Arab Educational Information Network

This paper focuses on the revision of the literature related to the reading skills as a background and reading for comprehension as the final desirable product of practicing reading. This includes an overview of reading theories, reading skills, and reading strategies and the difference between them. Reading theories such as top-up, bottom down and interactive model are discussed in detail. Reading skills such as scanning, skimming, intensive and extensive reading are defined and explained. Reading strategies which can be noticed by external observer since they involve physical behaviour such as marking the text, pausing or rereading and non-observed behaviours like structuring sentences, clauses or using background knowledge in prediction are presented. And finally, the difference between strategies and skills with the focus on the distinction between the two terms by describing strategies as a deliberate action practiced by readers to solve difficult problem or achieve certain purposes from reading, and skills as unconscious behavior is highlighted. The study offers important pedagogical recommendations for teachers and curriculum designers. Explicit teaching of reading strategies and when to use reading skills may contribute to the development of reading for comprehension and other English language skills. (Published abstract)