Investigation of the Common Reading Comprehension Difficulties of the Grade

six pupils of Rosa L. Susano-Novaliches Elementary School

I. Introduction and Rationale

One big part of comprehension is having a sufficient vocabulary, or knowing the

meanings of enough words. Readers who have strong comprehension are able to draw

conclusions about what they read, what is important, what is a fact, what caused an event

to happen, and which characters are funny. Thus comprehension involves combining

reading with thinking and reasoning.

Reading is essential in today’s society, and teaching children to become

proficient readers is one of the main goals of primary education. Reading consists

of many different processes at different levels that need to be coordinated, including

abilities, strategies and knowledge. Many children do not become avid readers and they

struggle with reading throughout school. An important aim of research in reading has

been to determine how children at risk for reading difficulties may be identified as early

as possible. If the children are discovered early, chances are that with appropriate

intervention strategies educators can reduce or even prevent future difficulties. For this

positive trend to occur, descriptions of the cognitive and language profile of readers with

different types of difficulties across time are required. For a long time reading difficulties

have been associated with compromised decoding, that is dyslexic reading problems.

However in the last 30 years, research has shown that many children with adequate

decoding skills have difficulties understanding what they read. These readers are often

called poor comprehenders. On the other hand, comprehension is the understanding and

interpretation of what is read. To be able to accurately understand written material,

children need to be able to (1) decode what they read; (2) make connections between

what they read and what they already know; and (3) think deeply about what they have

read. (Hulme and Snowling, 2011).

 The same problem is commonly encountered by the Grade 6 students of Rosa L.

Susano-Novaliches Elementary School (RLSNES), Gulod, Novaliches Quezon City. The

past school year’s academic performances of the students are not so satisfactory based

on classroom activity performances and evaluation tests, that an initial inquiry into the

matter was conducted. Initial investigation revealed that difficulty in reading

comprehension among the grade six pupils was the cause of the decline in academic

performance rating which caused a dilemma to RLSNES. This problem prompted the

researcher to conduct an action research to determine the factors that affect the reading

comprehension difficulties of the said students and from the result, the researcher hopes

to devise a scheme that can help improve the comprehension skill of the grade six pupils.

II. Review of Related Literature

Reading comprehension drives much of school based learning, making

problems in this area difficult for parents and children alike. Intervention must occur in

order to provide children with the best possible chance of coping effectively with these

issues. Reading comprehension problems must be identified in order to treat them

appropriately.

Decoding Issues. Individuals use decoding when they see pieces of information,

such as letters or words, to interpret meaning, in this case in the form of reading

comprehension. According to PBS sponsored Reading Rockets, children with issues in

decoding may have trouble reading words they have never seen before, may get stuck

on words consistently, or may have trouble with comprehension because so much time

is being spent on sounding out individual words in a passage. Children may appear to not

be paying attention or seem to gloss over details as they try to decipher the words

themselves.

Dyslexia. Dyslexia is a specific condition that deals with deficits in decoding.

According to a 2008 study by the National Institute of Health, Dyslexia is a neurological

condition that may show up as deficits in learning letters or the basic sounds of language,
spelling problems and trouble with reading comprehension. According to WebMD, mixing

up the letters of small words, reversing letters or words--such as ton and not-- or letter

inversions--such as w for m-- are also common. These alterations in reading text can

cause issues, including confusion about the meanings of words or sentences, which make

reading comprehension difficult without intervention.

Working Memory Deficits. According to the National Institute of Health, short term

or working memory is the system in the brain that stores and changes information into

useable pieces, which is necessary to learn, understand language, reason effectively and

for reading comprehension. Signs of working memory problems may include things like

needing to reread information since it was not processed and retained the first time.

According to a paper published by the Cardiff University School of Psychology,

behavioural issues may also be seen in those who do not comprehend material, due to

frustration or inability to focus on the material at hand. Research in the journal "Learning

and Individual Differences' from 2008 indicates that activities designed to enhance

working memory function may increase reading comprehension as well.

