The utilization of schemata in esl reading

Abstract

Reading is a crucial skill in the literate world. This fact has driven many to engage in reading research tirelessly. One of the breakthroughs in this research was the realization of the fact that schemata play a significant role in the reading process. Tied with the notion of schemata, is the fact that reading is an interactive process. The aim of this dissertation is to show that schemata play a very important role in the interpretation of texts. I look at the interaction that takes place between top-down and bottom-up processing; between writers and their texts, and between readers and their texts. Although schemata can facilitate reading comprehension, they can also cause some problems in reading. I discuss these problems because it is easier to deal with problems whose causes are known. I also make tentative suggestions on how schemata can be utilized in some lessons.