Reading Anxieties of Primary Learners: An Input to their Psycho-Emotional Reading Development

Reading is a process of integrating one's understanding and prior knowledge into the written texts. This prior knowledge may include experiences that can elicit emotions such as anxiety. Reading involves emotions that can influence reading comprehension. Since reading is associated with experiences, it can also evoke emotions related to these experiences, including anxiety. The main objective of this study was to determine the relationship between reading anxiety and reading comprehension skills proficiency of primary learners. The respondents were the 60 grade three learners of a public elementary school in Tawi-Tawi through a random sampling technique. The data were gathered through a Reading Comprehension Proficiency Test (RCPT) and Reading Anxiety Scale developed by the researchers. This instrument underwent validation by a panel of experts and was pilot-tested for reliability analysis, yielding an acceptable level of 0.803. Moreover, the study revealed that the level of reading anxiety was moderately high for both physical (2.79) and cognitive (3.01). In contrast, in reading comprehension, it was moderately proficient (11.47). This suggests that teachers need to provide effective reading strategies and interventions to help respondents improve their reading skills. Meanwhile, there was no significant relationship between the level of reading anxiety and reading comprehension, with a p-value of -0.243; thus, the null hypothesis is accepted. The study's findings will provide primary teachers with substantial insights to develop up-to-date teaching methods for beginning reading, grounded in the psycho-emotional needs of primary-level students. Therefore, it is recommended that a psycho-emotional reading intervention be designed for primary readers.