Abstract
Students who borrow books not only interact with a variety of subjects but also grow in critical thinking, vocabulary, and comprehension. This study examined the book borrowing practices of the grade school pupils enrolled in SY 2023-2024 and the impact of such practices on their academic performance. The researcher employed descriptive regression design and adapted and modified the questionnaire of Hooper, Mullis and Martin (2016) entitled Effect of Book Borrowing on the Academic Performance. With the sample size of 360 grade school pupils from grades four to six levels, results of the study showed that the respondents were found to have satisfactory practices of borrowing books and were performing well in their academic studies in the first quarter of SY 2023-2024. It further revealed that, using simple regression analysis, the book borrowing practices of the grade school pupils have no significant effect on their academic performance. Recommendations are as follows: schools should provide instruction on effective reading comprehension strategies to help pupils extract meaning from the books they borrow; create a tracking system where learners set reading goals, document the books they borrow, and reflect on their reading experiences; ensure that the school library offers a wide range of books catering to different interests, reading levels, and cultural backgrounds; and finally, conduct parallel study to validate the result of the research.
