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IMPROVING STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION THROUGH SCIENCE

RESEARCH ASSOCIATES READING LABORATORY

An Action Research
Presented to the Faculty of College of Teacher Education
University of Mindanao
Davao City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

in Teaching Internship (ED 421)
A.Y. 2022 – 2023

DEDEL, JIKI CLARICE F.

DOLAR, JOANA NICOLE A.
HARANI, GWYNETH JANE L.
JABOC, QUEENIE
ROLLORATA, ENES

May, 2023
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Abstract

This descriptive-quantitative study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the

Science Research Associates (SRA) reading laboratory in enhancing the reading

comprehension skills of Grade 7 students. To this end, twenty Grade 7 students

enrolled in the school with the school ID 304375 were enlisted as participants of the

study. Baseline observations were obtained to assess their initial reading

comprehension level. The SRA reading laboratory was utilized as intervention to

improve their reading comprehension skills. A series of observations and informal

qualitative questionnaires were conducted before and after the implementation of the

intervention. Through tabular presentations and reflective analysis, findings revealed

that students’ performance in reading comprehension tests significantly improved after

utilizing the SRA reading laboratory. Students also claimed that the intervention has

been beneficial to them. From this, relevant measures may be taken by teachers and

school administrators to successfully resolve the declining performance of learners in

reading.

Keywords: reading, comprehension, SRA, laboratory, Davao City

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page i.
Abstract ii.
Table of Contents iii.
List of Tables vi.
Introduction 1
Context and Rationale 1
Innovation, Intervention, and Strategy 2
Action Research Question 4
Method 4
Participants, Other Sources of Data and Information 4
Data Gathering Procedure 5
Data Analysis Plan 5
Results and Discussion 6
Reflection 14
Recommendation 15
References 16
Appendices 18
Appendix A: Letter to Conduct the Study 18
Appendix B: Informed Consent 19
Appendix C: SRA Starting Level Guide 22
Appendix D: SRA Reading Levels 27
Appendix E: Grammarly Report 28
Documentation 29
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LIST OF TABLES

Table Page
1 Pre-Test Scores Before the Implementation of SRA 6
2 Raw Scores During SRA Sessions 8
3 Average Scores of Students Per Color Level 10
4 Pre-Test Scores and Post Test Scores 12
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Context and Rationale

As we observed our respective classes, it was immediately made apparent to

us that the students had poor reading comprehension skills. They struggled to
understand written instructions and consistently scored low in tests which involved
reading narratives. There was also one instance where most of the learners could not
sufficiently summarize and restate a story they had just read in their own words without
assistance from the teacher. Undoubtedly, the academic performance of students has
suffered gravely as a result. If this problem persists, students will find it particularly
challenging to keep up with the demands of the academe, especially since reading
comprehension is a fundamental part of every subject.
To address this issue, we devised a plan of action involving the use of the
Science Research Associates (SRA) Reading Laboratory. This proposed intervention
would allow us to determine whether or not the reading laboratory will have any
significant effect on the reading comprehension skills of the students. Moreover, it may
also help us evaluate whether the SRA Reading Laboratory could help in addressing
one of the most pressing issues in education today.
As future educators, we believe it is our duty to ensure that our students equip
themselves with the skills necessary to succeed in school, work, and life in general.
Since reading virtually permeates our everyday lives, this entails the need for students
with well-developed reading comprehension skills. If that happens, it could help
prepare them to blend in with trends, keep up with the developing world, to better
understand things from what they read and might as well apply it to real world
situations. All of these could be realized through the use of the SRA Reading
Laboratory. Students also need to realize the importance of improving these skills for
self-improvement, hence the aim of this paper.
Indeed, our learners’ poor reading performance is not an isolated case, but a
concern shared by educators all around the country. While we recognize that there
are a lot of complexities surrounding this matter, reintroducing the once popularly-used
reading laboratory to our students could be of great help in curbing the nation’s
intensifying learning poverty. Moreover, the results of this study could offer insights to
policymakers, school administrators, and teachers as to what features of the SRA
Reading Laboratory are effective in improving the students’ reading comprehension
skills, and what further improvements can be done to maximize its benefits. With the
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help of SRA reading laboratory and teachers, students who will be chosen to
participate may have the chance to improve their reading comprehension skills and
prepare them as they go on to higher level of education.

