Comprehension, Motivation, and Engagement Gains Following Contextualized Reading Intervention Among Grade 2 Struggling Readers

Abstract

This study examined the changes in reading comprehension, reading motivation, and reading engagement following exposure to contextualized texts among Grade 2 struggling readers. Additionally, the study explored the relationships among these variables. A quantitative pretest-posttest design was employed with 100 struggling readers identified from 12 public elementary schools in Bauang North District, Division of La Union, Philippines. Participants underwent a six-week intervention using eight culturally contextualized short stories written in English with Filipino cultural elements. Reading comprehension, reading motivation, and reading engagement were measured before and after the intervention using researcher-developed instruments with established validity and reliability (Cronbach's α = .82–.87). Data were analyzed using paired samples t-tests and Pearson correlations. Results revealed statistically significant improvements from pretest to posttest in reading comprehension (M = 8.47 to 13.82, d = 1.87), reading motivation (M = 22.34 to 29.67, d = 1.75), and reading engagement (M = 19.48 to 27.35, d = 1.96), all p < .001. Significant positive correlations were found among comprehension gains, motivation, and engagement (r = .38 to .48, p < .001). These findings suggest that contextualized texts are associated with substantial improvements in struggling readers' comprehension, motivation, and engagement, and that these affective variables are positively related to comprehension outcomes.