1

Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS RESEARCH DESIGN

INTRODUCTION

Rationale of the Study

Learning to read is an essential part of basic education. It is a set

of skills that the pupils have. The ability to read is a significant skill every

pupil’s need to be master successful in the society. It is very significant tool to

use to discover basic knowledge. A pupil’s who fails to develop his reading

skills at a certain level of his education find reading boring, and difficult to

achieve. As observed, there have been pupils who are struggling in reading.

Thus, teachers are encouraged to provide reading interventions to aid those

identified pupils.

Many of our day-to-day tasks require reading, and a person

who can read well can function more effectively in everyday activities, yet for

an illiterate person, many of life’s seemingly mundane and ordinary tasks

which many literate people take for granted can become insurmountable

hurdles (Darrel, 2005:4).

Oberholzer (2005:2) describes ‘reading’ as the basic life skill and a

cornerstone for a learner’s success at school and throughout life, whilst for

Johnson, Bohlman & Pretorius (2002:205), it is an essential learning tool

which if learners have not properly mastered will handicap their potential for

success in a learning context. Nel & Nel in Nel, Nel & Hugo (2012:89) define

reading as comprehending, interpreting, and applying textual material. In the

 2

context of this study, the term ‘reading difficulties’ refers to a lack of

reading development that could be expected in a learner with normal vision,

hearing, and normal or above normal intelligence.

In the Philippines, according to Juan Miguel Cruz (2007), despite our

supposedly high literacy rate, many Filipinos can barely read and write. This

is true especially of those living in remote areas as well as the slum areas of

the country.

Previous literature has extensively discussed reading difficulties

among learners. However, this study seeks to determine factors affecting

reading difficulties among selected pupils of Agujo Elementary School as

bases for proposed reading interventions to reach zero non-readers

Theoretical Background

There have been numerous models and theories that were associated

to reading to explain the attainment of English reading proficiency in pupils.

The top-down, bottom-up and interactive models in reading are three known

models best associated with reading proficiency. These models are simply

alternative ways of explaining the process of learning to read and

comprehend to achieve proficiency in reading. These three models boil down

to a cognitive theory associated in reading, the schema theory.

Bottom-Up Model. One of the well-known models in reading process a

model proposed by behaviorist theories in reading process. In a study by

 3

Ngabut (2015) she explained that the bottom up reading process view reading

as basically translating, decoding and encoding. Relatively, as stated by Burt

FACTORS AFFECTING READING

PROFICIENCY LEVEL OF GRADE 3 PUPILS
OF AGUJO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

BOTTOM-UP TOP DOWN INTERACTIVE

MODEL MODEL MODEL

SCHEMA THEORY (1932)

BY FREDERIC BARTLETTE

PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL,
SOCIAL, and COGNITIVE FACTORS

READING STRATEGIES

READING INTERVENTION
PROGRAM
Figure 1. Theoretical Framework of the Study
 4

et al., (2003) the central point of the bottom-up model is to how the readers

obtain information from texts. In this approach, reading is viewed as a manner

of synthesizing and acquiring data through different systems that identify

letters, sentences, and clauses.

Thus, the reader is required to construct meaning, first, by focusing on

the smallest units of language such as sounds and letters, and moves later to

broader units such as words and sentences. This model is influenced by

behaviorist psychology and thus structural linguistics. Obviously, this

approach obliges readers to process the text at structural and grammatical

levels and leads them to foster comprehensive semantic analyses of the text

in order to build up meaning.

Top- Down Model. As indicated by Nuttal (2005) the top-down

approach is a process during which the reader approaches the text as a

whole by using the background knowledge, making predictions, and

interpreting meaning. It is an approach in which students make expectations

and inferences about text data and use their prior knowledge to construct a

descent text understanding. In top-down models of reading, the reader’s

cognitive and language competence plays a key role in the construction of

meaning from printed materials.

Interactive Model. It is a combination of the bottom-up and the top-

down models. Several researches about reading has exposed that a

 5

combination between these two models is an effective strategy in improving

reading comprehension (Brown, 2001). For example, the bottom-up ability to

recognize words, by turning letters into sounds, is informed and supported by

the top-down skills of using the background knowledge to predict and infer

meaning.

Through this interactive model, many

processes take place as the reader decode and understand a text. These

processes may include students‟ ability to recognize words from letters and

sounds, using grammatical knowledge to get meaning from context, and

relating information to the background knowledge in order to build a final

meaning of the text (Burt et al., 2003).

As mentioned by Harris & Sipay (1984) reading is defined as the

meaningful interpretation of printed or written symbols, while comprehending

is a result of the interaction between the perception of graphic symbols that

represent language and the reader’s language skill, and his knowledge of the

world. In this process, when words are recognizable, they are decoded to

inner speech and the readers derives meaning in the same way as listening.

In this way, reading comprehension is implied to be an automatic aftermath of

accurate word recognition.

This study is mainly anchored to a cognitive theory of Frederic Bartlette

which is the schema theory.

 6

Schema Theory. Schemata was firstly introduced into education and

psychology by the work of British psychologist Sir Frederic Bartlette.

According to Bartlette (1932), many recalls were not accurate but includes the

alternate of unfamiliar information with something more familiar. Through his

finding, he proposed that people have schemata, or unconscious mental

structures embody and individual’s basic knowledge about the world. Schema

is the technical term used by cognitive scientists who supported Bartlette’s

proposal, that schema describe how people process, organize, and store

information in their minds.

