The Use of Direct Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) Strategy

to Improve the Reading Comprehension among

Grade 8 Learners of Our Lady of the

Pillar College-San Manuel Inc.

-----------------------

An Action Research
Presented to the Faculty and Staff of
Our Lady of the Pillar College-San Manuel Incorporated
San Manuel, Isabela

-----------------------------

In Partial Fulfillment for the Requirements in the Course

Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English
For the School Year 2021-2022

Mierdo, Lady Nareth T.

Corpuz, Janine Ann L.

Castro, Laarnie F.
 TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study -------------------------- 1
Theoretical Framework ---------------------------- 6
Conceptual Framework ----------------------------- 8
Research Paradigm -------------------------------- 10
( input-process-output-outcome)
(dependent -independent variable)
Statement of the Problem ------------------------- 11
Assumptions/ hypothesis -------------------------- 12
Significance of the Study ------------------------ 12
Scope and Delimitation --------------------------- 13
Definition of Terms ------------------------------ 14

CHAPTER II. Review of Related Literature

Foreign Literature ------------------------------- 16
Local Literature --------------------------------- 19
Foreign Studies --------------------------------- 21
Local Studies ------------------------------------ 24

CHAPTER III. Research Methodology

Research design ---------------------------------- 26
Research locale ---------------------------------- 26
Respondents of the study ------------------------- 27
Instrumentation ---------------------------------- 27
Validation --------------------------------------- 28
Data gathering procedure ------------------------- 28
Statistical Treatment ---------------------------- 30
Data analysis ------------------------------------ 31
 1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Reading is one of the crucial macro skills that

learners need to obtain and master to ensure success in

learning. Reading skills are beneficial for learners as it

will help them enrich experiences and acquire new knowledge

from books, magazines, journals, newspapers, and other

reading materials. Reading is the construction of meaning

from a printed or written message (Day and Bamford,1998). It

means that the reader must connect information from the

written message with prior knowledge to arrive a meaning and

understanding. Reading comprehension skill is one of the

essential components of reading that learners must develop,

for it is the ability to read written text, process its

content and construct meanings of the text. According to

Woolley (2011), reading comprehension is the process of

making meaning from text to gain an overall understanding of

what is described in the text rather than to obtain meaning

from isolated words or sentences. Al-Sa’oud (2002) stated

that reading comprehension is the ultimate goal of any

reading task, particularly in learning the English language.

 2

Hence, it is required for learners to have good reading

comprehension capabilities. 

Many Filipino learners are still struggling with

reading comprehension. Based on the global survey conducted

last 2018 by the Program for International Student

Assessment (PISA), Filipino students around the age of 15

obtained a rating of 340 points in reading comprehension,

lower than the average of 487 points which makes the

Philippines ranked last among 79 countries in the said

study. It is said that over 80% of students in the

Philippines did not reach a minimum level of proficiency in

reading, which is one of the largest shares of low

performers amongst all PISA-participating countries and

economies. Recognizing that there are still many Filipino

learners that are struggling to meet the learning standards

in early language, literacy, and numeracy, the Department of

Education (DepEd) has “strongly encouraged” all elementary

and secondary public schools to intensify their advocacy,

particularly for reading (Manila Bulletin, 2019).

Most students who lack basic comprehension abilities

demonstrate a lack of motivation in reading as they are

unable to comprehend what they read, resulting in a

deficiency in gaining relevant knowledge and information.

 3

Students have difficulty with reading comprehension due to a

variety of factors, such as a lack of motivation and

engagement.  A study conducted by Jingblad and Johansson

(2017) implied that when students are demotivated, they lack

engaging reading habits, and when reading engagement is

high, the students perform well on reading comprehension.

Thus, reading engagement via related pre-reading activities

can be an effective means to improve the intrinsic

motivation of students to practice reading as an autonomous

activity, which eventually improves the level of

comprehension. Correspondingly, Protacio (2017) has

suggested that reading engagement accounts for students’

motivation to read, participate in social activities that

promote reading, use learning strategies while reading and

establish meaning from texts. 

Researchers have found that teaching reading strategies

are vital to developing increased student comprehension

(Erliana, 2011). The practice of effective and innovative

reading comprehension techniques is essential to enhance

learners’ comprehension in a class. A majority of the

research indicates that the most successful way to teach

comprehension strategies to students with limited reading

proficiency is to use very direct and explicit instruction

 4

(Lenz, n.d.). Thus, teachers must implement adequate reading

strategies to improve comprehension and facilitate critical

thinking in understanding complex texts.

    Based on the statement above, the researchers want

to use the Direct Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) as a

teaching technique to improve the reading comprehension

among learners. The Direct Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA)

is a comprehension strategy that explicitly teaches students

good reading habits, which can be used across all grades and

learning abilities. “The DRTA process encourages students to

be active and thoughtful readers, enhancing their

comprehension” (Reading Rockets, 2015). It encompasses the

three stages in reading (pre-, while- and post) that can

guide students in asking questions about the text, making

predictions, and then reading to confirm or refute their

predictions to achieve good and enhanced comprehension.

Tankersley (2005) states that the DRTA extends reading to

higher-order thought processes and provides lecturers with a

great deal about each student’s ideas, thought processes,

prior knowledge, and thinking skills. According to Ruddell

(2002) who proposed the DRTA, it is an activity which has a

clear purpose for reading, involves students in active

comprehension by calling on their personal background

 5

knowledge and text knowledge, develops higher level thinking

using predictions and speculations, fosters reading to

verify, revise predictions or form new ones, and teaches the

skill of making conclusions, uses the social dynamics of

group interaction to propose and discuss options and

outcomes, and helps students arrive at decisions based on

textual and personal knowledge. Consequently, the Direct

Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) strategy provides the

teacher opportunity to guide students to think like good

readers do—anticipating, predicting, and then confirming and

modifying their ideas with the story as it unfolds

(Blachowich & Ogle, 2008). Thus, it will help learners

increase motivation, engagement, and understanding of the

text they are reading. 

In this study, the researchers want to determine the

effectiveness of utilizing the Direct Reading Thinking

Activity (DRTA) Strategy in improving the Reading

Comprehension among Grade 8 Learners of Our Lady of the

Pillar College- San Manuel Incorporated. 

 6

Theoretical Framework 

This study is supported by schema theory which is one

of the leading cognitivist learning theories that was

introduced by Bartlett in 1932 and further developed in the

’70s by Richard Anderson. 

