Reading for Study

Reading is a fundamental aspect of academic work. It is likely to be the major way to gather
information about the discipline you are studying and it is a very valuable skill to enhance
and develop at university or college. One of the routes to develop the ability to think about
and describe the world in terms of a particular approach is through reading. Reading will
provide an understanding of the academic discipline being studied. Ultimately it will be one
of the keys that unlock the door to a career as a business manager, psychologist, engineer,
chemist, teacher, scientist and so on. As well as guiding you through your course, it will be
an invaluable learning tool in the world of employment. Reading opens up the possibility of
gaining access to and an understanding of the thinking of all the people who have
developed models and theories or written about a particular discipline.

One of the principal objectives of reading for study is to gather ideas and information and
to assimilate them into your own view of the world, and then to be able to express that
view through the assessment program or in seminars. Only by doing this can you
understand a subject. 12 During your time at university or college you will need to
approach your reading very intelligently and diligently by putting considerable effort into
it.

As a student it is important to recognize that reading may be the most demanding work you
do at university or college and that a huge volume of reading will be required to pass a
course. Almost certainly reading strategies need to be developed in order to get through
the amount of reading to be done. For some people it may be a matter of changing
perceptions about reading. For example, on entering a library some students will think ‘Oh
no, look at all these books to read!, while others will think ‘Oh wow, look at all these books
to read – where shall I start? Let me get going!‘.

Over the years authors have identified, described and analyzed the issues relevant to a
particular area of study, such as business, philosophy, botany, education and psychology.
Within each discipline theorists examine a subject from a number of viewpoints,
identifying key themes and issues and embodying certain assumptions. One of the
particular advantages of reading is that in many instances it is possible, through books, to
read the original works of an author. The written word is still the main way of accessing
academic debate in all fields of study. Through reading, it is possible to discover the
fundamentals and essential aspects of a subject, its basic assumptions, the facts upon which
it is built and how these are examined and approached.

Purposes for reading

A student will read for many different reasons, and it is important to remember that the
way reading is approached should change depending on the purpose. Glancing through a
newspaper to pick out the main news items is quicker than and different from reading for
study, and both involve a variety of skills. A newspaper often gives only a cursory coverage
of a topic, ignoring the details. A textbook may require detailed study to extract the
essential knowledge it contains. When reading, for example, it is possible to:

a) read an instruction book with the intention of immediately applying the information in
order to play a new stereo, use a cooker, repair a car;

b) read an enjoyable, exciting novel for escapism, as quickly as possible, with no need to
worry about remembering any of the story afterwards; 13

c) skim through the pages of a magazine for the latest developments; or

d) scan the pages of a newspaper to absorb the main headlines that day, disregarding the
advertisements altogether.

There are, of course, different ways of tackling reading, which will vary according to both
the reading material and the particular task and focus. Reading is, after all, one of the basic
tools of work for students. It is crucial that reading skills are developed so that you are able
to get the most out of reading and importantly to make the best use of it. There are many
techniques that can be used to gain a detailed understanding from a textbook or article, to
identify the main themes or issues, or to get a general overview.

The reading skills that you have already developed can be put to good use in academic
study. New students may neglect to use abilities which are at their disposal in the
repertoire of skills developed in their everyday lives, but that are often taken for granted
and overlooked. Reading is a skill which is often taken for granted. It is easy to believe that
it no longer requires any thought or effort. However, the fact is that reading is concerned
with understanding the meaning that the author is trying to communicate; not just a matter
of recognizing words on a page. When studying, it is important to think about why you are
reading and to realize your need for a variety of approaches. It can be only too easy to read
without thinking about it, because a reading list has been provided by the instructor or you
think that reading is a necessary requirement of your course.

Most people tend to feel that the way to read a book, an article or information on a personal
computer is to start at the beginning and read through to the end. At first this tends to be
the approach that many students adopt with books, opening the textbook and starting to
read from chapter one until he or she loses interest, finds it too difficult, falls asleep, or in
some cases finishes the book with relief. This method is unlikely to be the approach which
brings the most benefit when studying at university. (Slightly adapted from Payne and
Whittaker, 2000)

2. Answer the following questions using the information in the text above. Write your
answers in your notebook, then check them with another student. 14
a. Why may reading be the most demanding work at university or college?

 because a huge volume of reading is required to pass a course and gather

b. In what way is the written word common to every field of study?

 as it is the main way to access academic debate and original works of authors.

c. What are some of the ways in which we read?

