LEARNING ACTIVITY PACKAGE AND

READING PERFORMANCE AMONG

MAGUINDANAON PUPILS

PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL

Volume: 14
Pages: 677-682
Document ID: 2023PEMJ1285
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10025320
Manuscript Accepted: 2023-18-10
Psych Educ, 2023, 14: 677-682, Document ID:2023 PEMJ1285, doi:10.5281/zenodo.10025320, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Learning Activity Package and Reading Performance Among Maguindanaon Pupils

Haren M. Catalan*, Billy D. Fronda, Madonna R. Antonino, Arnel F. Pradia
For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.
Abstract
This study aimed to assess the impact of a Learning Activity Package (LAP) on reading performance,
encompassing word recognition, and reading comprehension, among Grade 6 Maguindanaon pupils
at Lagandang Elementary School in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, during the 2022-2023 school year.
Employing a quasi-experimental approach with pre-test and post-test measures, the study included
sixty-two pupils selected through a complete enumeration method. The findings revealed that the
LAP significantly elevated students' reading performance, moving them from an instructional level to
a more advanced stage in word recognition during oral reading, as well as in reading comprehension
during both oral and silent reading. Overall, the results indicated a substantial difference between the
pretest and posttest scores of the control and experimental groups, demonstrating that the LAP
significantly improved pupils' word recognition and reading comprehension skills. Consequently, it
is recommended that school leaders, reading coordinators, and teachers consider implementing this
reading intervention to further enhance their students' reading abilities and potential.

Keywords: learning activity package, reading performance, pre-test and post-test

Introduction as readers. Proficiency in basic reading skills is

In today’s fast-moving world driven by an explosion
of knowledge, reading stands as a fundamental skill
that permeates our daily lives. Children embark on a
journey of learning as they acquire the ability to read,
and adults continue to read to acquire knowledge.
Reading serves as the conduit through which we gather
information about current events, grasp the rules
governing various aspects of life, and gain insights
into how to perform tasks. It is through reading that
individuals of all ages further their grasp of the
English language, effectively enhancing their
vocabulary. The context provided by articles, stories,
and conversations aids in deciphering and
comprehending the meanings of English words within
the text. Additionally, reading offers the invaluable
benefit of reinforcing previously learned vocabulary
through repetition.
Contemporary views on reading comprehension
underscore its active and intentional nature compared
to the more passive approaches of the past. To engage
actively in the reading process, students must immerse
themselves in the text, striving to derive meaning by
making connections, inferring, synthesizing, and
predicting outcomes. Reading comprehension hinges
on a multitude of skills, encompassing fluency,
semantics, phonological abilities, memory processing,
vocabulary, inference-making, grammatical
comprehension, prior knowledge, and verbal
proficiency. Without a firm foundation in
comprehension, the ultimate goal of reading
proficiency remains elusive, and children do not thrive
imperative to attain a high level of comprehension. In
line with this critical role, it is unsurprising that
research by Cain and Oakhill (2006) underscores the
challenge faced by children with poor comprehension
skills, who tend to make fewer advancements in
reading.
Traditionally, the primary objective of learning
English is to attain fluency in reading. While early
methods of teaching reading predominantly focused on
word recognition prior to the 20th century, the
dynamic landscape of modern society has expanded
the purposes of teaching reading. Consequently,
teaching methods have evolved to align with these
changing objectives. English teachers employ various
strategies, including lecture-style teaching,
demonstrations, projects, field trips, among others.
However, the lecture method, the most commonly
employed approach, often falls short in recognizing the
inquiry-based nature of English and the unique
characteristics of individual learners. Recognizing the
need for change, innovative strategies have emerged to
enhance the teaching and learning of reading and
phonetics. These strategies encompass diverse
approaches such as analogy, concept mapping, peer
tutoring, inquiry-based learning, and the Learning
Activity Package (LAP).
The Learning Activity Package (LAP) represents a
student-centered, activity-oriented teaching strategy.
Within this framework, the teacher assumes the role of
a facilitator, guiding students through a series of
activities and problems designed to promote highly
effective learning outcomes Abu, (2001). LAP

