ASSESSMENT OF THE LEVELS OF READING COMPREHENSION OF THE GRADE

III PUPILS IN MATUYATUYA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SY 2016-2017

By:

MARIA JUDHEE S. RIVAMONTE

Teacher II

I. The Problem Situation

A. Introduction

Reading is the mother of all study skills. It is one of the most complex and valuable skills

a person can acquire. It is not merely an ability to recognize written or printed words, but it also

refers to putting meaning to what a person reads and drawing a unified thought of what is read.

Thus, it cannot be taught in isolation.

In addition, reading as a field of teaching is considered one of the important areas of

teaching if not actually the most important ever. It is said to be one of the most necessary academic

skills. Besides, it is a major pillar upon which the teaching and learning process is built. The

reading ability plays a central role in the teaching and learning success at all educational stages.

Having any difficulty in this skill will result in variety of consequences on all subjects of study,

since reading includes a variety of sub-skills.

According to Ozdemir (2009) reading is fundamental in getting knowledge as all the

lessons and learning activities are mostly based on the power of comprehensive reading; indeed,

it is really necessary to read comprehensively. Also, reading comprehensively really affects a

learners education and his life as a whole. Learning in any lesson depends on understanding of

1
the learning instrument of that lesson; thus, a learner who cannot read comprehensively finds it

difficult for him or her to become successful in his or her lessons.

Furthermore, Ono (2004) emphasized that reading has the potential to help English

language learners become better readers and make improvements in other aspects of their English

skills. As mentioned by Al-Khateeb (2010) reading comprehension is considered the real core for

the reading process and a big process around which all other processes are centered.

Comprehension is the peak of the reading skills and the bases for all reading processes. It is viewed

by some researchers as the ultimate objective of the reading process, since he who does not

comprehend what he reads is considered as if he has not read.

Importantly, the skills such as acquiring the correct meaning, analysing the authors point

of view and applying what one learns from reading to real-life situations are things that constitute

reading comprehension which must be the basic consideration of all readers.

Moreover, the ability of the readers to understand what they are reading interpret ideas and

inject meaning to printed words is comprehension. Thus, reading alone is not enough; there must

be comprehension so that learners may not only focus on the text but also on the interpretation of

its deeper meanings.

The importance of reading comprehension is emphasized in the education community;

however, not everyone realizes how important really is. Although strong reading skills can help

pupils do well in language arts and reading class, that is only the beginning. Students have to use

reading skills in every single pupil who struggles with reading comprehension so he or she may

not fall far behind in school that can lead to limited opportunities as grows and becomes adult.

2
 Nowadays, pupils and students are exposed to different ideas, people and products and

viewpoints increase as rapidly as the changes in the society. Just about everyone in the Philippines

knows how to read. As a nation, almost everybody enjoys a high rate of literacy. Unfortunately

however, not every Filipino is a good reader who can derive meaning from a written material and

go on to analyze and apply that meaning. Thus, readers, who can only read facts and nothing more

can never be called good readers,

Indeed, a pupil or student who can read comprehensively can also be successful in all

learning and lessons. It is a known fact that in the Philippine system of education, a high school

and university require an entry assessment or entrance examination mostly based on the testing

ability whether they can read comprehensively and can come up with new interpretations by

making analysis and synthesis on the given data in many research tasks.

Teachers, therefore, have a very important role to play in helping their pupils and students

get most out of reading and become more good readers. They need to introduce to them extensive

reading and provide them essential guidance as they read comprehensively. While teaching

reading comprehension, teachers must always keep in mind that the goal is to let the students

understand what the content text wants to convey.

Moreover, teachers, must help learners to do well in their subject and pass the require

examination or test. As the same time, they can increase their pupils competency in English and

help them become fluent readers in English by engaging them in extensive reading. Thus, teachers,

in Matuyatuya Elementary School, in particular Grade III must be able to identify the level of their

pupils comprehension skills so that they could plan for effective strategies or programs that would

eventually enhance the learners critical thinking skills.

3
 With this premise, the researcher prompted to conduct a research to determine the reading

comprehension ability of the Grade III pupils of Matuyatuya Elementary School for SY 2016-

2017.

B. Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to determine the levels of the reading comprehension ability of the 24

pupils (14 boys and 10 girls) Grade III pupils officially enrolled in School Year 2016-2017 at

Matuyatuya Elementary School.

Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:

1. What is the level of the pupils reading comprehension as to:

a. literal level;

b. interpretative level;

c. critical level;

d. applied level?

