. . . is understanding, using, evaluating, reflecting on . . . 32. The word “understanding” is readily connected with the widely accepted concept of “reading
comprehension”, that all reading involves some level of integrating information from the text with
the reader's knowledge structures. Even at the earliest stages, readers draw on symbolic
knowledge to decode a text and require a knowledge of vocabulary to make meaning. However,
this process of integration can also be much broader, such as developing mental models of how
texts relate to the world. The word “using” refers to the notions of application and function – doing
something with what we read. The term “evaluating” was added for PISA 2018 to incorporate the
notion that reading is often goal-directed, and consequently the reader must weigh such factors as
the veracity of the arguments in the text, the point of view of the author and the relevance of a text
to the reader’s goals. “Reflecting on” is added to “understanding”, “using” and “evaluating” to
emphasise the notion that reading is interactive: readers draw on their own thoughts and
experiences when engaging with a text. Every act of reading requires some reflection, reviewing
and relating of information within the text with information from outside the text. As readers develop
their stores of information, experience and beliefs, they constantly test what they read against
outside knowledge, thereby continually reviewing and revising their sense of the text. This
evaluation can include determining the veracity of a text, checking the claims made by the author
as well as inferring the author’s perspective. At the same time, incrementally and perhaps
imperceptibly, readers’ reflections on texts may alter their sense of the world. Reflection might also
require readers to consider the content of the text, apply their previous knowledge or
understanding or think about the structure or form of the text. Each of these skills in the definition,
“understanding”, “using”, “evaluating” and “reflecting on” are necessary, but none are sufficient for
successful reading literacy.