Sociocultural Perspective

"The reader, writer, and the text are involved in the dynamic interplay that is the act of reading"
(Winch et al., 2010 p. 31).
Picture
Snow (2002)
While reading, students draw knowledge about the meaning of the text from different sources or
'cue systems' (Winch et al., 2010 p. 31). Freebody and Luke (1990) used 'sociocultural theory' to
explain that meaning is not merely a cognitive act but is instead socially and culturally
constructed. Comprehension involves three elements influenced by the sociocultural context: the
reader, the text and the activity of reading itself. We cannot divorce these elements from their
sociocultural context; thus, social and cultural contexts must be built into any model of reading.

The Reader: Comprehension involves a reader using all of their developed cognitive capacities
(e.g., attention, memory), abilities (self-efficacy as a reader, fluency), knowledge (e.g., vocabulary,
topic knowledge) and experiences. These advance as the student develops as a reader, is exposed
to texts of an increased difficulty, and receives classroom comprehension instruction.

The Text: For optimal comprehension to occur, texts must be suitable for the individual reader.
The suitability of a chosen text will be moulded by the sociocultural influence on vocabulary,
content, genre, and linguistic style.

The Activity: When reading we have a purpose in mind that may stem from an external mandated
force (e.g., a classroom lesson) or an internal drive (e.g., wanting to operate a new phone).
However, this purpose is not static and if the student's internally generated purpose conflicts with
the mandated one, comprehension may be compromised.

The Context: Children's reading experiences within the classroom are influenced by the classroom
itself, their lives outside of school, and external factors such as socioeconomic status and the
broader community.

How do we put this theory into practice?

Children learn through their interactions with more knowledgeable peers and adults. According to
Vygotsky (1978), children need to have their learning 'scaffolded' by more knowledgeable others
in order to learn topics just beyond their current capabilities (Zone of Proximal Development).
Once the students are comfortable with applying new knowledge or strategies, support can be
withdrawn.

Collaborative teaching strategies such as 'Reciprocal Teaching' and the gradual release method are
one way that teachers can apply sociocultural theory to their comprehension instruction.
Affecting reading
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What are some factors affecting reading?
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SHEDRICK333 eNotes educator| CERTIFIED EDUCATOR
The amount of material that is actually read by a person has a positive or negative affect on
reading ability. Many students do not read unless it is for an assignment in school. Any type of
reading, such as fiction, nonfiction, news, magazine articles, recipes, instructions, reviews, and so
on, would help a person become a better reader. Certainly, reading something the person finds
interesting would be best. But, reading something because it is helpful is good too.

The reason for the positive affect is that increasing exposure to reading a wide range and amount
of material increases a person's resource of neuron connections in the brain. The greater number
of connections made while reading make it easier to understand and retain new material. This is
why older adults often make excellent college students. They have so many neuron connections to
relate to new information. It takes much less effort to understand and remember new material. Of
course, stress can interfere with retaining information. And, many adults who are attending
college are also under a great deal of stress. So, it might even out.

It actually seems to distress some students when they are required to read directions or material for
an assignment. This could lead to a lower level of comprehension too. I find having students read
directions and material aloud to me helps their comprehension.

Hopefully, the newer tech devices will renew an interest in reading.

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Factors of Reading Development
There are so many factors that play into a student's reading development. The different
backgrounds of the lives of each student have a large influence on any reading experience. As an
English teacher, you must be able to take into consideration the differences between your students
when planning instruction.

It's not an easy task to incorporate all the varieties of cultures into the classroom, especially if
English is not the first language of every student. Different cultures have different values and
characteristics, which inherently affect reading development. For example, a facet of American
culture is valuing a rags-to-riches type of story. Other cultures might not understand this ideal and
may value family time over money and professional success. These differences greatly affect a
student's reaction to different types of reading materials.

Understanding the nuances of a language and a culture can take years. However, there are some
methods that can be employed in a reading classroom to help reading development, especially if
English is a second language.

Learning a Second Language

There are various theories of how a language is learned. Some of these theories can help
understand how reading skills will be affected by different cultures. For example, the monitor
hypothesis states that there must be a self-monitoring mechanism that allows a language learner to
recognize when something about the language is simply not right. Adjustments are then made to
correct the mistake. However, in order for this mechanism to work, the student must have an
understanding of linguistic rules. As the English teacher, you must address basic linguistic topics
with your students from different cultures. In other words, incorporate linguistic rules into your
teaching. Don't make assumptions about basic understanding.

Another theory is the input hypothesis, which states that students acquire language through
learning material just a bit beyond their reach. As a teacher, you might recognize this idea as
scaffolding, which is the support given by a teacher to a student on an individual basis to help with
difficult material. Eventually, the teacher removes the scaffolding when the student is ready. With
regards to reading development for students with different cultures, teachers can use scaffolding to
address the differences in values.

This can also be especially important when dealing with the silent period, which occurs when the
language learner is silent, saying nothing, but taking in information. Language learners need this
time to digest the new language before actually speaking. For students who speak English, but
have different cultures and values, scaffolding can be a great tool to bridge the gap between
perspectives.