According to Widdowson (1983), schemas, or schematas are

perceived as cognitive constructs by which we structure information in our

longterm memory. Schema, hence, have been called ‘’ the building blocks of

cognition’’ (Rumelhart, 1982) for it characterize elaborate networks of

information that people use to understand sense of events, stimuli and

situations. In Anderson (2003) he stated that schema theory is centered on

the belief that ‘’every act of comprehension involves one’s knowledge of the

world.’’

Similarly, Rumelhart (1980) points out that: ‘’ A schema theory is

basically a theory about knowledge. It is a theory about how knowledge is

represented and about how that representation facilitates the use of

knowledge in particular ways. According to schema theory in reading, all

knowledge is packaged into units called schemata. Embedded in these

packages of knowledge is, in addition to the knowledge itself, information

 7

about how this knowledge is to be used. All in all, a schema, then, is a

structure of data for characterizing the generic idea collected in memory.’’

Reading comprehension in first and second language and acquiring

proficiency is clearly explained. In the theory, it made clear about the case

that understanding the role of schema in reading process gives insights to

why students may fail to understand text material which is a big hindrance in

acquiring proficiency. Our understanding of a text depends on the relativity of

the schemas we possess to what we read.

Consequently, failure or confusion to understand a text is caused by

the lack of schemata a reader possess that can fit with the content of the text.

The process of interpretation is guided by the principle that every input is

mapped against some existing schema and that all aspects of that schema

must be compatible with the input information. A vital facet of top-down and

bottom-up processing is that both should simultaneously occur at all levels.

The data needed to fill out are accessible through bottom-up processing,

while top-down processing aid their adjustment if they are expected by or

consistent with the reader’s conceptual expectations.

The English Reading proficiency Level of pupils has a strong

relationship with schema theory. The schema theory explained how

knowledge is being perceived, processed retrieved by an individual. Poor

prior knowledge results to poor reading proficiency. The reader would find it

hard to relate what he is reading if it doesn’t match to a reader prior

 8

knowledge. Relativity of a person’s schema to a text is highly needed to

understand a text.

Factors Affecting the Reading Proficiency of Pupils

There are numerous factors affecting the English Reading Proficiency

level of readers. Recent studies have shown that certain factors have had a

great influence in the development of English Reading Proficiency Level of

readers in Grade six and the following factors are related to the text and the

reader.

Physical or Biological Factors. There are several factors that hinder

a reader to achieve reading proficiency and one of those are the physical

factors. According to Deepa (2005) the physical factors that affect reading

proficiency includes the physical attributes of the learners; visual disabilities,

hearing capacities, physical discomfort, speech deficiencies, neurological

disorders and general health. All of these have considerable effect on a

child’s reading capabilities. These factors have a great effect on how a

learner comprehend that would result to its reading proficiency.

However, it is obvious that a child who is ill will not be able to function

and perform well in school. A learner’s physical inadequacies most probably

will result in depletion of energy, slower physical development, lowered vitality

and therefore, mental retardation. In a similar study, according to Hermosa

(2002), children who are hungry and malnourished have a difficulty in learning

because they cannot distillate. Also, severe malnutrition in infancy may lessen
 9

the learner’s IQ scores. A learner who is sick does not only have a bad

performance because of illness but also because the child is out of school

often. Therefore, the child misses so much of his/her learning opportunities

that means learning to read and understand the text is difficult enough for

them.

Psychological Factors. According to studies, psychological factors

hold a very vital role in accomplishing reading proficiency. They influence a

reader’s ability to comprehend what they read. According to Deepa (2005)

some of the psychological factors that influence a reader to gain proficiency

includes fear and anxiety, motivation, personality and attitude of the child,

self-efficacy and level of interest.

In his study, this factor has a considerable influence on reading

comprehension and attaining proficiency. Habibian & Roslan (2014) stated

that in psychological literature in regards to the emotion, one of the concepts

that became the focus of attention to psychologists and psychiatrists is

anxiety, because anxiety plays a crucial role in reading.

In the same vein, Habibian & Roslan (2014) asserts that understanding

of a text may vary between readers, because not only do they come from

different motivation, but also their psychological perception and purpose of

reading are varied. Farnan (1996) stated that one factor affecting reading is

their attitude toward reading. She postulated that the reader’s inclinations to

read and their attitude, motivation and interest are connected to reading

proficiency.
 10

To summarize the discussion about psychological factors in the

process of reading, it is clear that the readers cognition, motivation and

emotion have a prominent impact on student’s reading process and that

having self-efficacy positive attitude, and motivation encourage readers to

accomplish their tasks effectively and solve their issues in reading. Moreover,

it was evident that reading anxieties had a distinct influence on reading

performance. Hence, it was obvious that in the entire process of reading,

considering psychological factors are highly profitable to readers.

Social Factors. In acquiring English reading proficiency, it is

understood to consider the social factors that affect a reader’s proficiency.

Adetunji and Oladeji (2007) highlighted that personal characteristics such as

social class have a huge impact to the reader’s attitude in reading. Pandian

(2000) mentioned that the reader’s reading attitude might be influenced by

factors connected to their backgrounds, home and school environment.

Therefore, a child’s family background and status affect his/her behavior

towards development in reading.