According to Fahriany (2014), comprehension is making a

sense out of text. It is a process of using the reader's

existing knowledge (schemata) to interpret texts in order to

construct meaning. Thus, it is important to utilize

appropriate teaching strategies in reading among learners to

deal with their preexisting knowledge and schema to maximize

students’ learning. 

The Schema theory thinks that comprehending a text is

an interactive process between the reader' s background

knowledge and the text Shen (2008). Comprehension of the

text requires the ability to relate the textual material to

one's own knowledge during reading. Therefore, it is vital

for the students to activate their prior knowledge before

reading to ensure their understanding of the text. 

 7

As stated by An (2013),schema theory guides readers as

they make sense of new experiences, which enable them to

make a prediction about what they might expect to experience

in a given context. Consequently, the Schema theory

demonstrates how readers use their schema or prior knowledge

to understand and learn from a written text.

Schema theory is interrelated with Direct Reading

Thinking Activity (DRTA) strategy as students’ prior

knowledge is important to comprehend a text. Direct Reading

Thinking Activity (DRTA) strategy directs and stimulates

student’s background knowledge to the text, determine goals

for reading and then engage in making predictions throughout

the text which helps learners organize their thoughts prior,

during, and after reading text. As stated by Reading Rockets

(2015), Direct Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) strategy

activates prior knowledge and helps students monitor their

understanding of the text which encourages them to become

active and thoughtful readers. 

 8

Conceptual Framework 

READING
(Student read the text and gather specific
information to evaluate their predictions
and refine them if necessary)

Reading
Comprehension

THINKING
DIRECT
(Proving or modifying
(Stimulating prior knowledge and
predictions and making
making predictions of the text)
reflection)

Figure 1

The Figure above presents the conceptual framework of

the study which links the Direct Reading Thinking Activity

(DRTA) Strategy in improving the reading comprehension.

According to Reading Rockets (2015), the DRTA process

encourages students to be active and thoughtful readers

which enhances their comprehension. This strategy

encompasses the three core steps of the comprehension cycle

as before, during and after reading which are designed based

on the following phases; (1) Direct- facilitates students to

 9

formulate questions and share their predictions before

reading a passage by scanning the title, chapter headings,

illustrations, and other explanatory materials which

activates their prior knowledge of the text (2) Silent

Reading- students will be prompt with questions as they read

each section of the whole text to gather specific

information or data for necessary revision of their earlier

predictions (3) Thinking- after reading the complete text to

gather information, students are encouraged to verify or modify

the accuracy of their predictions by finding supporting

statements in the text. As stated by Burn (1996), DRTA is useful

for improving students’ comprehension of reading selections

because the student is interacting with the material during

reading and making prediction about what will occur in a text

encourages students to think about the text message. Thus, based

on the description above, the DRTA strategy guides students with

a step-by-step reading process which are beneficial in enhancing

students’ reading comprehension.

 10

Research Paradigm 

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT OUTCOME

ofile of the Determine the Results of Improved
Grade 8 reading compared scores reading
articipants comprehension collected from comprehension
in terms of level of the students’ of the Grade 8
e following: Grade 8 pre-test and learners as a
a. name learners of post-test.
result of the
b. age OLPC-SMI before implementation
c. sex and after the
of DRTA
implementation
of DRTA
strategy
Strategy

Determine the
significant
difference in
the scores of
the students
before and
after the
implementation
of DRTA
strategy in the
English class

FEEDBACK

Statement of the Problem

 11

The study attempts to determine the effectiveness of

the Direct Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) strategy in

improving the reading comprehension of the Grade 8 learners

of Our Lady of the Pillar College-San Manuel Incorporated.

Specifically, it sought to answer the following

questions:

 What is the current level of the Grade 8 learners in

their reading comprehension?

 What is the level of the Grade 8 learners in their

reading comprehension upon the implementation of Direct

Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) strategy?

 Is there an improvement in the students’ reading

comprehension ability using the Direct Reading Thinking

Activity (DRTA) strategy?

 Is there a significant difference in the scores of the

students after implementing  the Direct Reading

Thinking Activity (DRTA) strategy?

 How can Direct Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA)

Strategy be used to improve the reading comprehension

of the Grade 8 in the English class?

 12

Hypothesis

Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is no significant

difference in the pre-test and post-test scores of the

students after implementing the Direct Reading Thinking

Activity (DRTA) strategy

Alternative Hypothesis (Ha):  There is significant

difference in the pre-test and post-test scores of the

students after implementing  the Directed Reading

Thinking Activity (DRTA) strategy

Scope and limitations of the study 

This study mainly focused on the impact of the

Direct Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) Strategy in

improving the Reading Comprehension of the Grade 8

Learners of Our Lady of the Pillar College-San Manuel

Inc. during the Third Grading period of Academic Year

2021-2022. 

The researchers will conduct series of activities

of narrative text aligned in the learning competencies

to enhance the reading comprehension of the Grade 8

learners in an English class. All information and

results of this study will be obtained and applicable

only to this particular group of students. 

Significance of the study

 13

The researchers expect that the results of this study

will benefit the following:

The Students. This research will help the learners to

increase their interest in reading and improve their reading

comprehension to be engaged in learning new knowledge and

relevant skills continuously.

The Teachers. This method will serve as a guide for

teachers to effectively facilitate teaching reading among

learners and give another way to develop and create other

appropriate strategies in honing students’ reading skills. 

The School. This research will be helpful to improve

the quality of education among learners as it promotes the

utilization of innovative instructional strategies and

provides an opportunity for reading development in the

teaching-learning process.

The Researchers. This study will benefit the

researchers as it will enable them to gain experience and

expand their knowledge and skills in teaching reading to the

learners, which they may apply/integrate with their

professional teaching in the future. 

The Future researchers. The result of this study will

serve as a basis for further study in enhancing students’

 14

reading comprehension using the Direct Reading Thinking

Activity (DRTA) strategy.

Definition of terms 

For a better clarification and understanding of the

terms related to this study, the following terms are defined

conceptually and operationally.

Direct Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) Strategy. It

refers to the comprehension strategy that involves the three

stages in reading (pre-, whilst- and post) that can guide

students in asking questions about the text, make

predictions, and then reading to confirm or refute their

predictions to activate their critical thinking which

enhanced their reading comprehension.

Pre-test. It refers to the test given among students to

measure their current reading comprehension before the

implementation of the DRTA Strategy.

Post-test. It refers to the test given among students

to measure their reading comprehension after the

implementation of the DRTA Strategy.

Reading. It refers to the process of understanding and

constructing meaning from a written or printed text.

 15

Reading Comprehension. This refers to one’s ability to

critically comprehend, understand, and construct meaning

from a written symbols or text.

