Abstract
Reading proficiency plays a vital role in keeping up-to-date with technological advancements and innovations in
education. However, there are Grade 7 students who need help with the essential skill of reading. These students need
support for them to cope with the classroom demands. This transcendental phenomenological qualitative research aims
to determine the academic experiences of struggling readers inside the classroom. Five struggling readers were the
participants of this study. These five participants were purposefully selected after being recommended by the school
reading coordinator. The interview guide questionnaire was the instrument of this study. The interview guide
questionnaire contains open-ended questions that were validated by experts. One-on-one interviews were conducted
for about 20 to 40 minutes each. Using an audio recorder, the interviews were recorded. After the interview, a verbatim
transcription was made and thematic analysis was utilized to analyze the significant lines of the participants. The
following themes were elicited from the participants' responses, namely: lack of computer skills, limited visual attention
span, hesitation and anxiety to participate, difficulty in interaction, difficulty with the use of technology in education,
confusion with letter-sound identification, less motivation to learn, problem understanding the lesson, and slow in
taking down notes. The participants attributed their reading difficulties to themselves, their teachers, and their parents.
In light of these findings, it is strongly recommended that a robust and comprehensive reading recovery program be
implemented. This program should address struggling readers' multifaceted challenges and provide them with the
necessary support to enhance their reading proficiency and overall academic performance.