In a similar study, Adetunji and Oladeji (2007) considered peer

influence, school curriculum, environmental influence, teachers influence, and

parental influence as other factors as a social factor that influence a pupil’s

reading proficiency. Furthermore, it is clear that parents’ plays a vital role in

encouraging their children to read by creating a reading environment at home

through the availability of reading materials and teachers play a significant

role in as a good predictor of children’s school performance.

 11

Cognitive and Linguistic Factors. This factor in reading proficiency

plays a vital role both in reading comprehension to attain proficiency. The act

of understanding what you are reading is called reading comprehension.

According to the National Reading Panel (2000), the cognitive factors in

reading proficiency and comprehension includes: vocabulary, fluency,

metacognitive, phonemic awareness and phonics.

According to many studies, vocabulary among any other cognitive

factors holds a vital role in English reading proficiency. Laufer (1998)

investigated to know how much vocabulary is needed in English reading

proficiency and she concluded that at least 95 percent of the text should be

familiar to the reader to comprehend the text. This research shows that

vocabulary is a crucial factor needed to comprehend a text. If a reader’s

vocabulary is low or weak, the reader will not be able to realize the whole

essence of the text.

Tanczikne (2017) highlighted that, fluency is the capacity to read a text

smoothly and accurately. The expression, intonation and pacing sounds

natural to those fluent English readers every time they read aloud.

Metacognitive factor denotes to the expertise and control that we have

over our cognitive processes (Tanczikne, 2017). Generally, metacognition

consist of awareness and control of monitoring, planning and revising of our

knowledge.
 12

According to Tanczikne (2017), phonemic awareness is the knowledge

that words are made up of as a combination the individual sounds. Also,

phonemic awareness is the ability to hold on to those individual sounds and

blend them effectively into words and break them apart again. Therefore,

linguistic and cognitive factors widely influence a pupil’s capability to

understand a text and to achieve proficiency in English reading. Hence, a

child’s proficiency is a result of good comprehension in linguistic and cognitive

skill in reading.

English Reading Proficiency Levels

The rate of reading and the degree of comprehension are highly

correlated. Although there is a positive correlation between rate of reading

and quality of comprehension, it cannot be automatically assumed that

because a person reads fast he necessarily comprehends well. The

Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) is an initiative of the Bureau

of Elementary Education – Department of Education that directly addresses

its thrust to make every Filipino child a reader. It is anchored on the flagship

program of the DepEd ‘’Every Child A Reader Program (ECAP)’’, its goal is to

enable every Filipino be a good reader.

Phil-IRI is an evaluation tool that evaluates the reading proficiency

level of elementary school pupils. It is the first validated instrument that

intends to measure pupil’s reading comprehension level. The pupil’s word

recognition and comprehension ability as well as his reading speed are

informally assessed quantitatively through stories and passages. In

 13

determining the English Reading Proficiency Level of the pupils, the word

recognition and comprehension must be evaluated to come up with the

Reading comprehension of the pupils. There are three (3) levels of reading

proficiency, the independent, instructional and frustration.

Independent

Word Recognition- Can read fluently and independently without the

help or guidance of the teacher. Can read 97% - 100% of the text with

fluency.

Comprehension – Can answer the comprehension questions

correctly. Can answer 80% - 100% comprehension questions correctly.

Reading - (Good Reader, Good Comprehension)

Instructional

Word Recognition- Can read fluently and independently without the

help or guidance the teacher. Can read 90% - 96 % of the words in the text

fluently.

Comprehension – Cannot answer some of the comprehension

questions. Can answer 59% - 70% of the comprehension questions.

Reading - (Good Reader, Slow Comprehension)

Frustration

Not capable to answer reading comprehension questions and not able

to recognize some words in the text.

 14

Word Recognition - Not capable to read and recognize many words

in the text. Can only read the 89% and below correctly in the entire passage.

Comprehension – Cannot answer many comprehension questions.

Can correctly answer only 58% and below of the comprehension questions.

Reading - (Slow reader, Slow Comprehension)

For the purposes of the Phil-IRI, non-readers are also identified. Non-

readers are the pupils who are not able to identify and sound out letter-sound

connections for individual consonants who can recognize word

pronunciations, and to distinguish among long and short vowel that follow

rules. Those who cannot also understand the meaning of the text are

considered non-readers.

Prevalence of Non-readers

Reading is a significant skill an individual should have in order to

succeed in the society. Students with very weak reading skills ends up to

have serious academic problems that can develop into social problems as

they reach their higher years. Through the years of failures in reading, they

frequently develop unbreakable walls of resistance to reading.

In a study by Stanovich (2000), he described the prevalence of non-

readers as a ‘’Matthew effect,’’ the descending spiral of students who begins

with trouble in reading or acquiring alphabetic coding skills and recognizing

words. Similarly, he added that with these barriers, they cannot read for

meaning, and see increasingly unfulfilling. They engage less in reading and
 15

practice less and as a result, several side effects begin to be associated with

school, and the whole school experience is affected.

According to a report by Philippine Star (2010), the Philippines has a

plain reading literacy rate in the mid-to-high 90s. In the year 2003, the literacy

rate was extensively lower at 93.4 percent for a whole population of at least

10 years of age. Girls resulted to a higher literacy rate than the boys (94.3

against 92.6). This proves that the English reading proficient pupils were low

at the year 2003.