Schema. It refers to the prior knowledge of a reader in

a given text.

T-Test. It is a statistical tool use to determine the

significant difference between the means of the pre-test and

post-test.
 16

Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter discusses various pieces of literature and

studies that are relevant to the current study.

FOREIGN LITERATURE

Reading is one of the language skills in learning

English that should be mastered by learners. According to

Johnson (2017),the most fundamental definition of reading is

being able to interpret written symbols and understand

printed material. Almost 50 percent of the national final

examination items consist of reading skill. Therefore,

students must be trained to be engaged in reading to master

good reading comprehension and continuously acquire new

knowledge around them. According to Leverage (2021), reading

is not just a leisure activity but can also be useful when

it comes to clearing some of the globally recognized

competitive examinations. Thus, developing a reading

comprehension is beneficial among learners because it is

needed for career, study purposes or simply for

entertainment which helps to develop themselves holistically

as well as in acing various examinations academically.

 17

Reading comprehension is the ability to mentally

process written words, understand the content of written

text and construct its meaning based on reader’s schema.

Grabe and Stoller (2013) state that reading comprehension is

the ability to understand and interpret the meaning of a

text. Indeed, reading comprehension is a process of

constructing and understanding meaning, information or a

message from a particular text. 

Based on Programme for International Student Assessment

(PISA) conducted last 2018, Filipino students around the age

of 15 obtained a rating of 340 points in reading

comprehension, lower than the average of 487 points which

makes the Philippines ranked last among 79 countries in the

said study. It is said that over 80% of students in the

Philippines did not reach a minimum level of proficiency in

reading, which is one of the largest shares of low

performers amongst all PISA-participating countries and

economies.

According to Lynch (2020),many students struggle with

reading comprehension, and this can put a serious strain on

learners throughout all classroom subjects. Learning all

academic content requires reading in some form, hence

students who struggle with reading comprehension often fall

 18

far behind their classmates academically in multiple areas.

Thus, it is vital for the students to develop their reading

comprehension skills with the help of teachers through

integrating appropriate reading strategy in the teaching and

learning process. 

A majority of the research indicates that the most

successful way to teach comprehension strategies to students

with limited reading proficiency is to use very direct and

explicit instruction (Lenz, n.d.). One of the innovative

learning strategies that have been developed was the Direct

Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) strategy. Blachowich &

Ogle, (2008) states that Direct Reading Thinking Activity

(DRTA) is the most appropriate strategy that meets the

requirement of comprehension (build schemata, provide

opportunities in using reading strategy, and enable the

students to plan, monitor, and evaluate their reading

process) and is suitable for reading informational text.

Consequently, the Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA)

is a comprehension strategy that guides students in asking

questions about a text, making predictions, and then reading

to confirm or refute their predictions which helps

strengthen reading and critical thinking skills among

learners (Reading Rockets, 2015). 

 19

LOCAL LITERATURE

According to Catacutan (2019), one of the strategies in

reading which was proven to be effective by the researchers

is the Directed Reading Thinking Activity or DRTA which is

associated with Directed Reading Activity developed by

Stauffer in 1969. The Direct Reading Thinking Activity

(DRTA) is a strategy that encourages students to use their

minds while reading a text. It guides students to ask

questions based on what they read, make predictions on the

story line and read further to confirm and modify their

ideas and predictions within the story. Hence, DRTA strategy

develops students’ ability to read critically and

reflectively. 

Allen (2004),states that the value of directed reading

thinking activity is to make predictions before reading each

section. Requiring students to make predictions encourages

them to actively engaged as they use their background

knowledge to establish purposes for reading and develop

their questioning ability. Furthermore, the Direct Reading

Thinking Activity strategy promotes interactive learning as

 20

the teacher guides the students to verify or modify their

predictions after reading the text. 

Many studies have already proven the effectiveness of

utilizing DRTA strategy in enhancing reading comprehension

skills among learners. Catacutan (2019) also states that

teachers in English and Filipino may use DRTA strategy to

develop skills in inferring and predicting outcomes.

Consequently, the Direct Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA)

can able to set reading purposes, make predictions, read

silently, and verify predictions, re-read the selection

specified by the teacher, and respond to evaluations and

enrichment activities which are beneficial in improving the

reading comprehension among students. 

According to Dela Pena(2018), the impact of DRTA to

learners as decoders is the ability to use their critical

thinking skills and their capacity to make decisions on

crucial situations. It is proven that reading and decoding

combined results to comprehension. Learners who are the end

users of the curriculum benefit the most in this aspect of

reading comprehension. As a result, both teachers and

learners find reading activity enjoying and motivating given

the appropriate approach to a large content on their levels

of reading comprehension as well. 

 21

Gerio (2014) implied that DRTA was designed to monitor

how well the children had understood the story, as well as

allow students to cooperate with one another in performing

their specific tasks within a given time. She also states

that students’ initial lack of interest in reading and

speaking in English arose from lack of motivation, deficient

reading and communication skills and poor comprehension.

Thus, it is essential for teachers to implement innovative

teaching reading methods to increase learners’ reading

interest and engagement that would be helpful to develop

their self-esteem and reading competencies. 

FOREIGN STUDIES 

According to (Erliana, 2011) who studied improving

Reading Comprehension through Directed Reading-Thinking

Activity (DRTA) Strategy, the result reveals that the DRTA

improves students’ comprehension and increases their

motivation in learning. Vitasmoro  (2016) also added that

DRTA technique is one of the effective and appropriate

techniques that can be used in reading class to improve

student’s reading competence. First, DRTA can activate the

students’ background knowledge related to the topic. Second,

various activities in DRTA technique can enhance students’

confidence and motivation to have reading competence. Third,

 22

DRTA technique can guide the students to comprehend an

overall description about the text. The improvement of

reading competence can be seen from the result of pre- test

which has the mean score 56.17, post-test 1 is 67.11, post-

test 2 is 72.62 and post-test 3 is 76.15. 

An experimental study was designed by Chaemsai1 &

Rattanavich (2016) to investigate and compare the English

reading comprehension and ethical awareness of 7th grade

students, when using either a directed reading-thinking

activity (DR-TA), or a traditional approach, involving tales

of virtue based on His Majesty the King’s teaching concepts.

The results showed a significant difference in English

reading comprehension, and ethical awareness of learning

English reading, between both groups at .01 level. Students

through the DR-TA method had significantly higher English

reading comprehension, and increased ethical awareness, at

the .01 level. The results of this study reveal that the DR-

TA method, through tales of virtue based on His Majesty the

King’s teaching concepts, improves development in English

reading comprehension and ethical awareness, compared to the

traditional approach. 

