This study focused on the relationship between reading comprehension and academic achievement of grade 10 learners in the learning area Language and attempted to address the following primary research question: What is the relationship between the reading comprehension of grade 10 learners in their first and second language and their academic achievement in the learning area Language ? The researcher also addressed the following secondary questions: Is them a significant difference between Afrikaans and Sesotho-speaking learners regarding their achievements in reading comprehension (first and second language) and the learning area Language (first and second language)? Is there a significant difference between male and female learners regarding their achievements in reading comprehension (first and second language) and the learning area Language (first and second language) ? A total of seventy-seven (77) grade 10 learners for whom English is a second language were included in this study. The learners' reading comprehension abilities in the first language (Afrikaans and Sesotho) and the second language (English) were tested and correlated with their achievements in the learning area Language (first and second language). The reading comprehension and language achievements of Afrikaans and Sesotho-speaking learners respectively and male and female learners were compared. Resulting from the findings of this study, the following conclusions were made: A significant relationship exists between the reading comprehension of grade 10 learners in their first and second language and their academic achievement in the learning area Language. There is a significant difference between Afrikaans and Sesotho-speaking learners regarding their achievements in reading comprehension (first and second language) and the learning area Language (first and second language). There is a significant difference between male and female learners regarding their achievements in reading comprehension (first and second language) and the learning area Language (first and second language). / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Our research follows up longitudinal study of doc. PhDr. Gabriela Seidlová Málková, Ph.D. on Faculty of humanities, Charles University. In the years 2010-2012 four subsequent research of 127 preschool children age 3,5 - 5,5 years took place. In 2017 we succeeded in searching for 40 children attending at that time 5th class in elementary school. We captured current abilities of that children, especially reading. Our interest was to investigate decoding and reading comprehension. In agreement with previous research results we found out, that reading comprehension relates statistically significantly to decoding skill, listening comprehension, vocabulary, language awareness and nonverbal intelligence (all in elementary school). Based on the tests in nursery school, we divided children to three groups, and we described two outer - more (Comparative group) and less (Deficit group) language equipped. We traced reading profiles of these two groups in elementary school (5th grade). Keywords: language skills, reading literacy, reading comprehension, reading abilities, diagnostics of reading, development of reading skills, decoding