Reading Program Implementation and Stakeholder Correlates in Philippine Elementary Schools: A Quantitative Study of the CLEAR Program in the Division of Tandag City

Abstract

Reading proficiency deficits persist across Philippine elementary schools despite sustained national literacy initiatives. This study examined the implementation of the CLEAR (Catering Longer Enhancement Activities in Reading) Program in public elementary schools within the Division of Tandag City, Surigao del Sur, Philippines, and investigated the relationships among stakeholder profiles, program characteristics, and implementation quality. A descriptive-correlational design was employed involving 65 school personnel (school heads, reading coordinators, and teachers), 254 learners, and 134 parents from 24 public elementary schools, selected through complete enumeration and stratified proportional random sampling. A researcher-developed, validated survey instrument (Cronbach's α = .86) gathered data on the CLEAR Program profile across five dimensions and reading program implementation across six dimensions. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation (Pearson r), and an independent-samples t-test were employed. The CLEAR Program was generally assessed as Very High (M = 3.367), with student progress as its strongest dimension and resource allocation as the lowest. Reading program implementation was rated as Mostly Practiced (M = 3.285), with use of reading materials as the strongest component and logistics as the weakest. Among stakeholder demographic variables, only age (r = .250, p = .045) and training attendance (r = .256, p = .040) demonstrated significant relationships with specific implementation dimensions. By contrast, all five CLEAR Program profile dimensions were highly significantly correlated with all six implementation dimensions (r = .461–.744, all p < .001). No significant difference was found between school heads' and parents' perceptions of implementation (t = 0.49, p = .629). Program structural quality, rather than stakeholder demographic characteristics, is the primary driver of reading program implementation quality. Sustained professional development, targeted resource allocation, and strong early intervention mechanisms are essential for improving literacy outcomes among elementary learners in provincial Philippine settings.