a. There are so many other factors that can differ a skilled reader and unskilled reader as far as comprehension is concerned. These factors could include but are not limited to: their prior knowledge of the subject, their ability to make predictions and infer. Another factor could be the child’s exposure to text as well as their ability to use their context clues in order to figure out the missing word. It really is amazing the number of factors that are involved in becoming a skilled reader. I think so often we think of skilled readers as those that can read well, but this study shows that reading the words is only part of the battle.
b. I think Adams and Ehri’s models only show half the battle of reading. I do think their models show the importance of word recognition and the process we go through in order to recognize words quickly in isolation or in context. I don’t believe either one of these models dig into the comprehension part of reading. I think too often we mistake good readers (can read the words) for skilled readers (having the skills to read the words and understand the text). I think Adam’s and Ehri have good models for showing the difference between readers that struggle with word recognition and those that are more skilled in that area, but I don’t believe either one dug into the actual “comprehension” of the text. They did not use any sort of assessment for testing their subjects’ understanding of the tet.