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Research Article
organizes learning materials into sequential steps,
progressing from the known to the unknown and
increasing in complexity. Assessment of reading
performance is contingent upon the comprehension
and reading levels of the students.
In the context of Lagandang Elementary School, a
community with a history of late adoption of the
formal educational system due to concerns that
education might disrupt their traditional Muslim
practices, there has been a gradual shift towards
embracing education. While some elders initially
resisted, eventually they began to recognize the value
of education. Nonetheless, Lagandang Elementary
School faces numerous educational challenges. Many
students contend with community and home-related
issues that can spill over into their academic pursuits.
Reading, in particular, emerges as a subject
significantly affected by these challenges.
Given the aforementioned advantages and issues, it is
imperative for the researcher to assess the level of
reading performance and comprehension among
Maguindanaon pupils utilizing the Learning Activity
Package (LAP) for reading and phonetics at
Lagandang Elementary School. Effective management
of students' learning, especially in the realms of
reading and comprehension, represents a crucial
endeavor for both teachers and administrators, as it
stands at the core of the school's mission and purpose.
Research Questions
This study aimed to determine the effect of learning
activity package to the level of reading performance in
word recognition and reading comprehension among
Maguindanaon pupils. Specifically, this study sought
answers the following questions:
1. What is the level of reading performance on word
recognition of control and experimental group with the
use of learning activity package in Oral reading during
pre-test and post-test?
2. What is the level of reading performance on reading
comprehension of control and experimental group with
the use of learning activity package in oral reading
during pre-test and post-test?
3. What is the level of reading performance of control
Each student engaged with two passages: one for silent
and experimental group Is there a significant
reading, consisting of 204 words, and one for oral
difference between the main gain of reading
reading, comprising 79 words, to evaluate their
performance in oral reading and silent reading among
control group and experimental group?
Catalan et al.
Methodology
The study employed a quasi-experimental research
approach, utilizing a pre-test and post-test design to
assess the impact of the learning activity package on
the reading performance of pupils. Prior to and
following the implementation of the learning activity
package, the pupils' proficiency in word recognition
and reading comprehension was evaluated. The
experiment focused on determining the levels of
reading performance in word recognition and reading
comprehension among Maguindanaon pupils who
were exposed to the learning activity package for
reading and phonetics.
Research Respondents
The research respondents consisted of sixty-two (62)
Grade VI pupils who were officially enrolled during
the School Year 2022-2023. These students were
selected to form both the control group and the
experimental group, representing the entire student
population of Lagandang Elementary School in the
West Isulan District, Division of Sultan Kudarat. The
study employed a total enumeration sampling
technique to select a total of 62 Grade Six pupils from
Lagandang Elementary School in the West Isulan
District, Division of Sultan Kudarat. Specifically, 32
pupils from Grade VI-Einstein were comprehensively
chosen to constitute the control group, while 30 pupils
from Grade VI-Aristotle were similarly selected to
form the experimental group.
Instruments of the Study
The researcher utilized a Modified Learning Activity
Package, which was adapted from the Workbook on
English created by the 57- 75 Movement in
collaboration with various organizations including the
Ateneo Center for Educational Development,
Foundation for Worldwide People Power, League of
Corporate Foundations, Philippine Business for
Education, Philippine Business for Social Progress,
and Synergeia Foundation in 2008. This package was
customized to align with the specific requirements of
the study and designed based on the English
Elementary curriculum. It encompasses a range of
activities that involve both oral and silent reading.
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Research Article