Nainggolan (2017) conducted a study, “Improving

Student’s Reading Comprehension Through DRTA-Strategy at Smp

 23

St.Ignasius Medan”. The findings of this research study

indicated that the DRTA strategy was successful in improving

both the students’ ability in comprehending report texts and

the students’ involvement in reading activities. Based on

the students’ achievement using DRTA strategy in

comprehending report texts, it was suggested for the English

teachers to apply DRTA strategy as one of many alternatives

that can be used in teaching reading skills.

Soraya et al., (2018) in their study on developing

students’ reading comprehension of narrative text using

Direct Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) strategy showed that

students’ reading comprehension achievement of narrative

text has indicated the increase from the average scores of

reading comprehension in two cycles (cycle 1 and cycle 2).

The students’ average scores who achieved minimum level

achievement (MLA) 59% in cycle 1 and 85.7% in cycle 2. From

these results, they found out that the use of DR-TA strategy

in developing the students’ reading comprehension

achievement of narrative was effective in the teaching and

learning process.

A study conducted by Panjaitan & Siagian (2019) 

concluded that DRTA is an effective strategy in enhancing

students’ reading ability, because the hypothesis testing

 24

result showed that p value (Sig) = 0.000, which means that p

value (Sig.) ≤ α (0.05) which showed a significant

difference before and after giving treatment. The result of

the study implied that Directed Reading Thinking Activity is

an effective method in improving students’ reading skills. 

Risdha (2019) conducted a study, which proved that the

implementation of DRTA strategy in teaching reading  were

effective to improve the students’ reading comprehension.

The result showed that the students' mean score of pre-test

was 46,875 and their score of post-test was 70, in which the

gain amounted to 23,125. It means that there was a

significant difference in students' reading comprehension

before and after treatment through DRTA strategy.

LOCAL STUDIES

Demin & Combalicer (2016) conducted a study, “Improving

the Reading Comprehension Level Of The Selected Grade 7

Students Of Binulasan Integrated School, Infanta, Quezon

Through Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA).” The

study showed the effectiveness of the DRTA intervention

program/ a remedial reading strategy through pre-test and

posttest. The result of the pretest given to 39 students

administered before the implementation of DRTA disclosed

that 19 or 49% belonged to Frustration level. These students

 25

demonstrated improvement in reading comprehension test after

the implementation of the DRTA. The research findings

revealed the effectiveness of DRTA in enhancing the reading

comprehension level of the students. Thus, this study

concluded that the DRTA strategy may be used as one of the

remedial/ intervention strategies in the division, region or

even in the country.

A research study was conducted by Buenafe, (2021) to

determine if there is a significant difference in using

Directed Reading Thinking Activity Strategy in enhancing the

Most Essential Learning Competencies in English of Grade 7

Students in terms of making predictions/inferences, citing

evidence, and reacting to what is asserted in a text. The

study showed that there is a significant difference in the

pre-test and post-test scores of Grade 7 Students in MELCs

after their exposure to the DRTA strategy. Thus, the

findings of the study indicated the effectiveness of DRTA

strategy in enhancing the Most Essential competencies in

English of the Grade 7 students. 

 26

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter provides an overview of the research

methods used in the study. It contains information about the

participants, research design, instruments, data gathering

procedures and statistical treatment of data.

Research Design

The research method that will be used in this

study is quantitative experimental method. The

Quantitative data will be taken from the pre-test

before treatment and  post-test  after  treatment of

Direct Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) among the

students. The aim of this research is to measure the

improvement of the learners’ reading comprehension upon

implementing the Direct Reading Thinking Activity

(DRTA) Strategy in the English class.

Research Locale

This study will be conducted in Our Lady of the

Pillar College- San Manuel Incorporated, a private

Catholic School at District 3, San Manuel, Isabela.

Respondents of the study

 27

The participants of the study are the Grade 8

learners of Our Lady of the Pillar College- San Manuel

Incorporated. There were 28 students in the class that

consisted of 16 males and 12 females in Academic Year

2021-2022. The researchers selected the Grade VIII

students as the subjects of the study because according

to their English teacher, approximately 60% of the

students are having difficulties in reading

comprehension. 

Research Instrument

In this research, the researchers will use series

of activities of narrative texts as an instrument in

collecting data among Grade 8 learners. The researchers

will also give a reading comprehension test that

consists of 14 items multiple-choice and two open-

response questions. The pre-test  will be conducted to

determine the level of the students’ current reading

comprehension before the treatment of DRTA strategy.

Then, a post-test will be conducted at the end of the

implementation of DRTA strategy to find the students’

improvement in their reading comprehension skill. 

Validation
 28

The researchers will use the spring 2015 Grade 8

English Language Arts Reading Comprehension test to conduct

a pre-test and post-test among the research participants.

This reading comprehension test is based on Grades 6–12

learning standards in two content strands of the

Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts

and Literacy (March 2011). Moreover, the series of

activities that will be use during the implementation of the

strategy are based on the Third Grading Learning Activity

Sheet of Grade 8 aligned with the learning competencies

prescribed by the Department of Education (DepEd).

Data-gathering procedure

This study will be conducted to improve students’

ability in reading comprehension through DRTA strategy to

encourage them to be engaged in reading  and feel confident

about their reading ability to comprehend written text. 

Pre-test

This pretest will be conducted in order to find out the

current reading comprehension of the Grade 8 learners.

Based on the result of the pre-test, the researcher

then decided to apply DRTA strategy in improving their

reading comprehension level. 

Process
 29

The action procedure that will be implemented in this

study as follows: 

Planning: 

a. Making a teaching scenario for each meeting.

b. Preparing the reading material will be used in the

exercise, pre-test and post-test. 

c. Preparing the teaching media/materials (pictures,

photos and slides) 

d. Preparing the worksheet. 

e. Preparing the test. 

Action: Steps in the teaching and learning process 

Pre-activity 

- Engagement (gives short brainstorming related to

the topic for focusing the students’ attention). 

While-activity

- Exploration (giving student a chance to

explore) 

- Elaboration (giving a challenge to reinforce the

student to enlarge their knowledge) 

Post-activity Assessment

- Confirmation and Reflection (to generalize the

information and knowledge learned) 

Post-test
 30

This post-test will be conducted in order to find out

the effectiveness of the implemented Direct Reading

Thinking Activity (DRTA) Strategy in improving the

reading comprehension of the Grade 8 learners.

