VALENCIA COLLEGES (BUKIDNON) INC.

Purok 17, Hagkol, Valencia City

Bukidnon, 8709

IMPROVING READING SKILLS THROUGH EFFECTIVE READING

STRATEGIES OF GRADE III PUPILS IN CATUMBALON ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL

A Thesis Proposal Presented To

MRS. JEAN AKUT

College Instructor

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement of the Course

Research in Education

Submitted by:

JAYMARK PUDA
BEED 3B - Second Semester
SY 2022-2023
 CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM

Introduction

Reading is essential to one’s success in the varied industries of society. The

ability to read is highly valued and important for social and economic advancement. Most

children learn to read fairly well. Reading is a basic life skill. It is a cornerstone for a

child's success in school and, indeed, throughout life. Without the ability to read well,

opportunities for personal fulfillment and job success inevitably will be lost (Anderson et

al., 1985). Despite its importance, reading is one of the most challenging areas in the

education system. In the Philippines, teachers are most concerned with the large number

of children who may be imperiled in their career path or social opportunities because they

have less than the sufficient reading skills that are required to meet the demands of an

increasingly competitive economy. Current difficulties in reading are largely indicated by

the rising demands for literacy.

According to reading-tutors.com (2012), before children begin to read, they need

to understand the relationships between a symbol and a combination of symbols and

sounds, or sounds they represent. The ability to sound out or decode words is an

important step in reading. When children correctly sound out a word, they are able to

map it to their listening and speaking vocabulary. With a lot of practice, children begin to

recognize many words automatically. The more words children recognize the easier it is

for them to read. It is generally accepted that reading is the key skill that leads students

for having a good idea in speaking, listening, and especially in writing. However, reading

is also one of the most difficult skills for students. (Hamra & Syatriana, 2015).
 Given the fact the difficulties in reading and the important of strategies in reading,

it is extremely essential to remember that the learners need to know the strategies for

success in reading. The purpose of learning language itself is to be able to communicate

both verbally and in writing, meaning that it concerns all aspects of the language itself.

From all aspects of the language, it is clear that the ability to read is a receptive skill

which is really needed. It is claimed that the ability to understand English texts well is

extremely important because the learners would constantly learn a variety of science and

technology. However, in order to understand English texts well, certain strategies are

needed (Afian, 2019).

Teaching reading has two aspects, the first who are learning to read in the first

place and the second is who already have reading skills in their mother tongue.

According to (Betty Roe Sandra H. Smith, 2018), there are three steps of teaching

reading as (1) Before reading is an activity that the teacher can do before reading step,

such as simulating students' curiosity, the teacher explains the goal and presents the

background information, (2) In while reading is an activity which takes the students part,

the students read the sentences, answer the questions, and the teacher guides the students,

(3) After the reading is an activity which the students summarize the text; compare

several texts, and practicing their reading skill.

Thus, the overall goal of this research project is to determine effective reading

methods for teaching Grade III pupils how to improve their reading abilities.
Significance of the Study

This study is focused on increasing reading skills through effective reading

practices to Grade III kids in Catumbalon Elementary School. The researcher believed

that the present study will have a considerable value and contribution to education.

Hopefully, the findings of this study will benefit the following:

For the pupils, we all want our children to do well in school and reading is

essential for academic success. To give experience and new tasks as an effort to

strengthen their reading skills.

For teachers, can provide pupils with adequate knowledge and skills. Educators

should strive for innovations to improve the teaching of reading.

For the parents, they would be able to concentrate more on their household

course and works instead of worrying on their children with regards on reading

performances.

For future researchers, researchers that conduct future research in similar areas

are likely to use findings from this study to validate or verify them. The work’s academic

contribution will serve as a source of knowledge from which researchers can pull the

information they require.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study is to determine the effective reading strategies to grade

III pupils in Catumbalon Elementaty School. Specifically, it seeks to answer the

following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile in of the grade III Pupils?

