Recalibrating Reading Recovery: Learning Gains of the ARAL Program on the Reading Comprehension and Miscue Reduction of Phil-IRI Frustrated Junior High School Students

This study examined the effectiveness of the Department of Education’s Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program in improving reading comprehension and reducing oral reading miscues among Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) identified frustrated Junior High School readers at Lingig National High School. Specifically, it assessed learners’ literal, inferential, and critical comprehension levels, identified common oral reading miscues, determined differences in reading performance before and after the intervention, examined the influence of learner engagement and implementation fidelity, identified implementation challenges, and proposed an intervention program to strengthen ARAL delivery.
The study employed a quantitative quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design. Respondents consisted of 96 Grades 7 to 10 learners selected through purposive sampling. Data were gathered using a researcher-modified Phil-IRI Oral Reading and Comprehension Test, learner engagement questionnaire, implementation fidelity questionnaire, and open-ended responses. Statistical tools included frequency count, percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation, paired samples t-test, and thematic analysis.
Findings showed that learners performed better in literal and critical comprehension than in inferential comprehension. Mispronunciation and repetition were the most common oral reading miscues. Results revealed no statistically significant differences in reading comprehension and oral reading miscues before and after the intervention. However, learners demonstrated high behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement, while implementation fidelity was generally high. Major challenges included poor attendance, limited instructional materials, time constraints, learner-related difficulties, and teacher workload.
The study concluded that sustained implementation, stronger instructional support, and improved program conditions are necessary to achieve greater literacy gains among frustrated readers.