ISSN: 2782-893X
eISSN: 2799-0664
ISSN: 2782- 893X
—— Literacy struggles in early childhood are well-documented, yet most intervention research focuses on decoding deficits after school entry. Few studies examine the pre-cognitive, affective, and environmental roots that predispose children to fail before formal instruction begins. Objective: This study investigated Illiterate Imagination — the phenomenon wherein early reading resistance is rooted in pre-cognitive linguistic and affective deficits, rather than purely decoding inability — and its social implications for educational attainment, employment opportunity, and long-term well-being. Methodology: Using a qualitative phenomenological and narrative inquiry approach, this study gathered data from seven (7) participants: six (6) Grade 1–2 children (ages 6– 8; 3 male, 3 female) exhibiting significant resistance to early reading instruction, and seven (7) of their parents/guardians, all from Piaz Elementary School, Division of Pangasinan II. Results: Findings revealed that struggling learners define reading as high-stakes public performance or a meaningless chore. Non-reading tasks exposed pre-existing linguistic deficits, including weak internal story schema and limited inferential capacity. Home environments were characterized by print scarcity and low parental modeling of reading for pleasure. Cumulatively, these failures produced a fixed non-reader identity that equates literacy with shame. Conclusion: Successful intervention requires a dual focus: rebuilding oral narrative skills before intensive decoding instruction, and dismantling fixed self-concepts by promoting low-stakes meaningful literacy engagement. Teachers should integrate storytelling and play into curricula; parents can support learning through bedtime reading routines and community book-sharing programs. Keywords — reading resistance, self-concept, narrative schema, home literacy environment, illiterate imagination, early childhood literacy, Philippines