Innovation, Intervention, and Strategy

As a plan of action, we gathered approximately 20 students to participate in our

reading program using the Science Research Associates (SRA) Reading Laboratory.
These students were referred to us by their English teacher due to their poor reading
comprehension skills. Before starting the actual reading program, the students took a
pre-test called the “Starting Level Guide” provided by the SRA kit which helped us
determine their level of proficiency in reading comprehension. This is a 15-item pre-
test that connects to the three different levels of the SRA Reading Laboratory. In
conducting the pre-test, we first explained to them that they must read the stories first
so that they could answer the following questions in the test. They were given thirty
(30) minutes to finish their Starting Level Guide assessment. After that, we collected
all the test papers and checked their answers discretely. After checking their
assessment, we assigned the students to different color levels based on their pre-test
scores using the placement chart provided in the SRA kit.
Once that is done, we allotted the succeeding sessions in the actual
implementation of the SRA Reading Laboratory by facilitating the distribution of the
reading materials (Power Builders), validating their assessment results, and promoting
students to a higher level once they have accomplished all tasks and requirements.
Participants can only advance to the next color level under two conditions: they either
(a) obtain a passing score in at least three (3) reading comprehension tests provided
by the Power Builders or (b) they complete answering five (5) Power Builders. This
process was done for three (3) sessions. Participants could only complete the reading
program once they reach three (3) levels above their starting level. We then gave each
student who has officially graduated from this reading program a certificate for
advancing three levels above their starting level. The certificate that was given to them
serve as a reward for having successfully improved their reading comprehension skills.
To conclude the program, the Starting Level Guide was retaken by the
participants as a post test. This is for us to compare their scores before and after the
reading program for data analysis. We believe that through the SRA Reading
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Laboratory, students may have the opportunity to develop their reading

comprehension abilities in a way that is appropriate to their individual needs.
The SRA Reading Laboratory is a methodical reading program designed by
McGraw-Hill to help develop fundamental reading skills among students, such as
vocabulary knowledge, reading comprehension, and reading fluency. The program
begins by administering a pre-test using the Starting Level Guide to determine the
reading ability level of each student. The test results will be used as basis in assigning
students to different color levels. Each reading laboratory kit consists of the following
key components: Power Builders, Power Builder Key Cards, Skill Builders, Skill Builder
Key Cards, Teacher’s Handbook, and Student Record Book. At the core of the
program are the Power Builders which are reading materials arranged in color-coded
levels. Aside from the high-interest reading selections that these booklets provide,
there are also questions which students need to answer to test their understanding of
the story and word-study exercises for them to develop their vocabulary. After
answering, Power Builder Key Cards are then used by the students to check their
answers. This is to promote self-directed learning among students where they take
ownership of their own work and progress. Additionally, Power Builders become
increasingly more complex as students work their way up the color bands. Hence, for
students to advance to the next level, their scores must be between 75 to 100 percent
in three Power Builders. This is the program’s way of ensuring that readers work in
their own pace and in a level that is appropriate to their abilities and needs. If students
fail to meet the requirements, Skill Builders are available as intervention.
Several studies have shown the benefits brought by the SRA Reading
Laboratory to students. In a study conducted by Cruz (2021), it was found that 7th
grade students who were frustrated readers had significantly better performances in
terms of phonics and decoding, vocabulary, and reading comprehension after
attending a reading program using the SRA Reading Laboratory Kit II-a. This is
because students were able to practice reading strategies such as surveying, using
context clues, questioning, and using background knowledge upon answering the
drills. Moreover, Alghonaim (2020) posited that students can benefit from the SRA
reading laboratory by improving their vocabularies, fluency, comprehension, and study
abilities; taking responsibility for their own efforts and growth; and engaging interest
when it comes to reading, which increases knowledge by reading non-fiction and
fiction series. The students reviewed their reading abilities assistance they received to
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enhance their reading levels (Mousavian & Siahpoosh, 2018). The SRA reading
laboratory emphasizes skill development, which increases learners' reading
comprehension by allowing them to try out various reading styles; the more they
practiced, the better they became at using those skills to understand the texts given
such as predicting meaning, using prior information/background knowledge, and
acquiring new vocabulary that will help them improve their reading skills
(Puripunyavanich, 2021). In addition, an intervention strategy for improving reading
comprehension ability helps to assist learners in activating background knowledge in
order to interact with the text with comprehension, which is why SRA is required to be
implemented in schools these days. Therefore, it has been suggested that reading
engagement is a prerequisite for building attention among students, which finally leads
to strong student performance in reading skills (Roomy & Alhawsawi, 2019).

