Reading comprehension of informative texts in secondary school: A focus on direct and indirect effects of reader's prior knowledge

Abstract

Text comprehension plays a fundamental role in the processes of acquisition, sharing, and construction of knowledge. Most definitions share the focus on the interaction between text and reader's prior knowledge. In this paper both direct and indirect effects of prior knowledge on reading comprehension have been analyzed, along with other components. Participants were 149 7-graders. Data showed that comprehension of different texts is predicted by different sets of components. Prior knowledge plays a central role, influencing comprehension both, directly and indirectly through the mediation of inferences.