Reading skills - purpose and types of reading

Reading Skills:
Purpose and Types of Reading
S. Mohan Raj
Ph.D Research Scholar, English
School of Social Sciences and Languages
VIT, Vellore
rajmohan251@gmail.com
9751660760

1. Definition of reading,
2. Purpose of reading,
3. Types of reading, and
4. Reading techniques
Reading is the process of receiving interpreting
information in language from via the medium of print Urquhart
and Weirt in William Grabe (2009).
According to Johnson (2008), Reading is a practice of
using text to create meaning.

⁂ Francis Bacon in one of his essays, ‘Our Studies’ wrote,
“Reading maketh a full man...”
⁂ According to Gray, “Reading is a form of experience.”
1. Reading is one of the language skills and one of the gateways of
getting worldly knowledge.
2. Reading is a good source of self-education.
3. Reading is one of the four major language skills (L,S,R,W) and is
classified under the receptive skill.
4. Reading varies according to one’s purpose and need, proposition
and domain.
5. Reading trains our mind and broadens our outlook.
Definition of reading

Reading skills are specific abilities which enable a reader:
 to read the written form as meaningful language.
 to read anything written independence, comprehension and
fluency, and
 to mentally interact with the message.
Reading is a complex communicative process of
receiving and interpreting the written words.
Definition of reading...

The purpose of reading
Reading is an activity with a purpose.
1. A person may read to gain information or verify existing
knowledge, for enjoyment, or to enhance knowledge of the
language.
2. Reading helps the individual to know the political, social, and
economic and cultural problems of his country.
3. Reading affects our attitudes, beliefs, standards, morals,
judgments, and general behaviour; it shapes our thinking and
our actions.
4. The purpose of reading is to correlate the ideas on the text to
what you have already known.

The purpose of reading...
According to Grabe William and L. Fredrika (2002),
the category of purpose for reading includes are:
a) reading to search for simple information,
b) reading to skim,
c) reading to learn from text,
d) reading to integrate information,
e) reading to write and reading to critique texts and
f) reading for general comprehension.

Reading is not a mechanical skill. It is a complicated skill
involving physical, mental and psychological factors.
The following are the skill, one has to acquire to become an
efficient reader as mentioned by P. Gurrey.
1. The skill of reading aloud.
2. The skill of grasping the gist of a passage.
3. The skill of deducing information or ideas from what has been read.
4. The skill of being able to find facts and information in books and
other printed matter.
5. Skill of being able to note exact information when one is reading.
Reading Skills to be acquired

Acquiring reading skill will not be complete if the skill of
comprehension and interpretation are not acquired.
Reading with comprehension is related to numerous skill
and they are inter-related. They are:
1. Word recognition.
2. Phrase meaning.
3. Retention of meaning.
4. Sentence meaning.
5. Reading the context.
6. Paragraph meaning.
Skills related to reading

7. Recognize the structural clues and comprehend structural patterns.
8. Skimming.
9. Scanning.
10.Reading for an organization (Note making and Summarizing).
11.Draw conclusions, make inferences and read between the lines.
12.Critical reading.
13.Reading Charts, Maps and Graphs.
14.Reading to follow directions.
15.Reading to answer questions.
(Emerald V. Dechant, 1969) (Gurrey, 1970).
Skills related to reading...

Mechanics of Reading
1. Reading is the recognition of the printed symbol.
2. Recognition of printed form depends on the movement of eyes.
3. The eyes do not move letter by letter.
4. The eyes jump from one meaningful group of words to another.
5. The group of words recognizes at a glance is known as eye span.
6. After each jump, pauses for a short while, the pause is called
fixation if what has read is not meaningful, eyes make a
regressive movement which is called regression. This regression
will affect the speed of reading.
7. The larger the eye span, the greater the speed in reading.
Encoder/
writer
Message
Decoder/
reader

Reading process
Reading is a visual process, it is an experimental process, it is
a transactive process, shaped by the immediate situational
context and broader socio-linguistic contexts (Weaver, 1988).
1.Reader; 2. Transaction; 3. Text; 4. Immediate Situational
Contexts and 5. Broader Socio Linguistic Contexts.