Statistical Treatment

Scoring Method (Percentage) 

To assess students’ ability of English reading

comprehension the researcher will do the Reading

Comprehension test by using the formula: 

n
S= x 100
N

Where: 

S = students’ score

n = number of true answer

N = number of test items 

100 is a constant value

Mean Score

To find out the mean score of the students’ test,

the researcher will used the formula:

Σx
x́ =
N

Where: 
 31

x́ = Mean Score

∑X = Total Score 

N  = the Number of Students

To find the students’ improvement in their score from

pre-test and post-test by using the formula as follows:

x2 −x1
P = ×100
x1

Where: 

P = Percentage of

x 1 = Pre-test mean score

x 2 = Post-test mean score

100 a constant value

Calculating the mean score of difference between pre-test

and post-test by using the following formula:

∑D
D=
N

Where: 

D= The mean score of difference

∑D= The total scores of difference between pre-test

and post-test (x2-x1)

N= Total sample
 32

Calculating the Result of the Test 

Finding out the significant difference between

students’ pre-test and post-test by using formula:

2
(∑ D)

√
2
∑D −
N
t=
N ( N−1 )

Where: 

T= Test of significance 

D= The mean score of difference (x 2−x 1)

∑D= The sum of the total score

∑ D 2= The square of the sum score of difference

N= The total sample

Data Analysis

Hypothetical test

After the data is normal and homogeneous, the data was

analyzed by using an independent sample t-test in order

to know the significance of the treatment effect. While

the criteria acceptance or rejection of hypothesis test

are: 

Ha is accepted if sig < α = 0.05 

H0 is accepted if sig > α = 0.05

 33

Table : The Scoring Rubric for The Measurement of

Reading Comprehension

Mark Value Letter Value Heavy Value Classification

(%)
80- 100 A 4 Excellent 
70-<80 B 3 Good
60-<70 C 2 Fair
50-<60 D 1 Poor
0-<50 E 0 Very Poor 
(Reference: Arikunto, S., 2005)
34
 35

PRE-TEST/POST TEST
https://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/2015/release/gr8-ela.pdf 
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
 45

English 8
Name of Learner________________________________ Grade level: ____________
Section:____________________________________________ Date:_____________________

READING ACTIVITY 1

WHY WOMEN WASH THE DISHES

by: Filomena N. Colendrino

In the town of Santa Rosa, there once lived a couple named

Hugo and Imelda. Every mealtime they ̭ would quarreled over
the chore of washing the dishes. Imelda would scold Hugo if
he refused to wash the dishes. Sometimes she would become
angry and call him names, and if he talked back she would
get coconut midrib broom and would chase him with it. He
would run to the house of his compadre and hide there till
his wife’s anger had passed.

The neighbors familiarly called Imelda, Ka Maldang and Hugo,

Ka Ugong.

One day just as they were finished their lunch, Ka Ugong

announced; “I’m not going to wash the dishes anymore.” He
threw out his chest and lifted his chin.

“Who says so?” asked Ka Maldang, holding up her chin, higher

than his.

“I say so; I worked so hard in the field this morning. I’m

not going to wash any dish.”

Ka Maldang stood up and with her arms akimbo, she glared

down at Ka Ugong across the table.She was a big woman. Her
 46

arms were stout. Her voice was also big. “And who, Mister
Hugo, is going to wash these dishes?” she asked.

Ka Ugong’s chest sank again. His chin also went down. He

held on the edge of the table nervously.

“You!” he said in a much lower tone.  “You are the woman.

You should do all the housework.”

“And what do you do?” asked Ka Maldang. “You tie the carabao
to the reeds in the field and then you lie down on the grass
to watch it graze. You call that hard work? I cook, clean
the house, wash your clothes, I scrub the floor, I do all
the work that only slaves should do. And yet, you even
refuse to help me wash the ̭
dishes!” Ka Maldang’s voice
raised to a high pitch and her tears posed on her eyelids at
Ka Ugong and at her broom. She grabbed the broom. She raised
the broom to strike him, crying, “You, you, you lazy man!”

Ka Ugong ducked under the table, “Don’t” he cried. “Don’t

hit me!”

“Come out from under the table, you coward.” ordered Ka

Maldang.

“Put down your broom,” said Ka Ugong.

“All right, all right. Come out.” Ka Maldang put her broom
behind the door.

Ka Ugong returned to his seat opposite her at the table.

“What have you to say?” asked Ka Maldang, wiping her eyes.

“Let’s stop quarreling over the plates. Let’s have a wager.

whoever speaks first, after I said ‘Begin’ will wash the
dishes. Always”
 47

“Only that?” said Ka Maldang. “The first one who talks will
always wash the plates, and bowls, and pots and pans.
Always.”

“Right.” said Ka Ugong. “If you ever say just one word to me
or to anybody, or to anything after I had said ‘Begin’, you
will always wash the dishes.”

“That’s easy. I can keep my mouth shut even for a week. You
can’t. You even talk to your carabao.”

“All right, are you ready?” asked Ka Ugong.

Ka Maldang sat upright in front of him across the table. She

nodded her head, compressed her lips, and Ka Ugong said
“Begin.”

They both fell silent. They sat at the table looking at each
other across the unwashed plates, bowls and spoons. They did
not like to leave each other for fear that one would talk to
himself without the other’s hearing. They sat there just
staring.

Soon the cat began to mew for its food. Neither Ka Maldang
nor Ka Ugong paid attention to its mewing. The cat jumped
upon the drying dishes to lick the leftovers. Ka Maldang did
not drive the cat away. Neither did Ka Ugong. The cat licked
the pot and pans on it, overturned a kettle, spilled its
contents, and then went to lie down under the table. Ka
Ugong pretended that nothing had happened. He continued to
sit still, and so did Ka Maldang.

Soon, it was getting late in the afternoon but they went on

sitting silently mutely at the lunch table. Their eyes were
tired from staring hard at each other. Tears began to roll
down their cheeks. Ka Ugong’s shirt became damp with his
 48

sweat. Ka Maldang’s sweat gathered on her forehead, and

trickled down to the sides of her face, and fell drop by
drop to her breast.

A neighbor called, “Compadre Ugong! Oh! Compadre!”Ka Ugong

did not answer.

The neighbor called again, “ComadreMaldang! Yoo-hoo

ComadreMaldang. Yoo-hoo, Compadre Ugong, may I borrow your
ax?”

Ka Maldang did not answer. Ka Ugong looked at her silently.

“Perhaps nobody is at home,” they heard the neighbor

murmured say to himself. “But why did they leave their
ladder at the door? They usually remove the ladder when they
go somewhere away. Well, I’ll just go up get the ax and
return it later.” The neighbor went up.

