Before dealing with the definition of reading comprehension, it is necessary to define the words reading comprehension.Goodman in Ufrah (2009) defined reading comprehension as an interaction between thought and language. How far the reader can comprehend the passage in reading process is presented by their ability to understand and criticize the
author’s massage. Rahmi (2007) defined reading comprehension that is understanding a text that is read, or the process of meaning from a text.
Furthermore Arsyad and Buhari in Rusdi (2005) described reading comprehension as an essential factor in good reading. They further explained that perfect comprehension is not ideals of good reading because its perfection would almost aynonymous with memorization of the reading material, and this is seldom essential. For them, the degree of comprehension is measured more commonly in terms of the understanding the main ideas and basic facts in the reading.
In relation by using the eclectic Approach to improve reading comprehension, the researcher argues that reading comprehension in this research means the students’ ability to comprehend the moral of the short story which is connected through experience.
2. Level of Comprehension
There are various levels of reading comprehension. Smith in Saenal (2008) divides it into four categories they were: 1) Literal comprehension, 2) Interpretative comprehension, 3) Critical reading, and 4) Appreciative reading. In addition Richards in Furwana (2008) classifies into four parts also they were: 1). Literal, 2). Inferential, 3).
Critical and 4) Appreciative comprehension.
Based on the level of reading comprehension above. There were 4 points should be underlined. 1) Literal comprehension, 2) Inferential
comprehension, 3) Critical or evaluative comprehension, 4) Appreciative comprehension.
In order to have clear concept about it.
1) Literal comprehension: reading in order to understand, remember, or recall the information explicitly contained in a passage. The literal comprehension is the most fundamental in reading comprehension kinds because the readers must first understand what the author expresses before drawing an inference, making an evaluation.
2) Inferential comprehension: reading in order to find information which is not explicitly stated in passage. To make a complete inference, the readers must reader the passage carefully, put ideas and facts together to draw a conclusion, then inference it by using their experience and intuition.
3) Critical or evaluative comprehension: reading in order to compare information I passage with the readers’ own knowledge and values.
It requires them to be active in citizing and evaluating whether or not the information expressed by the author is worth enough to be absorbed
4) Appreciative comprehension: reading in order to gain an emotional or other kinds of valued from a passage.
3. Factors Influencing Reading Comprehension
Lenz (2005) said comprehension is affected by the reader’s knowledge of the topic, knowledge of language structures, knowledge of text structures and genres, knowledge of cognitive strategies, their reasoning abilities, their motivation, and their level of engagement.
Reading comprehension is also affected by the quality of the reading material Lenz in Rahmi (2007).
Allyn and Bacon (2010) said there are two factors of affecting reading comprehension they are the reader and the text.
1) The Reader
a) Allyn & Bacon (2010) started background knowledge: Students activate their world and literaly knowledge to link what they know to what they are reading.
b) Saenal (2008) defined vocabulary: one of the important factors in here, a reader’s comprehension is the familiarity with the vocabulary, where the successful in associating between the printed words with their meaning and their referents depends on the familiarity with the words.
Successful reading selection is familiar to the readers. Students have adequate cognitive sources available to understand what they are reading when they read fluently.
c) Lenz (2005) argued comprehension strategies: the most practical way of thinking about teaching reading comprehension is to organize instruction to how you want students to think about strategies. For this
reason, the most straightforward way of organizing comprehension strategies that one might use before reading, during reading, and after reading.
d) Furwana (2008) said that comprehension skill: after your reading session, quiz yourself on the main points. What was the main idea/who are the characters in the story? What information did you learn? Jot down your thoughs in your own words to help you remember them and give you deeper insight into the topic. If expression writing is difficult for you, job shorter notes and discuss the reading with a friend or parent.
e) Saenal (2008) explained motivation: a reader who wants to read passage or text for a certain purpose is certainly has a clear knowledge about what he/she is going to read accordingly he/she comprehends easily.
2). The Text
Allyn and Bacon (2010) defined text Structures recognize the important ideas more easily when they understand the patterns that authors use to organize text.
In order research, Haris and Smith in Rusdi (2005) divided the factors into five categories, namely: a) backgraund knowledge, b) language ability includes vocabulary, transition words, grammar etc, c) thinking ability, d) affection includes interest, motivation, attitudes, beliefs and feelings, e) reading purpose.
Furthermore, the total program of reading intruction: the child’s own personality, motivation, habits and his out-of-school enviroment all influencehis development of reading comprehension Alexander (1997).
Adverse effects may come from emphasizes on word recognition, overemphasizes on oral reading, and insufficient experiential background for a reading selection. All but one of these factors involved concentrating the readers attention on matters other than “meaning” in the reading process. Lack of sufficient guidance may also be a mayor factor in low reading comprehension of particular reading comprehension.
In addition memory plays an inportant role in reading comprehension. The reader mush recall what he reads as well as his own experiences and other relevant readings, these factors result in comprehension, expanding the meaning the readers is able to take from what he reads. Smith in Alexander (1997) has down the inportance of predicting for reading comprehension. He described prediction as ability to make guesses about what is to be read. These guesses are largely based on prior knowledge and memory of experience.
Based on the explanation above, the researcher concludes two parts that has important role in the factors of affecting reading comprehension. They were the reader,text and environment.
In summary there were many different purposes for reading, sometimes we read a text to learn material,sometimes we read for pure pleasure and sometimes we need to follow a set of direction. As a students,
much of our reading will be to learn assigned material. We get information from everything we read and we don’t read everything for the same reason or in the same way or the same rate. Three things that in fluence how fast and how well you read are the characteristic of the text, reader and enviroment.
Then there was seven steps that can increase reading comprehension, namely: (a) attention, (b) interest, (c) purpose, (d) concentration, (e) association, (f) repetition, (g) distribute practice.
In order to have clear concept about it.
1. Attention:
Wahyusi (2006) explained attention absolute prerequisite mental impression the printed pages in the essence of comprehension.
2. Interest:
Qadriana (2009) even if the students are interested in subject matter of reading comprehension text, they will soon lose interest if they find difficulty of the vocabulary and structure of the text. The students should get more understanding from the reading material if they have no difficulties in vocabulary and structures.
3. Purpose:
Mutmainnah (2009) the purpose an individual has for reading something directly influence how that person will comprehend the reading and to what that person will play pay attention. If the students read a text because he or she is going to have multiple choice test, he or
she probably focusing on every detail. On the other hand, he or she reads a text to get general idea of what he or she needs to know, he or she is not pay attention to all the detail., instead just focusing on the general idea.
4. Concentration:
Qadriana (2009) if the is able to concentrate more in his reading, he will get better impression, concentration is the process of holding long enough attention to establish the vivid impression which contributes so much to recall abilities.
5. Association:
Wahyusi (2006) association in reading is another great factor in recall and comprehension. A natural and relation association of ideas ia very useful ways to fix them in one’s mind for letter retention, because the reader tries to associate the author’s ideas what he has mind.
6. Repetition:
Ufrah (2009) repetition in reading is not the same as regression although regression includes repetition here means reviewing. A reader makes review in his reading because he wants to know more about what he has found in the first reading. In this case, he may use skimming and scanning techniques.
7. Distribute Practice
Wahyusi (2006) if cannot be denied that more practice will form habits if the reader always practice speed reading and comprehension toward retention. He will be a good reader and will have better retention
in his reading. Distribute practice is very important. It plays a significances role in improving reading comprehension.
From the theoris above it can be concluded that there was 7 steps that can increase reading comprehension from the attention, interest in the author’s idea, purpose, concentration to get impression, association, repetition to know more what he was found in the first reading and distribute practice.