Reading profiles revealed: Exploring the complexities of pre-service elementary education teachers’ reading competencies

Author:
Karen Salve M. Maute
Western Philippines University, Santa Monica, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

ABSTRACT

This study explored the reading profiles and competencies of pre-service elementary education teachers, a topic that remains underexplored in the context of teacher education institutions in Palawan. Using a descriptive quantitative approach, 38 purposively sampled Bachelor of Elementary Education students participated. Most are female, aged 21–22, financially supported by their parents, and the majority belonged to the Tagalog and Cuyonon ethnic affiliations. Data were collected through surveys and reading assessments evaluating reading experience, attitude, efficacy, strategy, habits, challenges, reading rate, oral reading level, and comprehension. Findings revealed that participants’ early reading experiences were grounded in their mother tongue, facilitated by family encouragement, despite the limited availability of formal materials in local languages. They also expressed positive attitudes toward reading. While they reported using effective strategies like re-reading and vocabulary lookup, their reading self-efficacy varied. Although many read for pleasure and engaged in writing activities, challenges such as poor concentration, limited summarization skills, and difficulties in connecting ideas persisted. Competency assessments showed a below-average reading rate (121–181 words per minute), high oral reading fluency, but notably low reading comprehension—71.05% of respondents did not meet expectations. This highlights a paradox: fluency does not equate to comprehension. In conclusion, there is an urgent need to strengthen pre-service teachers’ reading comprehension through targeted instruction. Recommendations include enhancing reading self-efficacy, implementing reading strategy training, promoting consistent reading habits, and designing supportive interventions focused on fluency and deep understanding. Addressing these areas will better equip future educators to model and teach effective reading practices, ultimately improving literacy outcomes in their future classrooms.

Keywords: below-average reading rate, high oral reading skills, reading attitude, reading challenges, reading comprehension, pre-service teachers

^{Available Online: 06 April 2026}

How to Cite:
Maute KSM. 2026. Reading profiles revealed: exploring the complexities of pre-service elementary education teachers’ reading competencies. The Palawan Scientist. 18(1):96-108. https://doi.org/10.69721/TPS.J.2026.18.1.11

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