Reading comprehension is one of the most important information processing skills for building up learners’ language competence and performance. Many researches have been conducted on reading comprehension in order to find ways in developing learners’ language acquisitions. With the same purpose, this paper explores the role of culturally relevant texts on EFL/ESL learners’ reading comprehension ability on the basis of previous researches in this field, also promotes using culturally relevant texts as materials for reading comprehension programs (intensively and extensively), suggesting that they have advantages over the more traditional approach. The paper clarifies some definitions of reading comprehension, explains the influence of background knowledge on learners’ reading competence and provides the criteria which can be used to evaluate the cultural relevance of the texts towards learners.
Key words: reading comprehension, background knowledge, culturally relevant texts, extensive reading, intensive reading.