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Factors Influencing The Reading Skills A
Factors Influencing The Reading Skills A
Factors Influencing The Reading Skills A
A Thesis
Graduate Program
College of Education
Silliman University
Dumaguete City
Kimberly R. Gonzales
May 2019
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Nikos Kazantzakis once said, “In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can”. I
believed that I could. God sustained me wisdom and knowledge in finishing this study. And I owe
it all to Him.
I was not alone in believing that I could. There were so many people behind me who helped
Dr. Mary Ann M. Temprosa for the continuous support, patience, motivation, and immense
knowledge. Her guidance helped me all the time in finishing this research. I could have not done
this without her unending support and motivation. Besides my adviser, I would also like to thank
my statistician Dr. Pablito R. Dela Rama as well as the rest of my thesis panel members, Dr.
Enrique G. Oracion and Dr. Helen Margaret U. Alvarez, for their insightful comments,
suggestions, and encouragement which incented me to widen and improve my research from
various perspectives.
I would also like to give my sincerest thanks to the Schools Division Superintendent of
SDO-Kabankalan, Ma’am Ma. Lorlinie M. Ortillo, CESO VI as well as the school heads, teachers,
parents, and pupils of Balisong Elementary School, Basak Elementary School, Casipsipan
Elementary School, and D.C. Gurrucharri Memorial School for allowing me and giving me the
opportunity to conduct this research study in their school, for without their precious support it
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And last but not the least, I would like to thank my family, Mama Bel and Papa Li, my
brother and sisters, relatives, and Paul for the unending support and motivation throughout the
iii
ABSTRACT
Education is vital for the progress of today’s society. But despite of the government’s
initiative, Filipino learners are still demonstrating an alarming performance locally, nationally, and
internationally, which needs a serious action from all education sectors in the country (Imam,
2016). And for this reason, this study was conducted to examine the factors that influence the
reading skills and academic performance of grade six pupils in four public schools in Kabankalan
City. The data used in this study were the demographic profile, reading profile, and academic
performance of the grade six pupils. The data were retrieved from the pupils’ respective teachers
with the consent of the pupils’ parents, principals, and schools division superintendent. The study
used the descriptive-correlative design and the data were analyzed using percentage, Pearson
Product Moment r, and chi square test of independence. The results revealed the following: (1)
that the female students had better reading skills and were performing better than males
academically; (2) that pupils who were living near the school had better reading skills in English
and better academic performance; (3) that pupils who were living far from school had better
reading skills in Filipino; (4) that the higher the parents’ educational attainment, the higher were
the grades of the pupils; (5) that in terms of reading profile, the higher the mothers’ educational
attainment, the lower was the reading profile of the pupils in English and Filipino probably because
these mothers were working and had lesser time spent reading with their children; (6) that the
pupils’ age and socio-economic status did not affect the reading profile of the pupils; (7) that in
terms of academic performance, the older the child was the lower was his/her grade in English;
and, that the pupils with parents of average income were performing academically better than those
who were poor economically. With all these results being considered, a reading enhancement and
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remediation program was designed and was hoped to be implemented to either address the needs
of pupils who were reading and performing below the expected level and to support those who are
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Title Page i
Acknowledgments ii
Abstract iv
Table of Contents vi
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
Hypotheses 7
Definition of Terms 10
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Related Literature 13
Literacy 14
Domains of Literacy 15
Reading 28
Aspects of Reading 30
vi
Reading Problems 36
Theoretical Framework 39
Conceptual Framework 42
Research Design 45
Research Environment 45
Sources of Data 46
Ethical Considerations 47
Summary 59
Conclusions 61
Recommendations 62
vii
REFERENCES 66
APPENDICES
viii
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURE
Table Page
1 Demographic Profile 48
2 Academic Profile 49
3 Reading Profile 50
Araling Panlipunan 55
Figure
1 Conceptual Model 44
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Education is vital for the progress of today’s society. However, despite of its importance,
there are still at least 750 million youth and adults who cannot read and write, and 250 million
children who are failing to acquire basic literacy skills according to the data given by UNESCO
(n.d.). Furthermore, according to Philippine Education for All (EFA) 2015 Review Report,
education is a major contributor to the upliftment of the living standards of the disadvantaged
groups. And for many poor Filipinos, education is a way for a better life. It also states that despite
of the progress in some of the indicators, there are still remaining gaps that need to be addressed
(as of 2013). Some of these gaps are the following: (1) more than 25 percentage point gap in the
completion rate that ensure all school-aged children finish their basic education; (2) four
percentage point gap to eradicate basic illiteracy and 14 percentage point gap to eradicate
functional illiteracy; and, (3) six percentage point gap for elementary level and 24 percentage point
gap for secondary level to reach the ideal 75 mean percentage score of EFA.
School is a world of learners where they can have their education which is the passport to
explore the world. It is where a community of lifelong learners and responsible global citizens that
makes them champions of their own success is created. It is a place considered as a melting pot
for it is where children abound regardless of race, ethnicity, color, and more. Within and outside
the four walls of the classroom, church, court, cultural center and community are the children who
learn to live, work and play together. It also influences their behavior. It is where the multiple
intelligences of children are discovered and developed. Furthermore, elementary school is the next
after kindergarten in the educational system. It is the next six years of compulsory education.
Mathematics, Science, English, Filipino, and Araling Panlipunan are the major subjects in the
elementary school. And it does more than merely augmenting the home, church, cultural center
and community (Wesley, 1946). Therefore, elementary school plays an important role in the
educational system and the development of the human resources of the country. However, despite
the general progress and achievements, elementary schools still encounter many problems and
issues.
In the Philippine educational system, reading is one of the top priorities especially in
elementary education. It is a basic communication skill (Heilman, Blair & Rupley, 1990). And
today, everyone is expected to possess basic skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic. Being able
to read is being literate, which enables humans to understand and participate in the transformation
of the society. Therefore, reading is a primary way of learning in our society (Heilman, Blair &
Rupley, 1990). It is a skill utilized in every academic subject area; therefore, it is logical to examine
how it is related to other subject areas (Cimmiyotti, 2013). The educational system also depends
heavily upon different types of reading texts as learner reach higher grade levels. Textbooks that
they use in science, math, and history are usually several hundred pages in length, featuring
diagrams, pictures, and the like (Cimmiyotti, 2013). Shippen, Houchins, Crites, Derzis and
Patterson, (in Cabardo, 2015) state that without a doubt, the ability to comprehend written and
spoken languages as well as to communicate ideas and concepts are important in one’s growth and
progress. Access to knowledge in the different disciplines is made possible through comprehension
and communication and through the mastery of the several study skills, habits, and attitudes to
develop the enthusiasm needed in the continual persistence of learning. Moreover, Cimmiyotti,
Shin, Davidson, Long, Chan, and Heistad; Quirk, and Beem (in Cabardo, 2015) conclude that the
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one who is unable to comprehend and communicate well in any forms is bereaved of a wonderful
learning experience in life as a person. Thus, it is a need for every learner to practice reading
because the mastery of reading skill will give him/her access to increasingly complex knowledge
Moreover, mathematics has long been recognized as a major factor in development (Patena
& Dinglasan, 2013). It is used in solving problems that people encounter every day. And in solving
math problems, learners cannot just depend on computation skills and understanding of concepts,
but to focus in developing the ability to understand text (linguistic knowledge), which plays an
important role in determining learners’ success in solving problems, especially in the form of word
problems (Sanhadi, Mardiyana & Pramudya, 2017). To cope with the demands of life, one must
master the basic mathematical skills. This also contributes and plays an important part in
Prince (in Kerubo, 2014) noted that vocabulary, number and symbol sense and the ability to read
and comprehend word problems are essential factors affecting achievement in mathematics.
Gooding in her study (in Sanhadi, Mardiyana & Pramudya, 2017) suggests that one of the
difficulties of students in solving word problem is the lack of understanding about the word
problem given. The same phenomenon has been investigated by Cruz and Lapinid (in Sanhadi,
Mardiyana & Pramudya, 2017) at the lower levels of education that suggested a link between
reading comprehension ability and the ability to solve word problems. Moreover, the low level of
understanding and discouraging achievements of the learners in mathematics has become a cause
of great concern of our country (Patena & Dinglasan, 2013). For instance, the National
Achievement Test (NAT) results for four succeeding years (2006-2009) in both elementary and
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secondary levels registered below mastery level of 75 percent (Imam, Abas-Mastura, & Hamil
2013).
Science on the other hand, is also one of the major factors in development. In most
countries, science is seen as a key component of schooling, and higher education in science
subjects is usually considered very important for meeting societal needs such as ensuring the
‘supply’ of scientists, engineers, and other professionals working in scientific fields to ensure
sustainable economic development (Taber & Akpan, 2017). To function effectively in a modern
technologically advanced, there is a necessity for every citizen to have a basic understanding of
science (Taber & Akpan, 2017). For example, a citizen who is advised by a doctor about treatment
options for themselves or for a sick relative can only make an informed decision if they understand
some basic science; a citizen who wishes to live their life in an environmentally responsible way
needs a basic understanding of science so they can make choices about their purchases and sensible
recycling behavior (Taber & Akpan, 2017). Moreover, Sochor (in Kerubo, 2014) noted that
reading comprehension relates to comprehension of science texts and emphasized that the fact that
reading is vital in science as it enables learners to remember symbols, formulas, and specific
However, despite of the importance of science and mathematics in our everyday lives,
Barton, Heidema and Jordan (in Imam, Abas-Mastura & Hamil, 2013) views mathematics and
science as the two most difficult subject to understand by elementary and high school students.
Proof of low performance was evident based on the results of 2006 National Achievement Test
(Imam, Abas-Mastura & Hamil, 2013). The alarming performance of the Filipino learners locally,
nationally, and internationally needs a serious action from all education sectors in the country
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(Imam, 2016). Navarra’s study (in (Imam, 2016) states that aside from mathematics, the
Department of Education and other educational institutions are closely monitoring developments
in science teaching-learning, especially the students’ performance in achievement tests. The poor
in general. For example, the 1990 University of the Philippines Survey showed that Filipino
students performed poorly in science including mathematics. This finding is very reflective of the
This problematic condition that the country is still experiencing pushed this study to be
conducted. A needs-based reading enhancement and remediation program could be designed and
developed to improve the reading level as well as lessen, if not eradicate illiteracy as experienced
by 2.32 million Filipino adults over age 15 in the year 2013, according to UIS UNESCO (n.d.).
Collado’s study (in Laurito, Duallo & Pecajas, 2016) states that elementary and secondary
education is the country’s major program for the delivery of mass and universal education. It is,
thus, expected that development of the basics, namely, reading, writing, and arithmetic will
enhance learning capabilities that will enable Filipinos to become productive, self-reliant,
versatile, civic-minded, physically fit, and, consequently, totally developed citizens. Moreover,
Cabardo (2015) states that nobody could translate one’s vision of a nation free from illiteracy
without the basic skills which are the reading, writing, and arithmetic. These skills will enable a
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But despite the government’s effort to improve the quality of education of the country, the
problem on elementary pupils’ poor academic performance and poor reading skill is still rampant.
Poor reading skill is attributed as one of the major factors that decreases the academic performance
of the learners. Thus, the primary goal of this study was to determine the relationships between
and among the grade six pupils’ demographic profile, which includes their age, gender, educational
attainment of their parents, socio-economic status, and their home location; their reading profile
in English and Filipino at the reading level, word reading level, and reading comprehension level;
and, their academic performance in Mathematics, Science, English, Filipino and Araling
Panlipunan for the first and second grading periods for the school year 2018-2019. To answer the
1. Is there a significant relationship between the grade six pupils’ demographic profile
2. Is there a significant relationship between the grade six pupils’ demographic profile
Araling Panlipunan?
3. Is there a significant relationship between the grade six pupils’ reading profile in
4. Is there a significant relationship between the grade six pupils’ reading profile in
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Hypotheses
Generally, it was hypothesized that no significant relationships exist among the three
variables which were the demographic profile, reading profile, and the academic performance of
grade six pupils. And to prove this, the following hypotheses were tested:
1. There is no significant relationship between the grade six pupils’ demographic profile
2. There is no significant relationship between the grade six pupils’ demographic profile
Araling Panlipunan.
3. There is no significant relationship between the grade six pupils’ reading profile in
4. There is no significant relationship between the grade six pupils’ reading profile in
Learners. The result of this study would enable learners to learn that their demographic
profile, reading profile and academic performance relate with each other. It would allow them to
have an idea on how to help themselves improve their academic performance and their reading
profile. The findings would help them realize the importance of reading not just in one learning
area, but in all learning areas and that reading will make them competent, skilled, and successful
learners.
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Learners’ parents. The learners' parents would be guided on how to help their children
cope, understand, and improve their academic performance by developing their reading skill. It
would also help them realize how important reading is for the improvement of their children. It
would also encourage them to spare some time teaching their children how to read not only to
bond and build harmonious relationships with each other but ensure them success in life. It also
hoped that through this study, the parents would understand why there is MTB-MLE and why
Teachers. The teachers would be able to determine the cause of the low academic
performance of their learners and would have an idea on how to help solve the problem. The study
would allow them to learn how to become more effective as teachers and would give them the idea
that teaching reading should not be taken for granted nor taken lightly; that it should be taught with
passion and determination to help learners succeed in life; and, that providing good quality
education to their pupils is a step forward in achieving success and development of our country.
This study would also help learners and the teachers improve the teaching and learning process.
Department of Education officials. Every schools division office throughout the country
could encourage schools to conduct more studies similar to this to help improve the quality of
education in the country. More emphasis could be given to the teaching of reading and the
and help teachers become more efficient and effective at what they are doing in providing quality
education for learners and produce quality graduates. The findings of the study would show how
reading improves the academic performance of learners and how important it is to encourage
teachers and future teachers or education students to consider teaching reading crucial to the
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success of learners. It would also give them an idea how and what to include in designing and
College of Education dean and faculty. The College of Education should not take reading
lightly. It must help inculcate in the minds and hearts of their students that teaching reading is
important to the success of every learner. They must produce competent and quality graduates who
are equipped with good skills in reading so they will also be able to teach reading more effectively.
