the

primary grades can't be overstated (Ankrum, Genest, & Morewood, 2017). Reading

comprehension is essential for successful functioning in our society. In virtually all instances, the

goal of reading is to identify the meaning or message of the text at hand. Doing so involves the

execution and integration of many processes. In the current chapter, we discuss the underlying

cognitive processes that support reading comprehension and link them to the PASS (Planning,

Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive processing) theory of intelligence. This discussion is

enriched with empirical data demonstrating the contribution of each of the PASS components to

reading comprehension in adolescent readers. Finally, we discuss specific implications derived

from this research for enhancing learning from texts and reading achievement (Panayiota

Kendeou, George Spanoudis, in Cognition, Intelligence, and Achievement, 2015).

Reading comprehension requires the reader’s active extraction and construction of meaning

from text. Many factors can influence the reader’s comprehension of text, including the other

components of proficient reading and the instruction they receive. Children’s spoken language

skills provide a foundation for proficient reading comprehension but, in the absence of effective

instruction, are not sufficient for developing proficient literacy. Vocabulary, for example, is one

of the stronger predictors of reading comprehension. Children may have the decoding skills

required to read an unfamiliar word, but if the word is not part of their lexicon, they may not be
able to attach meaning to the decoded text. On the other hand, if they cannot decode the word to

begin with, their vocabulary skills will not help them understand what they are reading (C.M.

Connor, S. Al’Otaiba, in Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childhood Development, 2008).

The capacity to read and comprehend text is connected day by day, however, when it

connects to the educational setting, it has more prominent significance, it leads to education for

life since it impacts connections to the overall personality of the reader. In this manner, it is

significant and important for the learners to build up the deciphering capacity, likewise having

the option to become a competent and skill reader too. Thus, the reading process really occurs

when there is reading comprehension. It is a highly important skill as a complex process which

includes various cognitive and linguistic aspects (Cunha and Capellin, 2016).

Definition of terms:

Reading - Conceptually, it is defined as the multifaceted process involving word recognition,

comprehension, fluency and motivation.

Operationally, it is defined as the action or skill of reading written or printed matter silently or

aloud.

Comprehension - Conceptually, it refers to the complex cognitive process involving the

intentional interaction between reader and text to extract meaning.

Operationally, it is the ability to process text, understand its meaning, and to intergrate with what

the reader already knows.

References:

Panayiota Kendeou, ... George Spanoudis, in Cognition, Intelligence, and Achievement, 2015

C.M. Connor, S. Al’Otaiba, in Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childhood Development, 2008

Ankrum, J.W., Genest, M.T., & Morewood, A.L. (2017). A description of contrasting discourse

patterns used in differentiated reading instruction. The Journal of Research in Childhood

Education 31(3), 313-323.

Cunha and Capellini. 2016. Characterization of reading comprehension performance of students

from 3rd to 5th grades of elementary school.