2. What are the different reading strategies in grade III Pupils?

 3. What are the effective reading strategies for teaching grade III Pupils?

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework that leads this study is related to the lens of

Rosenblatt’s (1978) transactional theory. Rosenblatt’s efforts have significantly impacted

the field of reading comprehension. Thus, Rosenblatt’s (1978) theory stresses that

meaning cannot be created in isolation from the reader. According to Rosenblatt (1982),

“reading is a transaction, a two-way process, involving a reader and a text at a particular

time under particular circumstances” (p. 268).

Rosenblatt emphasized the importance of the interaction between the reader and

the text by writing that “a novel or poem or play remains merely ink spots on paper until

a reader transforms them into a set of meaningful symbols” (Rosenblatt, 1983, p. 24). In

other words, making meaning of a particular passage requires readers to fetch their

previous experiences and knowledge to that passage, which facilitate their own

understanding (Rosenblatt et al., 1982). Rosenblatt’s (1978) theory supports the notion

that the meaning does not solely exists in the text or in the reader, however; it is

produced as a result of a particular interaction between reader and the text (Rosenblatt et

al., 2005). That interaction reflects the reciprocal effect of reader and text in one another

to construct meaning of reading (Rosenblatt, 2005). Thus, that meaning is influenced by

the reader’s own previous knowledge and stance. Rosenblatt clarified that influence by

writing that “the reader must have the experience, must ’live through’ what is being

created during the reading” (1938, p. 33). By establishing the transactional theory,

Rosenblatt has created a different classroom instructional method that enhances the
experience between the student and the text. Rosenblatt’s theory encourages teachers

provide instructional supports that smooth the transaction between students and text, as

well as supply instructional assistance while students attempt to understand text. When

students construct their own meaning of a particular text, the transactional process occurs

independently of their teachers and they link to only the passage and the students’

previous knowledge and experience. Even though teachers are not a part of that

transactional process, they can still provide students with various methods to look at the

passage in order to gain meaning, monitor the students’ individual responses to the

passage, and exchange and discuses ideas of the passages with the students through a

way that improve the students’ comprehension (Rosenblatt, 1982; 1983).

Transactional theory adopts the notion that the transactional process that students

involve with to construct meaning from a passage is unique for each student based on

what she/he brings to the text (Rosenblatt, 1978). That means that even though different

students read the same passage, each individual student would interpret it differently.

That is also true when an individual student reads the same passage once and rereads it

again after a period of time. The student tends to understand the same passage differently

when he/she reads it a second time. That different interpretations occur due to the

student’s experience and knowledge gained after her/his first reading, which significantly

impacts the students’ understanding when he/she reads it the second time (Rosenblatt,

1983). Rosenblatt’s (1978) transactional theory emphasized that comprehension of a text

occurs when students meld text and past experiences together during the transactional

process.
 I have decided to use Rosenblatt’s transactional theory as a framework to lead my

study. That because I have found that her point of view regard reading comprehension

matches my own believes. We both acknowledge that reading comprehension requires

students to interact with the provided text in order to gain meaning. Also, meaning

cannot be gained only from a text itself; thus, through that interaction they need to bring

their own background knowledge and experiences to that text. In addition, I believe that

teachers play a critical role in facilitating the students’ interaction with the text, helping

students make a connection between the text and their own previous knowledge through

using variety of reading comprehension strategies, which all result in improving the

students’ reading comprehension.

Delimitation of the Study

The study will be conducted to improve reading skills through effective reading

strategies. The respondents will be the grade III pupils, specifically in Catumbalon

Elementary School. This research will be finished in the month of February to May 2023,

with the findings and results provided. The researcher will use secondary data therefore;

data will be gathered from Catumbalon Elementary Grade III Teachers. Due to the

limited time and resources, the researchers will gather data through the month and

weekends. For the data collection, researchers will use descriptive method.

Definition of Terms

Reading Skills - are abilities that pertain to a person's capacity to read,

comprehend, interpret and decode written language and texts. Exceptional reading skills
can be highly beneficial to assimilating and responding to written communications like

emails, messages, letters and other written messages.

