Peer-Assisted Reading Sessions In Developing Reading Comprehension: An Experimental Study

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Peer-Assisted Reading Sessions in developing the reading comprehension skills of Grade 4 pupils at Mawab Central Elementary School. A quantitative experimental research design was employed involving 35 Grade 4 pupils, with 18 assigned to the control group and 17 to the experimental group. An adopted Phil-IRI reading comprehension test was administered as the pretest and posttest to assess the participants' reading comprehension skills. Results showed that both groups demonstrated poor competency before the intervention, indicating comparable baseline reading abilities. After the intervention, both groups improved to a satisfactory level, with the experimental group obtaining slightly higher scores than the control group. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between the groups' pretest scores, confirming their initial equivalence. Significant improvements were observed in the pretest and posttest scores of both groups, demonstrating gains in reading comprehension during the intervention period. Although the experimental group showed greater improvement, no significant difference was found between the posttest scores of the two groups. The study concludes that Peer-Assisted Reading Sessions are an effective instructional strategy for improving reading comprehension among Grade 4 pupils. It is recommended that teachers and school administrators integrate peer-assisted learning activities into reading instruction to further enhance pupils' comprehension skills and academic performance.