TO READ IS TO BELIEVE: DIGITAL READING EXPERIENCES OF SECONDARY STUDENTS IN WATTPAD ON TODAY’S DIGITAL AGE

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Digital reading enriches the reading and writing experiences of the students. The study aims to explore and understand the lived experiences of the selected students in Muertegui National High School who are avid readers of Wattpad as a form of digital reading. The study used a phenomenological research design.  There were fifteen participants who were purposively selected through snowball sampling. The data were gathered through face-to-face interviews using semi-structured interview questions. The interview process was transcribed and analyzed through the use of thematic analysis in generating codes and theme patterns. Findings showed that students started reading Wattpad because of their curiosity and recommendations from their friends. Students also read Wattpad as a form of relaxation and entertainment. Students also experienced sleep loss and deprivation of doing school works when reading Wattpad. Most students read romance fiction stories in Filipino – English language.  Furthermore, students learn to value their self, and friends upon reading the Wattpad. They also learned that textbooks were still better to read than wattpad. The study recommends to conduct a quantitative study that will survey the effects of wattpad in the students’ lives.