The Impact Of Reading Comprehension And Attitude On Learning On Academic

Performance Among Selected Elementary And Junior High School Students

Chapter 1: THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Learning to read is an exciting milestone for all kinds of learners, whether they’re

in elementary, high school, or college. Students start going to school with differing

abilities. Some of them are able to write their names and read simple sight words on

the first day of school, while others may have a hard time comprehending the lessons.

Educators have a vital role in helping these learners maintain a positive attitude towards

learning by developing effective and unique teaching strategies and concepts,

especially in reading. Educators can intervene, especially among those who are still

unprepared academically; by delivering the right message to aid the successful transfer

of knowledge (Nazri, 2011).

The problem with the reading comprehension of learners from different levels is

an international concern. According to Sarah Sparks in her 2021 write-up published in

Education Week, around ten to 25% of the global learner population struggle with

reading. This fraction of the global learner population finds it difficult to gather and

associate information from texts. Educational institutions can reduce this figure by more

systematic instruction and engagement with language early in students’ homes and

early classes. We feel we can reduce this figure even further through early identification

of students who are outside the norms of progress in phonemic awareness

development, and through the offering of intensive programs of instruction (Hill, 2012).
 Studies reveal that reading comprehension has a direct impact on a student’s

academic performance. In a study published by Elizabeth Chege, she revealed that

reading comprehension is directly linked to academic performance, most especially in

such subjects as English, GHC, Kiswahili, Mathematics and Science. Furthermore, the

said study added that reading comprehension is, therefore, a factor to consider in

seeking to elevate the academic performance of our pupils. Conversely, the researcher

added that a student’s intelligence may be an indicator of his reading comprehension

ability.

In a separate study, Indah Windra Dwie Agustiani stated that students’ reading

attitude only had a very small contribution to their reading comprehension achievement.

The researcher’s study included 170 student respondents. The researcher shared that

out of the 170 students, only 21 students (12.3%) achieved good scores in reading

comprehension and 20 out of 170 had a positive attitude toward reading. Only one

student showed a negative attitude towards reading, although the said student

achieved a good score in reading. Thus, this study advocates the findings of

McKenna et al (1995) cited in Donalson (2010) and holds that students with the

highest scores have better reading attitude.

Furthermore, in 2010, Dana Malá and Marcela Verešováa revealed that attitudes

towards learning and school are linked with academic achievement. Their study

revealed that t the more positive is the attitudes toward school and learning (ATSL) of of

adolescents, the more positive is academic achievement expressed by grade point

average (GPA) at the end of the school year.

 The Department of Education has gone through a lot of effort to pursue their

vision in becoming every Filipino learner to be globally competitive in all ways. The

department has numerous programs to help Filipino learners improve in terms of

reading comprehension and overall academic performance.

Intrigued by the results of these studies, the researcher wanted to explore the

correlation between reading comprehension, attitudes toward school and learning

(ATSL), and academic performance of students in their locality. Specifically, she wants

to focus on the randomly-selected elementary and junior high school students of

______________. The researcher believes that by knowing the relationships between

these factors, she can propose ways that could improve the students’ overall academic

standing.

In the meantime, the results of this research could serve as a basis for future

researchers who want to evaluate the correlation of these three variables in a different

locale, grade level, and learners’ population.

Statement of the Problem

General statement of the problem: Generally, the researcher wants to seek an

answer to this question: What are the impacts of reading comprehension and attitude to

learning and academic performance among randomly selected elementary and junior

high school students?

Specifically, the researcher wants to answer the following specific questions:

1. What are the current learning and academic performances of the randomly

selected respondents of the study?

 2. What are the current reading comprehension ratings of these students?

3. What is the overall disposition of these students towards learning?

4. Will there be a significant increase in academic performance if the student's

reading comprehension and attitude improve?

5. What factors can improve their reading comprehension and attitude and lead to

better academic performance?

Research Objectives

General Research Objectives: Generally, the researcher wants to identify the

relationship and impacts of learners’ reading comprehension and attitude to learning

and academic performance among randomly-selected elementary and junior high

school students?

Specifically, the researcher aims to:

1. Identify what are the current learning and academic performances of the

randomly selected respondents of the study;

2. Know the current reading comprehension ratings of these students;

3. Establish the overall disposition of these students towards learning;

4. Determine if there will there be a significant increase in academic performance if

the students’ reading comprehension and attitude improve; and

5. Identify the factors that can improve their reading comprehension and attitude

and lead to better academic performance.

Review of Related Literature

This chapter gives a background summary of information derived from books,

journals, and other publications related to the researcher’s study.

