Open a Book, Open Your Mind: Reading Interest and Reading Comprehension Skills of Intermediate Learners

Reading interest and reading comprehension are important aspects of literacy development among intermediate learners. This study examined the reading interests and reading comprehension skills of intermediate learners at Lyceum of Aparri during the academic year 2023–2024. Using a descriptive-correlational research design, the study involved 34 learners selected through complete enumeration. Data were gathered using a questionnaire on reading interest and a reading comprehension test. Descriptive statistics were used to determine learners’ reading interests and comprehension performance, while Pearson’s product-moment correlation was intended to examine the relationship between the two variables. The findings revealed that learners generally expressed favorable attitudes toward reading, with an overall mean of 4.23. The highest ratings reflected the importance learners placed on becoming good readers and their willingness to engage with reading-related learning experiences. However, responses to negatively worded items require careful verification to ensure accurate interpretation. In reading comprehension, learners obtained an overall mean score of 31.25, classified as excellent based on the study’s scoring criteria. Performance was stronger in literal comprehension, with a mean score of 34.00, than in interpretive comprehension, which obtained a mean of 28.50. This difference suggests the importance of providing additional learning opportunities that develop learners’ abilities to interpret information, draw inferences, and construct meaning from texts. The study highlights the value of integrating engaging reading materials with explicit comprehension instruction to support literacy development. The reported correlation results should be verified before making a definitive conclusion regarding the relationship between reading interest and reading comprehension.