CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
A. Review of Related Literature
1. Reading
a. The Definitions of Reading
Reading is one of English skills besides speaking, listening and writing. It is
the way to understand written messages. According to Nuttal (2000:2) reading means
a result of interaction between the writer’s mind and the reader’s mind. It is the way
how to the reader tries to get the message or the intended meaning from the writer. In
this process, the reader tries to create the meanings intended by the writer, the reader
can get the message, and the writer’s meaning sense.
According to Pang (2003:6) reading is defined as understanding written texts.
He says that reading consists of two related processes: word recognition and
comprehension. Word recognition is defined as the process of getting how written
symbols correspond to one’s spoken language while comprehension is the process of
making the meaning of words, sentences and connected text. He adds his statement
that the reader who has background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge,
experience with text and other strategies can help them understand written texts. Based on two
definitions above reading can be defined as the instantaneous
recognition of various written symbol with existing knowledge and it also can be
defined as comprehension of the information and the idea communicated. It means
that when a reader interacts with printed messages, he tries to get the visual (written)
information result or to get meaning in comprehending the messages or the texts from
the writer. It also can be said that reading not only the process of getting the written
symbols correspond to one’s spoken language but it is also the process of making the
meaning of words, sentences and connected text that can be called comprehension.
b. Definitions of Reading Comprehension
There are many definitions of reading comprehension accepted from some
writers. According to Klingner (2007:2) reading comprehension is “the process of
constructing meaning by coordinating a number of complex processes that included
word reading, word and world knowledge, and fluency”. It refers to the ability in
interpreting the words, understanding the meaning and the relationships between
ideas conveyed in a text. He summarized reading comprehension instruction for the
teacher as following a three-step procedure: mentioning, practicing, and assessing.
That is, teachers mention the skills that the students want to use, then they give them
opportunities to practice those skills through workbooks or work sheets, and finally
assess whether or not they use the skill successfully. Alderson (2000: 28) defines reading is an
enjoyable, intense, private
activity in which the readers get much pleasure and can totally absorb the
reading. According to Pang (2003:14) comprehension is the process of making sense
of words, sentences and connected text. He says that comprehension is the processes
of deriving the meaning of one word to another in a text. Readers typically make use
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of background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, experience with a
text and other strategies to help them understand the written texts. From the definitions above,
reading comprehension can be concluded as the
ability to find the stated or unstated writer’s idea in the text. The essence of reading
comprehension is understanding all information delivered by the writer. It also refers
to the ability to connect between the words in a text, to understand the ideas and the
relationships between ideas conveyed in a text.
c. Teaching Reading
Kimbly and Garmezy in Brown (2000:7) define that teaching is the activities
to show or help someone to learn how to do something, give instructions, guide in the
study of something, provide with the knowledge, cause to know, understand
knowledge and give new knowledge. Brown (2000:7) also says that “teaching cannot
be defined apart from learning. Teaching is guiding and facilitating learning, enabling
the learners to learn, setting the conditions for learning”. Meanwhile learning is
getting the knowledge or the acquisition of the knowledge. From the definitions
above, we can define teaching as helping, facilitating, and giving instructions how to
learn and get something or knowledge. Here the teacher is the subject in doing those
because the teacher has the obligation to help the students getting or acquiring the
second language that is English.
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1) Teaching Reading Comprehension
In teaching reading comprehension, the teacher needs some strategies to
make the students comprehend the reading texts. According Brown (2000: 306- 311),
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