IJELI Published Article Details

Abstract This study examined the reading difficulties of Grade 7 students in a public secondary school in Sorsogon, Philippines, and developed structured remedial reading activities aligned with identified gaps. The study aimed to determine specific oral reading miscues an d comprehension levels based on Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) results and to design targeted remediation activities. The main research question asked: What specific reading difficulties are manifested by Grade 7 students, and how can structured remedial activities be developed to address these gaps? A descriptive–developmental research design was employed. The population consisted of 407 Grade 7 students enrolled during School Year 2018–2019. Using purposive sampling, 306 students classified under frustration and instructional levels based on Phil-IRI pre-test results were included in the study. Eight English teachers participated in a focus group discussion to provide contextual data on instructional strategies. Data were collected using the Phil-IRI reading assessment tool, documentary analysis of reading records, and a researcher-developed interview guide. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, and rank, while qualitative responses were grouped and descriptively analyzed. Results revealed that 38% of the students were under frustration level and 62% were under instructional level. Among frustration-level students, mispronunciation was the most dominant oral reading miscue (99%). Among instructional-level students, repetition ranked highest (60%). In terms of comprehension, frustration-level students were limited primarily to literal comprehension, with minimal performance at inferential and higher-order levels. Instructional-level students demonstrated stronger literal and inferential skills but showed reduced performance in critical and application-level comprehension. Teacher strategies were largely general and motivational rather than diagnostic-based. The findings indicate that foundational decoding weaknesses constrained comprehension development, particularly among frustration-level learners. A structured Reading Remediation Program was therefore developed, emphasizing phonemic awareness, decoding accuracy, fluency training, and progressive comprehension enhancement. It is recommended that schools implement level-based remediation sessions and conduct periodic diagnostic assessments to monitor progress. Professional development for teachers in structured reading intervention is also advised. The study implies that systematic diagnostic assessment combined with targeted instructional design can strengthen reading proficiency at the early secondary level and support sustained literacy development. Keywords: Reading Difficulties, Oral Reading Miscues, Reading Comprehension Levels, Phil-IRI, Reading Remediation, Secondary Education, Diagnostic Assessment, Literacy Intervention