Assessing Teachers' Practices and Compliance in The School Reading Program: Basis For Capability- Building Intervention

Abstract

School reading programs remain essential in addressing learners’ literacy development and improving academic performance in basic education. However, the successful implementation of these programs largely depends on teachers’ instructional practices, intervention strategies, and institutional support mechanisms. This qualitative phenomenological study explored teachers’ practices and implementation experiences in school reading programs and developed a capability-building intervention framework grounded on the challenges and enabling practices identified by participants. Twelve public elementary school teachers involved in school-based reading programs were purposively selected from selected schools in the Philippines. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis revealed five major themes: (1) Contextualized and Learner-Centered Reading Instructional Practices; (2) Intervention Strategies for Struggling and Non-Reader Learners; (3) Collaborative Support and Stakeholder Participation in Reading Programs; (4) Instructional and Resource Challenges in Reading Program Implementation; and (5) Professional Development Needs and Instructional Capacity Enhancement. Findings showed that teachers utilized differentiated instruction, remedial reading sessions, peer-assisted learning, and localized reading materials to support learners’ literacy development. However, challenges such as insufficient instructional materials, limited parental support, learner diversity, and inadequate teacher training affected program implementation. The study concludes that sustainable school reading programs require strengthened teacher capability-building initiatives, institutional support systems, and collaborative stakeholder engagement. The proposed capability-building intervention framework emphasizes professional development, resource enhancement, monitoring systems, and contextualized literacy instruction to improve reading program effectiveness. The findings contribute to the growing discourse on literacy intervention and teacher capacity development in basic education.