Difficulties of Senior High School Students

in Reading and Writing Subject

Introduction

In today’s modern society, education plays a significant role in the development

of an individual. Senior high school students, in particular, are faced with a formidable

challenge as they embark upon a highly crucial period in their academic journey. With

the introduction of the K-12 education program in the Philippines, Senior High School

was created to provide students with opportunity to select specific tracks that will guide

them toward their desired career path. One of the key subjects in the senior high school

curriculum is Reading and Writing, which is critical to their academic performance and

future endeavors.

Reading and writing are essential skills that students must possess in order to

succeed in their academic and professional lives. Senior high school students are

expected to have a higher level of proficiency in reading and writing than their

counterparts in lower grade levels. They are expected to be able to read and

comprehend a variety of texts and express themselves in writing with clarity and

coherence.

Despite the high expectations set on senior high school students, many of them

struggle with reading and writing. Some students find it difficult to comprehend complex

texts, while others struggle with sentence structure and grammar. This poses a

significant challenge not only to the students but also to their teachers and the

educational system as a whole.

 The above issue is a concern that is faced not only by one educational institution

in the Philippines. Its prevalence extends all over the regions that many teachers,

especially language teachers, are more concerned about. Some reasons for the

difficulty experienced by students could be attributed to the following factors:

1. Lack of Vocabulary

Senior High School Students may not have a vast vocabulary, which can

make reading and writing difficult. Limited vocabulary can make it hard to

understand and interpret texts and write effectively. As observed, student

nowadays do not put effort on developing one’s vocabulary due to their passive

treatment of language development.

2. Poor Comprehension Skills

Comprehension skill is the ability to interpret and understand what has

been read. Senior high school students may struggle with comprehension due to

weak comprehension skills, leading to difficulty in effectively representing what

they have read in writing. The lack of this skill could be attributed to the first

mentioned factor. Other than this, other factors that contribute to the difficulty

could be the next factors to be mentioned.

3. Weak Grammar Base

A weak foundation in grammar can lead to errors in writing assignments

and make it hard for students to comprehend the texts. Grammar must be fully

established in the early years of life. Unfortunately, many Filipino students fail to

do so due to different circumstances such as lack of study habits during

 elementary, lack of focus on the language subject, and lack of teachers’ and

parents’ guidance and follow up on their progress.

4. Dyslexia

Dyslexia can cause difficulty in reading and writing. This disorder affects

the ability to recognize and comprehend words, making it difficult to develop

strong reading and writing skills.

5. Learning Disabilities

Senior high school students with disabilities may face challenges in

reading and writing because of conditions such as ADHD, autism spectrum

disorder, or other related factors like poor memory recall, processing and

reasoning.

Due to the economic status of the majority of Filipino learners, conditions

such as the stated ones, are not properly and clinically diagnosed due to the

incapability of the family to bring their children to medical specialists. Many would

just rely on what they see and observe on the outside. In addition, if ever the

case is that of otherwise, families do not have the resources to provide proper

treatment and would just let the situation pass by as it is. With this, academic

performance and the development of life skills such as the language skills, are

sacrificed and are never addressed to at least minimize the effect of the

deficiency to their performance.

6. Technological Distractions

The emergence of the internet, mobile phones, and social media platforms

has caused a shift in attention for both parents and students. This has led to the
 increased technological attention and decreased focus on reading and writing

exercises, which can negatively impact both skills’ development.

7. Inadequate Exposure to Reading and Writing

Reading and writing are skills that should be developed over time.

However, some senior high school students may not have adequate exposure to

literature or adequate writing skills training due to the absence of such resources,

leading to struggles.

The above factors if not given adequate attention, may lead to students’ severe

academic status as seen in today’s time. Measures must be taken to revive the needed

skills in our learners, for them to be functional and productive citizens.