2. What are the problems that hinder pupils reading comprehension?

3. What lesson model can be designed to help improve pupils reading comprehension?

C. Scope and Delimitation

The coverage of the study include the reading comprehension level of the Grade III pupils

as to literal, interpretative, evaluative, or creative as basis for designing a model lesson to enhance

the reading comprehension ability of the subjects of the study.

The study made use of the 24 Grade III pupils composed of 14 boys and 10 girls officially

enrolled in the school. It delimited to the current school year only.

4
 Results would not generalize the reading comprehension ability of all the pupils in the

school but only those pupils utilized in the study.

D. Significance of the Study

Reading comprehension is the crucial link to effective- a strong factor in the students

education and professional lives. This study is deemed beneficial to the following:

Findings may serve as bases for the Department of Education for designing a lesson model

in enhancing instruction that would benefit the pupils and students and may also suggest good

books appropriate for the learners. Likewise, it may encourage more the department to enrich its

library hub program and community outreach program by sharing some materials such as books,

magazines, and other library resources that would be very useful for the learners to develop their

interest in reading.

Results of the study may guide teachers to redesign, restructure teaching methodologies of

teaching reading which should not stress on accuracy of reading aloud but which would fit to the

pupils abilities and skills; that they may be helped in promoting reading as a process of acquiring

meaning from text and may foster a flexible response to difficulties that their learners might

encounter in reading.

The learners are the prime beneficiary of the study, results may help them determine their

strengths and weaknesses in reading to better improve themselves.

5
II. A. THE REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

The Nature of Reading

Reading has been defined in different disciplines by many authors and reading experts in

many ways. Leipzig (2001) defined reading as a multifaceted process involving word recognition,

comprehension, fluency, and motivation. Reading also means making meaning from print. It

requires that a reader identifies the words in print- a process called word recognition, constructs

an understanding from them- a process called comprehension, and then coordinates identifying

words and making meaning so that reading is automatic and accurate an achievement called

fluency.

From Wikepedia, reading is defined as a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols

in order to construct or derive meaning. It is a means of language acquisition, of communication,

and of sharing information and ideas. Like all languages, it is a complex interaction between the

text and reader which is shaped by the readers prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and

language community which is culturally and socially situated. The reading process requires

continuous practice, development, and refinement.

In her book, Villamin (2001) cited several meanings of reading from different authors

published in the International Reading Association publications by Harris and Hedges as follows:

Reading is viewed by Spoche as a developmental task. It is a thinking process that concerns

with the readers skill in making interpretation and generalization, in drawing outcomes and

conclusions. It contributes to personality change for it provides students with reading materials

that meet their needs or some have application to their lives.

6
 According to Gray, reading is an interaction between the reader and the writer. The reader

attempts to reconstruct a message from the writer, sampling, selecting, predicting, comparing, and

confirming activity in which the reader selects a sample of useful and graphic cues based on what

he sees and what he expects to see.

It is also believed that reading involves the recognition of printed or written words which

serve as stimuli for the recall of meaning, built up through experience and the construction of new

meanings through manipulation of concepts already possessed by the reader. The resulting

meanings are organized. It is a two-way process involving the perception and comprehension of

written messages as cited by Tinker, Cullough and Thorndike.

From the viewpoint of Smith and Dechant, the psychologist looks at reading as a though

process, the semanticist is interested in meaning and looks at the printed page graphic

representation of speech; the linguist is concerned with relationships between the sounds of a

language at its written form while the sociologist examines the interaction of reading and culture

and literary man reads to the artistic nature of the production before him.

Reading is a tool for learning and in mastering all other subjects in the curriculum, a part

of communication arts and a means to an end. People read for pleasure, for specific information,

to locate materials dealing with special problems or to share information with others. Learning

performance in almost all the childs school works depends to a great measure on his proficiency

in reading. It is in this sense that several reading skills are needed to comprehend and react to the

selection. Such skills are getting the main idea, noting details or proof sentences, finding cause

and effect relationships, determining sequence, predicting outcomes, making judgment, drawing

conclusions and following directions. All are needed to fully grasp the message.

7
 Goodman (1992) explained that reading is a psycholinguistic game whereby the reader

selects cues from the printed page and predicts what words proceeds or follows another to trigger

language is his or her own appropriate language experiences.

From these definitions, Magtaho (2004) concluded that reading is indeed a complex

process of receiving graphic symbols and relating them to ones fund of experience.

Reading Comprehension

Reading is the gateway to comprehension. The goal of reading is to extract meaning. This

is referred to as reading comprehension and can be viewed as product of two necessary

components: decoding and linguistic comprehension.

