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Components of the Reading Process My role as an educator of ESL By Marisa Zarate, MS. Ed

When I was a child, I was a struggling reader. When my teachers asked me to read, all I did was fake-reading. I was never taught how to use reading strategies, so I was consistently a frustrated reader. I wanted to know what to do when words did not mean anything to me. I wondered what it was that I had to do to help myself. At the age of sixteen, when I was accepted into the Program of Translation and Interpretation in English and French at the Modern Language School, I knew that I was predestinated to be literate not only in Spanish but also in English and French. It was not

until many years later that I understood good reading strategies. I then began enjoying what I read and the words started making sense to me . As Cris Tovani (2000) quoted when referring what is a reading strategy, “A strategy is an intentional plan that readers use to help themselves make sense of their reading” (p. 5). In the context of information-processing models of reading, it is necessary to understand how the linguistic, sociological, cultural, cognitive, and psychological aspects impact the reading process.  First of all, the linguistic aspect of the reading process

definitely impacts the readers’ reading, writing, listening and speaking skills and literacy development. The Psycholinguistic Theory assumes that “reading is primarily a language process”. (Goodman, 1970,1967,196;Smith, 1971) as cited in Lenses on Reading. (Tracey, D.H and Morrow, L.M, 2006). This theory of reading concedes there are multiple cueing systems that readers use to assist their reading. Among the most often cueing systems referred to by this theory are: the systems of syntactic (grammatical structure or syntax of the language), semantic (meaning of

“...the more proficient ESL students are at reading their native language, the faster they acquire English, because of their existing native-language reading skills. They will transfer all the language skills learned in their native language to their second language”.

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the word and sentences), and graphophonic information (visual patterns of letters and words and their corresponding sounds). According to this theory, these cueing systems assist young readers to guide their reading after having unconsciously internalized these systems in their oral language. The more the readers are exposed to meaningful and authentic literacy, the easier it is for them to become fluent readers.  As Tracey and Morrow (2006) quote, “Psycholinguistic Theory emphasizes the idea that readers are active participants in the reading process who try to construct a coherent, meaningful interpretation of the text as they read” (p. 59). Besides this theory that helps us to understand how the linguistic aspect impacts the reading process, the Transfer Theory (Cummins, 2001) helps us to understand how important is literacy development of the native language for ESL students in order to “make stronger progress in acquiring literacy in their second language” (p. 173). According to this theory, the more proficient ESL students are at reading their native language, the faster they acquire English, because of their existing native-language reading skills. They will transfer all the language skills learned in their native language to their second language. After having understood the importance of this linguistic perspective of the reading process, I understand my ESL students better when they struggle with the reading process. In the past, I could not understand, without this theory, why some of my ESL students could not make sense of some morphosyntactic structures that should be familiar to them. These same students also show to have lexical-semantic problems as well. Eventually, I found out that some of them had never gone to school until they were in their teens. They could not transfer any existing native-language skills because they were emergent readers in their native language and their second language simultaneously.  The sociological perspective of the reading process stresses the importance of the role of social interaction in the development of knowledge and learning. According to Bloom and Green (1984) the sociological aspect of the reading process impacts how “reading is used to communicate intentions and meanings, not only between an author and a reader, but also between people involved in a reading event” (p. 101). Through repeated patterns of interaction, students will not only learn how to interact with their peers, but also oral and written literacy practices. These patterns of socialization will also assist readers to continue to develop their individual language in reading acquisition and reading ability, critical thinking, language skills, and improve their schoolwork. This sociological component is very important to take into account in ESL classroom settings, too. I noticed that when we have classroom discussions about a piece of reading, and ESL students have a chance to interact with the texts, peers, and instructors, the text becomes alive to them. It seems that the text starts speaking to them, activating their prior  knowledge and expressing what they think about what has been read.  The cultural aspect of the reading process will impact the process itself depending on the reader’s competencies in multiple ways of perceiving, evaluating, believing and doing

things.  (Bouchard, 2010).  As Woolfolk (1999) states, the Socio-Cultural Theory emphasizes the roles of social, cultural, and historical factors in the human experience. This Socio-Cultural Theory as the Sociolinguistic Theory focuses on the social aspect of learning, but giving more emphasis to the culture aspect of learning. According to Raphael et al. (as cited in Herrera & Perez) “the multiple sociocultural perspective influences on ESL students literacy development. This includes the values, beliefs, and goals within the family; the types and uses of literacy resources, as well as their time spent on literacy activities; and the children’s perception of both teachers and the nature and importance of reading” (p. 22). Definitely, I have noticed when ESL students have a deeper understanding of the culture in which they are immersed, they are able to comprehend not only the intra-textual analysis, but also the extra-textual analysis of the text, inferring thoughts beyond what words can express.  

Finally, the psychological component of the reading process influences the readers’ perception, reading rate, sub-vocalization, the nature of meaning, and the history of reading and reading instruction. Quantz (1897) “ was the first to identify the concept of “eye-voice span”, the time between the eyes’ exposure to print and the subjects’ enunciation of what he or she is reading” (as cited in Tracey and Morrow, p. 23). With this theory, classroom practices focused on increasing “accuracy” with regard to print perception. When I worked with young readers, I used  a variety of educational materials to facilitate print perception such as the use of different types of markers for different types of words, pointers, words on walls, flashcards of new words among others. I even noticed that some emergent readers even needed to follow up the print with their fingers so that they would more easily identify words that they were reading, improving their text perception. 

I strongly believe that in order to promote positive reading development, instructors need to have “positive learning environments to support the developmental needs of students not only academically but also socially and personally. These are places, such as classrooms, where students feel comfortable with themselves, safe amongst their peers, and motivated to learn” (Tammy, A. 2009). Reading instructors must have a variety of reading strategies so that instructors will accommodate different strategies according to their students’ needs.  “More capable readers use more sophisticated text, while less able readers use simpler text” (Tovani, 2000, p. 109). Reading strategies must be learned before another new strategy is taught. Reading instructors must also use a variety of genres during their reading sessions so that students can apply their thinking to different types of text. They need to give students opportunities to discuss and write about what they have just read; perhaps initiating group discussions, reading clubs, or communities who are engaged with the reading process day by day. Finally, instructors must show creativity, leadership, and consideration toward what students’ needs are to promote reading development at any stage of their literacy development.

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