Unit -3Readability and Reading Rate
Sub point:(A) Concept of readability
Readabiltiy The reading ability of a person is nothing but a person’s rate of reading + his or her comprehension of the text given. The reading ability will be decided by number of factors.
Sub point: (B) Factors Affecting Readability Difficulty level of the text in terms of its linguistic aspect Difficulty level of the content involved Reader’s familiarity with the text Reader’s own linguistic abilities, comprehension and other cognitive abilities such as reasoning, applying , evaluating etc Prior knowledge –experiences of a reader Reader’s own emotional state of mind during reading Physical environment Reader’s reading habits Type and length of the material involved for reading Time given for reading Purpose for reading
Note: This following activity was not discussed in the class
Factors which may facilitate/ hinder effective reading
Read the following list of factors and indicate which you consider to be characteristic of
effective and ineffective reading.
The reader:
1. Tries to understand everything. (Ineffective)
2. Tries to read word by word. (Ineffective)
3. Tries to activate general knowledge of the topic to help him understand the
discourse. (Effective)
4. Guesses meanings o words from the context. (Effective)
5. uses a dictionary to find the meanings of all the new words (Ineffective)
6. Makes predictions about the content of the text while reading. (Effective)
7. Uses his knowledge of the language to narrow down the range of possibilities with
regard to what the next key word/phrase may be. (Effective)
8. Uses the visual information accompanying a passage in order to understand the
passage better. (Effective)
9. Uses the dictionary to find the meaning of a new word on the first encounter.
(Ineffective)
10. Raises expectations in his mind about the content and even about the vocabulary in
the passage that he is about to read, on reading its title. (Effective)
11. Ignores some of the new words/phrases which are not crucial for understanding the
discourse. (Effective)
12. Vocalizes or sub-vocalises while reading a passage. (Ineffective)
13. follows the words and sentences while reading with the finger/a pen, pencil etc.
(Ineffective)
14. Takes cues from discourse markers such as however, on the other hand in order to
predict the content he is about to read. (Effective)
15. Regresses very often while reading. (Ineffective)
16. Modifies his interpretation of the text as he reads. (Effective)
Sub Point (C) ‐Concept of Reading Rate
Ø Reading at a rapid rate is of little value if one understands little of what has been read.
Ø Reading with a high degree of comprehension without caring much about the time spent in reading will be of very little sue.
Ø Thus both the sped of reading and simultaneously understanding the text are important.
Ø Bond & Tinker opine that a definition of rate of reading must be redefined as a rate of comprehension of printed & written material. Reading rate/speed· Number of words read within any given time period
Causes of slow Reading Rate·
1. Vocalization: vocalization is mouthing the word while reading or using the vocal muscles without making any sound. Vocalization is an unnecessary & deterimental habit and should be avoided. Words are read pronounced aloud as they are read.
2. Sub vocalization: it is similar to vocalization. However there is no body movement. Lips tongue or vocal cords do not move, but inner type of speech persists within the students mind, he is saying each word to himself clearly pronouncing each word and then listening to himself. This could also be termed as mental speech. In realty this is the thinking process in operation.
3. Supports or pointing at words: here the reader points to words in the text with a finger or a pencil or a ruler. It is used for supporting the mind to increase the concentration. However this slows down the reading speed as one’s hand or the ruler or finger cannot move as fast as mind is capable of. There is slow down of the reading speed through mechanical movement of pencil or ruler or finger etc.
Sub Point (D) Techniques of Developing Reading Rate
Ø Giving lot of practice of reading different types of reading so as to create a wider knowledge base
Ø Developing comprehension strategies such as context clues, using dictionary, finding the key words/phrases/paragraphs, omitting descriptions and irrelevant information, encircling important details
Ø Developing skills to carry out different types of reading such as scanning, skimming
Ø Developing vocabulary
Ø Giving time bound reading exercises
Ø Providing purposeful reading
Ø Developing linguistic competence mainly in terms of grammar of the language
Ø Giving guided reading with questions given in advance
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