Its faculty members should realize that the College should instill the importance of reading in
Education Students. Teaching reading is one of the most important skills teachers must
equip themselves with regardless of their majors. The success of their future learners lies in their
hands. They should realize that they cannot teach what they do not have, therefore, as future
teachers they should also have well-developed reading skills. And by knowing that idea, they could
prepare themselves about how to teach reading more efficiently and effectively, how to provide
quality education, and how to produce competent, skilled, and quality graduates.
This was a needs-based study that focused only on determining the relationships between
the demographic profile and reading profiles; the demographic profile and academic performance;
and reading profile and academic performance of the grade six pupils in four public schools in
Kabankalan City for the school year 2018-2019. Reading in MTB-MLE / Hiligaynon was not
included in this study because the Phil-IRI material that was used to determine the reading profile
of the grade six pupils did not have MTB passages. The available material for Phil-IRI in Filipino
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only starts in grade 3 and Phil-IRI in English starts in grade 4. This study covered only four
elementary schools in Kabankalan City for these were the only available schools that the researcher
could gather the secondary data needed for the study from. Moreover, other factors that were not
specified in this study were not treated in the investigation because of limited time and resources.
The results of this study would not be definitive of the public elementary schools in Kabankalan
City, Negros Occidental since only four schools were covered and only one grade level, grade six,
Definition of Terms
The following terms were the major variables found in this study and were defined
Academic Performance covers the average grades earned by the pupils in Mathematics, Science,
English, Filipino and Araling Panlipunan for the first and second quarters for the
Demographic Profile covers the age, gender, educational attainment of the pupils’ parents’/their
families’ socio-economic status, and the distance of their school from their home.
Reading Profile is the summary of a learner’s reading level based on his/her word reading and
of Learning Resources, 2018) as the level at which readers find the reading
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Instructional reading level is defined by Flippo (in Department of Education-
Bureau of Learning Resources, 2018) as the level at which readers profit the
on their own with almost perfect oral reading and excellent comprehension.
Reading level is used to describe whether the pupil is reading below or at his/her current
Grade 3 level which means, the pupil is reading three grade levels below the current
Grade 4 level which means, the pupil is reading two grade levels below the current
Grade 6 level is when the pupil passed the group screening test. He/she will no
longer be required to take the word reading and reading comprehension test
Reading comprehension level is the comprehension score of each pupil. It is the percentage
of Learning Resources, 2018) as the level at which readers find the reading
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Instructional reading level is defined by Flippo (in Department of Education-
Bureau of Learning Resources, 2018) as the level at which readers profit the
on their own with almost perfect oral reading and excellent comprehension.
Word Reading Level is the word reading score of each pupil. It is the percentage of words
correctly read over the total number of words in each passage (Department of
Bureau of Learning Resources, 2018) as the level at which readers find the
on their own with almost perfect oral reading and excellent comprehension.
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CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Related Literature
Since the year 1946, UNESCO (n.d.) has been stating that they had been at the forefront of
global literacy efforts in advancing the vision of a literate world for everyone. They believe that
literacy is the driver for sustainable development that enables greater participation in the labor
market, improvement of child and family health nutrition, reduction of poverty, and expansion of
life opportunities. Moreover, aside from the common idea that literacy is a set of reading, writing,
People read every day, therefore, reading is indispensable. However, despite of being
indispensable there are still problems that everyone should know just like the new data from
UNESCO Institute for Statistics that show 617 million children and adolescents around the world
who are unable to achieve minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics. The data signal
“learning crisis” that could threaten the progress towards the sustainable development goals or
SDGs (UNESCO, 2017). Moreover, these are some recommendations offered by the Philippine
Education for All (EFA) Review Report 2015 that include instilling programs to enhance the
reading habits of primary school children; revitalizing and/or strengthening ECARP (Every Child
a Reader Program); and providing necessary extra support for children lagging in reading and
numeracy skills. These only shows that reading should not be taken lightly.
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Literacy
According to Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2006, at the first look, “literacy”
would seem to be a term that everybody understands. However, it is an idea that is proven to be
both complex and dynamic. It is interpreted and defined in multiple ways. And in English history,
the word “literate” means “familiar with literature” or more generally, “well educated or learned”.
It is only in the late nineteenth century that it has also come to refer as the ability to read and write
text, while maintaining its general meaning of being “knowledgeable or educated in a particular
field or fields”. The most common knowledge about literacy is that it is a set of cognitive skills of
reading and writing. Moreover, numeracy skills and the competencies it comprises is usually
of literacy itself. People’s notion of what it means to be literate or illiterate are influenced by
academic research, institutional agendas, national context, cultural values, and personal
experience. The word “literate” has also been used in a much broader sense just like “information
Furthermore, Roser and Ortiz-Ospina (2018) believe that literacy is a key skill and key
measure of a population’s education. However, they also believe that despite of the great
inequalities, there are still many challenges to conquer ahead. The poorest countries in the world
still have very large segments of the population who are illiterate, and Niger is one of the examples.
The literacy rate of the youth age 15 to 24 years old in Niger is only 36.5%. This only shows that
literacy is indeed considered as a learning process because as individuals learn, they become
literate. And that is why in the Philippine educational system, literacy is included in the K to 12
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Domains of Literacy
The Literacy Advance of Houston (n.d.) states that UNESCO defines literacy as the ability
to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute, and use printed and written
materials about numerous contexts. It involves a continuum of learning that enables every
individual to reach their goals, and develop their knowledge and potential for them to participate
fully in their community and society. Furthermore, UNESCO (n.d.) believes that literacy’s
“multiplier effect” empowers people and allows them to participate fully in the development of
the society. Moreover, literacy is categorized into fourteen domains that are integrated in the K to
12 Curriculum. These domains are needed in developing literacy in every learner. These include
oral language, phonological awareness, book and print orientation, alphabet knowledge, phonics
and word recognition, fluency, spelling, writing and composition, grammar awareness and
Oral language. One’s knowledge and use of structure, meaning and uses of the language
is called oral language. Its development is where literacy development depends on and one cannot
be successful in learning to read (and write) in a language that he does not understand (Pado, 2014).
Moreover, according to the Center for Early Literacy Learning (n.d.), oral language is the ability
to use expressive language to communicate with others. It is also the foundation of reading and
writing skills that the children will develop as they enter and progress in school. They will use this
in all aspects of their education and having a strong foundation in oral language will help them
become successful readers and strong communicators as well as build their confidence and overall
sense of well-being (Reeder & Baxa, 2017). Simmons, Kameenui, and Himmele (in Reeder &
Baxa, 2017) state that research shows that repeated exposure to rich language can help children
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become successful communicators, readers, and writers. Educating their parents about the
importance of oral language and encouraging them to communicate and read with their children
as early as possible can also help prepare their children for school. Additionally, giving pupils high
quality early-childhood education rich in oral language and literacy development can also help
them become proficient readers by third grade (Reeder & Baxa, 2017).
Phonological awareness. According to the Center for Early Literacy Learning (n.d.), the
ability to distinguish between and manipulate sounds in spoken language; hear similarities,
difference, and patterns in sounds is called phonological awareness. It involves word with rhymes,
syllables, onsets and rimes. In developing phonological and phonemic awareness, a child should
have a practice of detecting rhyming words, number of syllables in words, giving the beginning
sound of words (onset), and the ending syllable of words (rime). Furthermore, it is an awareness
especially in reading English words. The reader must be able to listen to the onset and rime of a
word, for example, the onset of cat is c; the onset of clap is cl. On the other hand, the rime of cat
is -at; the rime of clap is -ap. A reader who thinks it’s difficult to recognize a word may be given
oral drills on sounding out the beginning (onset) or ending (rime) sound of a word (Department of
Book and print orientation. Knowing and being acquainted with books and how print
Resources, 2018). Children with print awareness understand that print has different functions
depending on the context in which it appears. For example, menus are lists of food choices, a book
tells a story, a sign can announce a favorite restaurant or warn of danger. It is an understanding
that print is organized in a way. For example, knowing that print is read from left to right and top
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to bottom and that words consist of letters and spaces appear between words. According to Reading
Rockets (n.d.), print awareness is children’s earliest introduction to literacy. Furthermore, the
Center for Early Literacy Learning (n.d.) states that print awareness is about understanding the
purposes and conventions of print. Children’s interaction with books like holding and looking,
shared storybook reading, exposure to environmental print, observing adults how they use print
and read books, recognizing printed names, and drawing, are some of the experiences that support
Alphabet knowledge. Pado (2014) states that alphabet knowledge is the ability to
recognize, name, and sound out all the upper-case and lower-case letters of the alphabets, that each
letter of the alphabet has a name, has an upper and a lower case, is written in a certain way, and
has a distinct sound. Readers who are in the beginning stage should learn three things about each
letter of the alphabet which are the following: its name, sound, and how the big and small letters
are written. The sound of each letter is essential; usually, it becomes the clue on how a word is
read. For the words in the Mother Tongue and in Filipino, each vowel has only one sound.
However, in English each vowel has more than one sound. And because of that, the approach in
teaching word recognition in English differs from teaching word recognition in Mother Tongue
and Filipino. Most consonants have one sound each, except for letter C and G which have two
sounds. In the Mother Tongue and in Filipino, j has two sounds too (Department of Education-
Phonics and word recognition. This is the ability to identify written word by sight or by
deciphering the relationship between the sounds of spoken language and the letters in written
language. If there is difficulty in word recognition in reading a specific selection, then there is
going to be a gap in the understanding of the text. And this gap will create a problem in the readers’
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comprehension of the selection (Department of Education-Bureau of Learning Resources, 2018).
reading, rapid and effortless word recognition is a major component. Words that beginners initially
sound out through phonics come to be recognized as one unit after readers encounter them
repeatedly in connected text. This means that it is necessary for beginners to read lots of connected
text at an appropriate level to solidify their phonics and word recognition abilities. Readers who
have difficulty with word recognition usually misread words by substituting a similar-looking
known word for the target word. One example is immorality for immortality.
Fluency. The National Reading Panel (in Bernardo, 2011) suggests that the ability to read
requires proficiency in several domains, and fluency is one of it. It is described as the ability to
read orally with speed, accuracy, and vocal expression. It may be hard to remember what has been
read if the reader is not fluent, as well as on how to relate the ideas expressed in the text to the
readers’ prior knowledge. The accuracy and automaticity of reading will serve as the bridge
between decoding and comprehension. Thus, fluent readers do not need to concentrate on
decoding, so they can focus their efforts on making meaning of the text. Also, the Department of
Education-Bureau of Learning Resources (2018) states that the lack of fluency may lead to the
reader not being able to pick up on the author’s tone and other implied connotations in the
selection. And if these are missed out because of the wrong use of pauses, phrasing and expression,
comprehension of the selection may be hindered and will be greatly affected. Furthermore, one
reason a student may not comprehend text is that he/she is spending all his/her attention and energy
on figuring out the words. Word recognition must be accurate, rapid and require little conscious
attention so that attention can be directed to the comprehension process (Pado, 2014).
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Spelling. Converting oral language sounds into printed language symbols is called spelling
(Pado, 2014). Many of the young readers are confused by the rules and exceptions of spelling.
Research shows that learning to spell and read depends much of the same underlying knowledge
just like the relationships between letters and sounds. Spelling instruction can also be designed to
help children understand better the key knowledge that will result to better reading. Catherine
Snow et al. (in Moats, 2005) summarized the real importance of spelling for reading. She said,
“Spelling and reading build and rely on the same mental representation of a word. Knowing the
spelling of a word makes the representation of it sturdy and accessible for fluent reading.” In fact,
Ehri and Snowling (in Moats, 2005) found that the ability to read words “by sight” depends on the
ability to map letters and letter combinations to sounds because words are not very visually
distinctive just like the words: car, can, and cane. And it is impossible for children to memorize
more than a few dozen words unless they have developed insights into how letters and sounds
correspond. Learning to spell needs instruction and gradual integration of information about print,
speech sounds, and meaning. In turn, this information will support memory for whole words which
is used in both spelling and sight reading. In addition, to continue to learn the rules of spelling,
students can develop a deep understanding of English by studying the meanings of roots, prefixes,
and suffixes; families of related words; the historical development of the English language; and
words’ language of origin. It is very likely that this kind of word study would support vocabulary
development and facilitate reading by enabling students to view any new word from the angles of
sound, meaning, language of origin, and syntax. As a result, students would be more likely to be
able to figure out the meaning of the new word as well as how to spell it and how to use it with
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Handwriting and composition. Handwriting is the ability to form letters by way of
manuscript and cursive styles (Pado, 2014). According to Berninger (in Apply Therapy, n.d.),
children develop the skills needed for learning to read as they learn to write. And these are some
of the few ways of writing that support reading. Thus, children learn to write letters from top down
which follows the same visual movement pattern as reading since people read text from the top of
the page and working their way down. Proper top-down letter formation reinforces the visual
organization necessary for reading as children learn to write. Second, on the writing paper, children
also learn to align and sequence the letters they write from left to right which reinforces the left to
right visual tracking that is necessary for reading. Third, writing is rhythmic and predictable
because of its rhythm and repetitive nature; hence, its practice facilitates writing fluency which
leads to an automatic motor response that allows a child to think less about their actual motor
actions of writing and more about what he or she is writing. Being proficient during the act of
reading is due to the ability to focus on reading the letters while writing them. Fourth, the
movements are stored in what is called “kinesthetic memory” as children learn to write letters.
