Improving English Reading Comprehension Skills of Grade 3 Pupils Through Teacher-Made Contextualized Short Reading Selections

This study examined the effectiveness of teacher-made contextualized short reading selections in improving the English reading comprehension skills of Grade 3 pupils at Paulino L. Bautista Elementary School, Dinalungan District, Schools Division of Aurora, Philippines. Guided by the Active View of Reading, the study employed a quantitative quasi-experimental pretest–posttest comparison-group design involving 100 pupils, equally distributed between the intervention and comparison groups. Reading comprehension was measured using a 30-item assessment covering literal comprehension, inferential comprehension, and vocabulary in context. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests, and Welch's independent-samples t-test. Results showed that the intervention group's mean score increased from 14.16 to 20.22, representing a mean gain of 6.06 points, while the comparison group's mean increased from 13.34 to 15.32, with a gain of 1.98 points. Both groups demonstrated statistically significant pretest–posttest improvements (p < .001). The difference in mean gains between groups was also statistically significant, t(94.31) = 9.16, p < .001, favoring the intervention group. Among the assessed dimensions, inferential comprehension recorded the greatest numerical improvement, followed by vocabulary in context and literal comprehension. These findings suggest that teacher-made contextualized short reading selections may contribute to improved English reading comprehension among Grade 3 pupils. The study highlights the potential value of integrating locally relevant reading materials and guided comprehension activities into elementary English instruction.