To overcome this problem, the learners will need an instructional

environment that could nurture their sanguinity that they can improve. Indeed,

the prevalence of non-readers is a sign that many pupils are less engaged in

reading and that hinder them to achieve their goals.

Reading Strategies

Reading Remedial. In a study done by Legere & Conca (2010) she

states that reading remedial refers to correcting or improving deficient skills in

a specific subject. The remedial reading is a change in instruction that helps

remedy a weakness in the area of reading. This program should be research

based and implemented with fidelity by teachers who have received sufficient

training.

The instruction should be explicit and should move sequentially from

the simplest concepts to the move complex. Instruction should consistent and

intensive with teacher modelling, guided practice, and independent practice.

 16

Effective remediation instruction enhance their reading skills when teachers

furnish direct instructions and regard pupil’s responses to remediation.

Computer Assisted Instruction. The increased use of computer

technologies to deliver instruction is a trend noted in research (Ely, 1991;

Najjar, 1996). Computer use in the classroom has boomed since the 1980’s,

fueling a debate over whether or not computer –assisted instruction (CAI) is

an effective means of improving student achievement. Drake (2001) claimed

CAI is one of the best practices which reinforce literacy learning at the

elementary school level. Since in literatures, there are precise conflicts about

the results of CAI on reading laurels, the challenge for educators is to impact

student learning through making use of the literature in making changes of

instructions.

Word Level Instruction. This type of strategy is assessed using

words with different levels of difficulties. As stated by Legere & Conca

(2010) :’’The text structures of levelled text supports the teaching of strategies

along developmental continuum’’. As the levels rise, the demands on the

reader also rise. As text move through the continuum the demands of

decoding lessen and the focus of instruction centred on applying techniques.

Teachers used levelled text to support the teaching and practice of reading

strategies along the developmental continuum.’’ Indeed, this strategy can be

of help in helping struggling readers.

Scaffolding Reading Strategy. According to Van Der Stuyf (2002) the

scaffolding teaching strategy provides individualized support based on the

 17

learners development, also this is the distance between what children can do

by themselves and the nest learning that they can be helped to achieve with

competent assistance. To implement scaffolding successfully, teachers must

first determine the difference between what each student can accomplish

independently and what he/she can accomplish with guidance.

Reading One-to-One. In a study, Farkas (1998) eloquently said that

reading one-to-one program was schemed to attain analogous product as

literacy programmes at a cheaper cost. This reading strategy greatly helps

children who are at risk in reading who cannot afford tutors to teach their

children. In this strategy he stated that, there is a direct communication and

understanding from a teacher and a learner, a learner will be focused to her

teacher’s discussion that would result to a better understanding.

Classroom-Based Formative Assessment Information. According

to Jenkins (2010) this strategy can be used to imply ways that should be alter

is more likely to be provided by assessments that are closely tied to the

particular curriculum that is being used to show instruction. This type of

assessment, constantly referred to as "classroom-based formative

assessment ", should be given very constantly to impose whether the pupil is

learning what is being taught. Example, if the pupil is on to develop

proficiency parsing unknown multi-syllable words as a way to enhance

reading accuracy sixth grade, constant classroom assessment can inform the

teacher out the pupils arising mastery of the strategy, and can possibly

distinguish what parts of it remains specifically difficult.

 18

Motivating Pupils. The effort and attitude of the pupils are the main

factors of a successful remediation, this will affect how quickly they learn.

Compared to the pupils with a poor attitude, progress is faster for those

motivated pupils. Pupils with learning disabilities must develop a positive

attitude towards learning through teachers. Constant failures made some of

the pupils obtain a low self-confidence and negative attitude towards reading

(Legere & Conca, 2010). Latterly, lack of motivation results to poor

confidence and self-esteem that results to constant failures and self-doubts,

we can conclude that motivating pupils is a strategy that should be taken into

consideration.

Related Studies

Educators spend countless times working to improve students’ reading

skills and to embolden learners to see the worth of becoming a good reader.

Regardless of these efforts, voluminous number of students are still dawdling

behind in the field of reading achievement. According to NAEP (2011) merely

34% of fourth- and eighth-grade pupils were reading at a proficient or

advanced level. Furthermore, among fourth-grade students, achievement

gaps have been found. In accordance, NAEP (2011) indicated that,

compared to 16% of African American students and 19% of Latino students,

34% of European American students scored at proficient or above.

In a study by Wigfield & Guthrie (1997) he eloquently said that

researchers have frequently centered on the cognitive feature of reading,

working to improve interventions and strategies to increase specific reading

 19

skills. Nevertheless, Furthermore, they suggested that, “because reading is

an effortful activity that often involves choice, motivation is crucial to reading

engagement.”

To provide insights to why numerous pupils are experiencing

complexities along the way to attain reading competency which is required to

gain proficiency in reading, researchers have noted that investigations of

pupil’s motivation might offer insights to bridge the problem

In a study by Camiciottoli (2001) she indicated that literature has

verified that there are still a huge number of individuals with poor English

language reading especially secondary students. The deterioration in English

language reading proficiency has been discovered in a study conducted by

Amoush (2012) who suggested that Jordanian students in English for foreign

language reading are unwilling to read texts written in English apart from the

textbooks which are taught in their classrooms for the purpose of passing

school exams. Jordanian English language reading students have frequently

associated reading not for pleasure and gaining knowledge but with school

purposes.

