The Reading Act: 06

Components of the Reading Act

The Reading Process, Selected Theories

A theory is a set of assumptions or principles designed to explain phenomena.

• Subskill Theories: children must master and integrate the subskills of reading in order to be able to read (e.g., automatic word recognition). Automaticity is the ability to perform a task with little attention.
  
  
  
• Interactive Theories: reading is a combination of two types of processing — top-down (reader-based) and bottom-up (text-based). An interactive model assumes parallel processing of information from print and information from background knowledge.
  
  
• Transactive Theories: Every reading act is an event, or transaction involving a particular reader and a text, and occurring at a particular time in a particular context. The meaning does not reside ready-made 'in' the text or 'in' the reader but happens or comes into being during the transaction between reader and text.

The transactive theory appeals to advocates of a whole language philosophy toward reading. These educators want students to be involved with authentic reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities; that is, activities that are not just contrived to teach particular skills, but area designed to communicate.