Dixya Poudel

If you ponder on the matters that you usually read in a day, you will be surprised to see the amount and diversity in the subjects that you read. You may read a label of a product in a supermarket or the ingredients in a recipe. You could also read a novel, a news report or an article as you are currently doing. Likewise, you could read text messages on your phone, a to-do manual, a brochure of a company or even the subtitles of a movie.

Given the amount of readings we do, it is understandable that we should prioritise our readings. For students, it may be necessary to not just read and understand but also to memorise their course materials and curriculum. For professionals, it could be vital to read ideas and views and understand them coherently. We read for information, instructions, social obligations, enjoyment and pleasure and also to be in tune with current news and events.

Reading ability and skills vary from person to person and differ according to age. Young children are only just learning to comprehend their three Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic) while grown-ups have higher abilities when it comes to reading and understanding. Reading is an interactive process between the readers and the authors. When we read a text, we try to understand both its direct and subtle meanings.

Often, complex works of literature impel the readers to read between the lines and find meanings in metaphors. A coherent piece of text calls for decoding of messages in the readers. As such, effective reading signifies an interaction with the texts at hand. Likewise, each reader comes with his or her prior beliefs, knowledge and personal expectations when he or she dives into a book, a story or a news report. Schema is thus the process in which readers use their existing knowledge to better comprehend a text.

When reading, readers come across new ideas and merge them with their existing schemata. And their experiences with life, literature and language are used to better construe meanings into a text with the help of vocabulary, syntax, ideas and forms. Schemata therefore help readers match what they already know with what is presented in the written works. Reading can be purposeful, silent, text-based, selective and one that involves complex cognitive skills for better knowledge and expertise. And effective reading is done in chunks where readers take in the text at large with the help of well-developed schemata.

Further, reading can be divided into four highly overlapping and interrelated levels of meaning which include literal, critical, interpretive and creative reading. Literal comprehension refers to the direct understanding of the text which carries the facts and information that the readers are looking for. Critical reading is when readers make their judgements as regard to the facts and conclusions provided by the texts. Interpretive reading signifies reading between the lines and finally creative reading applies to imagination, insights, invention and prediction when taking in the writings.

Reading can be informative, instructive, educational and recreational. It requires a level of cognition as well as attention and concentration. And in today’s age and time, it has become important to not just read superficially but also to interact with the writings for effective understanding and comprehension.