Attention Deficit Disorders. For some children, trouble with reading comprehension

may be caused by difficulty concentrating during the reading itself. This inability to

concentrate may be caused by Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). According to WebMD, children who have ADD or ADHD

may show consistent inattention, impulsive behaviours, or hyperactive traits that are not

expected of children their age. According to a 2011 study in the "New Horizons for

Learning Journal," those with ADD or ADHD show difficulties with reading comprehension

even if they do well with reading the words themselves. In 2007 research, the "Journal of

the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry" suggested that this problem is

possibly related to deficits in activation in the parts of the brain that control working

memory functions. (Causewell, 2016).

Many students begin to dislike reading because they struggle to gain meaning from

what they read. While research supports a strong correlation between reading

engagement and reading ability, students often do not read well because they do not
spend time reading. A cycle of reading apathy begins, which makes it more challenging

to support struggling readers (Bohn-Gettler and Rapp, 2011).

Factors linked to reading difficulties is low prior knowledge (i.e., poor general

knowledge) and lack of breadth in vocabulary. Prior knowledge is directly linked to reading

comprehension and is a strong predictor of reading ability. When a student lacks prior

knowledge about a topic, reading comprehension is impacted (Kintsch, 2013, Tarchi,

2010). Students who have a basic understanding of what they are reading about can

connect new information to what they already know. Prior knowledge is formed through

experience, by reading or hearing about a topic, or through family customs. A student’s

general cognitive ability is also a contributor to prior knowledge. A student who reads, or

who has been read to, is able to access this knowledge when reading related topics,

which can increase comprehension. It is not known at this time, however, if there are

mediating factors (e.g., working memory, motivation, decoding) that might impede prior

knowledge and impact reading comprehension.

lll. Research Questions

The aim of the study is to determine the commonly difficulties of reading

comprehension by the Grade 6 pupils at Rosa L. Susano-Novaliches Elementary School

(RLSNES). This paper will attempt to answer the following specific questions such as:

1. What are the reading comprehension difficulties of the Grade 6 pupils?

2. What are the factors that affect the reading comprehension difficulties of the Grade 6

pupils?

3. What schemes may be implemented to address the reading comprehension difficulties

of the Grade 6 pupils at RLSNES?

IV. Scope and Limitation

The aim of the study is to determine and report the common difficulties of reading

comprehension by the Grade 6 pupils at Rosa L. Susano-Novaliches Elementary School

(RLSNES) who will serve as respondents in this action research; hence is delimited to

obtain data from the 129 pupils of Grade 6 level from RLSNES during the school year

2019-2020. Each of the respondents will be given a test questionnaire to answer.

The study is also limited to responses to an open-ended questions to avoid bias

on the investigation.

V. Research Methodology

The descriptive method will be used in this study. The researchers will use a

researcher-made questionnaire to be administer to pupils focus on determining the

common difficulties encountered in reading comprehension. A total of 129 pupils from

Grade 6 level of Rosa L. Susano- Novaliches Elementary School (RLSNES) during the

school year 2019-2020 will serve as the respondents of the study, all will be selected for

the purpose.

A. Purposive sampling will be the technique use in determining the samples to be

obtain from a total of 1229 student population. All of them ages 9-13 years old and all

capable of answering the researcher-design questionnaire. Basic assumption of the

population is distributed below in Table A.

Frequency Distribution of Respondents

Level Male % Female % Total %

Grade 6 60 46% 69 54% 129 100

B. The test questionnaire to be use will pattern at the DepEd-recommended modules.

The researchers will personally distribute the questionnaires.

 C. Ethical Issues

The major ethical issues in conducting the research is an Inform consent, and Respect

for anonymity and confidentiality. A letter of request will personally hand to the

subject teacher and the school principal seeking permission to conduct the survey

containing a promise to conduct the survey with formality and the result be held in

strict confidentiality.

D. Plan for data analysis

The test questionnaires will be collected and datas obtain will be tabulated in tables

and interpret using the simple Percentage Ranking which will be used to show position

of importance in the item. The researchers used numbers 1, 2, 3…14 to show the

degree of importance in order to determine the level of difficulties in reading

comprehension as well as in the factors that affect the difficulties. The responses will

be interpreted according to a point scale to determine the common difficulties to be

encountered by the grade 6 pupils.

