Students' Reading Motivation and Comprehension Skills

This research investigated how students' motivation to read correlates with their reading comprehension skills, focusing on first- and second-year students enrolled in the Education course, the Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEED) and Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSED) programs at Southern de Oro Philippines College for the School Year 2024-2025. The researchers employed a descriptive correlational research design with content analysis, along with a questionnaire to assess students' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for reading, and the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (PHIL-IRI) to evaluate their comprehension skills across different levels: literal, interpretive, inferential, and critical. The study involved 96 students through a stratified random sampling. Data were analyzed using Mean, Standard Deviation, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. Results showed that students have high intrinsic and moderate extrinsic motivation for reading. They performed best in understanding literal texts but struggled with critical comprehension involving higher-level thinking. Notably, a significant correlation existed between reading motivation and comprehension, indicating that while students were good at grasping basic information; however, they found it challenging to critically analyze and evaluate the material they read. The findings suggested that only extrinsic motivation like rewards positively associated with reading comprehension. Therefore, it is recommended that teachers may balance praise and grades with making reading enjoyable to improve motivation and comprehension skills.