EXPLORING THE ROLE OF HOME LITERACY ENVIRONMENT, COGNITIVE FOCUS, AND INSTRUCTIONAL SCAFFOLDING IN DEVELOPING READING SKILLS OF GRADE ONE LEARNERS

Reading skills are fundamental to early academic success, providing the foundation for comprehension and subsequent learning. However, the extent to which home literacy environment, pupils’ ability to focus, and teachers’ instructional scaffolding predict early reading performance requires further investigation. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Theory, this study conducted from July to October 2026, examined the relationships among home literacy environment, ability to focus, teachers' instructional scaffolding, and the reading skills of Grade One pupils in public elementary schools in one of the districts of the Division of Bukidnon. Using a quantitative, nonexperimental, descriptive-correlational design, the study involved 235 Grade One pupils and their parents, together with 24 Grade One teachers. Data were gathered through validated research instruments and literacy assessment records and analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. Findings revealed good levels of home literacy environment, ability to focus, and teachers’ instructional scaffolding. Pupils demonstrated proficiency in phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge, while sentence reading remained an area for improvement. Overall, their reading skills were classified as proficient. Home Literacy Environment, Ability to Focus, and Teachers’ Instructional Scaffolding, when considered collectively, significantly predict pupils’ reading skills. Ability to focus emerged as the strongest significant positive predictor, while teachers’ instructional scaffolding was a significant negative predictor. Home literacy environment was not a significant independent predictor. These findings highlight the importance of supporting pupils’ attention and providing responsive, needs-based reading instruction. Future researchers are encouraged to examine additional learner, family, and instructional factors influencing pupils’ reading skills and investigate how teachers’ instructional scaffolding relates to reading performance across diverse educational contexts.