In a Norwegian context, Norwegian students in elementary school,

middle school and lower secondary school English is mandatory. In a study

by Bonnet (2004) the level of English Proficiency has long been reasonably

high in Norway. Similarly, in a recent study by Hellekjær & Hopfenbeck (2012)

showed that English Reading skills have improved markedly among

Norwegian secondary school.

 20

Kirmizi (2011) launched a study among pupils at elementary level and

investigated the relationship between reading and reading strategies in

reading comprehension. Approximately 1,316 pupils from fifteen different

schools in Denizli, Turkey took part in the study, comprising of girls and boys,

and classified as fourth and fifth grades. As a conclusion of the study, it was

stated that the analysis of scale of attitude in strategies and reading in

reading comprehension demonstrate that prediction of students’

comprehension strategies level and attitude play a significant role in achieving

English reading proficiency.

In the Philippines, majority of the Filipino students do not possess the

motivation and ability to read. Furthermore, according to an evaluation of

Scholastic Incorporated (2007) cited in Philippine Star (2010), 70% of the

nation’s readers are not capable of reading within the expected level. It is also

explained that the reading level materials required for the students to read

and the reader’s ability was mismatched that hinders a reader to attain

proficiency. In relation, Borja (2009) cited Dr. Quijano, former Department of

Education (DepEd) administrator, stated that the decline in the reading

comprehension also reported a decline in many areas. Borja (2009) claimed

that reading problems are the main problem for the poor reading performance

of students in the National Achievement Test (NAT).

Frequent number of pupils in grade 6 of Daanbantayan Central

Elementary School are experiencing major tribulations in the reading process

in terms of word recognition and comprehension. Being a English reading

 21

proficient is significant and allows individuals to be globally competent. In this

way, we will be able to understand and communicate throughout the English

speaking nations. Relatively, the result of this study will not only benefit the

grade 6 pupils but also the entire school administration, teachers, and the

parents of the pupils. They will be informed of the factors that hinder the

learners to achieve proficiency and what are the strategies that can be used

to help struggling readers.

Therefore, based from the mentioned theories on reading proficiency

and the discussed relevant literature and studies, the research on factors

affecting reading proficiency among pupils is timely and significant.

 22

THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

The study generally aims to investigate factors affecting reading

proficiency level among the Grade 3 pupils of Agujo Elementary School as

perceived by the teachers as basis for proposed reading interventions.

Specifically, it aims to the answer the following sub-problems:

1. What is the perception of teachers based on the suggested factors

such as physical, psychological, social, and cognitive or linguistic

affecting reading proficiency level?

2. What is the reading proficiency level of the Grade 3 pupils based on

their PHIL-IRI results in terms of

2.1 Word Recognition; and

2.2 Comprehension?

3. What are the possible reading strategies can help struggling readers

as perceived by the teachers?

 23

4. Is there a significant relationship between cognitive or linguistic factors

and reading level of the pupils based on their PHI-IRI results?

5. Based on the findings of the study, what possible reading intervention

program can be proposed?

Null Hypotheses

H0: There is no significant relationship between the cognitive or

linguistic factors and reading proficiency level of the pupils based on their

PHI-IRI results.

Significance of the Study

The results of the study are beneficial to the following:

Department of Education. The study will give them information to

provide programs that will improve the reading level of all the Filipino

learners.

School Administrators. This study will give them the idea to

strengthen the curriculum in the administration of reading among learners to

determine their levels.

Teachers. They will be aware of the influential factors that may affect

reading proficiency level and they can be provided reading interventions to

help the struggling pupils.

Pupils. They will be given reading interventions to help them coping

with difficulty.

Parents. They will be given the ideas to help the teachers in coping

with reading difficulties.

 24

Future Researchers. They will be given the opportunity to improve the

study based on the possible recommendations.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

The study focuses on investigating the factors affecting reading

proficiency level among Grade 3 pupils of Agujo Elementary School. All

teachers will be the target respondents of the study. Agujo Elementary School

will be the research locale of the study. The study is during the academic year

2020-2021. A self-made survey questionnaire will be utilized to determine

responses for tabulation, analysis, interpretation, conclusion, and

recommendations.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This part discussed the research design, flow of the study,

environment, respondents, instrument, data gathering procedure, and

statistical treatment of data.

Research Design

This study employs a descriptive-normative survey design. The survey

technique, otherwise known as normative survey, is a fact-finding study with

adequate and accurate interpretation. It is used to investigate perceptions

among teachers to the following factors affecting reading proficiency level:

physical, psychological, social and cognitive/linguistic, and possible reading

strategies and such data are analyzed, organized, and interpreted.

Flow of the Study

 25

Figure 2 shows the flow of the study. This study encompassed the

following inputs to be studied: the factors affecting reading proficiency level

among pupils such as physical, psychological, social and cognitive/linguistic;

reading level based from the PHIL-IRI results, and possible reading

strategies as perceived by the teachers. A self-made research questionnaire

will be utilized to gather data. Then, the data will be retrieved, collated,

tabulated, presented, analyzed, treated, and interpreted. The findings of the

study will be the bases for proposed reading intervention program.

Factors Affecting Transmittal Letter

Reading Difficulties: Statistical
physical, social, Treatment Reading Intervention
psychological, and Self-Made Program
cognitive/linguistic Research
Reading Level based Questionnaire
from PHIL-IRI results Interpretation
Perceived reading Analysis
strategies Conclusion
 26

Figure 2. Flow of the Study

Environment

This study will be conducted at Agujo Elementary School., Agujo,

Daanbantayan, Cebu which is along the highway and is accessible for all

curriculum stakeholders. This is in the Northwest part of Cebu province.