“Kinesthetic memory” is the memory center in the brain that is related to movement patterns. It is
also the first memory center to develop and provide for the longest lasting memories – for example,
the memory of the movement patterns for how to sit or walk. And as stated above, this memory
center allows writing to become an automatic motor response. And as the time a child learns to
read, he or she can draw upon this memory center to remember how the letters on the page are
formed and to draw conclusions on what those letters are. Fifth, reading and writing use the same
temporary working memory system to take in information, analyze it, and use it. Both of them also
interact through working memory during spelling and composing written work. Therefore, the
working memory takes what the eye sees and interprets it based on what is stored in a person’s
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long-term memory. Furthermore, no matter what their source is, letters and words are processed
through the same system. The brain will respond to the letter and words on a page faster if the
working memory can draw upon kinesthetic memory to identify letters. On the other hand,
composition is being able to formulate ideas into sentences or longer texts and represent them in
the conventional orthographic patterns of written language (Pado, 2014). Britton and Holdgreve-
Resendez (in Showerman & Hoffman, n.d.) state that it is creating written works by putting
individual words and thoughts into a coherent and readable text. It is a vital tool in literacy and
education, but most importantly in communication. It allows people to convey ideas, feelings,
emotions, opinions, political views, arguments, and many other forms of communication. It is
learned through observation, discovery, and multiple strategies. Composition develops before
writing. And children can dictate verbally before they can write. This can be developed by the
following strategies: drawing, scribbling letter-like forms, estimated spelling, and conventional
spelling. However, if a student does not understand the language, then he/she will not be able to
compose or write in that language. Therefore, a student may have difficulties in learning to write
Grammar awareness and structure. One’s knowledge of language features and sentence
listen to the language. They learn it directly through explicit instruction. Years ago, grammar
awareness is taught indirectly through oral activities. There were games and contests encouraging
the use of grammatical structures (Pado, 2014). According to Grabe, Jeon and Yamashita (in
Steinlen, 2017), despite of the language to be learnt, successful reading comprehension relies on
the grammar the reader knows, that is the grammar plays a vital role in understanding texts, both
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for the first language (L1) and other languages (L2 or L3) acquired. The structure and the meaning
of the language is grammar, and each language has its own grammar (Negara, 2016).
Vocabulary development. The knowledge of words and their meanings in both oral and
print representations is called vocabulary development (Pado, 2014). Without meaning, words and
phrases are nothing more than a nonsensical string of sounds or letters. Thus, reading, writing,
speaking, and listening are grounded in the formulation and understanding of written and verbal
messages (Fisher & Frey, 2014). Readers, writers, speakers, and listeners marshal what they know
about words and phrases to understand and convey coherent messages in what Thorndike (in Fisher
& Frey, 2014) termed as “a cooperation of many forces”. Therefore, vocabulary is not an isolated
skill. The demand on vocabulary knowledge is intensified throughout the elementary and middle
school years. Nagy and Anderson (in Fisher & Frey, 2014) estimated that students entering ninth
grade needs to know and understand 88,500-word families. Yet in too many cases, vocabulary
instruction is isolated from other aspects of the instructional day, particularly in content area
learning. It is far too common to assign students a list of words (usually technical terms) that will
be used in a social studies or science unit and then ask them to look up words and write definitions
so that they can then compose solitary sentences. This limited exposure to words and phrases in
observational study of Canadian upper elementary classrooms, Scott, Jamieson-Noel, and Asselin
(in Fisher & Frey, 2014) found that 39% of vocabulary instructional time was dedicated to
definitions, mostly through dictionary and worksheet use. Vocabulary instruction in elementary
content area classes was even more limited. The same researchers found that an average of only
1.4% of social studies, mathematics, science, and arts instructional time was devoted to vocabulary
development. Whether your goal is to meet the demands of the Common Core State Standards, or
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for locations not impacted directly by these standards but where vocabulary is a significant
concern, we recommend that teachers attend to four significant components of word learning: wide
reading, selecting words to teach, modeling word solving, and providing students opportunities
through collaborative conversations to actually use their growing vocabularies (Fisher & Frey,
2014).
Reading comprehension. The complex and active process in which vocabulary knowledge
is a crucial component and which requires an intentional and thoughtful interaction between the
reader and the text is called reading comprehension (Department of Education-Bureau of Learning
Resources, 2018). According to Lenz (n.d.), reading comprehension is the process of constructing
meaning from text. The goal of it is helping a reader comprehend a text. It involves at least two
people: the reader and the writer. The process of comprehending involves decoding the writer's
words and then using prior knowledge to construct a relative understanding of the writer's message.
therefore affected by the reader’s knowledge of the topic, language structures, text structures and
genres, cognitive and metacognitive strategies, reasoning abilities, motivation, and level of
engagement. The quality of the reading material also affects the reading comprehension. And there
are two kinds of text: (1) “considerate text” and the “inconsiderate text”. A well-organized and
clear text is called a “considerate text”, while text that is poorly organized and difficult to
understand is called an “inconsiderate text” and this kind of text requires more work for the reader
to comprehend the text. Moreover, reading comprehension has four components: (1) activating
prior schema or prior knowledge, (2) comprehension strategies, (3) comprehension of literary
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Activating schema or prior knowledge. Texas Education Agency (2012) states that
activating schema/prior knowledge is a strategy that requires readers to activate their background
knowledge and to use that knowledge to help them understand what they are reading. It is made
up of a person's experiences with the world along with his or her concepts for how written text
works which includes word identification, print concepts, word meaning, and how the text is
organized. In determining readers’ ability to comprehend what they read, research has established
that readers' existing knowledge is critical. Moreover, schema theory is one of the most important
is anchored on how people organize and activate their knowledge. Schema theory states that as
people learn about the world, they develop a large network of knowledge structures, or schemas,
with each schema connected to many others and these schemas grow and change as a person
acquires new information through experience and reading. When cognitive scientists applied
schema theory to reading comprehension, they have found that good readers always connect their
background knowledge to the new knowledge they encounter in a text. As a matter of fact, good
readers appear to activate a schema as early as they begin to read. The initial schema then activates
others; hence it directly affects how readers understand and react to a text. Schemas that are
Comprehension strategies. This is being self-aware as students discuss and analyze text to
create new meanings and modify old knowledge (Pado, 2014). Texas Educational Agency (2012)
states that studies on good readers have identified several comprehension strategies to be highly
useful. These strategies range from the simple to the complex and from the list of strategies
examined by researchers. The following strategies have been shown to be helpful: (1) Activating
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and Using Background Knowledge; (2) Generating and Asking Questions, (3) Making Inferences,
(4) Predicting, (5) Summarizing, (6) Visualizing, and (7) Comprehension Monitoring. The Ontario
Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto (n.d.) states that while reading, good
readers tend to use a variety of strategies like making predictions before reading, making
checks of text comprehension). Using these strategies and other effective comprehension
strategies, teachers can model, teach, and promote these strategies to help students become even
devices and understanding story grammar (Department of Education, 2016). In teaching reading
comprehension, using literary materials is appropriate and attractive to learners as they gain
advantages from these literary texts. Furthermore, literary works are precious materials for reading
comprehension activities as these provide students with the opportunity to expand on the limits of
the text by integrating readers’ experiences and beliefs into meanings of the text which facilitates
students’ ability to create new interpretations and inferences from the text. Conforming to Keene
and Zimmermann (in Özkan & Töngür, 2014), reading expands the limits of the literal text by
intertwining reader’s experiences and beliefs into the literal meanings in the text as new
interpretation and inference are made when reading. Literary works are usually very useful tools
because these integrate absolute information. Hismanoglu (in Özkan & Töngür, 2014), on the other
hand, expresses that literature can be beneficial in the language learning process owing to the
personal involvement it fosters in the reader. As the student reads a literary text, he begins to
inhabit and gets immersed into the text. Understanding the meanings of lexical items or phrases
becomes less significant than pursuing the development of the story. The student becomes
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interested to find out what happens as events unravel at the climax and feels close to characters
and shares their emotional responses that can have favorable effects upon the whole language
learning process. Therefore, the language level of the students is evident in the prominence of the
selection of a literary text in relation to the needs, expectations, and interests (Özkan & Töngür,
2014).
expository texts and use this information for discussion or written production, it means that
Researchers have learned a great deal related to informational text in American elementary
classrooms, which can be summarized as follows: (1) that students have limited exposure to
practices, and teacher-guided instruction; (2) that most of the time, students are having difficulty
to comprehend such texts because of their lack of exposure to informational texts and that their
ability to comprehend the content and their scores are higher when they are reading narrative
fiction compared to when they are reading informational texts; (3) that students need more
experience with expository texts although many types of informational texts exist; (4) that some
researchers suggest that students will never be successful in school if they fail to learn to read
expository texts; and, (5) that many students actually prefer reading narrative or fictional texts than
level that includes conversations, narrative stories, and informational oral texts is called listening
comprehension. Listening Comprehension involves the process of getting and creating meaning
(Kim & Pilcher, 2016). Vandergrift (in Kök, 2014) said that listening comprehension is anything
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but a passive activity. He added that it is a complex, active process in which the listener must
discriminate between sounds, understand vocabulary and grammatical structures, interpret stress
and intonation, retain what was gathered in all of the above, and interpret it within the immediate
as well as the larger sociocultural context of the utterance. Byrnes, Nagle, Sanders, and Young (in
Kök, 2014) believe that listening comprehension requires listeners to create a meaning from the
oral input by drawing upon their prior knowledge of the world and of the second language. Hogan,
et al. (2014) conclude that listening comprehension is a complex skill that comprises a lot of
cognitive and linguistic processes which are tested in numerous ways depending on individual
comprehension assessments. Language also influences listening comprehension and a lot of work
Attitude toward language, literature and literacy. Pado (2014) defines attitude toward
language, literature and literacy as having a sense of being a reader and developing individual
choices and tastes for texts to read for different purposes like for learning or pleasure. A print-rich
environment is an effective way of developing positive attitude towards literacy. Children who
have positive attitudes and experiences about reading are usually more motivated to learn to read.
Brain development research shows that reading aloud every day to children increases their brain’s
capacity for language and literacy skills and is a vital thing that one can do to prepare them for
(2016) defines attitude toward language, literature and literacy as the demonstration of love for
reading stories and confidence in performing literacy-related activities and/or tasks. This domain
must be integrated in the language arts curriculum from kindergarten up to senior high school.
This domain is also aligned to the five sub-strands of the Language and Literacy Domains which
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Study strategies. Study strategy is a general term for techniques and strategies that help a
person read or listen for specific purposes with the intent to remember. Some examples of study
skills include following directions, locating, selecting, organizing and retaining information,
interpreting graphic aids such as tables, graphs, maps, and more (Pado, 2014). Study skills are the
skills you need to enable you to study and learn efficiently. These are valuable transferable life
skills that will help learners develop their own personal approach to study and learn in a way that
meets their individual needs. As one develops their study strategies, they discover what works for
them and what doesn’t. Moreover, study skills are not subject specific. These skills can be used
when studying any discipline. Once a student has mastered these skills, these will become
beneficial to them throughout their life. Study skills are not just for students for these will take
them beyond their education and into new concepts like organizational skills, time management,
prioritizing, learning how to analyze, problem-solving, and self-discipline that are required to
Reading
Traditionally, learning to read means learning to pronounce words, to identify words and
get their meaning and to bring meaning to a text in order to get meaning from it. It is a very
complex process that needs a great deal of active participation of the reader. It is also an interactive
process among the reader, the writer and the text. Furthermore, reading is an intricate course of
action of unlocking codes which represent meanings and conveying the writers’ and the texts’
messages (Bernardo, 2009). Leipzig (in Bernardo, 2009) states that reading is a multifaceted
process involving word recognition, comprehension, fluency and motivation. Hence, in a fullest
sense, it is weaving together fluently the word recognition skill and comprehension skill and at the
same time developing and maintaining the motivation to read. On the other hand, Cziko, Greenleaf,
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Hurwitz, and Schoenbach (in Bernardo, 2009) believe that reading is not just a basic skill nor a
simple process but a complex process of problem solving in which the reader works to make sense
of a text not just from the words and sentences on a page but also from the ideas, memories and
knowledge evoked by those words and sentences. Additionally, Dechant (in Bernardo, 2009)
defines reading as a process which is complete only when comprehension is attained, and full
comprehension happens when the reconstruction agrees with the writer’s intended message.
Furthermore, reading theorists agree that extensive reading is vital for developing reading
speech, therefore a child is required to possess both the aural skills and oral vocabulary to read
successfully, while in a cognitive perspective, reading is viewed as extracting meaning from the
text, hence, a child is viewed as an active constructor of his own reading as he employs his reading
skills and strategies which allow him to comprehend the text. He also uses his schema as he
Reading is, indeed, an important part of one’s life. Students across year levels read several
instructional materials like books, journal articles, and other useful references. And for this reason,
days would not go by without reading anything laid on one’s hands. Therefore, reading is
indispensable. One gets to know the world around him because of reading. Francis Bacon suggests
“Reading maketh a full man”. This indicates that one must make a total view of himself and the
environment he lives in by reading, making him whole, complete, learned and a person that matters
(Bernardo, 2009). According to Sofian (Bernardo, 2009), reading is a primary leisure activity when
there are no televisions or computers. People usually spend hours reading books and travel to lands
far away – in their minds. The sad thing is that, as time goes by people have lost their skills and
love for reading. And aside from books, there are lots of other exciting and thrilling options
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available. And that is a shame because a productive approach to enhance vocabulary and word
power is what reading offers. And to keep abreast of the varied styles of writing and new
vocabulary, it is advisable to indulge in reading at least half an hour a day. Moreover, it is observed
that children and teenagers who love reading have comparatively higher IQs and are more creative
and excel in school. It is suggested that parents inculcate the importance of reading to their children
in the early years. Reading is significantly helpful in developing vocabulary and reading aloud
helps to build a strong emotional bond between parents and children. The children who start
reading from an early age are observed to have good language skills and can grasp the differences
in phonics much better. Reading invigorates the muscles of the eyes and helps mental
development. It is an activity that adds to the conversational skills of the reader and involves
acquired. Reading habitually also helps readers to decipher new words and phrases that they
encounter in everyday conversations. It can become a healthy addiction and adds to the information
available on different topics. It helps readers to stay in-touch with contemporary writers as well as
those from the days of yore and makes them aware of global issues.
