ABSTRACT
Texts are an important tool for learning. Many students are poor readers or have difficulty understanding textbooks (Snow, 2003). “To optimize learning, should one make the comprehension process as easy as possible, or should one, as many educators insist, ensure that the learner participates actively and intentionally in the process of constructing the meaning of the text?” (Kintsch, 1998). Specifically, should the readers' task be facilitated by improving the comprehensibility of a text or should the readers' active involvement be increased by placing obstacles in their way? In the second case, what sort of obstacles will have beneficial effects on learning and under what conditions? The approach to this question has been the study of characteristics of the text, the characteristics of the individual reader and how these factors affect text comprehension.
