The Importance of Reading Rates - Essay Example

? Reading speed Reading speed Introduction Reading takes different forms depending not just on the reason for reading but also on the techniques of reading one adopts. As a matter of fact, reading for academic/research reasons marginally differs from reading for leisure and so does reading fast rate reading differ from slow reading. Successfully reading requires that the readers develop and enhance their reading skills to adopt more efficient and practical ways of reading. While reading itself is an important and interesting area to cover, this paper narrows its scope to look at reading speed. What affects the speed of reading? How can improve speed of reading? Does the speed of reading affect the ease with which useful information from the reading are comprehended? These are some of the important questions that this paper seeks to answer. The importance of reading rates A number of persons have time and again argued that the speed at which one reads is not as important as the ability of the person to comprehend what is read. However, Postlethwaite & Ross (2007) noted that the rate of reading can be used as tool for assessment of student’s performance and as a result, authentic instructional processes/activities can be injected into reading programs. In the words of Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding (2008) “As long as students understand what they read, as long as they are making meaning out of the text, reading rate should not matter (56).” While it is tempting to agree with this statement and absolutely state that comprehending what one reads is the end of reading, there exists evidence to suggest otherwise. As a matter of fact, various researchers have suggested that reading speed can be included as a metric for reading fluency. Such researchers emphasize that slow reading commits readers to considerable reading time as compared to classmates who are faster at reading. Many will agree that to a greater extent, reading progress dictates the amount reading an individual accomplishes (Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, 2008). Data obtained from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 2008 were used to successfully demonstrate existence of a relationship between speeds of reading and fluency in class. In the research, it was further reported that the most fluent readers showed a tendency to be self-motivated, in contrast to the less fluent readers who showed little self-motivation both in and out of class. Despite the causal nature of the relationship not having been demonstrated empirically, there is reasonable ground to assume that reading rates show a direct proportionality relationship to levels of fluency (Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, 2008). The same is reported in Stanovich (2005) who notes that reading rate and fluency are cause and consequence of each other. Factors affecting the speed of reading Conventionally, reading speed depends on a number of factors. Various researchers have used these factors to explain the variations in reading between different persons. Some factors are discussed. Concentration Poor concentration largely impacts on the pace at which one reads a set of text. A common symptom of poor concentration is daydreaming where an individual digresses to other thoughts rather than focusing on the text being read. Additionally, both visual and auditory distractions have been known to affect an individual’s concentration span when reading. This is the reason it is often recommended that people seek quiet and serene environments from where to read. Conventionally, an individual with a high concentration span is more likely to read at faster rates as compared to one with poor concentration. Vocabulary An individual’s vocabulary capability largely influences the speed at which the person reads. Both academic and leisure reading incorporates lots of vocabulary. It is therefore important to expand vocabulary if one is to be able to read faster. Credible researches have pointed out that there is a clear relationship between vocabulary scope command and the speed of reading. Reading techniques Pinnell et al. (1995) noted that one of the major reasons for slow reading amongst college students is inadequacy of the reading techniques that the students adopt. It has been widely suggested that reading speed can be extensively increased through use of appropriate reading techniques. Reading system Success at any task is more likely if a systematic approach is adopted. As a matter of fact, the chances of achieving success in any particular task largely depend on a well-crafted plan coupled with a good strategy for implementation. A plan is more like a racing car, once an individual has a plan; it is easy to make modifications and refine it as appropriate. The same is true with reading. The speed largely depends on the reading strategy adopted. Plans for reading textbooks include special skills for raising understanding and reading speed. The plan can be refined and modified as needed to suit the subject matter or individual preference. In general, students who have a plan for reading textbooks read faster and with greater understanding (Pinnell et al., 2007). Fortunately, many successful systems for reading textbooks have been developed by experts in reading skills who want to help college students read faster with better comprehension. Those systems include skills characteristic of excellent readers plus many "short cuts" to efficient processing of text material (Pinnell et al., 2007). Nature and difficulty of material This covers overall adjustment in rate to match an individual’s thinking ability. Evidently, overall level of difficulty depends on who's doing the reading. While Einstein's theories may be extremely difficult to most laypersons, the theories may be very simple and clear to a professor of physics. Hence, the laypeople and the physics professor must make different overall adjustments in rate of reading the same material. General reading which is difficult for you will require a slower rate; simpler material will permit a faster rate. Speed of reading and information assimilation Question shave been raised at the relationship between the speed of reading and assimilation of information. Do slow readers assimilate lesser information than the fast readers do? This is a question many researchers have explored yet none has conclusively presented empirical evidence to argue either way. Rasinski (2009) reported that slow readers require lots of time to take in and comprehend information while fast readers can comprehend large volumes of information over a reduced span of time. Conventionally, save for leisure reading, time is of essence when it comes to reading and hence fast readers are more likely to benefit than slow readers are. Good readers are flexible in their reading attack. Unlike the plodder, who reads consistently at 200 words per minute, or the superficial reader, who may read everything rapidly, well-trained readers have the capacity to adjust their speed to the material (Rasinski, 2009). Rate adjustment may be overall adjustment to the article as a whole, or it may be internal adjustment within the article. Overall adjustment is the basic rate at which the total article is read. It is important to keep reading attack flexible. It is advisable to shift gears from selection to selection. Individuals should apply low gear when going gets steep; shift into high when you get to the smooth parts (Stanovich, 2005). It is also important to remember to adjust rate within a specific article in line with the road being travelled and to the purposes of traveling the road. References Anderson, R.C., Wilson, P.T., & Fielding, L.G. (2008). Growth in reading and how children spend their time outside of school. Reading Research Quarterly, 23, 285–303. Pinnell, G.S., Pikulski, J.J., Wixson, K.K., Campbell, J.R., Gough, P.B., & Beatty, A.S. (2007). Listening to children read aloud. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Postlethwaite, T.N., & Ross, K.N. (2007). Effective schools in reading. The Hague: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. Rasinski, T.V. (2009). Exploring a method for estimating independent, instructional, and frustration reading rates. Reading Psychology: An International Quarterly, 20, 61–69 Stanovich, K.E. (2005). Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences in the acquisition of literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 21, 360–407. Read More