The Importance Of Schema In Reading Comprehension

Abstract

Reading is an important skill in language learning. However, reading is seen as a laborious, tedious, and decoding process for learners of English as a second or foreign language. This qualitative study was carried out with teachers in Colombia from different educational institutions with the purpose of highlighting the existing teaching practices of teachers and observe if these practices involve the schema theory and how. For that, a survey, interviews, and document analysis were used to carry out this study. The results showed that the usage of the schema theory in the activation of prior knowledge is barely implemented by the majority of English language teachers. It has been proved that the adequate use of schema is a key element in reading comprehension. Teachers should try to prepare students with a schema - based reading instruction with emphasis on the activation of prior knowledge. Efficient use of this type of teaching pedagogy will reduce low linguistic capabilityand encourage EFL learners to become efficient readers.