Researchers disagree on definitions of reading comprehension and models for developing it due to different theoretical frameworks. It is difficult to improve because decoding and comprehension are intertwined but must be taught together, with the goal of finding meaning. Teachers need to know comprehension is an active process between reader, author and text; it does not develop spontaneously so modeling is important; engagement and motivation are key; and weaker readers especially need support monitoring understanding.

1. What is reading comprehension,
why is it so hard to develop,
and what do teachers need to know about it?
Colin Harrison
University of Nottingham
colin.harrison@nottingham.ac.uk
ESRC seminar:
Reading Comprehension : From Theory to Practice

2. Overview
• Why did the UK government drop the
Searchlights model?

3. The National Literacy Strategy
The ‘Searchlights Model’

4. How do children learn to read?
The ‘Searchlights Model’
Phonological
awareness
Letter
knowledge
Vocabulary
knowledge
Knowledge
of grammarAutomatic,
rapid,
word
recognition
Text structure
knowledge
World knowledge

5. How do children learn to read?
The ‘Searchlights Model’
Phonological
awareness
Letterknowledge
Vocabulary
knowledge
Knowledge
of grammar
Automatic,
rapid,
word
recognition
Txtstructure
knowledge
World knowledge

6. The Back Story
• What is the Simple View of Reading?

7. • How does Rose understand the Simple
View of Reading?

8. Interactive-compensatory model of the reading process
(Stanovich)
Processing capacity use
Comprehension
Word recognition

9. • How does Gough understand the Simple
View of Reading?
The simple view of reading
R = D x C
= x

10. • What’s morally repugnant about the
Simple View?
- Milton’s daughters are certainly part of it
Man, the
comprehender,
the scholar, the
active mind, the
intellectual
Woman, the
incomprehending
channel, the
maidservant of
knowledge

11. What’s right with the Simple View?
• What’s right with the Simple View?
-automatic, context-free word recognition is
the hallmark of the fluent reader
- word recognition and comprehension have
not only consistently been shown to factor out
as separate skills in children; they continue to
show up as distinct skills even in adults
(Carver, 1990)
- most researchers agree that most children
will benefit from instruction in decoding

12. • What’s dangerous about the Simple View?
-Whether Gough wanted it to or not, it seems to
put all the emphasis on decoding

13. • What’s dangerous about the Simple View?
-Whether Gough wanted it to or not, it seems to
put all the emphasis on decoding, if it’s
understood like this:
“If R = D x C, then the D is what the teacher
has to focus on; the C (linguistic
comprehension) is what kids come to school
with anyway….”

14. • What’s dangerous about the Simple View?
-Whether Gough wanted it to or not, it seems to
put all the emphasis on decoding, if it’s
understood like this:
“If R = D x C, then the D is what the teacher
has to focus on; the C (linguistic
comprehension) is what kids come to school
with anyway….”
So clearly the reading
teacher’s job is to teach
decoding….

15. • What’s dangerous about the Simple View?
-Whether Gough wanted it to or not, it seems to
put all the emphasis on decoding
- if there’s no decoding, or inadequate
decoding, then R = 0
[this in turn opens the flood gates not only to a
need for the good teaching of phonics, but to
the need for phonics ‘first, fast and only’- as
used by ‘successful teachers’ according to the
Core Knowledge Foundation….]

16. • What’s dangerous about the Simple View?
-It seems to miss out so much
-What about fluency?
-Motivation?
-Engagement?
-Lunzer: Reading comprehension is the
ability and willingness to reflect on what
is read

17. • What’s dangerous about the Simple View?
-It seems to miss out so much
-What about fluency?
-Motivation?
-Engagement?
-Lunzer: Reading comprehension is the
ability and willingness to reflect on what
is read
And it’s the
teacher’s job to
teach this- it
doesn’t develop
spontaneously

19. What is reading comprehension,
why is it so hard to develop,
and what do teachers need to know about it?

20. What is reading comprehension,
why is it so hard to develop,
and what do teachers need to know about it?
Researchers
don’t agree

21. What is reading comprehension,
why is it so hard to develop,
and what do teachers need to know about it?
Researchers
don’t agree
on definitions
At least part of the reason
for this is that they begin
with or draw upon very
different theoretical
frameworks
US research efforts impact
very positively on early reading
(despite massive demographic
changes, reading attainment at
age 8 remains steady)
It is easier to
improve beginning
reading @ Gr 4
than
comprehension @
Gr 8 (Timms, etc)

22. Models of developing
comprehension
• The Rand Reading Study Group
(Catherine Snow for OERI/RAND, 2002)
– What do we know
about reading comprehension?
– What do we know about how
to develop it?
– What should teachers know
about how to develop it?

