THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction
One of the most valuable skills a person can acquire is the ability to read well. It is difficult to discover any ability in the school, in the home, in business, or in any other field of endeavor today that does not require reading. People read to get information, to buy things wisely, for recreation, and for a great many other reasons. More reading is being done today than it ever was in the past.
According to Smith (1988) reading is an important factor that greatly affects an individuals’ adjustment in life. It is a key to success in school, to the development of out-of school interests, to the enjoyment of leisure time and to the personal and social adjustment. It helps one to adjust to his/her age mates, to become independent from parents and teachers to select and prepare for an occupation and to achieve social responsibilities.
Villamin (1999) considers reading as an essential key that unlocks the door to the world of enlightenment and enjoyment and the basic tool for learning in the content field. The absence of reading skill will greatly affect an individual’s adjustment in life.
William Gray, known as the father of reading defines reading as a four- step process: perception of the word, comprehension of its meaning, reaction to the meaning in terms of prior knowledge and integration of idea into one’s background of experience. In every chosen field, the proficiency in reading is extremely important because it plays a vital role in achieving success. The ability to read well, leads many students to be competent and be more confident in meeting all the challenges in the field of studies.
As defined in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning. It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas. Like all language, it is a complex interaction between the