Action Research Question

This action research seeks to answer the following question:
1. How can we improve students’ reading comprehension skills using the
Science Research Associates (SRA) Reading Laboratory?

Action Research Methods

a. Participants, Other Sources of Data and Information

The participants of this study were 20 Grade 7 students at a school with a
School ID 304375. Moreover, a purposive sampling technique was realized in this
study as we only selected students who were referred to us by their English teacher
for their poor reading comprehension abilities. The researchers administered a pre-
test to determine their current level of proficiency in terms of reading comprehension.
Their scores were included in the trek of garnering data through conducting the three
sessions using the SRA Laboratory. This is an efficient way to choose appropriate
participants and to avoid bias. Students not enrolled in this school were not included
in this study. Further, students who failed to meet the qualifications were not asked to
participate in the planned intervention program. Meanwhile, the data that was used in
the study were the student’s scores in the pre-test (Starting Level Guide Assessment),
the student’s scores in the Power Builders assessments, and the student’s scores in
the post-test.
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b. Data Gathering Procedure

In conducting the study, the researchers first wrote a letter to the school
principal to ask permission to conduct surveys and gather data. Second, if permission
is granted, the researchers approached the English subject teacher of their chosen
Grade 7 section to obtain the names of their potential participants. Afterwards, an
informed consent form was provided to the potential participants to be signed by their
parents/guardians allowing them to participate in our study. After the procedure is
taken, the researchers will conduct five sessions, encompassing the pre-test, first SRA
session, second SRA session, third SRA session, and the post-test. The basis of the
researchers’ procedure in collecting data was to address students' learning capacity
in terms of reading comprehension skills through the use of the SRA laboratory.
Moreover, ethical guidelines were observed by the researchers in the conduct
of the study by ensuring privacy and confidentiality of the participants’ data, providing
informed consent, and maintaining transparency of results.

c. Data Analysis Plan

Pre-test scores were utilized for the baseline data observations which were
examined using tabular presentations with reflective analysis. This would allow us to
identify the reading comprehension level of the students prior to the implementation of
the intervention. Further, the reading comprehension level of the students was
classified into three (3) color levels, which are Red, Orange, and Yellow. Students who
obtained a score of 5 and below were assigned to color level Red, while students who
obtained a score between 6 and 10 were assigned to color level Orange. Finally, those
who obtained a score of 11 and above were assigned to color level Yellow. As for the
data during the conduct of the intervention, the mean was used as a statistical tool to
determine their performance level in reading comprehension tests across the color
levels. The mean was computed once the students obtained at least three passing
scores on the reading comprehension tests. If students failed to obtain at least three
passing scores from the tests, the mean was computed after they answered their fifth
Power Builder. Finally, post test scores were used as post data observations and were
analyzed using tabular presentations with reflective analysis.
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Discussion of Results
In this section, the results and discussions have four tables that connect to the
study. Table 1 shows the pre-test scores before the implementation of SRA. Table 2
shows the raw scores during SRA sessions. Table 3 shows the average scores of
students per color level. Lastly, Table 4, shows the pre-test scores and the post-test
scores.
a. Baseline Data Observation
Table 1
Pre-Test Scores Before the Implementation of SRA