Learning to read is an exciting milestone for students. Children enter

kindergarten with differing abilities. Some of them are able to write their names and

read simple sight words on the first day of school, while other children may not even be

able to recite the alphabet. Teachers have a vital role in helping children maintain a

positive attitude towards learning by developing effective and unique teaching strategies

and concepts, especially in reading. Educators can intervene, especially among those

who are still unprepared academically; by delivering the right message to aid the

successful transfer of knowledge (Nazri, 2011).

In the Philippines, a 2014 study conducted by Joyce Ferro Orillosa from the

Dela Salle University revealed that the problems with language are usually manifested

by children having academic difficulties with the letter and sound recognition. She

explained that the problem of children with letters and sounds stems from their lack of

memorization of paired association of letter to sound and they use their previous

familiarity with a letter name and use the sound of the letter name to make a link with

the letter and sound, thus making a more rapid recall of the letter name and sound.

Furthermore, she claimed that it has been apparent that kindergarten students were

having difficulty in learning sounds specifically in recognizing the awareness of sounds

in letters and the understanding of a word’s individual sounds or ‘phonemes’ that

connects sounds to letters and letters to words. Based on her deeper analysis of
studies, a child has a tendency to focus on reading the “context” and not the letters in

finding meaning in the printed word.

Besides this, there is also a growing necessity to embrace innovative strategies

to continue teaching students even during a pandemic is observed. Therefore, the

country shifted to blended learning. Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor

Briones announced in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Baclig, 2020) that

this concept is nothing new. Horn and Staken (2011) explained that this is a

combination of both online and offline learning methodologies with the use of

technology. Online learning is when the learners study with their teacher and

classmates through an application that uses a webcam, while offline learning is when

the teacher provides the students with the lesson, seatwork or assignment that they can

finish at their own pace, within the deadline. This offers an opportunity for an

individualized learning experience for students through the use of digital technology and

data-driven, teacher-led instruction.

Theoretical Framework

This mediation study includes three variables that the researcher assumed to be

interrelated. To support the conceptual framework of the study, the following are the

theories that will be used, together with a brief explanation of how they are applicable:

Independent and Mediating Variable Link Theory

Attitude towards
school and learning Reading
(ATSL) comprehension
(IV) (MV)
Figure 1: Independent and Mediating Variables of the Study

The researcher assumes that there is a direct and positive relationship between

these two variables. Furthermore, she assumes that as the students’ attitudes towards

school and learning (ATSL) improve, the better their reading comprehension.

Independent Variable and Dependent Variable Theory

Attitude towards
school and learning
(ATSL)
(IV)

Academic
Performance
(DV)

Figure 2: Independent and Dependent Variables of the Study

The researcher assumes that there is a direct and positive relationship between

these two variables. Furthermore, she assumes that as the students’ attitudes towards

school and learning (ATSL) improve, the better their overall academic performance.

Mediating Variable to Dependent Variable Theory

Reading Academic
comprehension Performance
(MV) (DV)
Figure 3: Mediating variable and Dependent variable

The researcher assumes that there is a direct and positive relationship between

these two variables. Furthermore, she assumes that as the student's reading

comprehension improve, the better their overall academic performance.

Conceptual Framework

According to the Theory of Performance, there are six foundations of

performance and performance improvements. When you perform, you are ought to

produce valuable results. The performer is defined as the group or individual engaged in

a collaborative effort. The six components of performance include fixed factors,

personal factors, level of identity, level of skills, level of knowledge, and context.

For an individual or group to elicit positive performance, he should have a

performer’s mindset, exposure and immersion in a specific environment, and

engagement and involvement in reflective practice. The researcher will use the

students’ attitudes towards school and learning (ATSL) to evaluate their reading

comprehension and overall academic performance (Elger, 2020).

Hypothesis

The researcher subscribes to the hypothesis that there is a direct and positive

relationship between the respondents’ reading comprehension, attitudes toward school

and learning (ATSL), and academic performance.

Significance of the Study

 This research is seen to benefit different stakeholders. The teachers of these

learners can get meaningful insights into the motivations of their students. The insights

may serve as a guide for them to improve their teaching methods.

In the meantime, the other educators may take a cue from the results in terms of

handling students who have difficulty comprehending and show negative and

antagonistic reactions towards learning. On the other hand, those teachers who will be

handling students who have problems in comprehension, show a low negative attitudes

towards learning, and are lagging in terms of academic performance may be guided by

the results of this study. They may consider the results when handling these learners.

Further, the input from the participating students in the study may create

awareness among parents on the importance of providing a conducive learning

environment at home for their children. This can help the latter perform better in school.

When it comes to the public and private educational institutions, they can learn

from the insights shared in this study and use the same as a guide to come up with

plans and programs to strengthen and equip the teachers they send to different classes.