When the neighbor went upstairs through the bamboo ladder he

was surprised to see Ka Maldang and Ka Ugong sitting
silently at the table where the plates had dried up with the
leftovers. He hurried toward them. Ka Ugong neither moved
nor talked. The neighbor repeated his question. He shook Ka
Ugong;s shoulder. Ka Ugong let him shake him, closing his
lips tighter.

The neighbor turned to Ka Maldang. “Speak, Comadre! What

happened?” He shook her shoulders, too.

She pushed him roughly aside but did not speak.

“Did you eat something poisonous? Some food that has made
you dumb?” He shook each one alternately. But still neither
stood up nor talked.
 49

The neighbor was alarmed. He did not get the ax but ran out
to the rest of the neighbors, He told them that something
terrible had happened to his Compadre Ugong and Compadre
Maldang. The neighbors gathered at Ka Maldang’s dining room.
They took turns trying to make them speak. But the two
continued to sit staring at each other in silence. Ka
Maldang looked at her husband threateningly for a moment
then closed her eyes. Ka Ugong knew that she did so to avoid
looking at the neighbors, He also closed his eyes and
ignored everyone who had come up to his house. Ka Maldang
was very angry with her Compadre’s interference but she
dared not to speak her mind, she pretended to be asleep.

The compadre was very much worried. He ran to the village

herb man. The herb man came and when he saw the motionless,
silent husband and wife sitting at the table, he declared
that they were bewitched. He spread a woven bud mat in the
center of the sala and asked the “bewitched” couple to lie
down. Ka Ugong obediently lay down and closed his eyes. He
curled up and went to sleep. But Ka Maldang refused to get
up from where she sat at the dining table

The herb man said “Ah, the spirit that has taken possession
of her is very stubborn. I must break its spell.”

He turned, and then produced from a small bag which he

always carried nine pieces of betel leaf, a piece of areca
nut, and a little lime from a tiny bottle. He examined the
leaves closely to choose those which had veins running in
identical arrangements on each side of the midrib. He cut
the nut into nine pieces. He spread a little lime on each
betel leaf, rolled them and wrapped them around each piece
of areca nut. He now had nine rings of the leaves.
 50

“This represents the lost spirit of the couple,” he said.

He chewed the leaf and nut. When he had chewed it he spat it

on his palm, dipped a forefinger of the other hand into the
nut colored saliva and marked with it a cross on the
foreheads of Ka Ugong and Ka Maldang. Ka Ugong did not seem
to feel the old man’s finger on his forehead. Ka Maldang
caught the man’s forefinger and twisted it. The old herb
doctor cried “aray” and pulled back his hand. He moved
toward Ka Ugong who was lying down. Calling his name softly
and slowly several times. “Come, Ugong, Come back, Ugong!”
Ka Ugong did not move nor speak.

“Come Maldang…come home to your body now…come. Maldang…!”

chanted the old man. Ka Maldang did not answer.

Evening fell on the frightened village, frightened because

the herb doctor said that the spell might be cast on some
other villagers besides Ka Ugong and Ka Maldang. He called
to the bewitched couple softly at first, and then louder,
but became tired so she reclined against the bamboo wall.

The old herb man said, “This is the first witchery of its
kind that I have met here. By their silence I believe that
they are dead. Their spirits, driven away by the witch, have
left their bodies. The only thing to do in order to keep
their souls in peace and to prevent this witchery craft from
spreading among us is to bury them.”

The herb man ordered some of the men to look for boards and
make two coffins immediately before the malady would go to
them. In no time, the two coffins, made of rough planks,
hurriedly nailed together, were finished.
 51

The women began to weep for Ka Maldang. She had leaned

rigidly against the back of her chair, closed her eyes, and
shut her lips tight. The herb man asked the men gathered
around to lift the couple into the coffins.

“We shall bury them at sunrise. Some of us have to stay to

keep the wake for the dead,” he said.

The man easily lifted Ka Ugong and placed him inside his
coffin. Surely, he thought to himself, he would win the
wager. He would not be afraid of being buried. Why, he would
just get cut of the grave when the neighbors were gone. He
thought everything going on was great fun and he was
enjoying himself. How he would frighten them all when he
returned from his grave!

The herb man approached Ka Maldang. Although her eyes were

closed, she had been listening to his directions. She was
afraid that he would surely force her into the coffin if she
did not tell him to go away. But she did not want to talk.
She hoped her husband would object to the men’s lifting her
into the coffin.

“Surely, Hugo will not let me be buried tomorrow. Uh, I’m

afraid to sleep in that coffin tonight. No, I’ll not let
them lift me into it,” she thought to herself.

But she did not hear Ka Ugong speak. She opened her eyes
just as the herb man, aided by two other men, put his arms
around her to lift up from her chair.

Ka Maldang pushed the men, got up to her feet, and shouted,

“Don’t touch us! Get out! Get out of my house. Shame on you
for coming here, meddling with our lives!”
 52

Ka Ugong leaped to his feet. He also shouted, “You talked

first!”

He jumped about clapping his hands and saying to the

astonished neighbors, “She talked first. We had a wager. Now
she will always wash the dishes!’

Ka Maldang lifted up the lid of Ka Ugong’s coffin to strike

his head with it but he ran out with his neighbours, still
shouting happily and saying “I won, I knew I would win! Now
I’ll never wash dishes.

QUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. What ideas, feeling, and beliefs do you have about the

title “Why Women Wash Dishes.”?

____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

2. Would you say that dishwashing is only for women?

____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

3. What does this drama show about the position of women

in the Philippine society?

____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

4. Point out character/s or situations in the play that

reflect Filipino culture.

____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
 53

5. What cultural, social, or political conditions

influence the characters to act or believe that way?

____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

READING ACTIVITY 2

Read the following excerpt from Leon Panetta’s article “The

Price of Spin Versus the Truth”. Then, answer the questions
that follow.

