Teachers’ Implementation of Vocabulary-Building Strategies: Its Influence on Learners’ Reading Comprehension

Abstract

Reading comprehension is a fundamental skill essential for learners’ academic success; however, many elementary pupils experience difficulties due to limited vocabulary knowledge, indicating a gap between vocabulary instruction practices and learners’ comprehension outcomes. This study examined the relationship between teachers’ implementation of vocabulary-building strategies and learners’ reading comprehension in selected public elementary schools in Candijay District, Bohol. A descriptive correlational research design was employed, involving 298 respondents, comprising 13 teachers and 285 Grade 4–6 learners. Data were gathered using a 40-item questionnaire adapted from Mehmood et al. (2025) and the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI). Weighted Mean and Spearman’s rho were used for data analysis. Results revealed that teachers consistently implemented vocabulary-building strategies, with an overall composite mean of 3.64, interpreted as “Always/Highly Practiced,” while metacognitive strategies had the highest mean (WM = 3.71). Findings also revealed that 75.08% of learners were at the independent reading comprehension level. Furthermore, a strong positive significant relationship was identified between vocabulary-building strategies and reading comprehension (ρ = 0.602, p < 0.001), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. These findings suggest that the effective and consistent implementation of vocabulary-building strategies is significantly associated with improved learners’ reading comprehension. Hence, it is recommended that teachers intensify structured and interactive vocabulary instruction to further enhance literacy outcomes among elementary learners.