Comprehension Definition
Reading comprehension is the ability to construct meaning from text through vocabulary, background knowledge, attention, inference, and evaluation.
Definition
Reading comprehension is the ability to decode written language, understand its explicit and implied meaning, integrate it with prior knowledge, and retain or apply the result.
Examples
If you read a chapter and can summarize the argument, explain why it matters, and answer questions about it, you comprehended it. If you only moved your eyes across the page, you did not.
Next steps
Frequently Asked Questions
What is reading comprehension?
Reading comprehension is understanding written text well enough to summarize, question, remember, and apply it.
What are the four levels of comprehension?
The four practical levels are literal, inferential, evaluative, and applied comprehension.