Student Pre-Test Score

Student A 5
Student B 5
Student C 3
Student D 3
Student E 4
Student F 3
Student G 4
Student H 8
Student I 6
Student J 10
Student K 9
Student L 10
Student M 6
Student N 6
Student O 6
Student P 6
Student Q 6
Student R 11
Student S 11
Student T 12
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As observed in the table, the majority of Grade 7 students who took the SRA
Reading Laboratory Pre-test got failing scores. Since the students got failing scores,
this indicates that most Grade 7 students need to use Power Builders to enhance their
reading comprehension skills. Only Student T, who scored twelve (12) on SRA
Reading Laboratory Pre-test, got a passing score. Therefore, even though the student
got or did not get a passing score, he/she still needs to use Power Builders material in
order to improve their reading comprehension skills.
Furthermore, students were asked to answer short-response and checklist
types of questions during the pre-test. The questions focused more on the learners’
reading habits as well as their familiarity with the SRA reading laboratory. This will also
serve as the introduction of the starting level guide for the SRA Reading Laboratory to
the students. Based on their responses, most of the students have not yet used SRA
Reading Laboratory before. In short, this is the first time for Grade 7 students to deal
with this SRA Reading Laboratory.
In terms of the answers of the students, the kinds of texts that Student T prefer
to read most are “short stories, comics, and Wattpad.” This means that Student T had
already developed his desire for reading. For the things that they like to do in their
spare time, Student C answered, “sleeping and playing out with my friends,” while
Student L answered, “playing computer games, and answering my homework.” As
illustrated in their responses, none of them have included reading as part of their daily
routines. This could explain why they perform poorly in reading comprehension tests
as they have not established a habit of reading.
The results presented above are in line with the study of Devera (2022), which
shows that less than 15% of Filipino students, or around three out of every twenty
learners, have difficulty reading simple texts. Filipino students are likely to experience
difficulties because the majority of them fail to meet the basic requirements in reading,
writing, and arithmetic caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As stated by Tan (2021),
most Filipino students who struggle with reading comprehension come from families
with limited resources where the home and educational environments do not support
growth mindsets. Students could view their educational needs as a hardship because
they must prioritize working to support their families financially.
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b. During the Implementation of Intervention

Table 2
Raw Scores During SRA Sessions

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

Student
Scores Ave. Scores Ave. Scores Ave.

Student A 6 5 2 4 4 4.2 4 4 0 6 6 4 5 3 3 6 5 4.4

Student B 4 5 6 5 4 4.8 4 3 4 5 5 4.2 4 5 6 6 7 5.6
Student C 3 5 6 7 5 5.2 5 4 3 3 7 4.4 4 4 4 5 3 4
Student D 2 9 4 3 3 4.2 5 3 5 7 6 5.2 8 6 2 7 6 5.8
Student E 7 8 7 7.3 5 8 3 9 9 6.8 4 2 4 9 9 5.6
Student F 5 3 2 4 7 4.2 1 4 5 7 6 4.6 2 7 4 4 6 4.6
Student G 2 6 4 5 4 4.2 3 4 4 6 6 4.6 7 4 3 5 5 4.8
Student H 5 4 5 6 7 5.4 8 5 6 3 5 5.4 5 5 6 4 9 5.8
Student I 5 9 9 7 7.5 7 5 8 7 6.7 6 8 7 9 7.5
Student J 5 8 6 7 7 6.6 9 9 6 7 7.7 8 6 8 9 7.7
Student K 6 8 9 6 4 6.6 7 9 9 8.3 5 8 7 9 7.2
Student L 6 4 5 3 5 4.6 6 6 5 7 7 6.2 6 5 8 7 7 6.6
Student M 4 5 4 4 5 4.4 3 5 5 6 7 5.2 5 5 7 6 7 6
Student N 8 5 7 7 6.7 6 7 7 7 6.7 5 9 8 6 8 7.2
Student O 3 5 7 8 3 5.2 6 3 9 7 4 5.8 6 5 8 7 7 6.6
Student P 9 8 7 8 8 8 9 8.3 8 9 9 8.6
Student Q 9 6 9 8 8 7 6 3 9 8 6.6 8 5 7 6 9 7
Student R 9 9 8 8.6 9 8 9 8.6 9 9 9 9
Student S 9 7 8 8 7 9 9 8.3 6 9 9 9 8.2
Student T 8 7 6 8 7.2 5 8 8 8 7.2 6 9 8 8 7.7

