CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Reading Comprehension
Reading is an activity to read something written or printed. Reading is very useful for everyone, especially students. Students are required to read some books and other sources to support their knowledge. If the reading text is especially interesting and engaging, acquisition is likely to be even more successful (Harmer: 2001). If the text that the students read is interesting, it will make the process of transferring the knowledge from the text to the students become easier. Students are not only required to only understand the meaning of each word from what they have read, but also they have to comprehend about what they have read. This is what is called as reading comprehension.
Reading comprehension is considered as one of the most important areas in language education (Al-Momani, Hussin, & Hamat: 2014). It is because almost all sources of students‟ learning material are in a printed form which
means that students have to read. Students have to comprehend what they read rather than only focus on the meaning of each word. Weaver in Widyasari (2016) stated that reading comprehension is a process that involves the orchestration of the reader‟s prior knowledge about the world and about the
B. Reading Comprehension Test
Reading test is a method of measuring a person‟s ability, knowledge, and
performance in reading. Reading test are divided into some stages based on the level of the students.
Test for beginner level students will be different with the students who are in the higher level, for example intermediate and advance level students. The test for beginner will be simpler than the intermediate level. Brouhgton (et al) in Tarigan (2008) classified the aspects that will be tested for beginner and higher level students, they are:
1. Mechanical skills which are believed as lower order skills. This aspect contains:
a. Introduction of alphabetical shape;
b. Introduction of linguistic elements (phonetic, word, phrase, clause, sentence, etc);
c. Introduction of relation or correlation between spelling and sound; d. Slow reading speed level.
These aspects are able to be used to test the beginner level students. 2. Comprehension skills which are believed as higher order skills.
The aspect contains:
b. Comprehend the significance or meaning (the intent and purpose of the author, relevancy/ cultural condition, and reader reaction);
c. Evaluation or assessment (content, form); Flexibility of reading speed, easily adapted with the situation
These aspects are able to be used to test higher level student.
Hughes (2002) argued that it seems that information about students‟ abilities in lowest level (for example distinguishing between letters) could only be useful for diagnostic purposes, and can be carried out through informal observation. It can be said that the beginner level students do not need to be tested in a formal situation, because, they only have to distinguish letter without comprehending text. It will be different with the higher level students in where they will face the more complicated test rather than distinguishing letter.
Lado (1977) stated in his book that they are several types of testing reading comprehension, they are:
1. General technique
The general technique to test reading comprehension consists of presenting to the student passages containing reading problems and testing his comprehension of the passages precisely at those points at which the problems are crucial.
2. Pre-reading technique
3. Reading technique for beginners
Beyond identifying the graphic symbols on this pre-reading level the student‟s problem at the elementary level becomes one of identifying and
understanding words and sentences through their graphic representation. 4. Reading techniques for intermediate and advanced students
The type of item that presents several multiple-choice items for each passage read is well-adapted to the purpose.
C. Specific Skills Covered in Reading Comprehension Test
Reading is not only knowing the meaning of the whole words in a text, but it is just likely to be a deficiency in one or more of a number of specific reading skills. Greenall and Swan (1993) made a list of reading specific skills, they are: 1. Extracting main ideas
This is very common question in the reading comprehension test. Sometimes it is difficult to see what the main ideas of a passage are, or to distinguish between important and unimportant information. Usually this kind of specific skill requires the reader to identify the topic, subject, title, primary idea, or main idea.
2. Reading for specific information
3. Understanding text organization
Readers may sometimes have trouble in seeing how a passage is organized. They should identify which sentences are in wrong position and rearrange them.
4. Predicting
Before reading a passage, readers usually subconsciously ask themselves what they know about the subject matter. Here, readers are asked to predict what they will see in the passage by looking at the title without reading the passage first. The questions are usually placed before the passage.
5. Checking comprehension
On certain occasion, such as examination, readers need to study the passage very closely to find the answer of a question. The readers have to do is to answer what is directly stated in the passage without drawing any conclusion. The answer of the question has been provided in the passage. 6. Inferring
7. Dealing with unfamiliar words
It is very important to master vocabulary, because, one of the commonest problems faced by foreign learners is simply not being able to understand a word or expression. Readers are asked to find the meaning or the definition of a word or expression based on the passage.
8. Linking ideas
In any passage, an idea may be expressed in a number of different words or expressions. Readers should refer a word to its same part of speech based on the passage.
9. Understanding complex sentences
Some writers use a deliberately complicated style in which it may be difficult to distinguish, for example, main clauses from subordinate clauses. Here, students have to change a complex sentence into a simplified one. 10. Understanding writer‟s style
An important part of the pleasure in reading is being able to appreciate why a writer chooses a certain word or expression and how he or she uses it. Readers have to identify what the meaning of the writer‟s word or expression
in the passage is. 11. Evaluating the text
12. Reacting to the text
Sometimes a passage may be interpreted according to the reader‟s own
views on the subject being dealt with. Readers can mention other things that have been mentioned before in the passage. For example readers need to mention advantages and disadvantages of something beside what have been mentioned in the passage.
13. Writing summaries
