Definitions_of_Reading_According_to_Experts

 Reading can be one of man’s deepest pleasures. It extends his experiences, giving him a
glimpse of the world’s excitement, pleasures, and wisdom. _ Virgil Howes

 Reading is a language process. It requires cognitive responses to print in association with

the knowledge of the structure, gained through sociological experiences within one’s
environment. _ Diane J. Sawyer and Sally Lipa, Syracuse University, 1975

 Reading is a multifaceted, complex skill made of a number of psychological, physical,

and social elements. _ Dubin, 1982

 Reading is a long distance discussion between a reader and an author. There is an

essential interaction between language and thought in reading. The writer encodes
thought as language, and the reader decodes language to thought. _ Goodman, 1967

 Reading is a psycholinguistic guessing game. _ Goodman, 1967

 Reading is not a reaction to a text, but an interaction between writer and reader mediated
through the text. Reading efficiency is a matter of how effective a discourse, a reader can
crate from the text, either in terms of rapport with the writer or in terms of his purpose in
engaging in the discourse in the first place. _ Widdowson, 1979

 Reading is an active process, in which the reader must make an active contribution by
drawing upon and using concurrently various abilities he has acquired. _ Wardhaugh,
1979

 Reading is an interactive and interpretative process. No text can be considered separate

from the reader. There must be a successful interaction between the reader and the
discourse to be proceeded. _ Williamson, 1988

 The degree to which the meaning and structure of a text are made apparent to the reader
depends largely on whether the reader-selected schemata (meaning the particular
organized ways of perceiving and responding to stimuli) or expectations are consistent
with the text. _ Johns, 1986
Definitions_of Comprehension_According_to Experts
(From the book, “Teaching Strategies Third Edition”)

 Comprehension is an active, constructive process before, during, and after reading.

 Comprehension is an interaction between the reader, and the text.
 Comprehension is the dynamic interactive process of constructing meaning.
 Comprehension means combining the reader’s background experience or prior
knowledge with the new text information within the context of the reading situation.
(From Dr. Kimberly Tyson’s Literacy Blog, developed by K-12 Teachers)

 Comprehension is a process in which information from the text and the knowledge
possessed by the reader act together to construct meaning.
 Comprehension is the ability to decode printed text and recognize and understand words.
Word recognition is a foundation of reading.
 Comprehension is the transacting with text in order to create meaning from it.
 Comprehension is the process of constructing meaning through the dynamic interaction
among: (1) the reader’s existing knowledge; (2) the information suggested by the text
being read; and (3) the context.
 Comprehension is the act of constructing meaning through interaction and involvement
with written text. Comprehension involves an interaction between the reader, the text,
and the activity.
 Comprehension, as an interactive process, occurs largely within a socio-cultural context
that shapes and is shaped by the reader’s background knowledge and experience, purpose
for reading, information available in the text, and the activity or context in which the
reading occurs.
 Comprehension is the thinking done before, during, and after reading.
 Comprehension is the intentional thinking during which meaning is constructed through
interactions between the text and the reader.
Levels_of_Reading_Comprehension
(Adapted from Mt. Sac Levels of Comprehension, Judy Crozier)