Reading Skills Lecture

For the benefit of those who would like to copy the notes for this lecture I have posted them as an entry. Here:

READING SKILLS : Definition


Describe roughly as a cognitive ability which a person is able to use when interacting with written texts.
Seen as a part of the generalized reading process
Reading skills have been used to structure reading syllabi and for test construction.

SEPARIBILITY OF SKILLS

In general reading skills are presented in categories or taxonomies:
Word attack skills
Comprehension skills
Fluency skills
Critical reading skills


Word attack skills (aka decoding skills)
Skills necessary to convert orthographic symbols into language
Requires readers to recognize that the script represents units of language, e.g. phonemes, syllable and words
Sub-skills include, recognizing syllable pattern, converting strings to sound, recognizing word boundaries

Comprehension skills
Represent the ability use context and knowledge to derive meaning from text
Examples:
Grammatical skills, knowledge of syntax, mechanics,
Using context to gain meaning, using schemata as aids
Using metacognitive knowledge
Recognizing text structure
Predicting what will come next in text

Fluency skills
Skills that allow a reader to see larger sentences and phrases as wholes
–A process that aids in reading more quickly
◦Examples:
–Sight word recognition and recognizing high-frequency letter cluster
–Rapid reading
–Possessing extensive vocabulary


COMPREHENSION SKILLS

}Reading skills have been a major area of reading research over recent years (Urquhart & Weir, 1998)
}As such there is a great variety of the specific skills identified by various teachers and researchers
}Rosenshine (1980) examined the comprehension skills identified by five authoritative educational sources

}The examination revealed 3 general types of skills associated with comprehension
◦Locating details
–Simplest skills – recognition, paraphrase, matching
◦Simple inferential skills
–Understanding words in context, recognizing sequence of events, recognizing cause-effect relationship
◦Complex inferential skills
–Recognizing main idea, drawing conclusions, predicting outcomes
}Rosenshine discovered 7 sub-skills across the 3 general reading skills
◦Recognizing sequence
◦Recognizing words in context
◦Identifying the main ideas
◦Decoding detail
◦Drawing inferences
◦Recognizing cause and effect
◦Comparing and contrast
}Analysis of all college reading textbooks for L2 learners will show the inclusion of all the above skills.

HIERARCHY OF SKILLS


}Reading skills fall into a continuum of hierarchies
}In many models of skill, focus of attention may change from lower-level skills to higher level skills as reading ability is acquired
}The lower level skills involving visual perception and phonic analysis become automatic with practice and require less conscious monitoring
}Many educators and researchers have identified reading skills at different levels of details
}Clymer (1968) presented a taxonomy, developed by Barret (N.D), which is divided into 5 ordered skill levels:
a)Literal comprehension
b)Reorganization
c)Inferential comprehension
d)Evaluation
e)Appreciation

SUMMARY

}Generally, L1 and L2 literature argue against the existence of strictly hierarchically ordered reading skills
}There are broad categories of skills which are mediated by text, purpose and content
}These skills helped in curriculum development and scope and sequence charts associated with textbooks and series
}Nevertheless, these skills are not unitary in their structure
}Thus, it is the teaching of multiple skills would be appropriate