23. Models of developing
comprehension
• Comprehension subskills development?
– Thurstone/Davis debate -? Rx model
(connects with Skinnerian models)
• Textual analysis skill development?
– DARTs, etc. (connects with schema theory)
• Development of vocabulary and world
knowledge [US+/UK-]?
– teach vocabulary development (connects
with a Kintsch view of text as n-dimensional
semantic network)
Which??
And
why??

24. Models of developing
comprehension
• Comprehension subskills development?
– Thurstone/Davis debate -? Rx model
(connects with Skinnerian models)
• Textual analysis skill development?
– DARTs, etc. (connects with schema theory)
• Development of vocabulary and world
knowledge [US+/UK-]?
– teach vocabulary development (connects
with a Kintsch view of text as n-dimensional
semantic network)
Which??
And
why??
Theoretically weak-
black boxy; data-
dredging

25. Models of developing
comprehension
• Comprehension subskills development?
– Thurstone/Davis debate -? Rx model
(connects with Skinnerian models)
• Textual analysis skill development?
– DARTs, etc. (connects with schema theory)
• Development of vocabulary and world
knowledge [US+/UK-]?
– teach vocabulary development (connects
with a Kintsch view of text as n-dimensional
semantic network)
Which??
And
why??
Theoretically weak-
black boxy; data-
dredging

26. Models of developing
comprehension
• Comprehension subskills development?
– Thurstone/Davis debate -? Rx model
(connects with Skinnerian models)
• Textual analysis skill development?
– DARTs, etc. (connects with schema theory)
• Development of vocabulary and world
knowledge [US+/UK-]?
– teach vocabulary development (connects
with a Kintsch view of text as n-dimensional
semantic network)
Which??
And
why??
Theoretically weak-
black boxy; data-
dredging
Theoretically
attractive- but just
not supported by
data

27. Models of developing
comprehension
• Comprehension subskills development?
– Thurstone/Davis debate -? Rx model
(connects with Skinnerian models)
• Textual analysis skill development?
– DARTs, etc. (connects with schema theory)
• Development of vocabulary and world
knowledge [US+/UK-]?
– teach vocabulary development (connects
with a Kintsch view of text as n-dimensional
semantic network)
Which??
And
why??
Theoretically weak-
black boxy; data-
dredging
Theoretically
attractive- but just
not supported by
data

28. Models of developing
comprehension
• Comprehension subskills development?
– Thurstone/Davis debate -? Rx model
(connects with Skinnerian models)
• Textual analysis skill development?
– DARTs, etc. (connects with schema theory)
• Development of vocabulary and world
knowledge [US+/UK-]?
– teach vocabulary development (connects
with a Kintsch view of text as n-dimensional
semantic network)
Which??
And
why??
Theoretically weak-
black boxy; data-
dredging
Theoretically
attractive- but just
not supported by
data
Attractive, unless you
worry about grammar
and the ‘not’ question

29. Models of developing
comprehension
• Comprehension subskills development?
– Thurstone/Davis debate -? Rx model
(connects with Skinnerian models)
• Textual analysis skill development?
– DARTs, etc. (connects with schema theory)
• Development of vocabulary and world
knowledge [US+/UK-]?
– teach vocabulary development (connects
with a Kintsch view of text as n-dimensional
semantic network)
Which??
And
why??
Theoretically weak-
black boxy; data-
dredging
Theoretically
attractive- but just
not supported by
data
Attractive, unless you
worry about grammar
and the ‘not’ question

