Both reading and writing is the most critical skill for literacy in speech and language development. There are numerous reading and writing development theories that are used to define the stages through which average developing individuals advance their literacy skills from the early stages to skilled levels. For example, in kindergarten, children are taught the alphabet; from this stage, they develop new words based on the knowledge of the sound of letters, which sharpens their reading and writing skills (Hersch & Andrews, 2012). Reading and writing directly related to the comprehension levels of the learners, which connects to their brains' ability to adapt to the experience. The paper will analyze the reading and writing development theories and their application to instructions.
Reading Theory
Among the reading theoretical models is the bottom-up reading theory. According to the approach, reading is viewed as a skill in which students learn progressively (Hersch & Andrews, 2012). In other words, the theory recognizes reading as an approach which involves the comprehension of various systems to give rise to a complex system. Therefore, the original systems become the sub-sets used in making the new complex system (Hersch & Andrews, 2012). Nevertheless, bottom-up processing is a form of information processing which is based on incoming environmental data used to structure perception. The theory is important for students for numerous reasons; it encourages students to develop their comprehension capabilities allowing them to understand text at a deeper level. The theory allows students to decode the meaning of the text; additionally, it is transferrable, meaning the skills allow the student to understand any other text (Hersch & Andrews, 2012). According to the theory, specific activities are fitting for all educational levels, such as referencing the text. Moreover, other activities are dependent on the reading capability of the student (Hersch & Andrews, 2012). For example, young students or early readers must work on developing their fluency by working on the rate of word recognition and distinguishing between the sounds and spellings.
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Reading Theory Application
Depending on the course taken at the college level, they may present a problematic endeavor for lecturers. Therefore, the application of the bottom-up approach can pose some advantages for the educator (Hersch & Andrews, 2012). However, it is essential to note that a bottom-up approach is a problem-causing approach due to its age. Regardless, its strategy on improving reading fluency relies on low proficiency students using the model to better understand the text before advancing. The first advantage of the approach is that it supports lecturers in helping students with poor reading comprehension (Hersch & Andrews, 2012). The second advantage of the theory is that it helps students better understand the text because they need to perform specific activities carefully (Hersch & Andrews, 2012). In the teaching field, lecturers use the approach to emphasize either vocabulary development or word recognition, which is crucial for academic success.
Writing Theory
Similar to reading, writing is complicated, and with more research on the cognitive process involved with the writing process, the more complex the relationship. Writing theories shift from focusing on mechanics to that of affability and creativity. The cognitive processes theory will be focused on and assessed for better comprehension (Hodges, 2017). The theory emphasizes the notion of attaining insight into the writing process by addressing the writer's cognitive process. The Cognitive Process Theory of Writing attempts to chart the writer's choices made throughout the writing process (Hodges, 2017). It also attempts to identify the constraints and influences of the choices made.
Nevertheless, the theory involves the planning, composing, and revising stages, creating a linear structure. However, due to the cognitive aspect of the theory, the theory does not need to follow the identified stages. Additionally, the main stages cannot be clearly defined, as previously stated. The cognitive process theory is also consisting of both elementary mental processes and hierarchical structure responsible for creativity and development of the planning process, respectively (Hodges, 2017). It is critical to identify the major units as they compare the composing strategies of either proficient or poor writers. Additionally, it offers a different perspective to writing, offering writers a more detailed approach. Overall, the model is primarily a tool for helping the writer see other aspects of the context.
Writing Theory Application
As a student, writing is best appreciated as a set of distinctive thinking processes coordinated by the writers during the action of writing. As previously stated, the theory composes of major units among them is the cognitive process model, which deviates from traditional writing norms (Sapitri, 2017). For less experienced writers, the main problem they experience is the difficulty in mapping one's language to the respective thoughts and emotions of the reader (Sapitri, 2017). It is the identified problem that highlights the complexities of writing. It ranges from tactical considerations to the implementation of motor actions, in other words, the right wordings. For students, it is critical to problematize the writing task and adopt a different approach strategy (Sapitri, 2017). Expert writers habitually develop goals, content details, and abstract goals to simplify the problem. However, it is at the cost of complicating the problem-solving process.
Conclusion
Nonetheless, as identified, both reading and writing models are applicable for use at the current grade level. They both introduce different paradigms to the process of reading and writing, increasing one's proficiency. Though they are one of the many theories available, they demonstrate the varied approaches used in increasing literacy affluence. Each student is having a different approach to literacy fluency, and some theories can conform to their respective needs
References
Hersch, J., & Andrews, S. (2012). Lexical quality and reading skills: bottom-up and top-down contributions to sentence processing. Scientific studies of reading , 16 (3), 240-262. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2011.564244
Hodges, T. (2017). Theoretically speaking: an examination of four theories and how they support writing in the classroom. The clearinghouse: a journal of educational strategies, issues, and ideas , 90 (4), 139-146. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2017.1326228
Sapitri, R. (2017). Cognitive process of the students in writing argumentative text. English education: journal of english teaching and research , 2 (1), 22. https://doi.org/10.29407/jetar.v2i1.726