Presented in the table above are the learners’ scores in the 10-item reading
comprehension test for every Power Builder they read. Students were required to read
and answer at least three (3) Power Builders from each color level. If they reach the
passing score of seven (7) and above in each Power Builder, they are eligible for
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promotion to the next color level. If not, then they must read and answer up to five (5)
Power Builders from their current color level before advancing to the next. This
condition was established to ensure that struggling readers are given more opportunity
to develop their reading skills before proceeding with more difficult reading materials.
Based on the data illustrated, it can be observed that students were more likely
to achieve a passing score by the time they reached the third level. For instance,
Student L failed in all his reading comprehension tests on his starting level. However,
by the time he reached his third color level, he was able to pass three reading
comprehension tests. Students B, D, K, M, and O had the same case. Additionally, the
number of students who obtained a passing average score is significantly greater on
the third level (9 students) than that on the first level (7 students). It should be noted
that the complexity of the reading materials increases as students move along the
color levels. Hence, to see students improving in their reading comprehension
performance despite dealing with increasingly difficult texts only goes to show that
exposure to reading materials of high complexity is advantageous to one’s
development of reading skills – provided, however, that there are adequate
opportunities to practice one’s reading comprehension skills.
Furthermore, the results demonstrate that learners who have read and
answered five (5) Power Builders are generally more likely to obtain a greater test
score average on their third level. For instance, Learner D went from having an
average score of 4.2 in his starting color level to having an average of 5.8 upon
completing his third color level. This phenomenon is likewise observed in Student A,
B, F, G, H, L, M, and O. From this, it can be inferred that students who are exposed to
more reading materials tend to become better readers.
The findings above are supported by the study of Habib and Hussein (2018),
which illustrated that learners who read stories of high complexity performed better in
reading comprehension tests than their peers who read stories of low complexity. The
researchers further postulated that this could be due to the fact that reading materials
of greater complexity generally require readers to undergo more intensive and
demanding cognitive and linguistic processes. Hence, this leads to greater gains in
developing one’s reading comprehension skills. Aside from the quality of the texts,
Tang and Li (2019) also suggest that the quantity of the reading materials also play a
significant role in improving learners’ reading comprehension abilities. In their study, it
was revealed that students who engaged in extensive reading had significantly higher
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scores on measures of reading comprehension than those who read fewer materials.
This is because extensive reading offers a multitude of cognitive benefits to readers,
such as increased vocabulary knowledge, enhanced reading fluency, and expansion
of background knowledge.
Table 3
Average Scores of Students Per Color Level

