Assessing the Role of Language Skills in Shaping Early Literacy Competence Among Grade One Learners

Abstract

This study assessed Grade One learners’ language and literacy skills and the level of parents’ involvement, and determined the relationship between language and literacy as the basis for developing a Literacy Skills Enhancement Plan. A descriptive– correlational design was employed at Canduman Elementary School, Mandaue City, during SY 2025–2026. Using purposive sampling, teacher-raters evaluated sixty-one learners. The instrument comprised an ECCD-aligned teacher checklist with brief one- to-one tasks covering receptive and expressive language, letter–sound knowledge, rhyming words, and letter-name recognition, alongside a simple parent-involvement log. Data were treated using frequency, percentage, weighted mean, standard deviation, and Pearson product–moment correlation. Findings revealed varied performance across language and literacy indicators and a positive association between language skills and early literacy outcomes, while parent involvement showed uneven consistency in home practice and dialogic reading. The study concluded that strengthening expressive language, consolidating letter–sound and rhyming skills, and elevating purposeful parent participation were necessary to accelerate literacy growth. It recommended implementing a context-responsive Literacy Skills Enhancement Plan featuring brief daily classroom routines, ECCD-aligned baseline midline endline monitoring with flexible regrouping, and parent micro-workshops coupled with weekly home prompts and feedback loops to sustain learning beyond school.