Schema Theory and Reading Comprehension at Ibri College of Applied Sciences-Oman

Abstract

Schema, or as it is called sometimes, prior knowledge, plays a very essential role in facilitating comprehension. It is a kind of accumulated storage of past experiences- conscious or subconscious- that has a direct effect on the material at hand. The one who understands well and/or fast, is the one with an adequate schema. Failure of comprehension is a sign of lack of prior knowledge. In order to get a good idea about this issue, the researchers have distributed a questionnaire among a group of students in the Foundation Year (FY) at Ibri College of Applied Sciences. What we have found is that schema has a very great effect on the reading comprehension—without which, little or no comprehension occurs. Discussion, implications, and suggestions will be explained in detail in the paper.