Huey Long- the infamous Louisiana politician of the

Thirties—once promised a certain constituency in an
election campaign that he would deliver a public works
project to them if elected. When he failed to deliver the
project after he was elected, he was asked why. His reply:
‘’I lied!”
Long’s admission was brutally frank. It was the kind
of honesty that worked well for Long. Why is it so
difficult to work for many of those in public office
today?
The typical strategy is to tell people what consultants
and pollsters say the public wants to hear and when the
facts prove differently, to keep repeating the same words
in the hope that repetition somehow will make it right.
But there is a terrible price to be paid for this
political ‘’spin” game – the lost of trust of the people…
As our parents did, we try to teach our children to
be truthful. Our very democracy is dependent on a strong
relationship of trust between the people and their
leaders. But in recent years, whether because of lost
values or the ease and speed of modern communications, a
bad example is being set for future generations by those
who tell people the political message rather than what is
really happening.
This may provide some short-term political gains, but
ultimately, the nation pays a terrible price. Huey Long
decided to tell the simple truth when he said he lied in
his campaign. It might just be that telling the simple
truth can work to restore both our politics and our
democracy. Long knows, it’s worth a try.
From The Price of ‘Spin’ Versus the “Truth” by Leon E. Panetta , The Monterey County
Herald, September 09,2001
http;//www.panettainstitute.org/Commentaries/090901.htm
 54

Respond with your thoughts below.

1. Panetta says,” honesty…worked well for Long. Why is it
so difficult to work for many of those in public office
today?”
What kind of honesty worked well with Long? Can you
consider it a form of honesty? Why do you think public
officials find it difficult to be honest?
2. Do you agree with Panetta when he says that due to the
“spin game”, the people have lost trust in government
and politics? Why? What evidence makes you tell this?
3. Panetta also states, “a bad message is being set for
future generations by those who tell people the
political message rather than what is really
happening.” How do you interpret this comment? Do you
agree or disagree? Explain.
4. “This [spin]may provide some short-term political
gains, but ultimately, the nation pays a terrible
price.” What price do you think Panetta is implying?

Reflection

Complete this statement:

What I have learned in this activity

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________________________

READING ACTIVITY 3
Vietnamese Declaration of Independence

(President’s Address, Hanoi, September 1945)

by President Ho Chi Minh

 55

"All men are created equal. They are endowed by their

Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are
Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" This immortal
statement was made in the Declaration of Independence of the
United States of America m 1776. In a broader sense, this
means: All the peoples on the earth are equal from birth,
all the peoples have a right to live, to be happy and free.
The Declaration of the French Revolution made in 1791 on the
Rights of Man and the Citizen also states: "All men are born
free and with equal rights, and must always remain free and
have equal rights." Those are undeniable truths.
Nevertheless, for more than eighty years, the French
imperialists, abusing the standard of Liberty, Equality, and
Fraternity, have violated our Fatherland and oppressed our
fellow-citizens. They have acted contrary to the ideals of
humanity and justice. In the field of politics, they have
deprived our people of every democratic liberty. They have
enforced inhuman laws; they have set up three distinct
political regimes in the North, the Center and the South of
Vietnam in order to wreck our national unity and prevent our
people from being united. They have built more prisons than
schools. They have mercilessly slain our patriots- they have
drowned our uprisings in rivers of blood. They have fettered
public opinion; they have practiced obscurantism against our
people. To weaken our race, they have forced us to use opium
and alcohol. In the fields of economics, they have fleeced
us to the backbone, impoverished our people, and devastated
our land. They have robbed us of our rice fields, our mines,
our forests, and our raw materials. They have monopolized
the issuing of bank-notes and the export trade. They have
 56

invented numerous unjustifiable taxes and reduced our

people, especially our peasantry, to a state of extreme
poverty. They have hampered the prospering of our national
bourgeoisie; they have mercilessly exploited our workers. In
the autumn of 1940, when the Japanese Fascists violated
Indochina's territory to establish new bases in their fight
against the Allies, the French imperialists went down on
their bended knees and handed over our country to them.
Thus, from that date, our people were subjected to the
double yoke of the French and the Japanese. Their sufferings
and miseries increased. The result was that from the end of
last year to the beginning of this year, from Quang Tri
province to the North of Vietnam, more than two million of
our fellow-citizens died from starvation. On March 9, the
French troops were disarmed by the Japanese. The French
colonialists either fled or surrendered, showing that not
only were they incapable of "protecting" us, but that, in
the span of five years, they had twice sold our country to
the Japanese. On several occasions before March 9, the
Vietminh League urged the French to ally themselves with it
against the Japanese. Instead of agreeing to this proposal,
the French colonialists so intensified their terrorist
activities against the Vietminh members that before fleeing
they massacred a great number of our political prisoners
detained at Yen Bay and Cao Bang. Not with standing all
this, our fellow-citizens have always manifested toward the
French a tolerant and humane attitude. Even after the
Japanese putsch of March 1945, the Vietminh League helped
many Frenchmen to cross the frontier, rescued some of them
from Japanese jails, and protected French lives and
property. From the autumn of 1940, our country had in fact
 57

ceased to be a French colony and had become a Japanese

possession. After the Japanese had surrendered to the
Allies, our whole people rose to regain our national
sovereignty and to found the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
The truth is that we have wrested our independence from the
Japanese and not from the French The French have fled, the
Japanese have capitulated, Emperor Bao Dai has abdicated.
Our people have broken the chains which for nearly a century
have fettered them and have won independence for the
Fatherland. Our people at the same time have overthrown the
monarchic regime that has reigned supreme for dozens of
centuries. In its place has been established the present
Democratic Republic. For these reasons, we, members of the
Provisional Government, representing the whole Vietnamese
people, declare that from now on we break off all relations
of a colonial character with France; we repeal all the
international obligation that France has so far subscribed
to on behalf of Vietnam and we abolish all the special
rights the French have unlawfully acquired in our
Fatherland. The whole Vietnamese people, animated by a
common purpose, are determined to fight to the bitter end
against any attempt by the French colonialists to reconquer
their country. We are convinced that the Allied nations
which at Tehran and San Francisco have acknowledged the
principles of self-determination and equality of nations,
will not refuse to acknowledge the independence of Vietnam.
A people who have courageously opposed French domination for
more than eighty years, a people who have fought side by
side with the Allies against the Fascists during these last
years, such a people must be free and independent. For these
reasons, we, members of the Provisional Government of the
 58

Democratic Republic of Vietnam, solemnly declare to the

world that Vietnam has the right to be a free and
independent country and in fact it is so already. The entire
Vietnamese people are determined to mobilise all their
physical and mental strength, to sacrifice their lives and
property in order to safeguard their independence and
liberty.

 Source: Ho Chi Minh, Selected Works (Hanoi, 1960-1962),

Vol. 3.

Complete the table below:

 59

READING ACTIVITY 4

The Literature of Myanmar (Formerly Called Burma)by Brian

and Anne Scantlebury

Myanmar literature started in the eleventh century,

during the Bagan period. It was initially written on stones
which called the kyauksa. Today, these stones are still in
existence. Several works such as the Yakhaing minthami
eigyin (Cradle Song of the Princess Arakan), Maniratanapum
(a collection of traditions), and Hatthipala Pyo (long poems
on the life of Buddha) were greatly influenced by India and
Thailand.