 We read for various reasons like applying instructions, enjoying a novel, skimming a
magazine, or scanning a newspaper for headlines.

d. How do our ways of reading vary?

 Our ways of reading vary based on the purpose and approach to reading material.

e. How do students who say ‘Oh no…‘ differ from those who say ‘Oh wow…‘ regarding their
perceptions of reading?

 Students who say 'Oh no' perceive reading as burdensome, while those who say 'Oh
wow' see it as an exciting opportunity.

f. What do the writers mean by ―Reading is a skill which is often taken for granted”?

 The writers mean that the skill of reading is often underestimated or not fully
appreciated.

3. Say whether the following statements are ‘True‘ or ‘False‘. Support your answers with
evidence from the text.

a. Students had developed reading skills when they come to university.

 False (Support: New students may neglect to use developed reading skills from
everyday life.)

b. Our reading purpose changes according to our approach to reading.

 True (Support: Reading purpose changes depending on the intent of reading.)

c. Reading is the only way of gathering information about one‘s field of study.

 False (Support: Reading is a fundamental aspect but not the only way to gather
information in a field of study.)

d. Reading an instruction book in order to apply the information immediately and reading
an enjoyable novel for escapism both employ the same reading skill.
  False (Support: Reading an instruction book differs from reading a novel for
escapism in terms of the reading approach required.)

e. The writers believe that reading requires thought and effort.

 True (Support: Reading is described as requiring understanding and effort beyond

f. At university, it is very useful for students to start at the beginning and read through to
the end of a book.

 False (Support: Starting at the beginning and reading through may not bring the
most benefit in university studies.)

4. What do the words in bold type refer to in the text?

1. …it will be an invaluable learning tool… (paragraph 1)

 'it will be an invaluable learning tool' refers to reading

2. Only by doing this… (paragraph 2)

 'Only by doing this' refers to gathering ideas and information through reading

3. …and how these are examined… (paragraph 4)

 'and how these are examined' refers to the facts and basic assumptions of a subject

4. …and both involve a variety of skills (paragraph 5)

 'and both involve a variety of skills' refers to reading a newspaper and reading
for study

5. …in their everyday lives… (paragraph 7)

 'in their everyday lives' refers to the skills developed by students

5. Guess the meanings of the following words and phrases as used in the reading text. First,
work individually, and in groups of three, tell each other what helped you to arrive at those
meanings.

a. keys (paragraph 1)

 keys: important factors or elements

b. access (paragraph 1)

 access: the ability to obtain or use something

 perceptions: how something is understood or interpreted

d. interpreted (paragraph 4)

 interpreted: understood or explained meaning of something

e. glancing through (paragraph 5)

 glancing through: quickly looking over without detailed reading

f. extract (paragraph 5)

 extract: to take out or obtain specific information

g. vary (paragraph 6)

 vary: to change or be different

h. themes (paragraph 6)

 themes: central topics or ideas

i. at their disposal (paragraph 7)

 at their disposal: available for use or accessible to someone

j. recognizing (paragraph 8)

 recognizing: identifying or acknowledging something

6. Take appropriate notes from the reading text and complete the following guided
summary. Reading seems to be the main approach to gathering information for
academic work. It is a very useful skill to enhance and develop at university or college.
It is through reading that academic disciplines are understood. One major objective of
reading at university or college is to gather ideas and information and assimilate them
into one's own view of the world. This means that students need to approach their
reading intelligently and diligently in order to be successful in their university studies. It
is also important to note that the approach to reading varies according to the purpose, and
there are different ways of tackling reading based on the material and task at hand. to
make the best use of their reading, students need to develop reading skills and
techniques in addition to using the abilities that they already possess when they come to
university.
Activity 1.2.3: Post-reading

Work individually. Think of your own reading experience and write a paragraph of 150 –
200 words. Use the following questions to guide you.

1. What books or texts did you read when you were in high school?

 In high school, I read a variety of textbooks, novels, plays, and poetry for different
subjects like English, History, and Science.

2. How did you read them? Did you read them all in similar ways? Did you use different
ways of reading? If different, what were the ways?

 I read them using different methods; for textbooks, I used detailed study techniques,
for novels, I read for enjoyment and summary, and for plays, I focused on character
analysis and themes.

3. Do you think your reading in the past was effective? Why or why not?

 Reflecting on the past, I believe my reading was effective as it helped me understand

4. Do you think you will need to change the way you read for your university study?
Explain.

 I am aware that I will need to adapt my reading approach for university by