Conditions for development of reading competence on the example of Germany

Reading is a process during which the reader, as a result of cognitive activity, constructs the meaning of what he or she has read taking into account the individual characteristics of perception. In the first part of the article the separate cognitive processes of the text perception are described sequentially, as well as individual features, which are of primary importance for the deciphering of meanings of the read. The second part deals with specific activities aimed at the formation and development of reading competence in children of preschool and school age. At present, reading as a process of cognitive activity has undergone significant changes due to the rapid development of digital technologies in general and the integration of electronic media in particular. Since the 80s of the last century, interest in studying "reading" has been constantly growing. Thus, thanks to the research carried out under the Programme for International Student Assessments (PISA), the problems of developing reading competence in Germany have been addressed at the academic and national level. Due to the fact that PISA is the most authoritative research in the field of readership development, the article briefly outlines the main features and objectives of PISA testing. In conclusion, the article explains the main results of the PISA test conducted in 2000 and provides statistical data demonstrating the effectiveness of the implementation of measures aimed at the development of reading competence in modern Germany.