Abstract
The main objective of this qualitative study was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the experiences of seasoned reading coordinators in handling struggling readers. This study engaged qualitative method, utilizing phenomenological approach. The participants of the study were 14 reading coordinators from Municipality of Kapalong Davao del Norte teaching a struggling reader. All of them participated in the in-depth interviews. Through thematic analysis, patterns and common themes that emerged from the participants' experiences were identified and grouped. This allowed for the extraction of core themes related to the challenges and strategies employed by reading coordinators. Results revealed the experiences of the participants: facing difficulties due students’ difficulty in developing fundamental literacy skills, lack of parental support, difficulty to comprehend, and struggle in aligning strategies with students reading ability, they deemed the following coping strategies essential: cultivating a supportive environment for struggling readers, be consistent in teaching the struggling readers, maintaining positive reinforcement and motivation in teaching, fostering collaboration and community engagement in reading programs. Upon reflecting on their entire experience, they arrived at the following insights: patience and empathy in teaching struggling readers, innovative teaching strategies and adaptability in addressing struggling readers, essence of differentiated instruction for diverse learners and gaining a sense of fulfillment from teaching. The results of this study were deemed significant by the participants, teachers, students and researchers.
