Comprehension is probably better regarded as a process-rather than a particular outcome or product-though which a reader interactive with a text to construct meaning.
This view of comprehension emphasizes the deliberate, strategic, problem-solving processes of the reader as he or she engages with a text.
Hence, the meaning a reader derives from a text is influenced by his or her own knowleadge (including knowledge of language and print), experience, and perceived purpose for reading. This meaning making process is what Durkin (1993) term "the essence of reading.