Student Red Orange Yellow Green Blue

Student A 4.2 4 4.4

Student B 4.8 4.2 5.6

Student C 5.2 4.4 4

Student D 4.2 5.2 5.8

Student E 7.3 6.8 5.6

Student F 4.2 4.6 4.6

Student G 4.2 4.6 4.8

Student H 5.4 5.4 5.8

Student I 7.5 6.7 7.5

Student J 6.6 7.7 7.7

Student K 6.6 8.3 7.2

Student L 4.6 6.2 6.6

Student M 4.4 5.2 6

Student N 6.7 6.7 7.2

Student O 5.2 5.8 6.6

Student P 8 8.3 8.6

Student Q 8 6.6 7

Student R 8.6 8.6 9

Student S 8 8.3 8.2

Student T 7.2 7.2 7.7

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Based on the average test scores of students in each level, it can be deduced
that most learners showed gradual improvement in terms of their performance in
reading comprehension tests. There was a significant increase in their test score
averages during the implementation of the SRA Reading Laboratory, as observed in
Student B, Student M, and Student O. Meanwhile, Students A, C, E, and Q have mean
scores which are not linear as shown in the data presented above. Although, some of
their scores fall lower than their previous mean scores, they were still promoted to the
next power builder that corresponds to another color level to introduce them to a
variety of reading materials. Also, it was observed that the students’ motivation in
reading depends on the level of their interest about what they read. The sessions were
during their dismissal and some of them rushed to go home and did not take the
assessment seriously. Vocabulary is as well one of the factors affecting the
consistency of their mean scores. Some power builders contain Americanized
terminologies that are difficult for the readers to understand; hence, the inconsistent
performance. It is also seen that scores mostly differ from each color level students
were put in, indicating that the higher the level a learner achieves, the better they
become in comprehending what they read. For instance, the average score of students
who finished at the color level Yellow was between 4 and 5.8. Meanwhile, the average
score of students who finished at the color level Green was between 5.8 and 8.6.
Finally, the average score of students who finished at the color level Blue was between
7.7 and 9.
The findings above are consistent with the study of Wu and Huang (2019),
which evinced that students who completed higher color levels in the SRA reading
laboratory had higher reading comprehension scores than their peers who completed
lower color levels. This could be due to the fact that students who attained higher color
levels were exposed to reading materials of greater complexity, thereby giving them
an opportunity to practice more advanced reading strategies to comprehend the text.
Therefore, achieving higher color levels in the reading laboratory is associated with
higher average test scores.
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c. Post Data Observation

Table 4
Pre-Test Scores and Post-Test Scores

Student Pre-Test Score Post Test Score

Student A 5 5
Student B 5 6
Student C 3 4
Student D 3 5
Student E 4 4
Student F 3 5
Student G 4 6
Student H 8 10
Student I 6 9
Student J 10 10
Student K 9 10
Student L 10 9
Student M 6 5
Student N 6 8
Student O 6 7
Student P 6 10
Student Q 6 8
Student R 11 13
Student S 11 10
Student T 12 12

Average Score 6.7 7.8

Shown in the above-presented table are the scores after utilizing the Science
Research Associates laboratory. This study administered the same questionnaire for
both pre-test and post-test to find out how the learners’ reading comprehension has
improved through the aid of the SRA laboratory.
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From the data illustrated, it is evident that most of the scores are higher than
what is tallied in their pre-test data; thus, indicating the efficacy of the implementation.
One example is Student F who scored three (3) on his pre-test and scored five (5)
during the post-test with the aid of the abovementioned laboratory.
Furthermore, it has been realized that the use of the SRA laboratory helped the
students improve their reading comprehension as stated in the above-presented data.
Although most students still failed to reach the passing score of 12, they nevertheless
demonstrated significant improvement from their pre-test performance. In fact,
eighteen (18) out of twenty (20) participants had greater scores on their post test than
the pre-test. There was also an increase in the students’ overall post test average (7.8)
compared to their pre-test average (6.7). Moreover, eight (8) students have scored 10
and above in the post-test, which is considerably greater than the number of students
who scored the same in the pre-test, with only five (5) out of 20. Indeed, most of the
scores are high and only a few got low scores due to having difficulties in
understanding the reading materials and other factors to be discussed. Therefore, this
implies that SRA laboratory is effective in improving students’ performance in reading
comprehension test.
When asked about the benefits they gained after using the SRA, one student
wrote: “I learned so many [things] like animals’ unusual ability.” Moreover, another
student asserted that engaging with the SRA laboratory has helped her answer her
homework better since “I can understand more and read well.” From their responses,
it can be deduced that the intervention has been successful in letting students realize
how advantageous reading is for them. If this persists, learners may become
interested in reading well enough that they decide to develop a habit of reading.
Upon asking the participants about the difficulties and their suggestions on the
process of using the laboratory, one student suggested: “… that they can make the
story shorter so we can understand and read well” indicating that the length of the
material affects the students’ willingness to read and comprehend. The shorter it is,
the more it becomes interesting to the readers. Another student suggested that their
experience would have been better had the laboratory provided easier texts to read:
“[I hope that they] make the story easier to read”. Taking into consideration the context
of the stories used in the laboratory, we can surmise that the Westernized setting of
the stories made it harder for students to relate and thereby comprehend the text. This
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further suggests that it will be easier for them to understand the material if they are
familiar with what they read.
Anent the abovementioned statements, localization plays a vital role in teaching
reading comprehension to students. This is supported by the study of Ismail,
Mohaideen, and Rashid (2020), which states it is common for students at this stage to
have difficulties in reading texts. One of the factors affecting it is the text selection;
hence, localization of reading materials is important to ease the reading and
understanding process. More so, the study of Taylor (2020) about the Impact of Texts
on Reading Comprehension, supports the idea that interest plays an important role in
reading comprehension and individuals display more persistence, engagement, and
positive affect toward tasks that they are interested in.