There are approximately more than 600 students in this institution and 25

teachers. The researcher chose this school because of the observed problem

in reading. The location map can be seen in figure 2.

Respondents

In this research, the 25 teachers of Agujo Elementary School for the

academic year 2020-2021 will be purposively chosen. The Grade 3 pupils will

be chosen with regard to their reading level based from the PHIL-IRI results.

The class is observed to have difficulty in reading.

Table 1

Distribution of Respondents
 27

Respondents Frequency Percentage

Teachers 25 100%
Grade 3 Pupils 29 100%
 28

[Grab your reader’s attention

with a great quote from the
document or use this space to
emphasize a key point. To place
this text box anywhere on the
page, just drag it.]

Figure 3: Location Map of the Research Environment

 29

Instrument

The main instrument for the study will be a self-made research

questionnaire to determine teachers’ perceptions on the suggested factors

affecting reading proficiency level among pupils and the possible reading

strategies to aid struggling readers. Another tool to be used will be the PHIL-

IRI results of the Grade 3 pupils during the calendar year 2019-2020 to

determine the reading level.

Data Gathering Procedure

A permission from the school principal for the approval of the conduct

of the study will be done. If approved, the conduct of the study will be

administered. Then, a survey on their perceptions on the suggested factors

affecting reading proficiency level among pupils and the possible reading

strategies to aid struggling readers will follow. The PHIL-IRI results of the

Grade 3 pupils during the calendar year 2019-2020 to determine the reading

level will be also gathered.

After, the data will be tabulated, analyzed, and interpreted.

Statistical Treatment of the data

The statistical treatments will be followed immediately after all the data

will be gathered. The statistical tools employed will be the mean and Pearson

R-correlation.
 30

Mean. This will be used to determine the frequency of responses on

the perceived suggested factors affecting reading proficiency level among

pupils and the possible reading strategies to aid struggling readers.

Pearson R-correlation. This will be used in determining the significant

relationship between the cognitive or linguistic factors and reading level of the

pupils based on their PHI-IRI results. Level of significance to be used is set at

α = 0.05.

Scoring Procedure

Table 2

Scoring System on Descriptive Mean of the Level of Agreement to the

perceived suggested factors affecting reading proficiency level among pupils

and the possible reading strategies to aid struggling readers

using 4-Likert Scale

Weight Category/Scale Verbal Description

4 3.26 - 4.00 Strongly Agree
3 2.51 - 3.25 Agree
2 1.76 - 2.50 Disagree
1 1.00 - 1.75 Strongly Disagree
 31

DEFINITION OF TERMS

To further understand the study, the following terms were operationally

defined:

Cognitive factor. This refers to the mental aspect of the pupils who

can affect their reading difficulty.

Comprehension. This refers to the ability of the pupils to understand

the reading materials based from the given set of questions.

PHIL-IRI. Phil-Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI), a national reading

assessment tool prepared by the Department of Education (DepEd) under the

initiative of the Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE). This is used to

determine the reading proficiency level of the pupils in terms of word

recognition and comprehension.

Physical factor. This refers to the external or environmental causes of

reading difficulty among pupils.

Psychological factor. This refers to the emotional aspects of the

pupils that might hinder the pupils to gain reading proficiency.

Reading. It is a window to the world. It means all information from

every corner of the world can be acknowledged by someone through this

activity.
 32

Reading Intervention Program. This is a proposed reading program

to aid the struggling pupils to become independent readers. This can be done

after all the data being gathered, analyzed, and interpreted.

Reading Proficiency level. This refers to the proficiency level of the

pupils in terms of word recognition and comprehension. The following are the

levels of reading: frustrated, instructional, and independent level.

Reading strategies. This refers to reading teaching practices such as

reading remedial, one on one reading, and the like to aid struggling readers.

Social factor. This refers to the personal interaction of the pupils that

might affect their reading proficiency.

Word Recognition. This means that pupils can read fluently and

independently without the help or guidance of the teacher. They can read

97% - 100% of the text with fluency.

 33

REFERENCES
 34

REFERENCES

Journals

Adetunji, G. P. & Oladeji, W, J (2007). Self –efficacy and expectancies on

performance deficits and depressive affect. Education and Research

Journal ,_6, 23-25.

Amoush,K.H.(2012). The effectiveness of using “semantic mapping strategy”

on reading comprehension of Jordanian university students.

Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 4(6),

714-729

Artelt, C., Baumert, J., Julius McElvany, N., and Peschar, J. (2003). Learners

for life:Student approaches to learning. Results from PISA 2000.

Paris: OCEO

Bartlette, F. C. (1932). Remembering: A study in experimental and social

psychology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Bonnet, G. (Ed.). (2004). The assessment of pupil's skills in English in eight

European countries 2002, The European Network of Policy Makers for

The Evaluation Of Educational Systems

Borja, C. Z. (2009, December 4). A decline in reading comprehension is a

decline in many other areas. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved from

 35

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/232402/a-decline-reading-

comprehension-a-decline-many-other-areas.

Bråten, I. (1997). Leseforståelse. Nordisk Pedagogikk, 17, 95–110.

Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by principles: AN interactive approach to

language pedagogy. White Plains, NY: Addison Wesley Longman,

Inc.

Burt, M., Peyton, J.K., Adams, R. (2003) Reading and Adult English

Language Learners: A review of the research. Washington,

Camiciottoli, C. B. (2001). Extensive reading in English: Habits and attitudes

of a group of Italian university EFL students Journal of Research in

Reading, 24, 135-153. doi: 10. 1 1 1 1/1467-9817.00137

Deepa P. (2005) “Certain psychological variables as predictors of reading

comprehension in English of secondary school pupils of Kerala” ,

Department of Education , University of Calicut , 2005

Drake, K. B. (2001). A study of technology-based best practices which

support literacy learning in elementary schools. Unpublished doctoral

dissertation, Pepperdine University, CA. Retrieved October 2, 2002,

from ProQuest Digital Dissertations database.

Ely, D. (1991). ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) Title:

Trends in Educational Technology 1991. This digest is based on

"Trends in Educational Technology 1991," by Donald P. Ely. ERIC

 36

Digest. Note: Update of ED 366 330. Retrieved June 14, 2001, from

ERIC Database at

http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed343617.html

Farkas, G. (!998). Reading One-to-One: An intensive program serving a great

many students while still achieving large effects. In J Crane (Ed.)

Social programs that work (pp. 75-109). New Year: Walter de Gruyter,

Inc.

Farnan, N. (1996). Connecting adolescents and reading: Goals at the middle

level. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literary, 39(6),436-445.

Gagen , M. (2007). Developing & improving reading comprehension skills:

Overview of reading comprehension & specific actions to help students

develop comprehension.

Habibian, M. and Roslan, S. (2014). The Relationship between Self-Efficacy

in Reading with Language Proficiency and Reading Comprehension

among ESL Learner’s. Journal of Education and Practice, 5(14), 119-

126.

Hellekjær, G. O., & Hopfenbeck, T. N. (2012). CLIL and reading. A

comparison of students’ reading skills and reading strategy use in

upper secondary school, Year 13. In B. W. Svenhard (Ed), CLIL, 28,

84–124.

Hermosa, N. (2002). The Psychology of Reading. Quezon City: University of

the Philippines Open University.

 37

Huang, S. (1997). Learning Strategies in memorizing a conversation text. In J.

Katchen (Ed.), The Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium

on English Reading, 283-295. Taiwan: The Crane Publishing Co., Ltd.

Jenkins, J. (2010). World Englishes, a resource book for students. New York:

Routledge.

Kirmizi, F. (2011). The Relationship between Reading Comprehension

Strategies and Reading Attitudes. Education 3-13: International

Journal of Primary, Elementary, and Early Years Education, 39(3),

289- 303. Kök, I. (2010).

Laufer, B. (1998). The Development of passive anad active vocabulary in

second reading language. Same or different? Applied Linguistics,

Oxford University Press, v, 19, n. 2, p. 255-271, 1998.

Legere, E., & Conca, L. (2010). Response to Intervention by a Child With a

Severe Reading Disability: A Case Study. Teaching Exceptional

Children, 43(1), 32-9.

Mol, S. E., & Bus, A. G. 2011. To read or not to read: a meta-analysis of print

exposure from infancy to early adulthood. Psychological Bulletin 137(2):

267–296.

Najjar, L. J. (1996). Multimedia information and learning. Journal of

Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 5, 129-150. Retrieved

September 9, 2002, from

 38

http://mime1.marc.gatech.edu/mime/papers/multimedia_and_learning.ht

ml

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of

the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read, an evidence-

based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its

implications for reading instruction, reports of the subgroups (NIH

Publication No. 00-4754). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office.

National Reading Panel. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel.

Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the

scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading

instruction (Tech. Rep. No. NIH Publication No. 00-4769). Washington,

DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. No

Child Left Behind Act. Pub. L. No. 107-110. (2002).

Ngabut, M. N., (2015) Journal on English as a Foreign Language, Volume 5,

Number 1, March 2015

Nuttall, C. (2005). Teaching reading skills in a foreign language. MacMillan,

Oxford. Office of the National Education Commission. (2003). National

Education Act of B. E. 2542 (1999) and amendments (Second National

Education Act B. E. 2545 (2002).

Pandian, A, (2000). A study on readership behavior among multi-ethnic,

multi-lingual Malaysian students. Paper presented at the 7 th

 39

International Literacy and Education Research Research Network

(LERN) Conference on Learning, RMIT University, Melbourne.

Philippine Star. (2010, December). Students read books not matched to their

reading level–study. Retrieved from http://www.philstar.com/education-

and-home/639276/ students-read-books-not-matched-their-reading-

levelstudy.

Pondiscio, R. (2014). Leveled Reading: The making of a literacy myth

[blogpost] .

Pretorius, E. J. (2000). Reading and the unisa student: is academic

performance related to reading ability? Progressio, 22(2), 35-48.

Rumelhart, D.E. (1980). Schemata: The Building Blocks of Cognition. In Rand

J. Spiro, et al.(eds.) Theoretical Issues in Reading Comprehension.

Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Rumelhart, D. E. (1982). Schemata: The building blocks of cognition. In J.

Guthrie (Ed.), Comprehension and teaching: Research reviews (pp. 3-

26). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Stanovich, K. E. (2000). Progress in understanding reading: Scientific

foundations and new frontiers. New York: The Guilford Press.

