ENHANCING THE READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS OF GRADE 4 PUPILS IN SELECTED SCHOOLS IN CATANAUAN I DISTRICT THROUGH THE USE OF PRE-TEACHING VOCABULARY AND REPEATED READING METHODS

Reading comprehension is necessary among pupils as it is the foundational skills for the overall academic success of elementary learners, particularly Grade 4 pupils. It is the ability to understand and engage with text passages which is critical for a lifelong learning and a foundation and engage with text passages which is critical for a lifelong learning and a foundation for education. Nonetheless, many pupils are struggling with comprehension due to limited vocabulary. This study therefore sought to enhance the reading comprehension skills of the Grade 4 pupils identified as struggling readers in selected schools in Catanauan I District by implementing pre-teaching vocabulary and repeated reading methods as reading intervention program. A quantitative-qualitative research was conducted to measure the reading performance of 371 pupils handled by 18 teachers in the said district. To measure the reading profile of the pupils. the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) assessment from the Department of Education was used. Pre-test and post-test performance of students were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine the effectiveness of the pre-teaching vocabulary and repeated reading method. Results indicated a significant improvement of the reading comprehension skills of the pupils as compared with previous reading performance. The findings suggest that the reading intervention program significantly enhanced the reading comprehension of Grade 4 pupils. It is recommended as classroom-based best practice for teachers and a strategy to improve literacy outcome.