For adults who want to improve their reading skills for study or work, what is the most important factor?

Introduction / Context:
Interview questions about improving reading skills are common in education, training and communication related roles. They test your understanding of how adults learn and process information. Reading is not just about moving your eyes across text; it is about comprehension and critical thinking. This question focuses on the single most important factor in improving reading ability for study or work contexts.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The learner is an adult who can already read basic text.
• The goal is to improve comprehension, retention and practical use of information.
• Reading materials may include reports, textbooks, articles or instructions.
• Time is limited, so effort needs to be effective, not random.

Concept / Approach:
Research and educational practice show that active, deliberate practice is the key to improving reading skills. Passive reading, where you simply move through text without engagement, does little to build comprehension. Active reading involves strategies such as asking questions before and during reading, highlighting key points, summarising in your own words and connecting new information to what you already know. Repeating this process regularly strengthens vocabulary, understanding and memory. Speed has value only when comprehension is maintained, and superficial reading of short posts does not usually develop deeper skills.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Set clear purposes for reading, such as understanding an argument, learning a process or preparing for a discussion. Step 2: Choose materials that are slightly challenging but relevant to your goals, like articles in your field or sections of a textbook. Step 3: Use active strategies while reading, such as noting questions in the margin, highlighting key terms and pausing to summarise paragraphs. Step 4: After reading, review your notes and summaries, discuss the content with others or apply it in a small task to reinforce learning. Step 5: Repeat this process regularly, increasing complexity over time, to build stronger comprehension and confidence.

Verification / Alternative check:
Consider two learners. One speeds through many pages each day, rarely stopping to think, and mainly reads short entertainment posts. The other reads fewer pages but does so with focus, takes notes and summarises key ideas. After a month, the second learner typically remembers and can use the information much better, even if they read less volume. This is because active engagement creates deeper processing in memory. The comparison shows that regular, focused practice with active strategies is more important than speed or superficial reading habits, which confirms the correct option.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B emphasises speed without comprehension, which can lead to shallow understanding. Option C focuses on easy, short texts that rarely stretch vocabulary or reasoning. Option D removes practice entirely and prevents skill growth. Option E describes a cosmetic change that does not address how the reader interacts with the text. None of these approaches target the core mechanism of skill development, which is active, repeated engagement with meaningful material.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes expect quick improvement from tricks such as using different fonts or scanning pages without processing. Others avoid challenging texts because they feel uncomfortable, which slows progress. Some also multitask heavily while reading, dividing attention and reducing comprehension. In any exam or interview answer, highlight that improvement comes from consistent effort and smart strategies, not shortcuts. This shows that you understand how adult learning and literacy development really work.

Final Answer:
Regular, focused practice with active reading strategies such as questioning, summarising and reflecting on what is read.