Tanczikne, S. V. (2017). Factors Affecting Reading Comprehension.

Department of Foreign Language and Further Education, Pedagogical

Faculty. Gardus Vol. 4, No.2 41-47.

 40

Van der Stuyf, R. R. (2002). Scaffolding as a Reading strategy: Adolescent

Learning and Development.

Widdowson, H. G. (1983). Learning purpose and language use. Oxford:

Oxford University Press.

Wigfield, A., & Guthrie, J. T. (1997). Relations of children's motivation for

reading to the amount and breadth of their reading. Journal of

Educational Psychology, 89(3), 451-469

Wu, H.Y, Hu, P.(2007). ‘’Major factors influencing reading comprehension: a

factor analysis approach,’’ Sino-US English Teaching, vol. 4, no. 9,

pp. 14-19, 2007.

Bohlmann, C. & Pretorius, E. (2002).Reading skills and mathematics. South

African journal

Darrel, M. (2005). The Howard Street Tutoring Manual: Teaching at-risk

readers in the primary grades. London: Guilford Press.

Nel, N. Nel, M. & Hugo, A. (eds.) (2012). Learner support in a diverse

classroom: A guide for foundation, Intermediate and senior phase

teachers of language and mathematics. VanSchaik: Pretoria.

Oberholzer, B. (2005). The relationship between reading difficulties and

academic performance among a group of Foundation Phase

learners. Thesis. University of Zululand.Journal of higher education,

vol 16 no3, 196-206.Washington D.C

41
 42

APPENDICES

Appendix A

READING PASSAGE WITH COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS IN DETERMINING

THE ENGLISH READING PROFICIENCY LEVEL OF PUPILS IN GRADE 3.

Phil-IRI Form 1 -
Pretest
Prompt: Who invented the telephone? Read and find out.

Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell accidentally invented the

telephone.
He was testing a new transmitter when it
happened. He spilled a burning acid on it and
produced sound waves. Bell didn’t realize that the
sound waves make sound travel to different places.
He shouted for help from Mr. Watson who was in the
kitchen. Mr. Watson was surprised to hear Bell’s voice
clearly. He went to Bell and uttered, “I heard every
word you said.”
This was how telephone was discovered.
 43

Gr. III

No of
words: 79

Appendix B

Questionnaire

I. The following are factors affecting the English reading proficiency level of pupils.
Rate the responses using the following rating scales. Put a check (/) to rate your
response.
2-
4 - Strongly Agree 3- Agree 1- Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Strongly Strongly
Physical Factors Agree Disagree
Agree Disagree
Visual Disabilities        
Hearing Capacities        
Physical Discomfort        
Speech Deficiencies        
Neurological Disorders        
General Health        

Strongly Strongly
Psychological Factors Agree Disagree
Agree Disagree
Anxieties        
Personality and Attitude        
Self-Efficacy        
Interest        
Motivation        

Strongly Strongly
Social Factors Agree Disagree
Agree Disagree
 44

Social Class        
Peer Influence        
School Environment        
Teachers Influence        

Cognitive and Strongly Strongly

Agree Disagree
Linguistic Factors Agree Disagree
Vocabulary        
Fluency        
Meta-cognitive        
Phonics        

II. For each item listed are different Reading Strategies to assess
struggling readers. Rate your responses using the following rating
scales. Put a check (/) to rate your response.
2– 1 – Strongly
4 – Strongly Agree 3- Agree
Disagree Disagree
Strongly Strongly
Reading Strategies Agree Disagree
Agree Disagree
Reading Remedial        
Computer Assisted Learning        
Word Level Interventions        
Scaffolding Reading Strategy        
Classroom-Based Formative
Assessment Information        
Reading One-to-One        
Motivating Pupils        
45
 46

CURRICULUM VITAE

CAPANGPANGAN, RODULFO JR., AGBONES

PERSONAL DATA

PERMANENT ADDRESS : Brgy. Don Pedro, Bogo City, Cebu

CONTACT NO. : 09958749306
EMAIL ADDRESS : capangpanganrodulfo@gmail.com
GENDER : Male
DATE OF BIRTH : September 23, 1992
PLACE OF BIRTH : Don Pedro, Bogo, Cebu
RELIGION : Roman Catholic
CIVIL STATUS : Single
HEIGHT : 5’5”
WEIGHT : 50 kilos
SPECIAL SKILLS : Dancing
LANGUAGE SPOKEN : English, Filipino, and Cebuano
FATHER’S NAME : Rodulfo R. Capangpangan
OCCUPATION : Farming
MOTHER’S NAME : Tita A. Capangpangan
OCCUPATION : Housekeeping

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

ELIGIBILITY: Licensure Examination for Teachers

September 30, 2013

GRADUATE: Master of Arts in English Teaching

Cebu Technologicacl University – Main campus
Cebu City, Cebu
Completed Academic Requirements
May 2016
 47

COLLEGE: BSEd - (English)

Cebu Roosevelt Memorial Colleges
Bogo City, Cebu
Graduated March 2013
Cum Laude

HIGH SCHOOL: San Remigio National High School

San Remigio, Cebu
Graduated April 2009
7th Honorable Mention

ELEMENTARY: Don Pedro Rodriguez Elementary School

Brgy. Don Pedro, Bogo City, Cebu
Graduated March 2005
Valedictorian