30. What is reading comprehension,
why is it so hard to develop,
and what do teachers need to know about it?

31. What is reading comprehension,
why is it so hard to develop,
and what do teachers need to know about it?
Fundamental principles:
• Decoding and comprehension are two key components of reading, but
this does not mean that they should be taught separately; the goal of
decoding should be to find meaning, and learners need a sense of the
rewards that meaning can bring.
Adams, M. J. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about
print. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
• Reading helps children develop not just decoding ability, but an
awareness of self, and of self in relation to others.
Bruner, J. (2001). Self-making and world-making. In J. Brockmeier &
Donal Carbaugh (Eds.). Narrative and identity: Studies in
Autobiography,

32. What is reading comprehension,
why is it so hard to develop,
and what do teachers need to know about it?
Fundamental principles:
• Reading comprehension is an active, not a passive process: it involves
a triangular relationship between reader, author and text, rather than a
linear transmission of meaning from author to reader.
Lunzer, E.A. and Gardner, K. (1979) The Effective Use of Reading.
London: Heinemann.
• Reading comprehension does not necessarily develop spontaneously:
for most readers, it’s helpful to see thoughtful and critical reading
modeled by teachers and peers.
Pressley, M. (2000) What should comprehension instruction be the
instruction of? In M.Kamil, P.B.Mosenthal, P.D.Pearson and R.Barr
(Eds.) Handbook of Reading Research: Volume III (pp. 545-562).
Mahwah NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

33. What is reading comprehension,
why is it so hard to develop,
and what do teachers need to know about it?
Fundamental principles:
• Critical literacy is as important as literacy, and if anything, this is even
more important when children encounter texts on the Internet.
Leu, D. J., Jr. (2002). The new literacies: Research on reading
instruction with the Internet and other digital technologies. (pp. 310-336).
In J. Samuels and A. E. Farstrup (Eds.). What research has to say about
reading instruction. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
• Engagement is fundamental to developing reading comprehension, and
engagement depends upon four things: a coherent curriculum, high
motivation, sufficient instruction about strategic reading, and sufficient
choice in all areas of reading.
Guthrie, J. T., & Wigfield, A. (2000).

34. What is reading comprehension,
why is it so hard to develop,
and what do teachers need to know about it?
What do teachers need to know?
The Matthew Effect: children who choose to read become
exponentially better at reading and comprehending than those who
do not.
Stanovich, Keith E. (1986). Matthew Effects in Reading: Some
Consequences of Individuals Differences in the Acquisition of Literacy
(PDF). Reading Research Quarterly 21 (4), 360-407.
http://leo.oise.utoronto.ca/~kstanovich/pdfs/reading/RRQ86.pdf
When motivation is high, children will tackle (and understand) much
more difficult texts than those they usually read.
Harrison, Colin (1980) Readability in the Classroom. Cambridge: CUP.

35. What is reading comprehension,
why is it so hard to develop,
and what do teachers need to know about it?
What do teachers need to know?
• Reading while listening helps most learners to comprehend, and is
likely to also increase fluency.
Mary H. Neville, A. K. Pugh Context in Reading and Listening: Variations
in Approach to Cloze Tasks Reading Research Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 1
(1976 - 1977), pp. 13-31 doi:10.2307/747495
• Weaker readers are generally the poorest at monitoring their own
comprehension- so they need support in this.
Markman, E. M. (1978). Realizing that you don’t understand: A
preliminary investigation. Child Development, 48, 986-992.

36. What is reading comprehension,
why is it so hard to develop,
and what do teachers need to know about it?
What do teachers need to know?
• When the texts encountered in school are difficult, children need
bridging tasks to assist them in gaining meaning; DARTs activities can
be very helpful here.
Lunzer, E.A. and Gardner, K. (1979) The Effective Use of Reading.
London: Heinemann.
Children who are taught to develop tactics and strategies for
tackling and understanding texts learn more and remember more
than those who are not; such readers acquire effective self-regulation
strategies.
Duffy, G.G., Roehler, L.R. (and eight co-authors) (1987)

37. What is reading comprehension,
why is it so hard to develop,
and what do teachers need to know about it?
Colin Harrison
University of Nottingham
colin.harrison@nottingham.ac.uk
ESRC seminar:
Reading Comprehension : From Theory to Practice