Aspects of Reading
People usually think of reading as one singular act, but engaging several tasks
simultaneously each time a reader sits down with a book. Phonics, phonemic awareness, word
knowledge, reading comprehension, and fluency are the five aspects of reading that works together
to create the reading experience. Children must develop skills in these five aspects as they learn to
Phonics. The understanding of the alphabetic principle (that letters either singly or in
combination represent various sounds) and the ability to apply this knowledge in the decoding of
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unfamiliar words is phonics. It can be taught whenever students have the prerequisite phonemic
awareness skills to identify and manipulate the various sounds (phonemes). In kindergarten, if
students are ready, phonics instruction can begin; however, traditionally the most intensive phonics
instruction takes place in the first grade. It is a vital piece of the reading puzzle that enables students
to phonemically decode words by matching graphemes (the letters of the alphabet) to phonemes
(the sounds the letters represent). Phonics instruction is most effective when it is part of a well-
rounded program that includes word and word knowledge, spelling, fluency, comprehension,
reading a lot, and writing. Most students need specific systematic phonics instruction to fully
master the code, but the type and amount of phonics instruction that an individual student needs to
become fluent readers may vary. The students most at risk need intensive and specialized decoding
the grade one pupils’ reading comprehension problem is the inability to recognize individual
words. More research show that children with low reading ability usually struggle with word
Phonemic awareness. The ability to identify and manipulate the sounds letters represent,
including blending sounds to make words, creating rhyming patterns, and counting phonemes
(individual sounds) is called phonemic awareness. Children who enters kindergarten with low
phonemic awareness skills are at high risk of reading failure and need immediate and intensive
interventions (McEwan, 2009). Moreover, Adams (in McEwan, 2009) shared that the key to
phonemic awareness seems to depend more on training than on age or maturation. If the children
do not have the proper exposure to print and sound in either their homes or kindergarten classrooms
by age five and a half, they will also stay not ready by the time they are six and a half. Phonemic
awareness instruction ensures that students can identify and manipulate sounds. It is an essential
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prerequisite for mastering the spelling-sound correspondences and learning to decode. Students
will require different amounts of phonemic awareness instruction depending on their needs.
However, no student needs to fail to learn to read because of phonemic deficiency (McEwan,
2009).
Word and world knowledge. The ability of knowing the meanings of words, relationships
between words (word schema), and having linguistic knowledge about words is called word
different subjects and disciplines (domains) and how they relate to one another. The ideal time to
teach word and world knowledge is from birth. And one of the biggest hurdles that educators face
in teaching all students to read results from the huge differences in language development that
exist between various subpopulations of the students (McEwan, 2009). Biemiller (in McEwan,
2009) states that language development is inextricably related to reading success, and word and
world knowledge are important predictors of reading comprehension. There is no best way, or any
one program that ensures to work for teaching word and world knowledge. Effective word and
world knowledge instruction is highly dependent on the intellect, skill, and motivation of teachers
who are committed to giving the gift of words to their students. Effective teachers use a variety of
approaches and multiple methods. However, on a daily basis, every classroom must practice
effective vocabulary instruction which provides students with different opportunities to hear, read,
spell, discuss, write, and use the following kinds of words: (1) words needed to understand text
that will be read; (2) academic vocabulary the teacher uses in the course of instruction; (3) content
words from mathematics, science and social studies; and (4) words that just pop up in daily
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Reading comprehension. Maria’s study (in Imam, 2016) defines reading comprehension
as a holistic process of creating meaning from the written text through the interaction of the
knowledge the reader brings to the text, i.e., word recognition ability, world knowledge, and
knowledge of linguistic conventions. It is the reader's interpretation of the language that the writer
used in constructing the text, and the situation in which the text is read. Similarly, Aquino (in
Imam, 2016) views reading as the interaction between the reader and the text. The reader constructs
meaning from the text by guessing and predicting the succeeding texts based on the reader’s prior
knowledge of the text and the world. Villamin, Salazar, Bala, and Sunga’s study (in Imam, 2016)
shows that the known father of reading, William Gray, defined reading as a four-step process
which includes perception of the word, comprehension of its meaning, reaction to the meaning in
terms of prior knowledge, and integration of idea into one’s background of experience. Moreover,
for Flick and Lederman (in Imam, 2016) view reading comprehension as the employment of high
level of thinking to infer the meaning of text, consider its implications, and decide on applications.
Fluency. Harries, Hodges, Pikulski, and Chard (in McEwan, 2009) defines fluency as the
ability to read so effortlessly and automatically that working memory is available for the main
purpose of reading which is getting and constructing meaning from the text. It can be observed in
accurate, automatic, and expressive oral reading and make possible, silent reading comprehension.
Pikulski and Chard (in McEwan, 2009) state that fluency plays a critical role in skilled reading. It
serves as the bridge between word identification and comprehension. Automatic and accurate sight
word reading enables readers to focus all their cognitive energies on the meaning of what they are
reading. Fuchs, et al., (in McEwan, 2009) reiterate that fluency is highly correlated (.80) with the
ability to comprehend what is read. Calfee and Pointkowski (in McEwan, 2009) add that as
students develop fluency in their oral reading, their comprehension scores also often improve.
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However, it depends on the students’ abilities to phonetically decode words, therefore, it is in the
kindergarten and first grade where the students must receive the extreme importance of explicit
systematic phonetic awareness and phonics instruction. According to some researchers, first grade,
is not too early to start repeated oral reading of accessible text at students’ independent reading
well as through commercially available programs. Thus, instant word recognition is the foundation
Reading was established as a tool in learning other fields including mathematics. Various
researches have been undertaken to examine the relationship between reading and mathematics,
mathematical process. Particularly, researchers have found out skills commonly attributed and
utilized when one is engaged in reading comprehension and doing mathematics, thus establishing
Crandall, Dale, Rhodes, and Spanos (in Imam, 2016) argued that language skills, especially
the reading skills are needed to understand mathematics texts and word problems and the listening
skills are required to understand and follow teachers’ presentation of a problem’s solution.
Therefore, reading and listening skills are the vehicles through which pupils learn and apply math
Based on studies presented by Zepp (in Imam, 2016), reading skills like infering,
understanding directions, noting details, and vocabulary knowledge were found to have significant
correlations with algebra scores and different problem-solving abilities in mathematics. For Barnes
(in Imam, 2016), finding the main idea, using information in detail, and making inference are the
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required skills to solve math problems. For example, math problems often require more than what
is explicitly written for; sometimes, it calls for making inferences or drawing conclusion. In
addition, Miller (in Imam, 2016) and many educators claimed that the major component in
and word problems for without understanding vocabulary pupils are hindered to learn mathematics
(Imam, 2016).
In social studies, the National Council of Social Studies states that the main goal of social
studies it to help the youth as citizens of a culturally diverse and democratic society in the
interdependent world in developing their ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the
public good. It is a powerful responsibility to work with students in helping them to have the
knowledge and skills required to become informed decision makers in a democratic society.
Studying social studies is much more than memorizing historical facts, geographical statistics or
government, civic, and economic terminology; it is about problem solving, decision making,
reflective inquiry, and critical thinking. More than other academic areas, social studies is about
helping students to be strategic thinkers who are responsible for their decisions that have a great
impact to the society. Thus, students must be strategic in their reading and they must be able to
comprehend and use what they have read to make informed decisions and choices in the world in
English language is both a verbal and non-verbal medium of communication that helps
members of a community in communicating and interacting with one another. And reading is one
of the examples of a nonverbal communication that enriches one’s greater understanding and
vocabulary. In schools, the knowledge and information in English have been acquired usually
through reading. It is a great skill in getting information through translation and understanding the
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written text from various reading materials and it is also considered the first provider of relevant
information for other communication skills such as writing, speaking, and listening. Although
students have mastered the basic elements of English, such as grammar and vocabulary, their
reading comprehension levels still need improvement. In fact, 10 to 15% of the general school
population had had trouble in reading that causes failure in schools. Reading experiences also
strongly influence a student’s feeling of competency, just like if it is not achieved, there could be
reading failure that may lead to misbehavior, anxiety, and lack of motivation in comprehending
Reading Problems
When the citizens cannot read adequately, the society suffers. People with low reading
levels comprise many of the unemployed, high school dropouts, the poor, and those convicted of
crimes. The problems of our schools, the growth of poverty, and the loss of family values all show
some association with poor reading (Richek, Caldwell, Jennings, & Lerner, 2002). Illiteracy is
debilitating. Children in modern society will not succeed in life if they do not learn to read. People
in few generations ago managed to get along reasonably well in the business and social worlds
without literacy skills, which is a situation that is no longer possible in today’s world. Students
face more mandatory tests required by federal, state, and local laws than ever before. Periods of
compulsory education are longer, and for students to obtain jobs they need diplomas and degrees.
These hurdles, as well as the need of filling out application forms and taking licensing
examinations, make life for the poor reader uncomfortable and, indeed, full of impassable barriers
(Richek, Caldwell, Jennings, & Lerner, 2002). Gerber (in Richek, Caldwell, Jennings & Lerner,
2002) states that teachers usually hear that children must learn to read so that later they can read
to learn. In fact, failure in school can often be traced to inadequate reading skills because reading
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is the basic requirement for all academic subjects. Poor reading leads to many problems. And for
poor readers, opportunities for remunerative employment decrease. Youth who drop out of high
school have twice the unemployment rate, fewer opportunities for continued training, and
This problematic situation of poor reading skills of today’s generation has been observed
if not experienced, by teachers. Children lack comprehension and have a hard time answering
questions about what they have read. They also find it difficult to solve problems especially if the
problem given is a word problem wherein, they need to understand the given situation in order to
arrive at a solution. They also lack motivation to learn how to read. They take reading for granted.
Most of the time, learners are just reading in order to comply with what their teachers are telling
them to do without understanding what they are reading. Hence, the conduct of this study was
pursued in order to help alleviate the problem about poor reading skills and propose the
The Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) Assessment Tool is aimed to be used
Information from the assessment can help teachers in designing and providing appropriate reading
instruction for their pupils. At the school level, the information from Phil-IRI assessment can also
be of great help to the school heads in planning for the appropriate school reading programs or
Learning Resources, 2018). Phil-IRI is also an assessment tool composed of graded passages
designed to determine pupils’ reading level. It is a need to note that the Phil-IRI only gives an
approximation of the learner’s abilities and it may also be used in combination with other reliable
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tools of assessment. The development of the Phil-IRI is one of the initiatives put in place in support
of Every Child A Reader Program (ECARP). Teachers should be armed with information about
their pupils’ current reading levels and abilities before they are able to design and provide
appropriate reading instruction for their pupils (Department of education, 2018). This particular
study used the Phil-IRI as a tool to determine the reading profile of the grade six pupils in a public
school in Negros Occidental. Pupils’ reading profile includes the reading level (grade 3 level, grade
4 level, or grade 6 level); word reading level (frustration level, instructional level, or independent
level), and comprehension level (frustration level, instructional level, or independent level).
What can Phil-IRI tell the teachers? According to The Phil-IRI Manual 2018 published
by the Department of Education, the Phil-IRI Group Screening Test (GST) can tell teachers
whether students are reading at, above, or below their grade levels. The results in the group
screening test will determine the reading level of each pupil. Moreover, pupils’ oral reading, silent
reading comprehension and/or listening comprehension levels can be assessed using an individual
administration of the Phil-IRI Graded Passages. The Phil-IRI may also be used to describe
decoding and word recognition, fluency and comprehension to assess pupils’ oral reading skills.
The pupils’ performance in word recognition can also be measured through a Reading Miscue
Inventory wherein the child is asked to read a passage and each word read incorrectly is noted and
marked. Moreover, in assessing pupils’ fluency, the time taken by the pupil to read a passage is
recorded and the number of words that he/she can read per minute is computed. Furthermore, a
qualitative description of the pupil’s manner of reading is described by a checklist. Finally, test
taker’s comprehension skills may be gauged by having the pupil answer the five to eight questions
of varying difficulty based on the graded passage he/she has read. When used to assess silent
reading comprehension, Phil-IRI may be used to describe reading speed and comprehension. The
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pupils’ reading speed is measured by recording the time it takes the pupil to read each passage
completely. Silent reading comprehension is measured by asking the pupil to answer five to eight
questions of varying difficulty after a passage has been read. To assess listening comprehension,
the Phil-IRI may be used by having the pupils listen to the passages as they are read by the test
administrator and as they answer five to eight questions of varying difficulty about each passage.
For all three types of individual assessments, the aim is to find the learner’s independent,
instructional and frustration levels, so that teachers know what level of reading materials the
student can read and understand well, as well as what level of reading materials the student is not
ready for. Since the Phil-IRI is administered at the start and at the end of the school year, it can
also tell teachers about the growth and changes in students’ reading skills and levels.
Theoretical Framework
According to UNESCO (n.d.), primary education is the basic education which aims to
prepare children to have the competence needed to advance further in making a worthwhile
contribution to society which is constantly changing. And to achieve this objective, educators must
keep abreast of current thinking and engage in trainings that will enhance the teaching and learning
process. Central to the success of the teaching and learning process is children’s level of attainment
in reading. And since reading forms the basis for all other areas of learning, it is necessary to ensure
B.F. Skinner’s Theory of Behaviorism, also known as Operant Conditioning, is based upon
the notion that learning is a result of change in overt behavior. These changes in behavior are the
results of one’s response to events (stimuli) that happen in the environment. And these responses
produce a consequence like defining a word or solving a word problem. And when a stimulus-
39
response pattern is reinforced, one is conditioned to respond. Reinforcement is the key and there
are two types of reinforcement: positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive
reinforcement strengthens behavior or increases the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated.