Reflection

Throughout the conduct of our study, we, as researchers, have our cents of
realizations. In our first session using the SRA Laboratory, it was evident that not all
participants were into reading; in that situation, we incorporated extrinsic rewards to
help boost their drive to read. However, due to this particular motivation, we realized
that most students only read the material not because it is pleasurable for them but
because of the reward they get after they read. With this, it is best to rely on something
other than giving rewards to learners so as to ensure that learners are reading the
texts because they are intrinsically motivated to do so and not for the sake of obtaining
a prize. Further, as we conducted this study, we realized that teaching reading to a
large number of struggling learners is challenging. You cannot effectively monitor them
individually, and you cannot get to know their strategies in reading – the role of the
teacher will be put to a limit considering the quantity of learners that must be dealt
with. As researchers, we supposed that it is better to teach reading one-on-one to
have a practical guided reading session that best benefits the learner. Moreover, even
though the SRA Laboratory has its facilitative role, it is undeniable that the teacher’s
guidance is still irreplaceable. In connection with this, the participants of this study had
difficulty understanding specific vocabulary that hampers their comprehension of the
text given; this made them ask for help from us researchers. Indeed, even though how
immersive learning materials may get, the teacher’s role toward a learner definitely
brings an impact that none can copy nor replace. To conclude, considering our first
interaction with the students, it was made apparent to us that most of the students
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were having unpleasurable relationship with reading, but as this reading intervention
come to an end, most of the participants showed evident progress that made the SRA
Laboratory beneficial for the needed improvement in the reading comprehension skills
of these learners.

Recommendation

In regard to the findings of the action research, the following recommendations

are made. First, despite the fact that this research supports a remedial reading
program for enhancing students' skills, the SRA laboratory should have localized or
indigenized reading materials to help improve literacy among children. The
effectiveness of having localized reading materials affects students' skills in
vocabulary and the significance of the lessons in daily living, making it easier for
students to comprehend the text then. Second, teachers must lecture the different use
of reading strategies to ensure that learners develop comprehension in reading skills.
It is important that educators need to give students the resources they need to become
aware of their thinking. Third, although this often raises concerns regarding the child’s
reading capacity, school administrators must provide reading programs like SRA,
which helps to encourage and accelerate educational change that helps students grow
in terms of academic success and self-development. Lastly, future researchers may
venture on other reading programs being offered by schools in the Philippines.
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References

Alghonaim, A. S. (2020). Impact of related activities on reading comprehension of EFL

students. English Language Teaching, 13(4), 15.
https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v13n4p15

Cruz, T. G. (2022). The use of a reading laboratory approach as supplementary

program and frustration readers’ reading performance. International Journal of
Applied Science and Research, 4(4), 7-17.
https://www.ijasr.org/paper/IJASR0042485.pdf

Devera, B. (2022). Lockdown’s Impact: Unicef Cites Poor Reading Skills Among PH
Kids. Inquirer.Net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1576573/lockdowns-impact-
unicef-cites-poor-reading-skills-among-ph-kids

Habib, R., & Hussein, S. (2018). The effects of reading comprehension and listening
to stories of different complexity on young EFL learners’ reading
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Appendix A
Letter to Conduct the Study
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Appendix B
Informed Consent
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21
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Appendix C
SRA Starting Level Guide
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24
25
26
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Appendix D
SRA Reading Levels
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Appendix E
Grammarly Report
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DOCUMENTATION

Day 1. Implementation of pre-test and assigning students to their color levels.

Day 2. Considering the participants color placement, they began their reading
session based on their respective color levels.

Day 3. A participant from color level orange was promoted to the next level which is
the color level yellow.
 30

Day 4. Participants from color level orange reached their last color level, the color
level green.

Day 5. Administering of post-test and culmination program.