Early in the twenty-fist century, comprehension research was summarized by two"blue ribbon "groups:the National Reading Panel and the RAND reading Study Group. The National Reading Panel (NRP) described reading comprehension thus:
Comprehension is a complex process...often viewed as 'the essence of reading. Reading comprehension is... intentional thinking during which meaning is constructed through interactions between text and reader ... The content of meaning is influenced by the text and by reader's prior knowledge and experience that are brought to bear on it.