It is any stimulus that is given to increase response. Verbal praises, star stamps, and stickers are
some of the examples of positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcement, on the other hand pushes
a child away from a behavior. It is any stimulus that results in the increase of frequency of a
response when it is withdrawn or removed. For example, a teacher announced that a pupil who can
have high grades would no longer take the final examination. This kind of reinforcement is a
reward for working so hard and having a high grade (Lucas & Corpuz, 2011). Just like in reading,
a learner must develop a good skill in reading comprehension so that he/she will receive a positive
reinforcement in the form of high academic performance, otherwise he/she will receive failing
grades.
learning when a strong connection between stimulus and response is formed. He came up with
three primary laws: (1) Law of Effect, (2) Law of Exercise, and (3) Law of Readiness. In the Law
of Effect, a connection between a stimulus and response is strengthened when the consequence is
positive (reward) and it is weakened when the consequence is negative. Thorndike later, revised
this “law” when he found out that the negative reward (punishment) does not necessarily weaken
the connection, and that some pleasurable consequences does not necessarily motivate
performance. Hence, Thorndike came up with the second “law” which is called the “Law of
Exercise”. This law tells that the more an S-R (stimulus, response) connection is practiced the
stronger it will become. The saying, “Practice makes perfect” seems to be related to this. However,
like the law of effect, the law of exercise also had to be revised when Thorndike found out that
40
practice without feedback does not necessarily improve performance. And so, Thorndike
formulated the third law which is called the “Law of Readiness”. This law states that the more
ready the learner is to respond to the stimulus, the stronger will the connection be between the
stimulus and the response. For example, when a person is ready to respond to a stimulus and is not
made to respond, it becomes annoying to the person. One of the examples is when the teacher says
the class will watch a movie they have been waiting for (stimulus), and suddenly the power goes
off, the students will feel frustrated because they were ready to respond to the stimulus but was
prevented from doing so. Another example is when a teacher calls upon a student to stand up and
recite and asks the question and expects the student to respond right away when the learner is still
not ready. This causes frustration to the student. Hence, teachers should remember to say the
question first and wait for a few seconds before calling on anyone to answer (Lucas & Corpuz,
2011). In reading, learners who have well-developed reading comprehension skills will be more
productive and will able to understand the lessons in school faster and better. Learning will not be
frustrating and annoying for them. They will enjoy and learn better. They will perform better in
class and will eventually get higher and better grades than those who still have not developed their
Moreover, Jean Piaget states, “The principle goal of education in the schools should be
creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other
generations have done”. Piaget’s theory focuses on the four stages of cognitive development,
(Lucas & Corpuz, 2011). The emphasis of his theory is that children at certain stages are capable
of only certain types of intellectual endeavors and they acquire knowledge by interacting with the
world (Marquez, Casela & Sadorra, 2009). This is where aspects in reading and domains of literacy
41
comes in. Piaget’s theory only proves that children develop different reading skills at different
stages and must be equipped with these certain skills at certain stages in order to become
successful. Reading is a complex process that needs time and has stages.
solve a problem or fashion a product that is valued in one or more cultures. He believes that people
have different intelligences that vary in the degree of strength and skill. His theory about this is
called Multiple Intelligences (MI) which includes nine distinct forms of intelligence namely,
smart), musical intelligence (music smart), intrapersonal intelligence (self smart), interpersonal
intelligence (people smart), naturalistic intelligence (nature smart), and existential intelligence
(spirit smart). These intelligences lead to children’s learning that educators should cater all the
time. These also support reading such that these intelligences help learners become proficient
readers. Each learner is unique, therefore, reading strategies must also be varied in order to cater
to the multiple intelligences of the learners. One of the best ways to integrate this theory is for
teachers to use questions of all types to stimulate various levels of thinking from recalling
information to drawing implications and making value judgments (Lucas & Corpuz, 2011).
Conceptual Framework
There are three variables in this proposed study. First, is the demographic profile which is
composed of pupils’ age, gender, educational attainment of their parents, pupils’ socio-economic
status, and the distance of school from their home. Second, is the reading profile, which is divided
into two, the reading profile in English and the reading profile in Filipino which have three levels:
42
frustration, instructional, and independent. Both reading profiles are composed of pupils’ reading
level, word reading level, and reading comprehension level. Pupils’ reading level are labelled as
grade 3, grade 4, and grade 6 while pupils’ word reading level and reading comprehension level
are labelled as frustration, instructional, and independent based on the Phil-IRI result. The third
variable is the academic performance. This is the pupils’ average grades in Mathematics, Science,
English, Filipino, and Araling Panlipunan for the first and second gradings for school year 2018-
2019.
In terms of the pupils’ reading level, pupils who are reading below their grade level (grade
3 level and grade 4 level) are presumed to have low academic performance and need more
assistance to develop their reading skills, while learners who are reading at their grade level (grade
6 level) are presumed to be performing well academically. Moreover, in pupils’ word reading and
reading comprehension level, pupils who are identified in the frustration reading level are
presumed to have low academic performance. They lack strong skill in reading comprehension
and need more assistance in developing these reading skills. Learners in the instructional reading
level are presumed to have an average academic performance and need direct instruction from the
teacher for them to comprehend better. Learners in the independent reading level are presumed to
have a high academic performance and function on their own with almost perfect oral reading and
excellent comprehension. And to sum it all, the pupils’ reading profile is the summary of pupils’
reading level based on their word reading level and reading comprehension level. However, there
may be variations in pupils’ reading profile and academic performance due to the influence of their
demographic profile. The findings of this study may be helpful to be used in the design and
implementation of a Reading Enhancement and Remediation Program to help cater to the needs of
all types of pupils in developing strong skills in reading (see Figure 1).
43
Learners’ Demographic Profile
• Age
• Gender
• Educational attainment of their parents
• Socio-economic status
• Home location
44
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
Research Design
relationships between grade six pupils’ demographic and reading profile in English and Filipino;
demographic profile and academic performance; and, reading profile in English and Filipino and
academic performance.
It also sought to determine the extent of difference in the reading profile in English and
Filipino between upland and lowland public elementary schools as well as the difference in their
academic performance. Based on the findings of the study, a needs-based reading enhancement
and remediation program was proposed and was hoped to be implemented as soon as possible.
Research Environment
The proposed study was conducted in four public elementary schools in Kabankalan City,
Negros Occidental. The city is located in the southern part of the province of Negros Occidental
and is known as the “Rising City of the South”. It is also considered as a hub of economic activities
in southern Negros. The four respondent public elementary schools in this study included Basak
Gurrucharri Memorial School. These schools are in Sitio Basak, Barangay Tan-awan; Sitio
Balisong, Barangay Orong; Sitio Casipsipan and Sitio Overflow in Barangay Hilamonan,
45
Sampling Procedure
The samples were identified through a stratified sampling of the grade six pupils in the four
elementary public schools in Kabankalan City. The researcher chose to conduct this study to grades
six pupils since the researcher is handling a grade six class. Data Collection and gathering of first
Sources of Data
The data used in the study were taken from secondary sources. First and second quarter
academic performance (grades) of the grade six pupils were gathered from their subject teachers
in Mathematics, Science, English, Filipino and Araling Panlipunan. The demographic profile of
the pupils were determined through the Pupil’s Profile Form accomplished by their respective
teachers (see Appendix C for the Pupil’s Profile form). The reading profile of the grade six pupils
were retrieved from the schools’ Filipino and English coordinators. The data were collected with
the permission from the schools division superintendent, school principal, parents, and teachers.
The researcher sent formal letter to the Schools Division Office and Principal’s Office to
request permission from the said offices to allow the participation of the four schools and to
use/retrieve the data needed for the study from these school. Pupils’ demographic profile and
academic performance were retrieved from their respective class advisers and subject area
teachers, while the reading profile were requested from the schools’ Filipino and English
coordinators. Informed Consent Form (see Appendix B) were distributed and explained to all
46
concerned prior to the conduct of data gathering. The pupils’ parents or guardians involved in the
study were requested to sign the Informed Consent Form as evidence of their approval.
The data collected were analyzed using percentage, Pearson Product Moment r, and Chi
Square test of independence. Percentage was used in presenting the distribution of respondents
per variable. Pearson Product Moment r was employed to determine whether or not a significant
relationship exists between the pupils’ academic performance and reading profile. It was also used
to determine the extent of relationship between reading profile and age, and socio-economic status
and distance of school from their home. Moreover, chi square test of independence was used to
ascertain the extent of relationship between reading profile and gender as well as between reading
Ethical Considerations
Letters to request permission to conduct the study were sent to the Schools Division Office
and Principal’s Office of the sampled pupils. The data gathering commenced only when the
approval from superintendent and the principals were received. The sampled pupils and their
parents were informed about the purposes, significance, potential harm, and benefits of the study.
Moreover, they were informed that they could freely withdraw anytime from the study without
consequences. The parents were also requested to sign an Informed Consent Form and Parent’s
Consent Form to signify their permission to allow the researcher to gather the data for the pupils’
profile, Phil-IRI results, and academic performance (grades). The data gathered were treated with
utmost confidentiality and the identity of the respondents with anonymity. The sheets containing
all the data collected were shredded after the study was completed.
47
CHAPTER IV
Table 1 shows the grade six pupils’ demographic profile in the four public elementary
schools in Kabankalan City. The table shows that the mean age of the population is 11 years old
and majority of the pupils are female (52.81%). Moreover, 33.33% of the population are living
more than four kilometers away from their school. And majority of their parents’ educational
attainment is elementary.
48
Grade Six Pupils’ Academic Performance
The academic performance of the grade six pupils covers the average grades garnered by
the pupils in the first and second grading periods for school year 2018-2019 in their five subjects,
41.13% of the population have grades between 75 to 79 and the average grade is 82. In Science,
42.42% of the pupils have grades between 80 to 84 and the average grade is 83. Moreover, there
are only 10.82% grade six pupils who have grades of 90 and above in English and their average
grade in English is 83 which is the same with Science. In comparison, the pupils garnered the
highest average grade in Filipino among the five subjects. The grade six pupils have an average
grade of 85 in Filipino and majority of them have grades between 85 to 89. Lastly, in Araling
Panlipunan, 38.10% of them have grades between 80 to 84 and their average grade in Araling
Panlipunan is 84. In summary, Table 2 shows that most of the pupils have grades between 80 to
84 across the five major subjects and the general average of the population in the five subjects in
the first and second grading period for school year 2018-2019 is 83.
Table 3 shows the reading profile of the grade six pupils for both English and Filipino. In
English, the highest percentage (38.10%) of the pupils are in the frustration level. On the other
hand, in Filipino, majority of them are in instructional level comprising 39.83% of the total
49
population. By comparison, pupils from the four public elementary schools have a better reading
skill in Filipino than in English. However, the results of the analysis still show that improvement
Table 4 shows the results of the analysis of the relationship between grade six pupils’
demographic profile and reading profile in English and Filipino. In terms of gender and reading
profile in English, Table 4 shows that the highest percentage of the female is at the independent
level while the highest percentage of the male is at the frustration level. Therefore, it can be said
that the females are better than males in terms of reading skills in English. On the other hand, in
terms of gender and reading profile in Filipino, the higher percentage of the males is in the
frustration level compared to females. Therefore, the females are better than the males.
Furthermore, the analysis of the grade six pupils’ home location and reading profile in
English shows that the highest percentage of pupils who are living less than 4 kilometers from the
school is at the independent level while the highest percentage among those living more than 4
kilometers away from the school is at the instructional level. Thus, the result shows that those
living less than 4 kilometers away from school are better than those living more than 4 kilometers
away. And by comparison, the result of the analysis in terms of home location and reading
performance in Filipino shows that those who are living more than 4 kilometers away from school
50
Table 4 also shows that there’s an inverse relationship as the higher the mother’s education
is the higher is the percentage of those at the frustration level. Conversely, the lower the mother’s
education is, the higher is the percentage of those who are at the independent level. Lastly, the
result of the analysis also shows that there is no significant relationship between the grade six
pupils’ age and their reading profile. The same result is true with their socio-economic status and
In relation to the other studies conducted, the results of this study yield the same results as
the study conducted by Jimmy Rey O. Cabardo in the year 2015. The result of Cabardo’s study
shows that majority of the respondents were at the frustration level; that males are less proficient
in reading than females; and that there is no significant relationship between the levels of reading
proficiency of students and their year level and gender when analyzed. Moreover, his study also
revealed that majority of the respondents in his study were at the frustration level in terms of their
reading proficiency, thus, suggesting the need for a reading intervention program that will cater to
the needs of students who are at the frustration level and instructional level. He also recommended
employing peer tutoring to enhance the reading skills of those at the independent level.
The generated results of this study are not consistent with the results of the study conducted
by Vlachos and Papadimitriou last 2015. Their study revealed a significant effect of age in reading
performance, with older children having better scores than younger ones in reading fluency,
reading comprehension, and the total performance. Moreover, their study also revealed that gender
51
Table 4. Relationship between the Grade Six Pupils’ Demographic Profile and Reading
Profile in English and Filipino
Variables Coefficient of Correlation (ꭓ²) P value
Age 0.22 0.896
Gender 25.39 0.000*
Reading
Distance from school 66.98 0.000*
performance in
Economic 1.09 0.580
English
Fathers’ education 4.28 0.368
Mothers’ education 1.39 0.846
Age 0.01 0.995
Gender 17.45 0.000*
Reading
Distance 57.44 0.000*
performance in
Economic 5.94 0.051
Filipino
Fathers’ education 9.32 0.054
Mothers’ education 17.58 0.002*
Table 5 shows the results of the analysis in determining the extent of relationship between
the grade six pupils’ demographic profile and academic performance. The results show that
between age and academic performance in English, there is an inverse relationship, which means
the higher the age, the lower is the grade as indicated by the negative sign. Moreover, between
gender and academic performance, the results show that females are better than males in all
subjects, while in the relationship between the distance of home location and academic
performance in English, those living less than 4 kilometers from school are performing better
academically.
Table 5 show that those on the average income are performing better academically than those who
are poor economically. Furthermore, in analyzing the relationship between the grade six pupils’
parents’ educational attainment and their academic performance, the results show that the higher
the parents’ educational attainment, the better are the grades of the pupils. Finally, other subjects
that are not specified have no significant relationship with their demographic profile.
