University of Kwazulu-Natal

How To Read Complex Texts And Actually Understand Them

Bonisiwe Shabane
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how to read complex texts and actually understand them

Match your reading strategy to your goal - Not all texts need to be read in the same way—skimming, understanding, and deep engagement are distinct goals that call for different approaches. Pre-research and structure review make complex texts easier - Getting an overview of the topic and scanning the introduction and table of contents can drastically reduce confusion and help you stay oriented. Active engagement is key to comprehension - Annotating, summarizing, and breaking texts into chunks help transform passive reading into a critical, meaningful process that deepens understanding. “How to Read Philosophy” by Jeffrey Kaplan Mortimer J. Adler – How to Read a Book – A timeless guide to reading different types of texts with purpose, especially helpful for tackling challenging material.

By cultivating metacognitive reading habits, you can help students remain focused as they persist through challenging material. We’ve all had the experience. We’re reading along and suddenly realize that although our eyes are scanning the words on the page, nothing is actually registering. Minutes pass before we take our bearings and see that we’ve lost the plot entirely—pun intended. In classrooms, students tend to experience this drift in attention while reading texts that are challenging or highly technical—the sorts of jargon-rich passages middle schoolers and high schoolers might encounter in science, math, or... In many ways, the mind-wandering itself is unavoidable: Not everything we put in front of students will captivate them.

In a 2024 study of “mindless reading,” researchers from the University of Würzburg tracked the reading speed and attention of undergrads poring over a complex science text. At multiple points during the exercise, prompts appeared asking students “Was your mind wandering when you read the last sentence?” Students confirmed multiple instances of loss of attention. Researchers found that changes in reading speed, lingering on the same passage for long periods, and skipping words were signals that students were struggling to remain focused or to understand the material, and also... When was the last time you had to read something you couldn’t understand? Stumped? That’s probably because you’re an excellent reader.

I’m an excellent reader, too, so I asked my sister if I could review an article she was writing in support of her doctoral dissertation. “Maybe I can give you some constructive feedback?” I said, confident that my ELA teaching experience would pay off. Text complexity isn’t something I often worry about. Two paragraphs in, and I was lost. So I buckled down and reread a few key sentences: “Over the past 50 years, a picture has been developing of the brain’s unique waste removal system. […] Here, we review the relevant literature with a focus on transport processes, especially the potential role of diffusion and advective flows.

[…] Communication relies on molecular transport, where transport rates determine the range-of-action for neurotransmitters and transport effects cell-to-cell communication (Ray and Heys, 2019).” Nope. Still clueless. Time to admit my own hubris. I just don’t have the background knowledge or the discipline-specific vocabulary in chemical engineering I need to understand an article titled, “Fluid flow and mass transport in brain tissue.” Humbled as I was after attempting to read my sister’s article, it dawned on me that I have asked students to do a similar kind of reading, and I have expected better results.

The problem isn’t that students shouldn’t be reading complex, grade-level texts. In fact, they should be reading more of them, since we know students’ ability to comprehend complex texts is a key determiner of their college and career readiness. But learning from complex texts requires what literacy expert Tim Shanahan calls “accommodative and supportive instruction.” In essence, if we want students to grapple with complex texts, we need to plan for their success. Mastering complex texts can be daunting for any reader, regardless of their experience with challenging material. It is crucial to employ specific reading strategies that facilitate understanding to comprehend better and retain the essential details found within these complex works. Academic texts, dense novels, and technical articles often demand a more active and engaged approach to reading.

By developing and utilizing various established techniques, readers can transform how they interact with such content, ultimately enhancing their ability to extract meaning and insight from even the most challenging reading materials. Mastering challenging reading material requires a strategic approach to comprehending complex ideas and unfamiliar vocabulary. This section covers two essential sub-topics: Context and Background and the Author’s Purpose Before delving into a complex text, gathering context and background information related to the content is crucial. This involves researching the historical, cultural, and social knowledge that underpins the material. Understanding the context helps readers form a deeper connection with the subject matter and aids in comprehending challenging concepts.Readers can access context and background information through various resources, including academic articles, reference books, and...

Gathering information from credible sources is essential to ensure accuracy and relevance (Edutopia). An essential step in tackling difficult texts is understanding the author’s purpose behind writing the material. Identifying the author’s intent – whether to inform, persuade, entertain, or provoke thought – can provide valuable insight into the text’s meaning and Structure. Furthermore, recognizing the author’s perspective or stance on specific issues enables a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. How do you get kids to read—and actually understand—hard texts? Teachers know it’s important for students to read historical primary sources, scientific research studies, or literary texts with unfamiliar language, like Shakespeare or the Odyssey.

Research also shows that adolescents need high-challenge, high-support environments. But it’s not so easy: many lessons fizzle because teaching tough texts is...tough—and many secondary teachers feel unprepared to support students through texts’ challenges. We have been there—and have felt that way too. But we also know it’s possible. We began by asking why teachers find it so difficult to teach tough texts. And we realized that most teachers don’t understand why texts are hard.

Understanding what makes a text difficult is the key to scaffolding learning. So we wrote Tackling Tough Texts: A Research-Based Guide to Scaffolding Learning in Grades 6-12 to explain exactly what makes ELA, science, and history texts difficult—and and to explain how teachers can scaffold instruction... How should teachers design content learning with tough texts? In the book’s first half, we unpack comprehension and explain what makes texts difficult: dense ideas, high knowledge, complex text structure, unfamiliar vocabulary, and word reading challenges. We have helped 10,000s of undergraduate, Masters and PhD students to maximise their grades in essays, dissertations, model-exam answers, applications and other materials. If you would like a free chat about your project with one of our UK staff, then please just reach out on one of the methods below.

Reading complex academic texts can feel overwhelming, but developing strong reading comprehension skills can make the process easier. Whether you're tackling dense textbooks, journal articles, or case studies, knowing how to break down information effectively will enhance your learning comprehension and academic performance. This guide will explore the key elements of reading comprehension meaning, offer strategies to improve your reading skills, and provide practical reading comprehension exercises to reinforce your understanding. Reading is more than just absorbing words on a page, especially during university. It’s about understanding, analysing, and applying information. Strong reading comprehension helps you:

If you struggle with reading comprehension, you’re not alone. Many students face similar challenges, but with the right techniques, you can refine your skills and become a more confident reader. “Perhaps one of the mistakes in the past efforts to improve reading achievement has been the removal of struggle. As a profession, we may have made reading tasks too easy. We do not suggest that we should plan students’ failure but rather that students should be provided with opportunities to “Perhaps one of the mistakes in the past efforts to improve reading achievement has been the removal of struggle.

As a profession, we may have made reading tasks too easy. We do not suggest that we should plan students’ failure but rather that students should be provided with opportunities to struggle and to learn about themselves as readers when they struggle, persevere, and eventually... ‘Text Complexity: Raising Rigour in Reading’, by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey & Diane Lapp Perhaps if you read the opening sentence of James Joyce’s ‘Finnegan’s Wake’ you’d experience some difficult reading: “riverrun, past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodious vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.”

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