reading comprehension. The silent reading passage

was accompanied by eight comprehension questions,
while the oral reading passage had seven questions.
All comprehension questions were presented in a
multiple-choice format, offering four answer choices.
To ensure the validity and quality of the Learning
Activity Package on reading and phonetics, it
underwent rigorous evaluation, including both face
and content validation by pupils and English experts.
Content validation was conducted using the Table of
Specification. The instrument's reliability was
established through a trial testing phase involving a
group of Grade five pupils. The internal consistency of
the Learning Activity Package on reading and
phonetics (Pre Test & Post Test) was assessed using
the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI)
from the Department of Education (DepEd) National.
Ethical Considerations
In order to uphold academic integrity and prevent
plagiarism, the study underwent a comprehensive
review by the institution's Ethical Review Committee.
Additionally, a plagiarism check using Turnitin was
conducted, yielding a rating well below 15 percent,
aligning with the institution's established standards for
thesis production. The study extensively referenced
various literature sources, and the data were presented
in a clear, reader-friendly manner employing
straightforward language for ease of comprehension. It
is crucial to note that the intended outcomes of the
research extended beyond the researcher's personal
benefit. Lastly, the study meticulously adhered to the
publishing company's standards for publication.

Procedure
Results and Discussion

Prior to the conduct of study, the researchers Table 1. Level of pupils’ Word Recognition in pretest.
followed a structured approval process. Initially,
approval was sought from the Dean of the College of
Graduate School, followed by the necessary
permissions from the Schools Division Superintendent
of Sultan Kudarat. Once these approvals were secured,
the researcher proceeded to coordinate with the
principal of Lagandang Elementary School. A list of The table shows the mean scores in pretest of the
the identified respondents was submitted to the control group equivalent to 93.66 described as
principal to facilitate the scheduling of the instrument instructional reader respectively. This means that the
administration. pupils have minimal mistakes on pronouncing words
in /ph/ difference between /p/ and /f/ and a slight
The Learning Activity Package was then administered weaknesses or self- correction and insertion.
to the Grade V and Grade VI remedial classes, with Experimental group has a mean score of 91.63
each session lasting approximately 40 minutes and described as instructional reader. The same case is
including the implementation of at least two (2) observed with the control group in their phonological
activities per session. After conducting 4-5 sessions weaknesses. Both mean of control and experimental
encompassing a total of 8 different activities, group were described as instructional this means that
evaluations were carried out to assess the pupils' pupils only read a range of 90-96% using the PHIL-
IRI Standards.
speaking fluency and reading performance. The
assessment process involved the personal
Table 2. Level of Pupils’ Word Recognition in Post-
administration of a standardized 50-item Pre-test and
test.
Post-test by the researcher. The study aimed to
evaluate the standardized reading performance of
Grade VI Maguindanaon pupils using the Philippine
Informal Reading Inventory (PHIL-IRI) scoring for the
year 2018, in conjunction with the implementation of a
Learning Activity Package focused on reading and
phonetics. To assess the significance of the disparity in It is demonstrated on the table 2 that control group is
mean reading performance gains between the Control describe as instructional reader as manifested by its
and Experimental Groups, both in Silent and Oral
Reading, a Z-test was employed at a significance level
of 0.05.

