The Power of Reading: The Comprehension Hypothesis

Growing up. we always heard from our teachers and parents that it's important to read recreationally. But aside from gaining pop culture knowledge, is it really all that beneficial? Numerous studies argue, yes. This finding is far from surprising, but what I found interesting about the article,"Does the Power of Reading Apply to All Languages?" in the California based magazine, Language, is the examination of how reading affected students of 1st, 2nd, and Heritage Languages (HL). The article was a mapping of recent studies supporting the Comprehension Hypothesis which argues that we learn a language by understanding it (that's where reading comprehension comes in).

For 1st language learners, researchers examined several different languages. In a study by Shu, Anderson, and Zahng (1995), results showed that Chinese students who engaged in leisure reading had a stronger grasp of difficult vocabulary. Also, Mandarin speakers in Taiwan scored higher on standardized testing when they increased time spent reading for fun (Lee 1996). In Venezuela, Rodriquez and Trujillo (1996) found that by providing students with a stocked library, they students read more and thus improved their levels of reading comprehension and vocabulary.

When learning Heritage Languages, students who read recreational materials such as magazines, comics, and novels showed higher proficiency. Korean children who read such materials provided by their parents were more proficient than those who did not. However, here it is important to note that other factors are at play here. For example, the regularity which parents communicate with their children in the HL, and the children's desire to speak the HL play a large role in aiding or hindering their proficiency levels. Nonetheless, these studies assert that reading is the single most important factor. Schan, Hopkins, and Vojr (1985) reported that Spanish speaking children who read in Spanish 45 minutes a week for 8.5 months improved their reading speeds and vocabulary in Spanish.

As expected, in foreign language or 2nd language learning, the same theory holds. Day and Hitosugi's study showed that university Japanese language students that read children's books in Japanese for 10 weeks significantly improved their reading comprehension.

As supported by numerous studies conducted with 1st, 2nd, and Heritage Language learners, reading recreationally improves vocabulary, comprehension, reading speed, and overall literacy. So what does this mean for our education system? All schools should have sufficient libraries. A study conducted by Krashen et al this year showed that having 500 books or more in a library proved to increase the rate of recreational reading and overall reading test scores for 10 year-olds in the U.S. By providing access to books, we are opening doors for children to improve literacy, thus it is an immediate necessity.

But what do you think? These studies serve as concrete evidence supporting my P.O.V., but are the other factors such as parents' role more important in your opinion?

Source:

"Does the Power of Reading Apply to All Languages?" Language.. May 2010. pgs. 24-27.