Pupils' Reading Habits and Performance in English

Reading is not just a pastime but a pathway to personal growth and success. This study focused on examining the reading habits and performance of pupils, as well as identifying any significant differences between these habits and their reading achievements. A descriptive correlational and causal design with content analysis were employed. The respondents of the study were Grade 5 and Grade 6 pupils of three (3) selected schools in Lagonglong District who were selected through stratified random sampling using Slovin’s Formula. The statistical tools utilized were, the frequency and percentage to determine the reading habit and performance. Chi-Square was used to find the significant difference between the pupils’ reading habits and performance and Multiple Linear Regression to identify which of the independent variable/s singly or in combination predict/s the dependent variable. Results revealed that pupils spend less than an hour daily for reading practice and preferred to read fiction text such as drama, short story, novel, comic strips, legend, fairy tales and poems. The majority are in the Instructional reading level. The number of hours reading, and the type of text read have moderate correlation with reading performance but only the number of hours is a good predictor for reading performance. Thus, when reading habit is developed among children, especially the number of hours to spend for reading practice, it will improve not only their reading proficiency but also their lifelong learning. It is encouraged to hold more reading practices at home and in school to improve reading performance of pupils. An intervention may be implemented like promoting reading activities and providing access to a variety of reading materials.