Improving the Reading Performance of Struggling Grade 1 Learners Through Individualized Reading Intervention

Early reading difficulties remain a concern among Grade 1 learners who have not fully developed foundational literacy competencies. This study examined changes in the reading performance of 20 struggling Grade 1 learners following an eight-week individualized reading intervention at Ammoweg Elementary School, Asipulo District, Schools Division of Ifugao, Philippines. A quantitative, one-group pretest–posttest pre-experimental research design was employed, with participants selected through purposive sampling. The intervention consisted of four 20-minute sessions weekly, incorporating targeted instruction, guided practice, corrective feedback, and progress monitoring across four domains: phonological awareness, word recognition and decoding, oral reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Reading performance was assessed using a researcher-developed 40-point assessment administered before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a paired-samples t-test. The overall mean reading performance increased from 15.20 to 26.80, representing a mean gain of 11.60 points. The paired-samples t-test indicated a statistically significant difference between pretest and posttest scores, t(19) = 16.29, p < .001. Word recognition and decoding demonstrated the greatest mean improvement (3.30 points), whereas reading comprehension recorded the smallest gain (2.30 points).The findings indicated improvements across all four reading domains and identified comprehension as an area requiring continued instructional support. Sustained differentiated instruction, systematic progress monitoring, and integrated comprehension activities were recommended.