This qualitative case study aimed to address the problematic decline of reading literacy, envisioning a reading culture where adolescents utilize their reading skills in real-life situations. It generally described the reading experience of 9 senior high school students through audio-aided material as a reading resource for struggling learners, SY 2022-2023. The audio-aided materials designed by the researcher were administered to the students and a teacher-made interview guide was utilized to describe their reading experience. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the collected data. Data revealed that the struggling senior high school learners experienced enjoyment, diverse preferences, assistance with vocabulary exposure, word recognition, and prosody. On the other hand, they had difficulty with fast audio speed and complex vocabulary, and figurative language. The senior high school students had positive and negative experiences which could be attributed to their language deficiency and the complexity of the texts utilized in the subject 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World. Data revealed that when utilizing audio-aided materials, instructional support or direct instruction played a significant role as it motivated the students to cope with their language deficiencies and the complexity of the literary texts.

Keywords : Reading Experience, Audio-Aided Materials, Struggling Senior High School, Students, 21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World.