COMPREHENSION AND LEVELS

OF COMPREHENSION
 What is Comprehension?
Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Comprehension is the “capacity of the mind to
perceive and understand.” Reading comprehension
is the competence to perceive and understand the
meanings communicated by texts.

Webster’s Dictionary Comprehension is the “capacity for understanding

fully; the act or action of grasping with the
intellect.” Webster also tells us that reading is “to
receive or take in the sense of ( as letters or
symbols) by scanning; to understand the meaning
of written or printed matter; to learn from what
one has seen or found in writing or printing.”

Laura S. Pardo (2004) A common definition for teachers might be that

comprehension is a process in which readers
construct meaning by interacting with text through
the combination of prior knowledge and previous
experiences, information in the text, and the
stance the reader takes in relationship to the text.
 Indicators of Learners’ Reading
Comprehension
Construction of Activation of Monitoring of Identification of
meaning from text background knowledge learners own what they do not
before, during, and understanding of text understand
after reading text
Ability to use Creation of visual and Identification and Generating
appropriate other sensory imagery interpretation of questions to
strategies to from text during and vocabulary critical to integrate
synthesize what they after reading the meaning of the information from
read text the text
Retelling text orally Summarizing text orally Using graphic aids Examining and
an/or in written form and/or in written form and illustrations extending the
meaning of the
text
Responding to text in Making inferences Ability to compare Analyzing of the
oral discussion and from text complex concept of text structure and
written form text story elements
 Comprehension Levels
R.M. Ruddell (2001) categories comprehension into three levels:

Level Description Questions Asked

LEVEL ONE: • This level is knowing what is actually Common questions used to
LITERAL stated which includes facts and elicit this type of thinking
details, rote learning, and are who, what, when, and
memorization. where questions. These are
• This level involves surface the easiest to answer
understanding only. because the answer is
• At the literal level of comprehension, expressed directly.
readers are at the most basic levels.
Readers are building their knowledge
but they do not necessarily have
command of it.
• When they first approach brand new
information, readers are at the Iiteral
level of comprehension.
 Level Description
LEVEL TWO: • The reader gleans what is implied or
INTERPRETATIVE meant, rather than what is actually
stated.
• This level involves drawing
inferences or reading between the
lines.
Readers tap into prior
knowledge/experience and attach
new learning to old information.
• Readers make logical leaps and
educated guesses.
• Reader read between the lines to
determine what is meant by what is
stated.
• At this level, readers are attempting
to understand what the author
meant by what s/he said in the
story, paragraph or textbook.
Questions Asked
The types of questions
asked are open-ended,
thought-provoking
questions like why, what if,
and how. The answers to
these questions are not
directly stated. One is asked
to analyze and think about
what he has read and to
use his background
knowledge about the
subject to answer the
question.
 Level Description
LEVEL TWO: • It is presumed that they have
INTERPRETATIVE already memorized certain facts at
the literal level and now they are
attempting to see the implications
of the author’s words.
• At this level, readers are attempting
to understand that which they
memorized at the literal level of
comprehension.
Questions Asked
The types of questions
asked are open-ended,
thought-provoking
questions like why, what if,
and how. The answers to
these questions are not
directly stated. One is asked
to analyze and think about
what he has read and to
use his background
knowledge about the
subject to answer the
question.
 Level Description Questions Asked
LEVEL THREE: • This involves taking what was said Common questions may
APPLIED (literal) and then what was meant by include In what ways… If
what was said (interpretative) and these are… If you were…
then extending (apply) the concepts
or ideas beyond the situation. These questions ask one to
• Readers analyze or synthesize go beyond literal and
information and apply it to other interpretive reading by
information. applying the information
• At this level, the reader attempts to one has just read to
answer this question: How would the
author’s message apply to other another similar and familiar
situations given what you memorized situation.
and understood at the other two
levels?
• Readers attempt to elevate or raise
their thinking one more “notch” or
level to a more critical level. This
presumes that they have already
reached the previous two levels. They
are “reading between the lines” and
examining the message from the
author an attempting to apply that
message to other situations.
 Skills that are Important for
Comprehension

The following shows the different skills important

for comprehending text. Note that the skills
become more complicated, and when the most
difficult have been acquired, comprehension
becomes successful.
1. Understand the words comprehend what the words mean
2. Find facts and details seek one or more pieces of information in the
text
3. Find main ideas from the whole content, prioritize the overriding,
(primary) theme or idea
4. Figure out the sequence tell the order of events
5. Find cause-effect see how one person, action, or event triggers
another; also identify the “who” or “what” that
occurs
6. Make inferences develop ideas or images based on what is read in
the text but not stated
7. Generalized
8. Identify tone/mood
9. Identify “theme”
10. Identify characterization
11. Distinguish fact from fiction
12. Find bias or propaganda
discern the relationship between single events
and the larger situation or other events
sense how the author was feeling and how he
wanted the reader to feel while reading
see the “big picture” moral or abstract idea
comprehend what makes characters act as they
do
sort out what is real and what is part of the
imaginary world created by the author
notice obvious and hidden bias