Theories on reading comprehension
There are several different theories on reading comprehension, but here you will be briefly introduced to six of these. It is important to note that none of the following theories or any other theories have priority over another. Rather, all of these aspects of a text (e.g. the structure, the reader's viewpoint, the writer's viewpoint, the sociocultural context) are important for making meaning out of text and as such all should be considered during the teaching of reading comprehension skills and strategies.
Structuralism
This is based on the idea that true meaning of a text is not found in the writer or the reader, but rather in the structure of the text itself. Therefore, a structuralist would argue that there is a certain structure in every piece of text. |
Formalism
Formalism is similar to structuralism in that it is also concerned with the structure of a text. Rather than taking meaning from social/cultural influences or the writer, meaning is taken from the mode, genre, discourse or form. |
Reader-oriented theories
Reader-oriented theories, in contrast to structuralism and formalism, argue that no text has any meaning until it has been read. Therefore, meaning is not taken from the text and the reader is the maker of meaning. |
Schema Theory
'Schema' is known as the existing knowledge that a person has about the people, places, things and events around them. As such, the schema theory argues that meaning is made when connections are made between the text and the reader's existing knowledge. |
Mental Model Theory
This theory is based on the idea that a reader constructs a mental model or mental imagery of the circumstances that they are reading about. This is particularly the case when people read fiction. This construction of a mental model then assists the reader in their comprehension of the text. |
Proposition Theory
The proposition theory argues that the reader constructs main and broad ideas as they process the text. These ideas are then prioritised so that the ones that the reader believes are most important are given the highest priority to be committed to memory. |