The Use of Schema Theory, Information-Processing Theory, and Sociocultural Theory in Teaching Culturally Unfamiliar Texts in Second/Foreign Language Classrooms

Abstract

This theoretical review is an overview of three important theories: schema theory, information-processing theory, and sociocultural theory. Second/foreign language teachers need to familiarize themselves with these theories if they want to teach culturally unfamiliar texts more successfully in their language classrooms. Although each of these theories can be applied to different stages of reading instruction (pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading), schema theory is more applicable to the pre-reading stage; sociocultural theory to the post-reading activities; and information-processing theory to the while-reading stage if teachers choose to use text-relevant video segments. A new framework for reading instruction, as well as some implications and suggestions for language teachers and researchers, are discussed in detail.