Reading Comprehension Skills in Relation to their Academic Performance

Abstract: Reading is one of the best ways of learning as it enhances knowledge acquisition at all levels of education. Reading also improves learners’ spelling abilities and it enriches their vocabulary storage. It facilitates the development of literacy skills that everyone needs for effective communication in different contexts. This study sought to establish the reading comprehension level of Grade 5 learners. The variables considered in this study included sex, parents’ highest educational attainment and nutritional status. The key areas in reading included in this study were noting details, making inferences, predicting outcome and making generalization. The study made use of Grade 5 learners at Banaybanay Elementary School and the reading selections used to gauge their reading comprehension level were culled from the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (PHIL-IRI). The results of the study showed that the reading comprehension of the Grade 5 participants was at instructional level. They were good in making generalizations but was very poor in making inferences. When grouped according to their nutritional status, the reading comprehension level of the participants who were considered wasted was found to be at the frustration level. When grouped according to aforementioned variables, the findings showed that female group had a higher academic performance; also, the learners whose parents reached or graduated college showed to have a higher academic performance. Various recommendations according to identified key areas were given. Keywords: Academic performance, Education, Reading Comprehension skills