The importance of different linguistic and cognitive abilities of reading comprehension (word reading, phonological awareness, morphological awareness, Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN), working memory and vocabulary) to under-schooled youngsters and adults was examined. Schooling is one of the best predictors for reading comprehension as well as for items related to macrostructure, argumentation and inference; but it is not to questions related to specific details. Best predictors for reading comprehension and items of macrostructure also included word reading and vocabulary. Vocabulary was also a good predictor to items related to argumentation, and along with working memory and RAN to inferential questions. Finally, best predictors to items related to specific details include working memory and RAN.
Reading comprehension; reading; language
