Abstract
This study evaluated the reading comprehension in English and Filipino among Grade IV learners in Gumaca East District. Specifically, it assessed comprehension in terms of word recognition and comprehension skills, encompassing literal, inferential, and critical comprehension. This also determined significant differences between learners' English and Filipino comprehension, identified challenges encountered, and explored learners' strategies to overcome these challenges. Employing a Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Method design, the quantitative phase involved the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) administered to all 731 Grade IV learners. Subsequently, qualitative data were gathered through structured interviews with six learners purposively selected based on their lower comprehension scores, identified challenges, and previous interventions. Quantitative findings revealed that most learners demonstrated instructional comprehension levels in both English and Filipino word recognition, with notable difficulties observed particularly in critical comprehension in English. The qualitative results highlighted word recognition, vocabulary comprehension, pronunciation difficulties, and environmental distractions as primary challenges. Learners addressed these through teacher assistance, parental encouragement, peer support, and self-directed learning strategies. Consequently, the study proposed the "Key Reading Intervention and Support Time" (KRISTime), an enhancement program designed as an intervention with differentiated instruction, peer tutoring, guided reading activities, and home-school partnerships to improve learners' language comprehension levels comprehensively.