In the fifteenth century, there was a shift in the theme of

literature; it became religious in nature. Some of their
popular pieces include the Jataka tales told by Buddha to
answer his disciples’ questions, the kagyin or war poems
written by monarchs, and prose centered on law and history.
Moreover, many dramas were written during the sixteenth to
eighteenth centuries.

During the British Colonial rule in the nineteenth century,

Myanmar literature began to evolve in style and form.
Instruction was formalized and unified and often bilingual,
in both English and Burmese. And with the founding of the
University of Rangoon in 1920, a sudden increase in Burmese
literary outputs came and literature became more
nationalistic.
 60

Guide Questions:

1. What is the former name of Myanmar?

2. How did Myanmar literature help you understand its

culture?

____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

3. What is the greatest lesson the literature has taught

you?

____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

4. Today, do you think these issues still hold true? If yes,

how could they be resolved? If no, how were they resolved?

____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

READING ACTIVITY 5

Singapore Food: A Melting Pot of Different Cultures By

Sandra Ee

There is a popular truism here that eating is a

Singaporean’s favorite pastime. If you have had the good
fortune to witness the stampede at any popular hawker center
during lunch and dinner that time, you will certainly not
deny the truth of that saying. What is “Singapore food”? It
is something that defies definition, local food experts
modestly claim. But we can say that Singapore food is a
happy mishmash of the island’s different ethnic groups. The
 61

main racial groups-Chinese, Malay, Indian- simply borrowed

culinary techniques and ingredients from each other and
inculcated these into their own cooking with delicious
results. The investigative gourmand will notice the cross-
cultural influences; Malay dishes such as Tahu Goreng
prepared with Chinese bean curd and bean sprouts, for
instance; or the fact that food served by Chinese hawkers
inevitably comes with a little saucer of deadly looking
chili- a habit gleaned from the chili-loving Malays, while
Indian Mee Goreng is made with Chinese egg noodles. The list
is endless. Guide books stress the rustic charm of
Singapore’s hawker centers. Certainly they have a certain
ethnic appeal to them, but as many an intrepid traveller has
found, the charm sometimes seems to wear a little thin after
a quick look at how food is prepared. Hawkers many sometimes
drive Mercedes Benzes and sport Cartier rings, but they are
usually dressed in what is most comfortable to work in – an
undershirt (or none) and a pair of shorts or sarong. The
exposed food is handled by hand. The open-air kitchen often
consists of just a huge cast iron wok, a gas burner, and
trays of heaped ingredients. However, the Singapore
government insist that strict health codes are adhered to
and eagle-eyed health officials can frequently be seen doing
their duty around the centers. The charm of street eating is
therefore enhanced by the assurance that the food is
perfectly safe for you to eat. Hot is a term which is
generally used to describe the humid weather, but can also
be used to describe Singapore food. But perhaps “hot” is too
misleading a term. People who enjoy spicy food have been
known to describe local fare as an experience of the taste
buds. If you are not used to chilli-hot food, tell your
 62

friendly hawker to hold or to go easy on the chilli. Most

hawkers understand English. One of the reasons why eating
out is so popular with Singaporeans is that it is generally
inexpensive. Ingredients are also fresh and wholesome. One
can get a well-balanced meal at any hawker center. So, it is
no wonder Singaporeans seldom bother to cook at home. Many
of them don’t; working couples find it easier and more
convenient to dine out. It is often said that Singaporean’s
success is founded on her people’s ability to take the best
of every culture and discard the “bad.” The same could be
said of our food. When in Singapore, we invite you to do as
the Singaporeans do.

Process Question/s:

1. Why Singaporean food is considered a mishmash of

different cultures?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

2. What detail is cited to assure the tourist that food sold

at hawker centers is safe to eat?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

3. What similarities do you observe between the Singaporean

food hawker and hid Filipino counterpart? Explain.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

4. Are you incited to visit places for good food?

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

5. How are cuisines determinant of nation’s identity?

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
 63

REFERENCE
Smadi, O., (2015), The Effect of an Instructional Reading
Program Based on the Successful Readers’ Strategies on
Jordanian EFL Eleventh Grade Students’ Reading
Comprehension. Retrieved from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1079981.pdf 
Salaverria, L. & Adonis, M., “Pupils’ problem not literacy
but reading comprehension – DepEd.” Inquirer.Net, 2020,
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1230013/pupils-problem-not-
literacy-but-reading-comprehension-deped 
San Juan, R., “Philippines lowest in reading comprehension
among 79 countries.” Philstar.com,
2019,https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/12/03/1974002/p
hilippines-lowest-reading-comprehension-among-79-countries
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)
Results from PISA 2018. Retrieved from
https://www.oecd.org pisa
Sadongdong, M., & Colina, A., “DepEd orders schools to
‘intensify’ reading advocacy.” Manila Bulletin, 2019,
https://mb.com.ph/2019/12/25/deped-orders-schools-to-
intensify-reading-advocacy/ 
Alghonaim, A., (2020), Impact of Related Activities on
Reading Comprehension of EFL Students. Retrieved from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1247943.pdf 
Panjaitan, N., (2019), The Use of Directed Reading Thinking
Activity Strategy To Enhance Students’ Reading
Comprehension. Retrieved from https://jurnal.unai.edu
Shen, Y., (2008), An Exploration of Schema Theory in
Intensive Reading. Retrieved from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1082790.pdf 
Fahriany, F., (2014), Schema Theory in Reading class.
Retrieved from
http://journal.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/ijee/article/view/1192
Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) (2015). Reading
Rockets. Retrieved from
http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/shared_reading 
 64

Johnson, B. (2019, August 30). What is reading? Children's

Literacy Foundation. Retrieved from
https://clifonline.org/what-is-reading/   
Gilakjani, A. P., & Sabouri, N. B. (2016, May 31). How can
students improve their reading comprehension skill? Journal
of Studies in Education. Retrieved from
http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jse.v6i2.9201  
Leverage Edu, (2021, October 25). Importance of reading
skills & benefits. Leverage Edu. from
https://leverageedu.com/blog/importance-of-reading/  
Dela Pena, L. (2018, July 19). Direct Teaching Activity
(DRTA). PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper & Magazine
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https://www.pressreader.com/philippines/sunstar
pampanga/20180719/281685435625706   

Erliana, S., (2011), Improving Reading Comprehension Through

Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA) Strategy.
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