Hopefully, they can institutionalize and contextualize programs that can address the

issue. Likewise, this study could be a reference for other researchers who are interested

to conduct a similar study in another location in the future.

Scope and Delimitation

This study is only focused on the randomly selected elementary and junior high

school students of ___________________. Moreover, the focus and results of the study

will also reflect only on reading comprehension, attitudes towards school and learning,
and overall academic performance. The survey will be conducted with this group of

learners.

The results will be dependent on the respondents’ inputs. Their personal records

may be the basis for crafting the results of this study. As such, these findings may not

be true for all other learners in different institutions and organizations. Thus, the results

could not be generalized.

In the meantime, conducting a study during a pandemic could mean restricted

mobility. With the so-called “new normal,” face-to-face interviews with the identified

participants are not feasible. Therefore, virtual surveys will be done instead, which may

limit the opportunity to observe their facial expressions and gestures that may trigger

follow-up questions and more in-depth questioning.

Definition of Terms

Learner: A learner is someone who is learning about a particular subject or how to do

something.

Educator: An educator is someone who is specialized in the theories and methods of

education.

Expected Outcome

The researcher expects to see that the three variables of the study are directly

and positively connected with each other. She also expects to see that as reading

comprehension and attitudes toward school and learning improves, so will the students’

academic performance.

The researcher
 Please type something about yourself here.

Chapter 2:
METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, the researcher described the research design, the research

locale, the respondents/ participants, the research instruments, the research procedure,

the statistical treatment and the ethical consideration that was used in the study.

The purpose of doing research is to add new knowledge to the existing body of

knowledge in an area of interest. A research problem therefore should not be a tedious

one. It should be carefully thought out and polished before going to the field for data

collection. To compose a good research problem is time-consuming. Sometimes our

first idea about an issue is not really a research problem as yet until the idea is

discussed and expanded. The best method of expanding the research problem based

on the first idea is by searching through journal articles on what other people have done

in the area. It is worth spending more time polishing up a research problem than going

too early to start the research.

Research Design

This research study will utilize two quantitative research methods – survey

research and evaluation research.

 ● Survey research. If the focus is not so much on A causes B, but rather on the

description of a phenomenon such as a relationship among variables, survey

research is appropriate. For example, the concern is about views of the general

public including parents about the new policy, i.e., how the new policy has

affected the achievement of their children in Mathematics.

● Evaluation research. The focus is on evaluating an event by means of the

above types of research and making judgments about its usefulness. This type of

research is probably not truly quantitative due to the elements of value judgment

made by the researcher.

Research Locale

Inclusion and Exclusion

Research Instrument

Sampling Design and Research Respondents

Statistical Tool/Design

The following statistical tools will be used in the analysis and interpretation of data.

● Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and weighted mean to describe

the status of the variables in the study.

● Pearson Product Moment Correlation will also be used to find out whether a

significant relationship exists between the independent and dependent variables

of the study.
Data Gathering Procedure

The following steps were observed in conducting the study:

Securing of Permission from Stakeholders: The researcher asked permission from

the _______________________________before the conduct of the study. A Consent
and Assent Form was also given to the respondents once the letters were approved.
(Appendix C).

Gathering learners’ profiles and competencies: The profiles of the respondent

learners based on their reading comprehension and academic standing will be
gathered.

Feedback gathering. The researcher conducted a survey. The feedback gathered from
these surveys and interviews form part of the results of the study.

Data Analysis: The collected data were tallied, tabulated, analyzed and statistically
interpreted using the frequency distribution. A frequency distribution is a tabular
representation of a survey data set used to organize and summarize the data.

Data Analysis

Duration of the Study

Ethical Consideration

To ensure that the study was conducted in an ethical manner, the study will be

reviewed by the Research Ethics Committee of the ----------- before the conduct of the

study. This study will adhere to the protocol set by the _____________. Thus,

participants‟ full consent will be obtained before the conduct of the study and their

privacy protection will be ensured and assured with the confidentiality of their answers.

Social Value. The result of this study will present valuable information that will

guide teachers on how to manage students in their institutions. With the findings of the
study, school administrators, with their teachers, may become aware of the new

concepts that can be applied in their respective educational institutions. The researcher

plans to share the results of the study to public and private institutions.

Informed Consent. The researcher will obtain both the written and verbal

consent in this study from the participants by letting them sign the consent form before

the conduct of the survey. The researcher will prepare one set of informed consent. This

will inform the participants about the nature and purpose of the study. Before giving the

participants the informed consent, the researcher will initially inform the school

administrators about the study, when they showed eagerness to be part of the study,

then the researcher will request for permission to conduct the interview through a

written consent that will be signed both by the researcher and the participants.

