Schema: An Integral Element of Reading Comprehension

Abstract

Traditionally, reading was viewed as a passive language skill in which the reader absorbed what the writer had written. However, it has gradually been realized that reading in fact requires an active participation from the reader and that reading comprehension is an interactive process between the reader's background knowledge, or schema, and the text. This paper explains what a schema is and how it contributes to our understanding of reading comprehension. Furthermore, it also discusses some prdatogical implications of schema theory for educational practice.