Reading Theories

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses some of the different theories concerning the strategies used in the reading process: the cueing system, the theory that looks at the interrelationship between automaticity and fluency, the schema theory, and the transactional theory. The paper relates that the process of literacy starts far before children attend kindergarten and continues through adulthood. The paper further relates that literacy is considered more than just a cognitive skill; it is a complex and active process that includes the cognitive, social, linguistic and psychological aspects of learning. In addition, the paper points out that one important aspect that needs to be included in all teaching methods is a love of learning.

From the Paper:

"As with any other human behavior, there are several different theories concerning the strategies that are used in this reading process. One theory is known as a cueing system, where "reading" is more than just saying the words aloud. Rather, the "reader" must properly combine four different cues or clues to decode words in a running text. The first is the spelling pattern or letter-sound information (graphonicic); the second is how the words are arranged (syntactic); the third is what words make sense (semantic); and the fourth is experiential (background). This model is supported by those who rely on evidence from the types of mistakes people make while read or "miscue analysis." This approach suggests that when children see a difficult-to-read word, they should make an educated guess by trying these different cues. The child would be asked to cover up different clues for practicing the other ones."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adams, M. J. (1998). The Three-Cueing System. In F. Lehr and J. Osborn (Eds.), Literacy For All Issues In Teaching And Learning, pp. 73-99. New York Guilford Press.
• Brewer, .W.F. 2000. Bartlett's Concept of the Schema and Its Impact on Theories of Knowledge Representation in Contemporary Cognitive Psychology. In Bartlett, Culture and Cognition, ed. Akiko Saito. Hove, England.: Psychology Press.
• Burns, P. C., Roe, B. D., & Ross, E. P. (1999). Teaching reading in today's elementary school Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
• Cooper, J., D. (1997). Literacy: Helping children construct meaning Boston: Houghton Mifflin
• Hiebert, E. H., Pearson, P. D., Taylor, B. M., Richardson, V., & Paris, S. G. (1998). Every child areader: Applying reading research in the classroom. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan.

More papers on Reading Theories:

• Term Paper # 127831 : "Reading Comprehension"
• Research Paper # 52054 : "Reading Comprehension: English as a Foreign Language"
• Analytical Essay # 133576 : "Reading Comprehension and Fluency"

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