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Research Article
mean of 94 .44. This means that after the
implementation of LAP pupils have been observed to
commit minimal errors or omissions and repetition.
Also they have slightly mispronounced words with
/ph/ sounds.The same result is established by the
experimental group. The mean of 95.33 depicts that
pupils are instructional reader. This could be attributed
to some errors or their phonetics awareness such as
pronouncing the difference between /p/ and /f/, and /v/
and /b/.
All groups have noticeable increase of achievement
from pretest to posttest. However, both groups have
achievements that belongs to description of
Instructional level were pupils read a range of
90-96%. The above result is also anchored on the
notion of Venkatagiri and Levis (2007) as cited by
Barrios (2017) which said that the maintenance of
explicit modular instruction can help learners develop
phonological awareness which play a key role in
second language speech intelligibility.
Table 3. Level of pupils’ comprehension during silent
reading in pretest.
The level of pupils reading comprehension after silent
reading in pretest of control group and experimental
group are manifested by their mean of 40.94 and 29.87
described as in frustration level wherein pupils
comprehend in the range of 74 percent and below. This
means that pupils do not understand what they are
reading. This could also be traced by the lack of
background of knowledge in reading the text and
cannot handle complex but common task.
Table 4. Level of the pupils’ comprehension during
silent reading in posttest.
It can be gleaned that the level of the pupils reading
performance after silent reading in posttest in both
Control group and Experimental group is Frustration
Catalan et al.
level wherein pupils comprehend in the range of 74
percent and below. As presented by its mean of 53.38
and 72.17 respectively. Pupils are still deteriorating in
their reading level and do not show progress at all after
the implementation of the LAP. Furthermore, this
could be credited to the idea that the pupils do not
decipher what they are reading. Maybe because of
short span of time where LAP is being implemented to
them. However, Children with limited exposure to
books and reading in their home, including limited
experience of being read to be at risk of reading
difficulties. Children Limited exposure to vocabularies
affect the ability to acquire reading skills.
Table 5. Level of pupils’ comprehension during oral
reading in the pretest.
Control group are considered as instructional level in
the pretest as showed by the weighted mean of 61.84.
Meaning pupils shows adequate background and
knowledge for a topic and can access text quickly. In
contrary, Experimental group is in frustration level as
indicated by its mean of 43.78. This means that student
only reached 79 percent below from the total
percentage of score. Furthermore, pupils shows
struggles in reading with numerous errors. The
homogeneity of the result confirm that all students
subjected for the experimentation have the same
reading level prior to the conduct of the remediation
(Barrios, 2017). In addition, the positive feeling that
arises from spending time with books in a loving
context provides story foundation and intrigue
motivation for the long cognitively challenging
process of loving to read. To achieve reading standards
usually calls for long hour of drill and worksheet.
Table 6. Level of the pupils’ comprehension during
oral reading in posttest.
The level of pupils reading comprehension after oral
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Research Article
reading in posttest for control group and experimental
group are in instructional level as gleaned by their
mean of 75.31 and 75.20 respectively. This means that
pupils only reached 79 percent below from the total
percentage of score. The result revealed that after the
conduct of LAP, pupils closely mastered or
comprehended the selection they are reading. The
pupils are able to use word-recognition clues and
techniques to understand what they are reading. The
result support the idea mentioned by Navarro (2011)
which states that child can use context clues to aid in
comprehension. She further added that a child create a
mental image to help clarify what is being asked
through looking for meaning of words around a new
word.
Table 7. Analysis on Mean Gain in Silent Reading of
Control Group and Experimental Group
The result revealed that the mean gain of control group
and experimental group in silent reading resulted to z-
computed value of 5.81 which is higher than the z-
tabulated value of 1.96 at 0.05 level of significance. It
is safer to affirm that the difference among control
group and experimental group is higher than as
expected. Thus it is a strong evidence to reject the null
hypothesis which states that there is a significant
difference in the mean gain of reading performance
among control and experimental in terms of silent
reading.
Table 8. Analysis on Mean Gain in Oral Reading of
Control Group and Experimental Group
The result shows that there is a significant difference
among the main gain in oral reading of control group
and experimental group. The z-computed value of 4.41
which is greater than the z-tabulated value of 1.96
present enough evidence to declare that the difference
among the reading performance of the control group
Catalan et al.
and experimental group is significant. This further
means that the LAP is effective in improving the level
of reading performance of the pupils in word
recognition and reading comprehension during and
after oral reading.
The supportive claim that students who are exposed to
the new learning activity package had higher
achievement than those who are not. Also, the
improvement of the pupil in their oral reading
manifests a greater satisfaction on the delivery of the
package in enhancing their reading performance both
in word recognition and reading comprehension.
Conclusion
Based from the findings of the research, it is concluded
that the Learning Activity Package has significant
effects on the level of the reading performance in word
recognition and reading comprehension. Therefore,
the Learning Activity Package is effective to improve
the reading performance in word recognition and
reading comprehension of the Grade 6 Maguindanaon
pupils of Lagandang Elementary School.
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