52
In relation to the other studies conducted, the study conducted by Rigette Ryan S. Ramos,
Enrique G. Baking, Dolores T. Quiambao, Reynaldo C. Nicdao, and Alvin V. Nuqui in 2015 show
the same results with this study. The results of their study show that the age and all family related
factors are not significantly related to the mathematics proficiency level of the students. However,
the results of their study contradict to the results of this study in a way that their results shows that
there is no significant relationship between the aspects of educational attainment of the family and
academic performance. In this study the results generated show that the higher the parents’
educational attainment, the better and the higher the grades of their children are. Additionally, the
results of this study contradict with the result of the study conducted by Dr. Nasir in 2012 which
revealed that increase in age brings improvement in academic performance. However, in some
aspect, the result of Dr. Nasir’s study revealed the same results of this study, which shows that
academic achievement and gender are related, revealing a higher academic performance of female
students than male students. Moreover, these results were also consistent with the findings of the
studies conducted by Jaeger and Eagan, Cole and Espinoza (in Nasir, 2012), which indicated a
better performance of female students than male students. Rusillo and Arias (in Nasir, 2012) add
that this difference may be attributed to their motivation for academic success.
The study of Dr. Nasir also shows that academic performance of students from urban areas
is better than the performance of students from rural areas. This result of Dr. Nasir’s study
contradicts with the result of this study for this study shows no significant relationship between
demographic profile and academic performance in Mathematics, Science, Filipino, and Araling
Panlipunan. However, the results also show that in English, those who are living less than 4
kilometers away from school is performing better than those who are living more than 4 kilometers
53
Moreover, Dr. Nasir’s study yields the same results as this study revealing that students
with higher household income perform better academically than those students with low household
income. Furthermore, Yousefi, et al. (in Nasir, 2012), also find a positive correlation between
family income and academic achievement. He states that the students from urban areas usually
have better academic facilities than the students from rural areas and that those with better income
or resources can have access to quality educational experience. This may be the reason why these
On the other hand, the results of the study of Dr. Nasir also reveal that parents’ education
has a significant effect on the academic achievement of the students. This result is also consistent
with study conducted by Davis-Kean (in Nasir, 2012) that parents’ education and household
income are moderate to strong predictors of academic achievement. Acharya and Joshi (in Nasir,
2012) also found that parents’ education can affect the achievement motivation of the students.
Additionally, Aremu, Tella and Tella (in Nasir, 2012) also find positive correlation between
academic achievement and parental involvement. This means that the degree of children’s
academic achievement is determined by the degree of their parents’ involvement in their education.
Hence, Aremu, Tella and Tella (in Nasir, 2012) assert that more educated parents can improve
their children’s academic achievement by getting involved in their educational interests and by
providing them help and support in resolving educational issues. The results of the studies
mentioned above are in line with the results of this study. Thus, we can say that parental involment
is important in the success of the children, and the higher the educational attainment of the parents,
54
Table 5. Relationship between the Grade Six Pupils’ Demographic Profile and Academic
Performance in Mathematics, Science, English, Filipino, and Araling Panlipunan
Variables
Coefficient of Correlation P value
Academic Performance
Math -0.07 0.264
Science -0.07 0.290
Age English -0.16 0.017*
r=
Filipino -0.03 0.697
Araling Panlipunan -0.03 0.675
General (Overall) -0.08 0.235
Academic Performance
Math 0.33 0.000*
Science 0.32 0.000*
Gender English 0.39 0.000*
rpb =
Filipino 0.36 0.000*
Araling Panlipunan 0.39 0.000*
General (Overall) 0.39 0.000*
Academic Performance
Math 0.01 0.889
Distance of Science 0.02 0.795
home from English 0.22 0.000*
rpb =
school Filipino 0.05 0.407
Araling Panlipunan 0.05 0.466
General (Overall) 0.07 0.290
Academic Performance
Math 17.37 0.001*
Science 18.36 0.000*
Income of
English 24.14 0.000*
Family ꭓ² =
Filipino 9.97 0.019*
Araling Panlipunan 12.36 0.006*
General (Overall) 15.64 0.001*
Academic Performance
Math 10.78 0.095
Science 7.86 0.249
Fathers’
English 19.16 0.004*
education ꭓ² =
Filipino 16.82 0.010*
Araling Panlipunan 13.81 0.032*
General (Overall) 19.31 0.004*
Academic Performance
Math 9.13 0.166
Science 8.35 0.214
Mothers’
English 20.73 0.002*
education ꭓ² =
Filipino 5.92 0.432
Araling Panlipunan 10.44 0.107
General (Overall) 15.29 0.018*
55
Grade Six Pupils’ Reading Profile and Academic Performance
Table 6 shows the results of the analysis in determining the extent of relationship between
the pupils’ reading profile in English and their academic performance as reflected by their grades
in the five subjects considered in the study. It specifically shows that the higher the reading level
in English is, the higher the grade is. Furthermore, the results also show that the reading profile in
Additionally, Table 7 shows if a significant relationship exists between the pupils’ reading
profile in Filipino and the academic performance of the grade six pupils. The results of the analysis
show that in there is a strong significant relationship. This means that the higher the reading level
in Filipino is, the higher the pupils’ grade is. Therefore, the results indicate that the pupils’ reading
profile in both English and Filipino affects the pupils’ academic performance.
In relation to the other studies conducted, the generated results of this study concede with
the results of the study conducted by other researchers. The study of Cabardo in 2015 reveals that
56
the ability to comprehend as well as to communicate ideas and concepts is important in one’s
growth and progress, and access to knowledge in the different disciplines is made possible through
comprehension and communication. Cimmiyotti’s study in 2013 also shows that reading is a skill
utilized in every academic area, thus there is a strong correlation between reading performance
and academic performance. In another study, Heilman, Blair, and Rupley (1990) conclude that
reading is a primary way of learning in our society. While MacGregor and Prince (in Kerubo,
2014) find out in their study that the ability to read and comprehend word problems are essential
factors affecting achievement in mathematics. Moreover, the study conducted by Sochor (in
Kerubo, 2014) also shows that reading comprehension relates to comprehension of science texts
and emphasize the fact that reading is vital in science for it helps learners in remembering symbols,
formulas, specific vocabulary terms and procedures in conducting experiments. The result of this
study is also the same with the results of the study of Paz conducted in 2018 which shows that
reading experiences strongly influence a students’ feeling of competency. Furthermore, this also
concedes with the results of the study of Sanhadi, Mardiyana, and Pramudya (2017), which
concludes that the higher the students’ ability to comprehend texts, the higher the mathematics
learning outcomes. However, despite of the same results with the researchers mentioned above,
the results of this study contradicts with the study of Imam (2016) which shows that not all reading
skills which are correlated with mathematics and science performance could predict performance
in the same way and that not all uncorrelated reading skills are invalid predictors. Although reading
comprehension skills have some degree of influence on students’ mathematics and science
performance, though such influence may not suffice to improve their performance in both subjects.
Generally, the poor performance of students in mathematics and science can hardly be attributed
57
In summary, the generated results of this study support the idea of B.F. Skinner’s theory
on Behaviorism also known as Operant Conditioning which states that when a stimulus-response
pattern is reinforced, one is conditioned to respond, and that reinforcement is important. In this
study, it shows that a learner with a good skill in reading will receive a positive reinforcement in
the form of high academic performance. On the contrary, a learner with poor reading skills will
also receive a negative reinforcement in the form of low grades, thus that learner will realize that
he or she must develop strong skills in reading to have high grades. Additionally, the study also
agrees with Edward L. Thorndike’s theory on Connectionism which states that there is learning
when a strong connection between stimulus and response is formed. The results of the study show
that a learner who has developed a strong skill in reading is more productive and are able to
understand the lessons in school faster and better. Learning is not frustrating and annoying for
them and they will enjoy and learn better as indicated by their good performance in school.
58
CHAPTER V
Summary
The results of the analysis of the relationship between grade six pupils’ demographic
profile and reading profile in English and Filipino show that in terms of gender and reading profile
in English, the highest percentage of the female is at the independent level while the highest
percentage of the male is at the frustration level. Therefore, it can be said that the females are better
than males in terms of reading skills in English. On the other hand, in terms of gender and reading
profile in Filipino, the higher percentage of the males is in the frustration level compared to
females. Therefore, the females are better than the males in terms of their reading profile in both
Furthermore, the analysis of the grade six pupils’ home location and reading profile in
English shows that the highest percentage of pupils who are living less than 4 kilometers from the
school is at the independent level while the highest percentage among those living more than 4
kilometers away from the school is at the instructional level. Thus, the result shows that those
living less than 4 kilometers away from school are better than those living more than 4 kilometers
away. And by comparison, the result of the analysis in terms of home location and reading
performance in Filipino shows that those who are living more than 4 kilometers away from school
However, in terms of the parents’ educational attainment, the result of the analysis shows
that there’s an inverse relationship as the higher the mother’s education is, the higher is the
percentage of those at the frustration level. Conversely, the lower the mother’s education is, the
59
higher is the percentage of those who are at the independent level. Lastly, the result of the analysis
also shows that there is no significant relationship between the grade six pupils’ age and their
reading profile. The same result is true with their socio-economic status and their reading profile.
In relation to the other studies conducted, the results of this study yield the same results as
the study conducted by Jimmy Rey O. Cabardo in the year 2015 and he recommended employing
peer tutoring to enhance the reading skills of those at the independent level. On the contrary, the
generated results of this study are not consistent with the results of the study conducted by Vlachos
The results of the analysis in determining the extent of relationship between the grade six
pupils’ demographic profile and academic performance show that between age and academic
performance in English, there is an inverse relationship, which means that the higher the age, the
lower is the grade as indicated by the negative sign. Moreover, between gender and academic
performance, the results show that females are better than males in all subjects, while in the
relationship between the distance of home location and academic performance in English, those
living less than 4 kilometers from school are performing better academically.
Meanwhile, in terms of socio-economic status and academic performance, the results show
that those on the average income are performing better academically than those who are poor
economically. Furthermore, in analyzing the relationship between the grade six pupils’ parents’
educational attainment and their academic performance, the results show that the higher the
parents’ educational attainment, the better are the grades of the pupils. Finally, other subjects that
are not specified have no significant relationship with their demographic profile.
The results of the analysis in determining the extent of relationship between the pupils’
reading profile in English and their academic performance as reflected by their grades in the five
60
subjects considered in the study specifically shows that the higher the reading level is in English,
the higher the pupil’s grade is. Furthermore, the results also show that the reading profile in English
reading profile in Filipino and the academic performance of the grade six pupils. The results of the
analysis show that there is a strong significant relationship. This means that the higher the reading
level is in Filipino, the higher the pupil’s grade is. Therefore, the results indicate that the pupils’
reading profile in both English and Filipino affects the pupils’ academic performance.
Conclusions
Based on the analyses and findings discussed above, the following conclusions are drawn:
(1) females are better than males both in English and Filipino reading skills as well as in academic
performance; (2) pupils who are living less than 4 kilometers away from school have a good
reading skills in English and are performing better academically than those living 4 kilometers
away from school; (3) pupils who are living more than 4 kilometers away from school have good
reading skills in Filipino; (4) in terms of academic performance, the higher the parents’ educational
attainment, the higher the grades of the pupils are; (5) in terms of the reading profile, the results
of the analysis show that the higher the mothers’ educational attainment, the lower the reading
profile of the pupils is both in English and Filipino; (6) in terms of academic performance, the
pupils’ age and socio-economic status do not affect the reading profile of the pupils; (7) in terms
of academic performance the results reveal that the older the child is, the lower is his/her grade in
English but otherwise in Filipino; (8) pupils with average family income are performing better
61
The findings of this study imply that: (1) male learners needs more help in improving their
reading skills both in English and Filipino as well as their academic performance; (2) learners who
are living less than 4km away from school need to improve their reading skills in Filipino while,
(3) learners who are living more than 4 km away from school need to have a reading remediation
especially in English; (4) parents should spare some time in teaching their children how to read
and they should also be informed on how to help their child improve their reading skills for them
to become more effective in reinforcing and helping their child in improving their reading skills
and academic performance; (5) teachers should also give attention to older pupils for they are
teachers, DepEd officials, and other stakeholders should also give extra consideration and help to
the poor pupils for they are less fortunate to have access to quality education; and lastly, (7) having
a strong skill in reading will enable the learners to perform better academically.
Recommendations
In the light of the findings and conclusions drawn from the results of this study, the
Learners. It is recommended that the learners, especially the males, avail of reading
remediation program that will be offered to them to develop their reading skills in both English
and Filipino further. This is important for them to perform better academically, if not in the
different learning areas. Older learners should also seek help and assistance from their teachers to
help them with their difficulties, especially in the English subject. It will also help them if they
attend peer tutoring sessions. Learners who are not that economically advantaged are also
62
recommended to find time and make attending remediation program, peer tutorial sessions, and
Learners’ parents. The parents of the learners are encouraged to spare some time teaching
their children how to read. This will allow them not only to have more time to bond with each
other and build a harmonious relationship but also to help their children succeed in their studies.
They must realize how important reading is to their children. Furthermore, they also need to attend
scheduled meeting in schools so they will have the opportunity to discuss with teachers the
progress of their children and for them to be oriented on how to conduct follow-up reading and
tutorial sessions at home. If possible, parents who are not able to finish their education are also
highly recommended to enroll themselves to the Alternative Learning System because their
knowledge and their educational background are also factors that greatly affect their children’s
performance in school.