Reading Strategies - is the broad term used to describe the planned and explicit

actions that help readers translate print to meaning. Strategies that improve decoding and

reading comprehension skills benefit every student, but are essential for begin- ning

readers, struggling readers, and English Language Learners.

Teacher Reading - teach, and evaluate instruction for learners having difficulties

with reading. They work with learners in small groups and in classroom settings from

elementary through secondary level.

 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The area of focus of this research is to improve reading comprehension through

the use of effective reading strategies. The researchers believe that without a solid

foundation of reading strategies the students will struggle throughout their academic and

adult life. This chapter presents the relevant literature from articles, journals, and other

digital sources both international and local research.

In the study of Gabl et al., (2007), Improving Reading Comprehension and

Fluency Through the Use of Guided Reading. The research report it describes the

students’ reading comprehension and fluency through the use of guided reading. These

researchers focused on the use of leveled texts, graphic organizers, and flexible groups

during guided reading. The analysis of student achievement data was determined by

looking closely at district fluency and comprehension assessment scores as well as

teacher surveys. The teacher researchers created lessons in which the students were

working in reading centers and in small teacher-lead flexible guided reading groups. The

students also completed activities that improved their reading comprehension and

fluency. After completing the sixteen-week study the students were assessed using

district provided comprehension and fluency assessments. In addition to these

assessments, a rubric was used to evaluate each of the graphic organizers completed by
the students.

According to Hulya Kucukoglo (2012), in her study Improving reading skills

through effective reading strategies. The study is an action research applied to a number

of 14 students in an intermediate level integrated skills course. The result shows that

there were lack of knowledge in the area of reading strategies in the students at the

beginning of the study. The students had a lack of knowledge and practice in reading

strategies however after a comprehensive study, there was an improvement in their

success. It is also shows that the students had an improvement to a great extend have

been tutored about the reading strategies. It is recommended that using different

instruments such as using check list in order to write down the improvement of each

student in weekly bases on participation and the strategies they use more commonly can

also be noted by the researcher.

Papatga and Ersoy (2016), on Improving Reading Comprehension Skills Through

the SCRATCH Program demonstrated how the SCRATCH program can be used to

enhance the reading comprehension skills of elementary fourth graders who struggle with

reading comprehension. It was completed during a 15-week period at an elementary

school in the province of Eskisehir with a middling socioeconomic level during the

2015–2016 academic year. Eight fourth graders with reading comprehension issues were

chosen as study participants using the criterion sample method. Several data collection

methods were used at various stages of the investigation. For the quantitative data, these

included the Informal Reading Inventory, readability assessment rubric, participant

selection form, and identification forms for developmental level in reading

comprehension; for the qualitative data, these included observation notes, a researcher
diary, video recordings, teacher and student observation notes, and the projects that the

students created using the SCRATCH program. The reading levels of the eight students

who struggled with reading comprehension were discovered to have increased from the

anxious level to the instructional level in some cases, and even to the independent reading

level in other cases.

In the study of Kusdimir and Bulut (2018), studied Relationship between

Elementary School Students’ Reading Comprehension and Reading Motivation. Survey

model was used and according to the findings that visible symbols must be perceived and

interpreted in the brain. Once the reading skill has been acquired, it can become a tool for

having access to information, analyzing and interpreting it. All of these depend on the

reading comprehension skill. Thus, evaluation of reading comprehension is one of the

subjects to which great importance is attached. Particularly the evaluation of the level of

students’ reading comprehension is a subject of great interest for many researchers. In

this regard, the current study aimed to investigate the relationship between the Turkish

elementary school students’ reading comprehension and reading motivation.

According to the study of Asickan and Saban (2021), on the Action Research on

Improving Fluent Reading Skills of Third-Grade Primary School Students. By using the

participatory action research design, one of the qualitative research approaches. As stated

on the findings, errors made by pupils when reading all three types of texts (narrative,

educational, and poetic) slowed down, reading rates rose, and prosody levels in reading

improved. Making advantage of various software packages, technological instruments,

and various reading tactics during the implementation phase were beneficial Students pay

closer attention to the activities and become more engaged with them and improved their
learning experience. In addition, the use of gathering tactics including darts, reading

theatre, and choir students' learning was positively impacted by playing.

