What Is the Relationship Between Reading and Writing?

What does reading between the lines mean for editors and writers?

Editors often encounter manuscripts that appear structurally weak. Arguments aren’t fully developed, and the supporting points don’t seem to make logical connections. The editor may wonder why the writer didn’t see such flaws when they were reading through their manuscript. However, while we often imagine that text structure (TS) and reading comprehension (RC) are strongly linked, the relationship is actually weaker than we might expect. The way that writers process ideas lies in their reading comprehension abilities, which begin developing at a young age but become more complex over time.

THE RESEARCH 

In the study “The Structure of Argumentative Texts Written by Hebrew Speaking Children in Primary Schools: Relationships Between Writing and Reading Comprehension,” Sara Zadunaisky Ehrlich and Anat Stavans examined whether stronger readers could produce more structurally complex argumentative writing. The researchers recruited 293 Hebrew-speaking students from second to fifth grade to participate. Students completed two multiple-choice reading tests and wrote an argumentative essay about school uniforms.

The researchers used the reading questions to target three levels of the students’ comprehension: 

1. Literal comprehension questions analyzed the readers’ skills in processing and identifying words.
2. Inferential comprehension questions required readers to understand relationships that were not transparent within the text, asking them to identify the main ideas and draw conclusions regarding the claim of the text.
3. Evaluative comprehension questions required readers to interpret the text using their background knowledge and experience.

The researchers and a research assistant analyzed the students’ argumentative essays for structural elements, such as claim, introduction, supporting reasoning, counterarguments, and conclusion. 

Results suggested that argumentative structure becomes more complex in fifth grade, though development does not appear to be linear. The researchers observed that differences between second graders and fifth graders were clear, but progress between neighboring grades was not. In addition, students who performed better on the inferential comprehension multiple-choice questions also produced longer and more elaborate essays.

This finding aligns with the “grain size” theory, which suggests that when linguistic units are smaller (e.g., when a student is learning letter sounds and individual words), the connection between a student’s reading comprehension and writing structure is stronger. However, as linguistic units become larger (e.g., when a student is learning to write and comprehend paragraphs), the relationship weakens (Ehrlich and Stavans 2025, 835).

THE IMPLICATIONS

So what do these findings mean beyond elementary classrooms? The study suggests that as readers and writers improve their ability to draw inferences as they read, their ability to produce more developed and coherent arguments may increase. Structural weaknesses in writing may not solely be caused by poor organization; gaps in the author’s inferential reasoning may contribute to structural problems. Editors should avoid assuming that any professional writer should be able to deliver coherent arguments; it’s an editor’s job to step in as a reader who can help fill gaps in the argument.

Additionally, the study concluded that “more research is needed to fully understand the complex relationship between reading comprehension (RC) and text structure (TS) in written text” (Ehrlich and Stavans 2025, 852). Similar research that examines the relationship between reading comprehension and text structure in adult writers could help clarify whether these patterns persist or change beyond childhood. 

To learn more about reading comprehension and writing structure, read the full article:

Zadunaisky Ehrlich, Sara, and Anat Stavans. 2025. “The Structure of Argumentative Texts Written by Hebrew Speaking Children in Primary Schools: Relationships Between Writing and Reading Comprehension.” Written Communication 42 (4): 830–859. https://doi.org/10.1177/07410883251349196

—Samantha Caceres, Editing Research

FEATURE IMAGE BY ARTEM PODREZ

Find more research

Take a look at Young-Suk G. Kim, Yaacov Petscher, Jeanne Wanzek, and Stephanie Al Otaiba’s (2018) article to learn more about how reading and writing do not develop in the same way across time: “Relations between Reading and Writing: A Longitudinal Examination from Grades 3 to 6.” Reading Writ 31 (7): 1591–1618.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-018-9855-4

Check out Costanza Ruffini, Christian Tarchi, and Chiara Pecini’s (2023) article to explore whether elementary school students have better reading comprehension and writing skills when they read on paper or digitally: “Which Executive Functions Affect Text Comprehension and Writing in Paper and Digital Mode? An Investigation in Primary School Children.” Computers & Education 207: 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104936