Inferential Reading Skills in High School: A Study on Comprehension Profiles

Abstract

Reading comprehension of connected texts is a key skill in high school education, yet students exhibit varying proficiency levels, particularly in inferential reasoning. This study investigates reading behavior by means of finger-tracking technique and question answering among Italian 10th, 11th, and 12th year high school students, analyzing their performance on different types of questions: synonymy and reference vs. inference-based questions. Despite similar reading times and lexical effects across grades, students’ accuracy in answering inferential questions reveals significant variability. Subsequently, we identify three comprehension profiles—poor, medium, and good comprehenders—with the first two groups showing markedly lower performance on inference-based questions. These findings suggest that schooling alone may not be sufficient for all students to develop strong inferential skills, and some may benefit from targeted instructional support.

Keywords

• reading strategies
• comprehension profiles
• inferential processing
• finger-tracking
• cognitive reading processes