Lived Experiences of Junior High School English Teachers in Managing Struggling Readers
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study explored the lived experiences of Junior High School English teachers in managing struggling readers and how those experiences informed pedagogical practice. A qualitative descriptive phenomenological design grounded in the Husserlian tradition involved eight English teachers from a public secondary school under the Schools Division Office of Las Piñas, selected through purposive, criterion-based sampling. In-depth semi-structured interviews were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. Ten theme clusters described reading difficulties beyond expected grade-level demands; hesitation and vulnerability; instructional adjustment; encouragement; conditions shaping individualized support; strain and incremental progress; expanded teacher responsibility; shared support; participant interpretations of willingness and persistence; and reading as necessary for wider learning and life. Teachers adjusted pacing, language, materials, questions, and guidance while negotiating learner participation, classroom conditions, emotional demands, and uneven support. Perceived learner gains remained teacher observations rather than measured intervention outcomes. All eight participants confirmed the finalized Fundamental Structure without substantive modification. The proposed Responsive Support Framework organized five findings-informed areas: learner reading needs, responsive instruction and participation, teacher capacity and working conditions, school and family support, and ongoing review. The framework remains context-sensitive, unimplemented, unvalidated, and untested for effectiveness.
Author: Anilyn Soriano
Institution: University of Perpetual Help System DALTA
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7223182559