Basic Sight Word Recognition Exercises and Learners’ Reading Comprehension

Abstract

Reading comprehension is a fundamental component of literacy development; however, many learners continue to experience difficulties due to insufficient mastery of foundational skills such as sight-word recognition. Despite the widespread use of basic sight-word recognition exercises in early-grade instruction, limited empirical evidence exists regarding their implementation and learners’ reading comprehension in localized contexts. This study examined basic sight-word recognition exercises and learners’ reading comprehension in selected public elementary schools in Alicia District, Bohol, Philippines. A quantitative descriptive research design was employed, involving 269 respondents composed of 52 teachers and 217 learners from Grades 4 to 6. Data were gathered using a validated 16-item teacher questionnaire adapted from Lyon (2020; Cronbach’s alpha = 0.92) and the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) to assess learners’ reading comprehension. Weighted mean and percentage distribution were used for data analysis. Findings revealed that basic sight-word recognition exercises were widely practiced among teachers, with a composite mean of 3.59. Moreover, most learners were classified as independent readers (54.38%), followed by Instructional readers (43.78%) and Frustration readers (1.84%). The findings suggest that teachers consistently implement sight word recognition exercises, while most learners demonstrate independent reading comprehension levels. Based on the results, it is recommended that teachers continue integrating structured sight-word activities into reading instruction to further support literacy development in their classrooms.