What term refers to the in-the-head actions that readers use to understand the text?

The term that refers to the in-the-head actions that readers use to understand the text is the reading process. This encompasses all the mental strategies and cognitive functions that are employed while engaging with text, including making predictions, visualizing, connecting to prior knowledge, and summarizing. The reading process highlights how individuals actively construct meaning as they read, rather than simply decoding words on a page.

In contrast, comprehension skills refer more specifically to the abilities that contribute to understanding a text rather than the broader actions taken during reading. Interactive reading involves a more social or shared reading experience, often between a teacher and students, while cognitive engagement refers to the overall mental investment a reader has—both are components of the reading experience but do not encapsulate the full range of mental actions like the reading process does.