Reading Comprehension to Readers’ Thinking, Learning and Expanding Knowledge and Horizons Towards A Framework

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the extent of English students’ reading comprehension as demonstrated by Grade 7 students at Lumampong Integrated National High School. The study focused on critical thinking, analysis, inference, evaluation, learning, and expanding knowledge and horizons. The study focused on critical thinking, analysis, inference, evaluation, learning, and expanding knowledge and horizons. A descriptive-quantitative research design was used, and ten students who were five high-performing and five low-performing were selected from their Grade 6 performance. Data were gathered using a 30-item custom reading comprehension test given once with items distributed evenly over the six cognitive domains.

Findings showed that students tended to have moderate comprehension skills, with the greatest challenges evident in critical thinking and inference, especially for low-performing students. Paired t-test analysis showed significant differences between expected and actual scores, especially in analysis and critical thinking. These gaps underscore the need for targeted interventions to improve students' reading comprehension skills.

Guided by these findings, a reading framework was then created to strengthen areas where the students performed less than expected. The suggested framework is designed to improve understanding by offering systematic approaches to reading developed specifically for critical thinking, analysis, inference, and evaluation. This research points to the significance of incorporating interventions in reading in order to enable greater understanding and cognitive growth for students. Subsequent studies would need to research other instructional procedures and interventions aimed at further improving reading comprehension levels.