For quite some time now, internet access and free Wi-Fi have become a regular feature of academia. While the advantages are undeniable, teachers and professors worry about students’ inability to read and understand complex texts especially at the college level.
Given that there has been a culture of reading across generations when bedtime stories were customary, one would have thought that the habit of reading was deeply embedded in the child’s cognitive domain. Certainly, at the college level, with English being the medium of instruction of most subjects, and the majority of students having undergone an intensive and immersive experience with the language, struggling with understanding the written text is baffling. What could possibly be the problem? There are several reasons but the main one by far is probably insufficient vocabulary needed to read complex texts critically and efficiently.
Poor Vocabulary Knowledge
Studies show the strong relationship of vocabulary with comprehension and prove that the more words students know, the better they understand written text. However, teachers often notice that students simply do not have enough vocabulary knowledge to understand the complex texts at their level. This could be attributed to the fact that most schools teach to standardized tests such as the IELTS, CELPIP or the TOEFL which focus on proficiency and communication through quick skimming and scanning skills.
Digital Distractions and Fewer Books
It is also true that students, now more than ever, are distracted by digital content resulting in less reading from books. Push notifications on social media apps including game sites can interfere with academic reading which requires cognitive engagement, inquiry, and associations across texts. Reading also promotes vocabulary acquisition by allowing students to revisit words in different contexts and reinforce learning.
Moreover, homes now have fewer books and students visit public libraries less frequently. The culture of reading has also been affected by the invasion of digital media. Newspaper stands outside corner shops or books at railway stations have steadily declined in number as more people take to getting their daily news from the screen.
Some Strategies for Effective Reading
The connection between vocabulary and reading means that the more words a student knows, the greater their understanding of the written text will be. For example, a reader will understand around 1000 words in a text, while the rest are learnt by guessing meanings from context clues.
A great way to improve reading comprehension is to do critical reading. The student gains exposure to new words and then through different interactional teaching strategies, gets to revisit the word several times, thereby firmly embedding it in their repertoire. Typically, a reading comprehension activity may include pronoun-reference exercise (e.g. The girl was sitting quietly. She was wearing a red dress. Question: Who does the pronoun She refer to?). Other activities may include gap-fill exercises with synonyms of the words in the text; matching pairs of words to their meanings, and so on.
Critical reading allows the student to engage with the author’s ideas and offer their own stance while using the vocabulary of the text. The best thing is that while trying to make sense of the text, the student makes mental associations with the words and infers meanings from their personal knowledge. What is even more interesting is that reading critically is linked to critical thinking as both share a common process of deep engagement with the text.
In the classroom, students can be given a selection of words from the text and asked to use them to tell their own story. Or they can think of a different ending to a story they have just read. They can even reimagine the beginning of the story and create their own introduction, which would enable them to personalize and interact with the text more closely.
Conclusion
It is important to note that poor reading skills can be challenging for students at all levels, and especially more so, in higher education as texts become more complex in terms of advanced vocabulary and length of essays. Intervention in the form of effective teaching strategies can improve both reading comprehension and critical reading.
Reference
Tortola, R. L. (2024, June 6). Key Factors Influencing Poor Reading Comprehension: A Qualitative Exploratory Study.
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