Teachers. The teachers could conduct reading enrichment and remediation programs to
help improve the reading skills of the learners as well as the teaching and learning process. They
can incorporate reading activities in their subject just like quick reads, reading corners, peer
tutorials, and the like to help those who are having difficulties in reading. It will also help if they
give more time, focus, and effort on learners, specifically the males, those who are living far from
school, the older learners, and those who are not that economically advantaged and who need more
Department of Education officials. The study only covers four elementary schools, and
so, the researcher would like to recommend to the DepEd officials to encourage public school
teachers to give importance to the teaching of reading and develop reading habits among learners
63
studies related to the topic. In addition, school research coordinators or district research
coordinators can conduct further studies in their schools or districts regarding the topic just studied
or other needs-based studies. Building more schools in the remote areas is also highly
recommended to help those learners who are living far from school. DepEd officials can also
conduct seminars for the parents to orient them on how to help and teach their children how to
read. Moreover, DepEd officials can also encourage the parents to enroll to the programs of the
School administrators. School administrators may include and strongly implement reading
enrichment and remediation programs in the curriculum to help the children develop skills in
reading necessary in the improvement of their academic performance. They may seek assistance
and build linkages with the local government units or other private institutions that are willing to
support them in the implementation of their reading enhancement and remediation programs and
other similar or related activities to support students to improve their reading skills, and, ultimately
College of Education dean and faculty. The College of Education should give emphasis
to teaching reading to all their students regardless of their majors because as future teachers this
will help them produce competent and quality graduates who are equipped and ready to teach
reading, it being a tool for learning all subjects. Service-learning programs may also help cater to
the needs of the learners who have difficulties in reading. A training on how to deal with parents
is also recommended to be included in the curriculum to help the future teachers gain an idea on
how to deal with parents, especially when they are in difficult situations.
Education Students. Education students need to have well-developed reading skills. And
by this, they will be able to teach reading more effectively, provide quality education to their many
64
learners in the future; and, produce competent, skilled, and quality graduates. They may also join
service-learning programs or outreach programs wherein they can be exposed on how to deal with
various learners, parents, and the whole community and practice applying the reading skills that
they have developed which are the same reading skills that they will be passing on to every learner
65
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Hogan, T. P., Adolf, S. M., Alonzo, C. N. (2014). On the Importance of Listening Comprehension.
International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 16 (3), 199-207. doi:
10.3109/17549507.2014.904441
Imam, O. A., Abas-Mastura, M., & Hamil H. (2013). Correlation between Reading
Comprehension Skills and Students’ Performance in Mathematics. International Journal
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Kerubo, O.M. (2014). Correlation Between Reading Comprehension Practices and Academic
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Kim, Y. G., & Pilcher, H. (2016). What is Listening Comprehension and What does it Take to
Improve Listening Comprehension? ResearchGate. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-31235-4_10
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Laurito, P.P. Jr., Duallo, N.M., & Pecajas, E.S. (2016). Correlation of Comprehension Skills and
Mathematical Ability in Geometry of the Students of Naval School of Fisheries.
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Literacy Advance of Houston. (n.d.). About Literacy Advance. Retrieve from https://www.
literacyadvance.org/About_Us/Defining_Literacy/
Literacy Information and Communication System. (n.d.). Assessment Strategies and Reading
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Lucas, M.R., & Corpuz, B. B. (2011). Facilitating Learning: A Metacognitive Process (2nd ed.).
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Marquez, S. T., Casela, N. C., & Sadorra, B. B., (2009). Developmental Reading 2. Manila,
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McEwan, E. K. (2009). Teach Them All to Read (2nd ed.). United States of America: Corwin A
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Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Proficiency Level of High School Students and
Their Correlates. Journal of Business & Management Studies, 1(2).1-7
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https://ourworldindata.org/literacy
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71
Appendix A: Reading Enhancement and Remediation Program
Rationale
Reading is an intricate course of action of unlocking codes which represent meanings and
convey the writers’ and the texts’ messages (Bernardo, 2009). Leipzig (in Bernardo, 2009) states
that reading is a multifaceted process involving word recognition, comprehension, fluency and
motivation. Hence, in its fullest sense, it is the weaving together fluently the word recognition skill
and comprehension skill and at the same time developing and maintaining the motivation to read.
Furthermore, Cziko, Greenleaf, Hurwitz, and Schoenbach (in Bernardo, 2009) believe that reading
is not just a basic skill nor a simple process but a complex process of problem solving in which
the reader works to make sense of a text not just from the words and sentences on a page but also
from the ideas, memories, and knowledge evoked by those words and sentences. Additionally,
Dechant (in Bernardo, 2009) defines reading as a process which is complete only when
comprehension is attained, and full comprehension happens when the reconstruction agrees with
the writer’s intended message. Furthermore, reading theorists agree that extensive reading is vital
for developing reading comprehension. Thus, reading is an important part of one’s life. It is
indispensable for it is through it that one gets to know the world around him/her because of reading.
However, when citizens cannot read, society suffers. People with low reading levels
comprise many of the unemployed, high school dropouts, the poor, and those convicted of crimes.
The problems of schools, the growth of poverty, and the loss of family values all show some
association with poor reading (Richek, Caldwell, Jennings & Lerner, 2002). Illiteracy is
debilitating. Children in modern society will not succeed in life if they do not learn to read. In fact,
72
failure in school can often be traced to inadequate reading skills because reading is the basic
requirement for all academic subjects. Poor reading leads to many problems. And for poor readers,
opportunities for remunerative employment decrease. Youth who drop out of high school have
twice the unemployment rate, fewer opportunities for continued training, and inadequate
qualifications for postsecondary school or college. And for this reason, the Department of
Education has initiated programs to address the reading problems of children in the country. DepEd
Order No. 45 s. 2002 or Every Child A Reader Program (ECARP) is a national program which
aims for every child to be a reader by the time they finish grade three. Furthermore, there are
several intervention and remediation programs that have been conducted by teachers in order to
address the call of DepEd. However, data show that most of the pupils reaching grades IV and
above still have difficulties in reading. The study conducted reflects a result that transpires and
reflects a dismal level of reading skills by grade six pupils which affects their academic
Objectives
By implementing this reading enhancement and remediation program, the schools are
expected to:
A. Have oriented and trained teachers on how to implement this reading enhancement and
remediation program;
B. Improve pupils’ reading skills from frustration and instructional level to independent level;
C. Increase the mastery level of the pupils from nearly mastered to mastered; and,
73
Source of Funds
The funds needed for this reading intervention program is very minimal since most of the
activities are solely related to one-on-one peer tutoring and one-on-one tutoring by teachers.
However, school funds (MOOE) and PTA funds can help in the production of reading materials
Methodology
The following methodologies can be used in order to improve the reading skills of the
pupils who are not reading at the expected level yet or to further enhance the proficiency of those
pairs, taking turns as teacher and learner, to learn a structured sequence of literacy
skills, such as phonemic awareness, phonics, sound blending, passage reading, and
story retelling. In this activity, learners can help each other in reviewing their lessons
2. Specialized Instruction for Reading. Once all the data describing the child’s reading
performance has been gathered (Phil-IRI results), the teacher may use this information
select appropriate specialized instruction for reading from the list of suggested reading
vocabulary and background knowledge, and improve comprehension. This activity can
74
4. Reading Camp. The English and Filipino Club officers can create a reading camp
wherein their fellow pupils can freely read books together, and write
narratives/essays/poem, etc. The reading camp must be supervised by the club advisers.
They can also organize a culminating activity after every reading month celebration.
thoroughly for them to be aware the support that complements classroom curricula and
instruction as well as on what they can do to help their learners with difficulties in
the learners and make a regular conference with the learners’ parents to discuss the
the implementation.
Evaluation
1. Phil-IRI Post Test. After receiving specialized instruction, the students will be re-
assessed using the Phil-IRI Posttest Forms. The Phil-IRI Posttests have a total of 4
parallel sets (SETS A-D) that the test-administrator can choose from. Using these
graded passages, the test administrator can identify the students’ level. The post test
results may be compared with the pre-test results. The post test will determine whether
or not the learners have improved their reading skills after having received the reading
2. Academic Performance. The results of the study reinforces previous research findings
that reading skills affect academic performance. Hence if there is improvement in the
75
reading skills of the pupils after administering the Phil-IRI post test, then there must
3. Mastery Level. The improvement in reading skills can help the pupils improve their
academic performance and ultimately will improve their mastery level as readers based
Persons Involved
1. English and Filipino teachers to facilitate in identifying pupils who are in the
frustration level and providing the interventions based on the different intervention
methodologies.
2. Pupils to make the most out of this intervention program. Pupils in the frustration
level will serve as receiver while those in the independent level will be the
purveyor. Pupils in the instructional level will also receive help in improving their
skills from being in the instructional level to independent level. Pupils in the
independent level will also enrich their skills by continuous practice of reading and
at the same time by helping their fellow pupils in improving their reading skills.
3. School heads to monitor the conduct of every activity and to document whatever
could also help in solving whatever problems that may arise as the program is being
implemented.
They are also welcome to visit their children’s reading intervention classes and
76
attend the regular meeting set by the teacher to discuss the progress of their
children.
Timeframe
The different activities in the reading enhancement and remediation program can be
implemented throughout the school year in order to have consistency in the implementation and
to provide the pupils enough opportunities for constant practice in reading. This will develop
proper training, coordination and enhancement in the reading skills of the pupils. Furthermore,
evaluation can be conducted quarterly (1st to 3rd) to evaluate the level of mastery and academic
performance of the pupils while the Phil-IRI post is can be conducted towards the end of the 4th
quarter of the school year to evaluate both reading level of the pupils and effectiveness of the
77
Project Work Plan and Budget Matrix
Phil-IRI Group To identify the - a silently-administered June 2019 English/Filipino Php. 1, 000.00 Phil-IRI forms Identifying
Screening Test pupils who test in both Filipino and teachers, pupils, for GST pupils who
(GST) need to English. Each tool is and school need to
participate in composed of a 20-item heads 1. Phil-IRI Form participate
the program. comprehension test based 1A: Talaan ng in the
on a set of leveled passages Pangkatang program.
for each grade level Pagtatasa ng (June 2019)
covering grades 3 to 6 in Klase (PPK)
Filipino and grades 4 to 6 sa Phil-IRI
in English. The passages
were written and selected 2. Phil-IRI Form
based on concept load, 1B: Summary
level of vocabulary used, of the Phil-IRI
sentence complexity, nature Group
of themes and cohesion. Screening
Test Class
Reading
Record (CRR)
3. Phil-IRI Form
2: Talaan ng
Paaralan sa
Pagbabasa /
School
Reading
Profile (SRP)
78
Individualized To identify the (only for pupils who did not July 2019 English/Filipino Php. 1, 000.00 Phil-IRI Forms Creating
Phil-IRI level of pupils’ pass the GST) teachers, pupils, for Graded pupils’
Assessment reading skills and school Passages Reading
both in - is an informal heads Profile
Filipino and individualized 1) Phil-IRI (Pre- Test)
English. assessment tool used to Form 3A: (July 2019)
record the students’ Markahang
performance in oral Papel ng
reading, silent reading Panggradong
and/or listening Lebel na
comprehension. This is Teksto / Phil-
where teachers, can IRI Form 3B:
identify pupils reading Grade Level
profile. Passage
Rating Sheet
2) Phil-IRI
Form 4:
Talaan ng
Indibidwal na
Pagbabasa /
Individual
Summary
Record (ISR)
Orientation and 1. To orient -Teachers will be oriented Last week Teachers, Php 500.00 *Attendance Evaluation
Training of and train on how to conduct the of July school heads, *Documentation sheet about
Teachers teachers of intervention program. 2019 and a resource of the the
what is do and Activities that should be person Orientation orientation/
what is done will be discussed to Resource
them thoroughly for them Speaker
79
expected of to be aware of the support
them. that complements (right after
classroom curricula and the
2. To maintain instruction as well as on orientation
consistency in what they can do to help and training
implementing their learners with – last week
the program. difficulties in reading. of July
2019)
-They will also be
informed that they need
evaluate the performance
of the learners and conduct
regular conference with the
learners’ parents to discuss
the progress of their
children.
Implementation 1. Improve Peer Assisted Learning August to Teachers, Php 2,500.00 *Pupils’ Creating
of the Reading pupils’ reading Strategies (PALS) December pupils, parents, Attendance pupils’
Enhancement skills from -learners will work in pairs, 2019 and school Reading
and Remediation frustration and taking turns as teacher and heads *Parents’ Profile
Program instructional learner, to learn a structured Attendance in (Post Test)
level to sequence of literacy Teacher and (Year End/
independent skills, such as phonemic February to
level. awareness, phonics, sound *Parents’
blending, passage reading, Conference March
and story retelling. They 2020)
80
2. Increase the can also help each other in *Pupils’ Academic
academic reviewing their lessons in Portfolio Performanc
performance of which they can take turns e
the pupils in in answering and asking *Pupils’ (Quarterly:
all subjects. questions. Progress Report August,
October,
3. Increase the Specialized Instruction *Anecdotal January,
mastery level for Reading Notes March)
of the pupils -Once all the data in the
from nearly Phil-IRI results have been *Pupils’ Mastery
mastered to gathered, the teacher may Reading Profile Level
mastered. use the information to (post- test) (Quarterly:
design an intervention (Quarterly:
4. Orient and program or adjust classroom August,
train teachers instruction. The teacher can October,
on how to select appropriate January,
implement the specialized instruction for March)
reading reading from the list of
enhancement suggested reading
and remediation in a school
remediation reading program listed in
program. Appendix H of Phil-IRI
Manual 2018.
Quick Reads
-A supplementary program
can be designed to increase
fluency, build vocabulary
and background knowledge,
and improve
comprehension. This
activity can be done as a
81
preliminary activity in every
learning area.
Reading Camp
The English and Filipino
Club officers can create a
reading camp wherein their
fellow pupils can freely read
books together and write
narratives/essays /poem,
and more. The reading
camp must be supervised by
the club advisers. They can
also organize a culminating
activity after every reading
month celebration.
REFERENCES
Bernardo, A. S. (2011). Developmental Reading 1 (1st ed). Manila, Philippines: Rex Printing Company, Inc.
Department of Education – Bureau of Learning Resources. (2018). Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (1st ed.) Philippines:
Department of Education.
Richek, M., Caldwell, J. S., Jennings, J. H., & Lerner, J. W. (2002). Reading Problems: Assessment ang Teaching Strategies (4th ed.).
United States of America: A Pearson Education Company.
Prepared by:
KIMBERLY R. GONZALES
82
Appendix B: Request Letters to Conduct the Study
Madam:
Greetings of peace!
The undersigned is currently working on her thesis entitled, “Factors Influencing Reading Skills
and Academic Performance of Grade Six Pupils in Public Elementary Schools in
Kabankalan City”. This is in fulfillment of the requirement of the degree in Master of Arts in
Education Major in Educational Management at Silliman University, Philippines.
