Abstract
The average reading scores from PISA 2022 were almost the same as the results from 2018. The Philippines improved by far in reading, but only by seven points, going from 340 to 347 in 2018. However, these results fall short of the OECD average. The percentage of students who scored below a baseline level of competency (Level 2) showed no significant difference from 2018. Hence, the studies’ main objective is to employ various approaches that urge the importance of immediately addressing the challenges and gaps in obtaining high-quality basic education in light of the Philippines' low rating. Specifically, this study measured the effectiveness of Scaffolded Silent Reading on eighth-grade students’ reading fluency and comprehension. It has adopted the use of Mixed-Methods Sequential Explanatory Design, this strategy is done by delving more thoroughly into the point of view of the participants, analyzing the quantitative and qualitative data to help simplify and improve the results of the statistical analysis. Meanwhile, there were a total of 32 participants, the class was divided into two separate groups: the scaffolded (experimental group) and the non-scaffolded (control group). The study’s findings showed that the data on learning gains in fluency and comprehension reveals a significant difference. The experimental group obtained a mean score of 56.13 and the control group was 18.83 on fluency, while on comprehension the experimental group was 25.85 and the control group was 10.31. The experimental group scored higher compared to the other group. The results indicate that Scaffolded Silent Reading is an effective reading strategy as it helps increase the scores of the experimental group after its’ utilization. This study thereby recommends its integration into teaching reading.
