Reading as flow: A linguistic alternative to fluency

Abstract

The relationship between reading and time in the oral reading of an authentic, connected text is conceptualized using a hydrological "flow" metaphor in this theoretical dissertation. The concept of reading fluency in oral and silent reading is critically examined. The concepts of "reading fluency" and "reading rate" have historically been part of a word identification view of reading. In this view, the act of reading is defined as the ability to identify words. Accordingly, reading fluency is characterized as rapid and accurate word identification. In an alternative sociopsycholinguistic transactional view (the view taken in this dissertation) reading is described as a meaning construction process in which a reader constructs a personal meaning by transacting with a written text. The concept of reading fluency is supplanted with a hydrological reading-as-flow metaphor. In this dissertation, a deconstruction of "reading fluency" is initially provided. Next, a definition of "reading flow" is offered along with a procedure for its documentation. The procedure makes extensive use of miscue analysis. This is followed by a fine-grained analysis of reading and time relationships for several readers reading orally. Major findings include that oral reading rate varies throughout a text in response to readers' employment of cognitive reading strategies; reading rate varies for both effective and proficient readers; the variability of reading rate can be represented as a quantity. Implications for a theory of the reading process, a theory of reading instruction, and teacher education are included.