The Influence of Top-Down Reading on Reading Difficulties and Reading Strategies

Abstract

While reading and understanding texts, a reader experiences a complex cognitive process, which depends on prior knowledge and contextual clues to derive meaning. Though these top-down processing strategies are essential for fluent reading, many struggling readers may face challenges when applying these methods. This study explores the influence of top- down reading on reading difficulties and reading strategies. To achieve this, quantitative research design was employed with a convenience sample of 262 student participants from local matriculation institutions and universities. This study also utilizes a three-section survey based on a 5-point Likert scale. The findings revealed that the majority prefer printed materials over online texts, and participants consistently deploy active metacognitive strategies when reading online. Participants faced more word-level struggles than overall comprehension issues, with reading anxiety driven by internal frustration and social comparison rather than demographic factors or format preferences. However, readers using top-down strategies relied heavily on problem-solving and cognitive support, which also correlated with higher overall reading difficulty. Based on these findings, instructors should model top-down strategies by encouraging more problem solving activities and scaffolding techniques to aid better comprehension.