The inclusions in the informed consent are the following: first, the participant

involvement in the study will be voluntary and the participant may withdraw from the

study and the participant may have the right to decline to answer any of the questions or

to end the interview.  The participants will not be identified by name in any report using

the information obtained from the survey, and that confidentiality of the participant in this

study will remain secured and protected. A subsequent use of records and data will be

subjected to the standard data use policies, which protect the anonymity of individuals

and institutions.

Vulnerability of the research participants. In this study, permission from

appropriate individuas will be sought to ensure an objective conduct of this study and

that it will follow the prescribed parameters. In addition, I will consider the vulnerability of

the participants and thus give them the capacity to decide for themselves whether they
become involved or not in this study. The participants will not be vulnerable because

they are given freedom to withdraw from being part of the study if they prefer to.

Further, the researcher will assure that the identities of the participants will be kept

confidential and guaranteed that they will be protected from the possibility of being

identified.

Risks, benefits and safety. During the administration of the online survey, the

researcher will fully disclose to the participants the nature and explain thoroughly and

properly the purpose and benefits of the study as well as the confidentiality of their

responses to establish rapport with the participants before the conduct of the study.

Moreover, the survey guide that will be used in this study will not contain any degrading

or unacceptable statements offensive to the participants of the study. The participants

will be given freedom not to answer questions which would make them feel any

psychological and emotional distress. Further, they will be free to withdraw as a

participant of the study if they feel they cannot discuss the information that was asked

from them. As a researcher, I value their participation and place their welfare as the

highest priority during the course of the study.

Privacy and confidentiality of information. The participant’s privacy and

confidentiality will be ensured. In order to ensure the protection of the research

participants, coding will be applied. This protects the identity of the participants and the

results of the study; it depends on the participants for them to decide whether the

results would be known to other groups of people. The manner of the storage of data

will be done in an electronic storage. It will be sent to my personal email so that it would

not be lost and can be retrieved anytime when badly needed for the benefit of the
research respondents. The data notebook, recorded audio-tapes or field notes will be

kept in a secured place to avoid fabrication. I will make sure that formal permission from

the respective study sites will be secured and adequate level of confidentiality of the

research data will be applied.

Likewise, I will make sure that Republic Act number 10173 or The Data Privacy

Act of 2012 (Official Gazette, 2012) will be followed that the participants will be informed

about the policy of the state to protect the fundamental human right of privacy, of

communication while ensuring free flow of information to promote innovation and

growth. I will guarantee them to observe compliance to the requirements of the Data

Privacy Act of 2012. Also, I will practice the best measures to protect the privacy of the

participants by making them anonymous. Before conducting this study, I will write a

letter of invitation to the participants. It will be noted in the letter about the nature of the

study and the possible effects it had on them. I will give them assurance that their

responses would remain confidential and anonymous. Also, I will ensure that the record

would only be used for this study and cannot be used as source or reference for other

research.

Justice. To avoid impartiality in choosing the participants, I will regard all

participants equal. Anybody who fitted the qualification based on the criterion will be

considered possible participants of the study. Any risk of harm was avoided to protect

each of the participants. I will see to it that I will stick to the guide questions for the

interview and I will avoid giving my personal opinions to do away with personal biases

and to ensure honesty on their personal experiences and that they will not be influenced

with my views. To compensate for the time that will be spent during data gathering, I will
provide snacks and tokens as appreciation to all participants. Moreover, respecting their

dignity will be prioritized.

Transparency. The researcher will be transparent about the aspects of the study

that may have an impact on the rights, health, and safety of participants. In this study,

everything will be laid down to the participants. The researcher will ask the respondents

if they’re suffering from any health condition that could make participating in the study

hard. The researcher will also ask the respondents to raise any concerns they have

about the study and their participation. On the other hand, the researcher will consider

all these matters and will only include respondents who are comfortable with the

interview. Hence, honesty and transparency will be observed at all times when

communicating with the participants.

Adequacy of facilities. I will ensure the availability and accessibility of needed

facilities in the conduct of the study. Library and internet facilities will be available for

further readings and citations to help deepen understanding and analysis and

interpretation of the data gathered. Audio recorders, cameras, laptops, printers and

other related software applications for data storage and safety will also be made

available. The researcher will utilize Zoom, Skype, Facebook Messenger, cellular

phone, and similar technology to reach out to the respondents. She will adjust the

methods of data gathering based on the convenience and access to technology of the

respondents. Finally, a group of experts who will provide valuable suggestions and

feedback will help me in conducting the study and communicating the results.