Brief Suggestions for Increasing Speed and Effectiveness of Reading

Things to Consider

Considerations and Limitations

Slow, word-by-word, critical reading is an essential part of some reading tasks. However, when time and purpose is being considered, the reader must learn to adjust his reading speed and effectiveness. Thus, speed reading is not applicable to all types of reading situations. Learning the skill will, however, enable the reader to add an additional dimension to the scope of his/her current reading skills.

Causes of Slow Reading Speeds

1. Individual variables such as intelligence, motivation, and physiological and psychological traits cause slow reading speed of an individual.

o Deficiencies in vocabulary and comprehension levels required by the particular reading material greatly affects reading rate. Learning will not help a student who has difficulty understanding what he/she reads to misunderstand faster. In addition to, learning will not help a student who is hindered by an inadequate vocabulary to skip any faster through unknown or vaguely defined words.

o Unnecessarily slow speeds happen when the causes listed in A and B above are at adequate levels:

1. Inflexibility – the tendency to read everything the same way regardless of what it is, why it is being read, etc.

2. Passivity – the failure to become involved with the material being read; the failure to interact with the author and to anticipate his following thoughts.

3. Unnecessary and habitual regression or re-reading due to lack of concentration.

4. Habitually slow "reaction time" to reading material – a general "rut" which makes attempts at faster reading extremely uncomfortable at first.