Types of Reading
There are two main reasons for reading :
1. Reading for pleasure.
2. Reading for information.
The main ways or types of reading are as follows:
1. Loud reading
2. Silent reading
3. Intensive reading
4. Extensive reading
5. Supplementary reading

Loud reading
This is also known as oral or aloud reading. It enables the reader
1) to read with correct pronunciation, articulation, intonation,
stress, pitch, pause, pace and rhythm.
2) to read with expressions.
3) to understand the meaning of spoken words, phrases and
sentences.
Advantages of loud reading
1. Helps to know the correct pronunciation and method of reading.
2. It develops the skill of speech.
3. It helps in eradicating the mistakes related to pronunciation.
4. It trains the sensory organs—eyes, ears and mouth because, in
loud reading, they work in coordination.

Silent Reading
Silent reading is considered to be the best kind of reading as the mind
is fully engaged in this act. It enables the reader
1) to read silently, without making any kind of sound, not moving
even the lips, so that others are not disturbed.
2) to read speedily, easily and fluently.
3) to comprehend /understand things, ideas or meanings side by side.
4) to expand the reading vocabulary, and to enjoy and recreate.
Advantages of silent reading
1. Silent reading is a quick way of reading it saves time and energy.
2. It is an interesting way of reading.
3. Silent reading is of great value in practical life.
4. It helps to comprehend the vast resources of textbooks for
comprehension and examination purposes.

Intensive Reading
Reading shorter texts, to extract specific information, it is an
accuracy activity involving reading for detail. It enables the reader,
1) to make a detailed study of words, phrases, word order and
expressions.
2) to comprehend the text, its sense and meaning.
3) to improve and command over English with expanding vocabulary.
Advantages of intensive reading
1. It improves the power of expression.
2. It develops the skill of questioning and answering.
3. It helps to look into details of the text, to find newer meanings.

Extensive reading
Extensive reading is also known as rapid reading or independent
reading. It enables the reader,
1) to read silently and quickly.
2) to develop the habit of self-study, taste for reading, and to
increase the passive vocabulary.
3) to develop the power of concentration and read for pleasure and
recreation.
.
Advantages of extensive reading
1. It helps widen the vocabulary.
2. It keeps the reader active and busy.
3. It encourages library reading.
4. It inculcates the habit of self-study.

Supplementary reading
Supplementary reading quite resembles intensive reading.
Extensive reading is the most important aspect of supplementary
reading, as such, it is also called subsidiary reading.
There are many techniques to make reading easy.
According to Mikulecky and Jeffries in Rahmad (2008), the
techniques are:
a) Scanning
b) Skimming
Reading Techniques

Scanning
Scanning is a technique often used when looking up a word
in the telephone book or dictionary. Scanning refers to the ability
to locate specific information or facts as quickly as possible.
Scanning is an important rapid reading technique. It may serve
many purposes to locate,
1. specific point of fact in a text,
2. a formulae in a text,
3. a word in a dictionary,
4. train or television schedules,
5. any reference or bibliographical list,
6. examination results, or
7. any notes/ questions/ remarks at the end of the text.
Tips to increase Scanning technique
1. Do not read everything
2. Use guides and aids
3. Concentrate while scanning

1. Skimming technique used to locate the main ideas of the text.
2. Skimming is a more sophisticated skill than scanning.
3. It is a rapid reading technique that prepares the reader for
detailed reading.
4. As the main objective of skimming is to understand the central
idea and the main points of the text.
5. Skimming also involves discovering the purpose and association
of a text.
6. Skimming is essential for a better understanding of a text.
Skimming

Theoretical Models of Reading process
According to Barbara in (utomo 2008), states the three views of
reading processes are bottom-up, top-down, and interactive views.
SQ3R is another technique which is the acronym for Survey,
Question, Read, Recall and Review. According to this, while reading
one has to examine and then question himself for the contents that
are read. Whatever has been read is to be recalled within the mind
and ultimately the contents are to be reviewed.
The layered method of reading is yet another approach towards
reading which is accepted and adopted by the majority of readers.

References:
Reading : Concept and Types.
http://www.bhojvirtualuniversity.com/slm/B.Ed_SLM/bedteb3u2.pdf
Reading Skill.
https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/51418/7/07_chapter3.pdf
The Process and Purpose of Reading.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327976279_The_Process_and_Purp
ose_of_Reading
Types of Reading, Purpose, Reading Techniques.
http://eprints.umm.ac.id/35712/3/jiptummpp-gdl-junaidin20-47994-3-
chapter-i.pdf

Reading skills - purpose and types of reading

Reading skills - purpose and types of reading

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