ACTIVITIES EMPLOYED BY ENGLISH VI TEACHERS

CONCERNING THE PUPILS’ READING SKILLS AND COMPREHENSION

VAN ALDRICH V. ROSAL

Colegio De Dagupan
Dagupan City, Pangasinan

July 2021
 Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Reading can be one of man’s deepest pleasures. It extends his experiences, giving him a
glimpse of the world’s excitement, pleasure and wisdom. (Howes, 1975)
Reading enables man to ponder the mysteries of the world, explore accumulated
knowledge and contemplate the unknown. From this research, he begins to uncover some
answers to deeper questions, he is stimulated to raise more questions, and to continue his
pursuit for deeper understanding. It can be one of man’s ingredients for blending his inner
psychological world with the outer social world, and emerging into a new world of thought,
imagination and reality. (Sawyer and Lipa, 1975)
The degree to which the meaning and structure of a text are made apparent to the
reader depends largely on whether the reader-selected schemata (meaning the particular
organized ways of perceiving and responding to stimuli) or expectations are consistent with the
text. (Johns, 1986)

Statement of the Problem

This action research aimed to determine the activities employed by Grade VI English
teachers of selected public elementary schools in the 6 th District of Pangasinan concerning the
pupils’ reading skills and comprehension during the school year 2005-2006.
Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions:
1. What is the profile of the Grade VI teachers in terms of:
a. Sex
b. Age
c. Civil Status
d. Highest Educational Attainment
e. Years of Teaching
f. Major Field of Specialization
g. Trainings Attended
2. What are the activities employed by the teachers concerning the pupils’ reading skills
and comprehension?
3. What are the problems that the teachers met in teaching English to their pupils?

Scope and Delimitation

This study entitled “Activities Employed by English VI Teachers Concerning the Pupils’
Reading Skills and Comprehension” was focused on the activities employed for the learning and
mastery of the reading skills and for the comprehension or understanding of what is read by the
Grade VI pupils of the selected public elementary schools in the 6 th District of Pangasinan during
S.Y. 2005-2006.

Significance of the Study

The student researchers were urged to conduct this study to determine the activities
employed by teachers with regards to the skills and comprehension of pupils in reading and the
problems encountered by the teachers in teaching English to their pupils.
The researchers believe that the findings of this study will be beneficial to the new
school teachers that have practiced the profession for some years. The activities are important
for the pupils to learn and master the reading skills and be able to comprehend or understand
what they are reading as they are promoted to first year in high school.

Definition of Terms

Teacher’s Profile. It refers to the characteristics of the teachers such as educational

attainment, major field of specialization, number of years in teaching English and trainings
attended.
Trainings Attended. This refers to the trainings or seminars attended related to English
teaching.
Major Field of Specialization. This refers to the qualification of the English teachers to
teach English subject as indicated by their major field of specialization.
Educational Attainment. This refers to the highest degree of education a teacher has
obtained.
Activity. It is any specific action or pursuit.
Skill. It is the ability or proficiency that comes from training or practice.
Comprehension. It is the capacity for understanding ideas and facts.
Public School. This refers to all elementary schools financed or operated by the
government.
Corrective or Remedial Reading. It is employed for slow or disabled learners who have
not learned or mastered the basic reading skills.
 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents the review of related literature related to the present study which
provides insights and direction in the conceptualization of the study.
Reading experts define reading in many ways. Their views about reading are as follows:
According to Athley, reading is an activity that involves extracting meanings from print
and assimilating that meaning to one’s existing store of information. Reading is the chief
instrument of learning, the basic skill which makes possible instruction in other skills, as well as
in content subjects, the arts and sciences. The success of learning is largely dependent on the
ability to read. Since reading is the most convenient tool for acquiring knowledge, it has
become the most important skill being taught in schools. In fact historically, schools were
instituted to instruct truth in reading and writing so that cultural heritage of the ages, the lore
and laws of need not be lost to succeeding generations. No one claims that reading is the most
important activity in common school curriculum but no one disputes the fact from the time the
child can read independently, reading is his chief tool learning. The child can learn for himself.
According to Dechant, reading involves the recognition of printed and written symbols
which serve as stimuli for the recall of meanings built up through the reader’s past experience.
Reading is the central thought process by means of which meaning is put into the
symbols appearing on the printed page. (Gray, 1984)
Reading is a subtle and complex process that involves sensation, perception,
comprehension, application and integration. (Villamin, et. Al, 1984)
Reading is a language process. It requires cognitive responses to print in association with
the knowledge of the structure of language gained through sociocultural experiences within
one’s environment. (Sawyer and Lipa, 1975)
Dubin (1982) states that reading is a multi-faceted, complex skill made of a number of
psychological, physical and social elements.
As stated by Goodman, reading is a long-distance discussion between a reader and an
author…there is an essential interaction between language and thought in reading…the writer
encodes thought as language, and the reader decodes language to thought.
Reading is… an active process, in which the reader must make an active contribution by
drawing upon and using concurrently various abilities he has acquired. (Wardhaugh, 1969)
Man is naturally curious. He is always in search of answers to his various questions; he
wishes to discover the what’s, how’s and whys of things. Reading is a convenient and effective
means of satisfying this curiosity.
READING SKILLS
1. I check the reading skills of
the pupils by requiring them
to read stories or articles in
front of me one-by-one.
2. I immediately correct
mispronounced words of the
pupil reading in front of the
class.
3. I immediately correct the
wrong intonation pattern
used by the pupil in reading.
4. I ask the fast readers to
have time with the slow or
disabled readers in teaching
or mastering the basic
reading skills.
5. I encourage the class to
read more books.
6. I make it a point for them
to practice the standards for
oral and silent reading.
7. I stress the importance of
learning and mastering the
basic reading skills.

READING COMPREHENSION
1. I select simple words,
sentences and short
paragraphs for the class to
read with good level of
comprehension.
2. I let the pupils translate on
their own the simple words,
sentences and short
paragraphs read.
3. I use oral reading and
translation methods when I
teach reading
comprehension lessons to
my class.
4. I provide a good number of
reading materials and books
appropriate to the
understanding level of my
class.
5. I require my pupils to
make a home reading report.
6. I ask the class to search for
the meaning of words that
they can’t understand.
7. I let the pupils use the new
words that they have learned
in their own sentences.