Reading Theories and Their Relationship to
Reading Instruction
• Major Theories
– Behaviorism
– Cognitivism
– Constructivism
– Transactionalism
• These theories have neither been proven nor unproven.
• They are simply alternative ways of explaining the process
of learning to read.
• These theories have led teachers to a variety of beliefs about
instructional choices to help children develop successful
reading strategies.
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Behaviorism and a Parts-to-Whole,
Bottom-Up Reading Process
• Behaviorism – learning was essentially a
conditioned response to a stimulus.
• In reading the stimulus for reading is the print
on the page.
• Bottom-up – progressing from the parts of
language (letters) to the whole (meaning).
• Reading theorists for this model include:
– Holmes; Singer; Gough; and LaBerge and Samuels
2
Meaning
Text
Behaviorist or
Bottom-up model
Of the reading process
Paragraphs
Sentences
Words
Letters
3
Phonics-first or subskills instruction
Meaning
Teach phonics first with letters of
the alphabet and the sounds these
letters represent before beginning
to read books independently.
Words
Sound/symbol relationships
4
Cognitivism and the Interactive
Reading Process
• Cognitive interactive reading theories place equal
emphasis on the role of a reader’s schema and the
importance of the print on the page.
• Word, sentence, and text meaning are conditioned,
influenced, or shaped by the whole set of
experiences and knowledge the reader brings to
reading, rather than the meaning jumping off the
page into the reader’s head based on a verbatim
rendering of text.
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Cognitivism: an Hybrid
• Cognitivism is a combination of
Gestaltist thinking and
Behaviorism
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Knowledge
Experiences
Emotions
Gestaltist or top-down
theory reflected in a
model of the reading
process.
Reader’s Intentions
Meaning
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Cognitive or Interactive
model of the reading process
Experiences
Knowledge
Emotions
Reader’s intentions
Meaning
Strengths of both Gestalt and
behaviorist theories were combined
while at the same time minimizing
weaknesses associated with either
theory.
Select
unit of print
Text
Paragraphs
Sentences
Words
Letters
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A skills instructional approach to reading is advocated by the
interactive model of reading
Vocabulary
Decoding
Comprehension
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Constructivism and the Transactional Reading
Model
• Constructivism is a theory of learning that
represents the culmination of several distinct lines
of research:
– Developmental Psychology (Piaget)
– Socio-historical Psychology (Vygotsky)
– Semiotic Interactionism (Bruner, Gardner, Eisner, &
Goodman)
• Meaningful learning is at the core of
constructivist theory.
• Language cueing systems – syntax, semantics,
grapho/phonics, pragmatics.
• Reading becomes a whole-to-part-to-whole
process.
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Syntax and semantics– word order
that determines sentence
meaning.
Social and
situational
context and
stance
MEANING
Learner constructs
a mental version of
the text by using
theses cues.
Graphophonics –
Letters and letter sounds
TRANSACTIONAL READING MODEL
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Views of Literacy
Traditional
(Reading Readiness)
• Learning to read and write begins at
6.5 years of age.
• Reading develops first, and then
writing.
• Literacy develops through learning
isolated skills, such as phonics and
writing the alphabet.
• Experiences of the child before
schooling are considered irrelevant.
• Children all pass through a
predetermined scope and sequence
of readiness and reading skills and
their progress should be monitored
by periodic formal testing.
Constructivist
(Emergent Literacy)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Learning to read and write begins very
early in life.
Reading and writing develop concurrently
and interrelatedly in young children.
Literacy develops from real life situations
in which reading and writing are used to
get things done.
Children learn literacy through active
engagement.
Being read to plays a special role in the
literacy development of the young child.
Learning to read and write is a
developmental process. Children pass
through the stages in a variety of way
12 and
at different ages.
•Reading Aloud
•Shared Reading and Writing
•Guided Reading and Interactive Writing
•Language Experience
•Supported Reading and Writing
Focused/ Explicit Language Instruction
•Independent Reading and Writing
•Assessment
•Design Literacy Environments
•Instructional Planning
Elements of a Balanced Literacy Program (Holdaway, 1979)
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Syntax– word order
that determines sentence
meaning.
Pragmatics
- Social
and
situational
context and
stance
Semantics –
comprehension
/ meaning
Transactional Literacy
MEANING
Event
Graphophonics –
Letters and letter sounds
TRANSACTIONAL READING MODEL
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Transactionalism
• Transactionalism is based on the notion that
all literacy events are a transaction between
the sender and the receiver in which both
are changed by the event.
• The stance taken by each is key to the
transaction. (Efferent and Aesthetic)
(Rosenblatt)
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Stance
• Efferent – The reader’s expectation is that
the reading will be one that informs, gives
details, and is usually expository.
• Aesthetic – The reader’s expectsation is tht
the reading will deal with feelings, emotions
and is usually narrative.
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