Adolescents’ reading comprehension skills are shaped by various activities and contextual factors. Identifying these determinants is imperative for improving academic performance. This study aims to assess how time spent on different activities—sports, smartphone use, social media, and educational apps—affects reading comprehension in Spanish adolescents. The study is based on PISA 2022 microdata, including responses from over 30,000 Spanish adolescents. We examined factors such as grade repetition, time spent on sports, access to books at home, smartphone and social media usage, and engagement with educational apps. We applied several machine learning algorithms using cross‐validation and the R 2 metric to evaluate model performance and analyze data. Additionally, explainable artificial intelligence techniques are used to interpret the results and highlight key predictors and their interactions. CatBoost yielded the best predictive performance, identifying key predictors of reading comprehension. The most influential factors included grade repetition (negative impact), time spent on sports (negative impact), access to books at home (positive impact), smartphone use (positive impact), and social media use (negative impact). Educational apps were associated with lower comprehension skills scores. Digital tools in technology lessons enhance reading skills when used regularly. The study highlights complex relationships between technology use, sports, and reading comprehension skills. These insights can inform educational policies and interventions targeting balanced digital use and tailored support for students struggling with academic challenges.
Rico-Juan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.