In this connection, the undersigned would like to ask your kind permission to allow her in
collecting grade six pupils’ demographic profile, reading profile in their Phil-IRI results, and their
academic performance for the first and second quarter in Mathematics, Science, English, Filipino,
and Araling Panlipunan from your elementary teachers in Basak Elementary School, Balisong
Elementary School, Casipsipan Elementary School, and D.C. Gurrucharri Memorial School.
Please be assured that the data gathered from the records of the schools mentioned above will be
kept highly confidential.
Thank you very much for accommodating this request and the assistance you shall extend to make
this undertaking a success.
Sincerely yours,
Kimberly R. Gonzales
09468626008
83
March 3, 2019
Dear parents:
Good day!
I am writing you this letter to ask for your permission regarding my research study entitled,
“Factors Influencing Reading Skills and Academic Performance of Grade Six Pupils in
Public Elementary Schools in Kabankalan City”. This is in fulfillment of the requirement of
the degree in Master of Arts in Education Major in Educational Management at Silliman
University, Philippines.
In this connection, I would like to ask your kind permission to allow me in collecting your child’s
records such as his/her demographic profile, reading profile in English and Filipino, and his/her
academic performance for the first and second grading period in Mathematics, Science, English,
Filipino, and Araling Panlipunan. Please be assured that the records gathered from his/her
respective teachers will be kept highly confidential.
Sincerely yours,
Kimberly R. Gonzales
09468626008
84
March 3, 2019
Mga Ginikanan:
Maayong adlaw!
Nagasulat ako sa imo para sa pagpangayo sang imo permiso nga mag kaangtanan sa akon research
study nga may titulo, “Factors Influencing Reading Skills and Academic Performance of
Grade Six Pupils in Public Elementary Schools in Kabankalan City”. Ini para sa pagpatigayon
sang isa sa mga kinahanglanon sa pagkuha sang degree nga Master of Arts in Education Major in
Educational Management sa Silliman University, Philippines.
Angot sini, mangayo ako sang imo permiso sa pagtugot sa akon sa pagkuha sang rekord sang imo
bata, rekord kaangay sang iya demographic profile, reading profile sa English kag Filipino, kag
ang iya academic performance ukon grado sa una kag ika-duha nga grading period sa Mathematics,
Science, English, Filipino, kag Araling Panlipunan. Ako naga-pasalig nga ang mga rekord nga
akon makuha sa iya mga maestra pagkuhaon nga may kompedensyalidad.
Sincerely yours,
Kimberly R. Gonzales
09468626008
85
Appendix C: Parents’ Consent
(Pagsugot sang Ginikanan)
Bilang ginikanan sang sini nga bata, nakabalo ako sang tinutuyo, importansya, possible
nga halit kag benipisyo sang sini nga research study. Kabalo man ako nga pwede kami mag untat
sa sini nga research study ano man nga oras nga wala sang konsekwensya nga matabo. Ang mga
masunod nga rekords amo ang pwede magamit ni Kimberly R. Gonzales:
A. Demographic Profile
a. Edad sang akon bata
b. Kasarian sang akon bata
c. Tinapusan sa eskwelahan sang ginikanan/guardian
d. Estado sang pagpangabuhi
e. Kalayuon sang balay halin sa eskwelahan
B. Reading profile
a. English
b. Filipino
C. Academic Performance
a. Mathematics
b. Science
c. English
d. Filipino
e. Araling Panlipunan
______________________________________________ __________________
Pangalan kag pirma sang ginikanan/guardian Petsa
86
Appendix D: Research Informed Consent Form
Title
This study is titled, “Factors Influencing Reading Skills and Academic Performance of Grade
Six Pupils in Public Elementary Schools in Kabankalan City” in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree in Master of Arts in Education Major in Educational Management at
Silliman University, Philippines.
Researcher
This study is to be conducted by KIMBERLY R. GONZALES who is pursuing the degree in
Master of Arts in Education Major in Educational Management at Silliman University, with Mary
Ann M. Temprosa, Ph.D. as the adviser. The researcher can be contacted through this mobile
number 09468626008 or email address kimberlyrgonzales@su.edu.ph.
Potential Benefits
This study will benefit the learners, the learners’ parents, teachers, Department of Education
officials, School administrators, the College of Education, and the Education students in terms of
the following:
Learners. The result of this study would enable learners to learn that their demographic
profile, reading profile and academic performance relate with each other. It would allow them to
have an idea on how to help themselves improve their academic performance and their reading
profile. The findings would help them realize the importance of reading not just in one learning
area, but in all learning areas and that reading will make them competent, skilled, and successful
learners.
Learners’ parents. The learners' parents would be guided on how to help their children
cope, understand, and improve their academic performance by developing their reading skill. It
would also help them realize how important reading is for the improvement of their children. It
would also encourage them to spare some time teaching their children how to read not only to
bond and build harmonious relationships with each other but ensure them success in life. It also
hoped that through this study the parents would understand why there is MTB-MLE and why
teaching science starts at third grade.
87
Teachers. The teachers would be able to determine the cause of the low academic
performance of their learners and would have an idea on how to help solve the problem. The study
would allow them to learn how to become more effective as teachers and would give them the idea
that teaching reading should not be taken for granted nor taken lightly; that it should be taught with
passion and determination to help learners succeed in life; and that providing good quality
education to their children is a step forward in achieving success and development of our country.
This study would also help learners and the teachers improve the learning and teaching process.
Department of Education Officials. Every schools division office throughout the country
could encourage schools to conduct more studies similar to this to help improve the quality of
education in the country. More emphasis could be given to the teaching of reading and the
development of good reading habits among young learners.
College of Education dean and faculty. The College of Education should not take reading
lightly. It must help inculcate in the minds and hearts of their students that teaching reading is
important to the success of every learner. They must produce competent and quality graduates who
are equipped with good skills in reading so they will also be able to teach reading more effectively.
Its faculty members should realize that the College should instill the importance or reading in
relation to learners’ academic performance and success later in life.
Education Students. Teaching reading is one of the most important skills teachers must
equip themselves with regardless of their majors. The success of their future learners lies in their
hands. They would realize that they cannot teach what they do not have therefore, as future teachers
they should also have well-developed reading skills. And by knowing that idea, they could prepare
themselves about how to teach reading more efficiently and effectively, how to provide quality
education, and how to produce competent, skilled, and quality graduates.
Confidentiality
In the conduct of the study, full confidentiality will be assured. No information that discloses your
identity will be released or published without your specific consent to the disclosure and only
imperatively necessary. The materials that contained the raw information derived from you will be
destroyed after data processing within a given period.
Publication
The results of this study may be published in any form for public and scholarly consumption or
used in classroom instruction to enrich learning and generate more knowledge for future research.
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Participation
Your participation in this study must be voluntary and you have the right to withdraw if you feel
uncomfortable in the process of gathering information from you.
______________________________________________________________________________
Informed Consent
Given the information above, I confirm that the potential harms, benefits, and alternatives have
been explained to me. I have read and understood this consent form, and I understand that I am
free to withdraw from my involvement in the study any time I deem it to be necessary or to seek
clarifications for any unclear steps in the research process. My signature indicates my willingness
to participate in the study.
_____________________________________________ ___________________
Printed Name and Signature of the Research Participant Date
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Research Informed Consent Form
Titulo
Ang ini inga research study may titulo nga “FACTORS INFLUENCING READING SKILLS
AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF GRADE 6 PUPILS IN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS IN KABANKALAN CITY” nga isa sa mga kinanglanon para sa pagkuha sang
degree sa Master of Arts in Education Major in Educational Management sa Silliman University,
Philippines.
Researcher
Ang ini nga research study pagahimu-on ni KIMBERLY R. GONZALES nga nagakuha sang
degree nga Master of Arts in Education Major in Educational Management sa Silliman University,
upod si Mary Ann M. Temprosa, Ph.D bilang iya adviser.Ang researcher pwede ma-kontak sa ini
nga numero 09468626008 ukon sa diri mga email address kimberlyrgonzales@su.edu.ph.
Mga estudyante.Tuyo sang sini nga research study nga mahibal-an sang mga estudyante
and mga butang nga naga impluwensya sang ila kahanasan sa pagbasa kag performance sa klase.
Ini magapa-reyalizar man sa ila sang importansta sang pagbasa indi lamang sa isa, kundi sa
madamo pa nga mga butang nga kung sa diin ang pagbasa ang makapahimo sa ila nga makabalo
sila makipag-sabayan, maging abilidadan, kag mag-ayuhan sa biskan diin nga aspeto sang pagtu-
on.
Mga ginikanan. Ang mga ginikanan sang estudyante, makakuha man sang ideya kung
paano nila mabuligan ang ila kabataan sa pag-inchindi, kag sa pagpataas sang mga grado sang ila
bata pina-agi sa paghasa sang ila abilidad sa pagbasa. Magapa-reyalizar man ini sa ila nga ang
pagbasa importante sa pag-uswag sang ila kabataan. Maka-ganyat man ini sa ila sa paghatag sa
tini-on para tudluan kag giyahan ang ila bata sa pagbasa. Pama-agi man sa sin inga research
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maintientidihan nila kung nga-a may yara kita sang MTB-MLE kag kung nga-a naga-sugod sa
ikatlo nga grado ang pagtudlo sang Science.
Mga Manunudlo. Mahibalu-an sang mga maestra ang mga rason kung ngaa nugbo ang
mga grado sang ila estudyante kag maka-kuha man ideya kung paano makabulig sa pag-resolba
sang sini nga problema. Tinutuyo man sang sin inga pagtuon nga mabuligan ang mga maestra para
maging mas epektibo, nga ang pagtudlo sang pagbasa indi dapat itudlo nga basta-basta.
Mga Opisyales sang Departamento sang Edukasyon. Ang ini nga pagtuon makahatag
man ideya sa DepEd kung paano makabulig sa pagpa-maayo sang kalidad sang edukasyon sa
Pilipinas kag kung paano makabulig sa paganyat sa paghatag sang impotansya sa pagtudlo sang
pagbasa kag pagpa-anad sang mga estudyante sa pagbasa.
Dean kag faculty sang College of Education. Ang College of Education makakuha man
sang ideya nga indi dapat pag-patuyangan ang pagbasa. Kinahanglan man nga makapatapos sila
sang dekalidad nga mga estudyante nga kaya makipag-sabayan nga may madalum nga pag-
inchindi sa pagbasa subong man sa pagtudlo magbasa kay ang pagtudlo sang pagbasa importante
para sa ika-ayo sang kada estudyante.
Mga estudyante nga gakuha kurso nga Edukasyon. Sila mahatagan man sang ideya nga
indi sila makatudlo sang wala nila nainchindihan. Gani, kinahanglan malapad ang ila tinun-an sa
pagbasa, para mas maging epektibo kag episyente sa ila pagtudlo sa pagbasa, sa paghatag sang
dekalidad nga edukasyon, kag kung paano mag-patapos sang ma-abilidad, dekalidad kag kaya
makipag-sabayan nga mga estudyante.
Kompidensialidad
Sa paghimo sang sini nga research study, gina-sigurado ang pagkapribado sang imo mga rekords
nga makuha. Wala sang impormasyon nga makapakita sang imo identidad ang pwede mapalapta
o magamit nga wala sang imo pagsugot. Pang-gubaon man ang anuman nga mga materyales nga
gin-gamit bilang basehan sang mga impormasyon nga nakuha halin sa imo pagkatapos ma-proseso
ang mga impormasyon sa sulod sang gintalana nga tini-on.
Publikasyon
Ang resulta sang sini nga research study pwede ma-bantala sa biskan ano nga klase sang
pagbantala para sa publiko, iskolar nga pang-gamiton kag sa pagtudlo sa eskwelahan para mapatin-
ad ang pagtuon kag makakuha sang mas damo nga ihibalo para sa iban pa nga mga research.
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Partisipasyon
Ang imo partisipasyon sa sini nga research study kinahanglan boluntaryo kag pwede ka maka-
untat kung indi kana kumportable sa proseso sa pagkuha sang impormasyon sa imo.
Informed Consent
Base sa impormasyon nga nakasulat sa ibabaw, gina-kumpirma ko nga ang mga potensiyal nga
halit, benepisyo, kag mga alternatibo sang sini nga research study, na-eksplikar sa akon.
Nainchindihan ko man nga pina-agi sa sini nga consent form, pwede ko kuhaon balik ang tanan
nga impormasyon nga halin sa akon kag pwede ako mag-untat sa anuman nga oras nga pamatyag
ko kinanglanon ukon mamangkot sang mga bagay nga wala ko maayo mainchindihan sa proseso
sang sini nga research study. Nagapirma ako bilang pamatuod sang kagustuhan ko nga mag-
partisipar sa sini nga research study.
______________________________________________ __________________
Pangalan kag Pirma sang Pagpakigbahin sa Research Petsa
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Appendix E: Sample Pupil’s Profile
( ) 3-3.9 KM ( ) 4KMS&more
_________________________
Parent’s Signature
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QUARTERLY ACHIEVEMENT TEST
1ST RATING 2ND RATING 3RD RATING 4TH RATING
% ES
ENG
MATH
SCI
FIL
HKS
EPP
MSEP
CharED
QUARTERLY ATTENDANCE
NO. OF DAYS PRESENT NO. OF DAYS PRESENT NO.
OF DAYS PRESENT NO. OF DAYS PRESENT
JUNE SEPT DEC MARCH
JULY OCT JAN APRIL
AUGUST NOV FEB MAY
Total Total Total Total
ES ES ES ES
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Appendix F: Curriculum Vitae
Education:
Graduate: Master of Arts in Education Major in Educational Management (2016-
present)
Silliman University, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
Vocational Course: Contact Center Service National Certificate II (144 hours - 2017)
Silliman University, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
Work Experience:
English as a Second Language Teacher (2016)
B & D English School Inc.
Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
Teacher I (2017-present)
Department of Education
Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental
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