Weight Range Verbal Interpretation Code

5 4.21 – 5.00 Extremely Difficult ED

4 3.41 – 4.20 Very Difficult VD

3 2.61 – 3.40 Difficult D

2 1.81 – 2.60 Slightly Difficult SD

1 1.00 – 1.80 Not Difficult ND

VI. Time Line and Gantt chart

A. Time Line

Activity Duration

From To

Gathering literature June 25, 2019 June 26, 2019

Formulating objectives June 27, 2019 June 28, 2019

Analyzing and drafting literature June 28, 2019 July 6, 2019

Drafting the introduction July 7, 2019 July 10, 2019

Identifying research design and July 11, 2019 July 16, 2019

methodology

Drafting and peer validation of July 17, 2019 July 27, 2019

questionnaire

Distribution and retrieval of July 28, 2019 August 28,

questionnaire 2019

Tallying and interpretation of responses August 29, August 30,

2019 2019

Drafting results and discussions August 31, September 7,

2019 2019

Drawing conclusions and writing the September 8, September 10,

recommendation 2019 2019

Finalizing the introduction, review of September 11, September 19,

related literature, results and 2019 2019

discussions, bibliography

Drafting the problem solving blueprint September 20, September 24,

2019 2019

Encoding and polishing the entire paper September 25, November 27,

and peer validation of the problem 2019 2019

solving

Submission of the action research to the December 9,

division office and presentation to 2019

peers.
 TARGET DATES

End of Project Final Draft Final Report

November 27 2016 November 30, December 9,

2019 2019

Table 1. Timetable for the preparation of the action research

B. Gantt Chart

ACTIVITY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Gathering literature
Formulating objectives
Analyzing and drafting
literature
Drafting the
introduction
Identifying research
design and
methodology
Drafting and peer
validation of
questionnaire
Distribution and
retrieval of
questionnaire
Tallying and
interpretation of
responses
Drafting results and
discussions
Drawing conclusions
and writing the
recommendation
Finalizing the
introduction, review of
related literature,
results and
discussions,
bibliography
Drafting the problem
solving blueprint
Encoding and polishing
the entire paper and
peer validation of the
problem solving
Submission of the
action research to the
division office and
presentation to peers.
VII. Cost Estimates

The estimated cost of expenditures in the conduct of the study amounting to a

total of two thousand pesos (P2,000.00) is appropriated to items such as typing and

printing (P800.00), Transportation (P400.00) and snacks or food allowance (P800.00).

Budget Item Budget Requirement

Typing and Printing 800.00

Snacks 800.00

Transportation 400.00

Total 2,000.00

VIII. Plans for Dissemination and Advocacy

Plans for Dissemination and Advocacy

Research Output Scheme of Dissemination Resources Needed

Scheme in Solving Reading To be presented to Reading materials

Comprehension Difficulties students during class. Food for participants

among Grade 5 Pupils

lX. References

A. Online Journal and Articles

Åsa, E., (2014). Early Predictors of Reading Comprehension Difficulties. Edition 1:1.

ISBN 978-91-7519-281-9 / ISSN 1654-2029. Department of Behavioural

Sciences and Learning,

Causewell, M., (2016). Types of Reading Comprehension Problems in Children.

Retrieved from www.oureverydaylife.com

Bohn-Gettler and Rapp., (2011). Depending on My Mood: Mood-driven Influences on

Text Comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 103(3), 562-577.

doi:10.1037/a0023458
Hulme, C., and Snowling, M. J., (2011). Children's Reading Comprehension

Difficulties: Nature, Causes, and Treatments. Current Directions in

Psychological Science, 20, 139–142

Kintsch, W., (2013). Revisiting the Construction-Integration Model of Text

Comprehension and Its Implications for Instruction. In D. E. Alverman, N. J.

Unrau, & R. B. Ruddell (Eds.), Theoretical Models and Processes of Reading

(pp. 807-839). Newark, DE: International Reading Association

Tarchi, C., (2010). Reading Comprehension of Informative Texts in Secondary School:

A Focus on Direct and Indirect Effects of Reader’s Prior Knowledge. Learning

and Individual Differences, 20, 415-420

B. Internet

http://juandelacruz013.blogspot.com/2012/12/kamatayan-ni-andres-

bonifacio.html