The purpose of this study was to investigate factors relating to the achievement of reading gains for junior college students. The specific objectives were to determine which of 10 independent variables were most highly related to and predictive of residual reading gain; to formulate and validate a predicting equation based on measures of relevant predictors; to determine whether there were differences on the 10 measures between students who scored below the 15th percentile on the pretest and made large gains and those who scored below the 15th percentile on the pretest and failed to make large gains; and to describe and compare the group that dropped out of the reading program with the group that completed it. Data were gathered on 500 junior college students enrolled in reading courses at Tarrant County Junior College, Fort Worth, Texas. The findings indicated that the three relevant predictors of reading gain were unfulfilled reading potential, number of semesters of reading instruction, and initial reading ability. Some of the conclusions were that junior college reading programs are primarily developmental in nature and that there are two types of low-achieving students, one of which can be expected to make gains in existing programs. (Author/WR)