Synthesis of Related Literature

In the literature cited above, most of the studies that reading comprehension has a

huge influence on improving reading skills. In the study of Gabl et al., (2007), Improving

Reading Comprehension and Fluency Through the Use of Guided Reading. It determines

by looking closely at district fluency and comprehension assessment. Another study of

Hulya Kucukoglo (2012) that there was lack of knowledge and practice in reading

strategies. Papatga and Ersoy (2016) also mentioned on their study on Improving

Reading Comprehension Skills Through the SCRATCH Program demonstrated how the

SCRATCH program can be used to enhance the reading comprehension skills.

In the study of Kusdimir and Bulut (2018), studied Relationship between

Elementary School Students’ Reading Comprehension and Reading Motivation. Once the

reading skill has been acquired, it can become a tool for having access to information,

analyzing and interpreting it. According to the study of Asickan and Saban (2021), on the

Action Research on Improving Fluent Reading Skills of Third-Grade Primary School

Students. Errors made by pupils when reading all three types of texts (narrative,

educational, and poetic) slowed down, reading rates rose, and prosody levels in reading
improved.

Most of the studies stated that reading comprehension is the most important and

has a positive effect to develop more the reading skills of a learner. They used Predicting,

Visualizing, Making Connections, Summarizing, Questioning, and Inferring as their

strategies, and as a result, the majority of the studies was conducted internationally.

Therefore, there is really need to conduct the same study in the Philippines, particularly

in Valencia, Bukidnon.

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

The methodology employed in this study incorporates the review of existing

literature relating to effective reading strategies for improving the reading skill of grade

III pupils. In the next phase of the study, the research environment, respondents and

sampling design, method of data collection, data analysis, and ethical considerations will

be considered.

The Research Environment

The study employs descriptive research because it concentrated on describing the

effective reading strategies which are Predicting, Visualizing, Making Connections,

Summarizing, Questioning, and Inferring. This research is anchored on the following

research of Hulya Kucukoglo (2012).

The Subject-Respondents

This study will be conducted in Catumbalon Elementary School and the

respondents will be the two sections of grade III pupils with 50 to 60 headcounts, two

class advisers, parents, and the school administration.

The Sampling Procedure

The list of pupils will be collected to determine the total number of respondents.

A simple random sampling method will be used in this study to get the overall sample

size;

We will be using a random number generator to draw a simple random sample. If

the first number generated by the program is 25, this means that pupil #25 on your list

should be selected to be part of the sample. You continue by matching each number with

the respective name of the pupil on the list.

The Research Instrument

This study is anchored on the study of Kusdimir and Bulut (2018). The researcher

will be using a survey questionnaire that will use to determine the grade III pupils reading

capabilities status. The researcher will be conducting a survey with the 30 randomly

selected pupils on what aspects of learning reading they will have to improve. It may be

on their phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, reading comprehension and fluency.

A survey questionnaire is a form of checklist and composed of 10 questions and they will
be rating themselves according to their reading capabilities status from 5 is being the

highest and 1 is being the lowest.

Try-out of the Instrument

The researcher will also be conducting a Test-Retest Reliability and will gather samples

in the two different public schools. There will be 60 respondents used for the pre-test that will

happen on April 1st, 2023 and the post-test will be done a month after which is May 1 st, 2023. The

test will have 10 multiple-choice questions that were identical to the pre-test and post-test.

Administration of the Questionnaire

The researcher will be using a Self-administered questionnaire. In this survey, it

will be delivered in a paper-and-pen format and the language will be used for this survey

is Ilonggo since it’s their mother tongue and they will be able to understand the question

well. The respondents are required to complete the questionnaire without being helped or

interrupted by the researchers conducting the survey.

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