Knowledge acquisition relies on the capacity of the students to read and grasp the meaning of the text. However, diverse factors are impeding students’ ability to comprehend the breadth and depth of the English subjects—reading material—consequently compelling misinterpretation and incompetence in understanding the projected lessons. This study aimed to identify the effectiveness of vocabulary enrichment in improving students’ reading comprehension among the students in Sto. Tomas College Danao City, Inc. It intends to accumulate students’ discernment about the integrated method, specifically the unlocking and discussion of the complex words in the provided stories during the conducted reading drill. By employing the mixed-method research design, data were accumulated through the conduct of the survey , utilizing the Likert scale format and a series of questions generally aimed at determining the Grade 10 students’ perception about the applied vocabulary enrichment in the contexts of its impact when reading a text, factors affecting students’ weak comprehension, and other techniques and strategies to enhance reading comprehension. Thematic analysis was furthermore utilized to generate relevance and major themes anchored on students’ responses. The findings suggest that the integration of vocabulary enrichment scaffolded the students to immediately absorb the essence of the stories they were reading (56.41 %), and it assisted them to establish vocabulary depth (understanding of the words’ meanings, nuances, and uses) (56.41 %). Moreover, it even helped them enhance their vocabulary size and understand the events and conditions of the text. The students posited that the major cause of the students’ incompetence in comprehension is weak vocabulary or inability to understand difficult words and phrases. In the matter of other techniques that may enhance students’ reading comprehension, students affirmed that constant reading of any stories or text is definitely the key, as through this, students can think critically and analytically, immerse themselves in a better understanding of the world and environment, be exposed to various information, and widen their vocabulary. By reference to the result and analysis, vocabulary enrichment is an effective leverage for the enhancement of the students’ reading comprehension; however, the students highlighted the negative aspect of using vocabulary enrichment, and that is the high tendency to forget the meaning and application of some words. Therefore, they accentuated the consistency and solidified reading sessions and practices for them to become competent and skilled readers.