Relative to this, Mercado, et al. (2009) mentioned that reading is one of the four macro

skills taught in English language. The act of reading is a process which involves steps to achieve

and reinforce understanding namely: word perception, comprehension, reaction, and integration.

Of all these steps, research on the field has focused on the comprehension and the issues that

revolve around it.

Comprehension is the act of grasping the meaning, significance or nature of an idea with

intellect and specifies understanding as its closet synonym. It is an integrated skill, a process of

constructing meaning from written texts, a complex skills requiring coordination of several kinds

of interrelated sources of information. Comprehension is a means of integrating information when

individuals read. A structure is formed, which includes all the events of circumstances and

concepts that must be put together.

8
 Reading comprehension is a complex process because the reader has to construct meaning

by interacting with text using his or her previous knowledge and experience and the information

that can be found in the text. The more background information related to the text the reader

possesses, the easier it is for him or her to understand the text. Moreover, teach text is unique in

regard of the structure of the text, its genre, vocabulary and language. The purpose of reading is

to connect the ideas on the page to what the reader already knows. Reading comprehension

requires motivation, mental frameworks for holding ideas, concentration and good study

techniques.

Reading without comprehension is useless. One can get bored easily if there is an absence

of interest and enjoyment in reading, more so without comprehension. It is impossible to draw out

sense from any form of communication, written or oral, if the basic skills of finding out its meaning

are underdeveloped or undeveloped (Enriquez, 2009).

Reading comprehension is one of the pillars of the act of reading. Simply, reading

comprehension is the act of understanding what you are reading. While the definition can be

simply stated, the act is not simple to teach, learn or practice. Reading comprehension is an

intentional, active, interactive process that occurs before, during and after a person reads a

particular piece of writing.

There are two elements that make up the process of reading comprehension: vocabulary

knowledge and text comprehension. In order to understand a text, the reader must be able to

comprehend the vocabulary used in the piece of writing. If the individual words dont make sense,

then the overall story will not make sense either. Children can draw on their prior knowledge the

vocabulary, but they also need to continually be taught new words. The best vocabulary, but they

9
also need to continually be taught new words. The best vocabulary instructions occur at the point

of need. Parents and teachers should pre-teach new words that a child will encounter in a text or

aid her in understanding unfamiliar words as she comes upon them in the writing. In addition to

being able to understanding unfamiliar words as she comes upon them in the writing. In addition

to being able to understand each district in a text, the child also has to be put to them together to

develop an overall conception of what it is trying to say. This is comprehension. Text

comprehension is much more complex and varied than vocabulary knowledge. Readers use many

different text comprehension strategies to develop reading comprehension. These include

monitoring for understanding, answering and generating questions, summarizing and being aware

of and using a texts structure to aid comprehension.

Solving a problem in worded text or symbol, oral in some cases, obviously needs the

prerequisite skills of reading. Thus, developing the reading skills of the learners can promote

comprehension and will greatly help in solving problems. Leaving the undeveloped and

underdeveloped reading skills unattended can affect their performance in problem solving.

The National Reading Panel (2000) states that reading comprehension is critically

important to the development of children are reading skills and therefore the ability to obtain an

education. This statement is supported by Villamin (1994), when she pointed out that reading

implies comprehension. According to her, an individual must understand what he reads if he is to

comprehension. According to her, an individual must understand what he reads if he is to

accomplish any process except to waste time. She added that developing comprehension which is

a constellation of skills or abilities is difficult.

10
 Teachers must acknowledge the importance of reading skills and must plan an effective

program of reading instruction with a focus on promoting reading culture among pupils in their

schools (Adeniji, 2010). However, according to him, English teachers are lagging behind in their

approach to teaching reading comprehension. The effect is poor performance among students.

These teachers lack methods of imparting reading skills to pupils. The condition is so bad that

some pupils find it difficult to read and understand a simple sentence. He also noted that there is

an urgent need to investigate into the causes of poor comprehension among pupils with a view to

finding a lasting solution to the problem.

There are previous and recent researches regarding comprehension. One case is the study

of Lumayog (1998) on the reading interests associated with the reading comprehension of Grade

V pupils. The result showed that the reading comprehension was dependent upon ones exposure

to several kinds of reading materials and there exists a significant association between reading

interests and reading comprehension. There was comprehension if one had developed an interest

in reading. Gadgahan (2004) conducted the correlation between factors and levels of reading

comprehension of the grade two pupils in Aurora Province. It looks into the comprehension level

of the pupils using the following indicators: noting details, getting the main idea of the selection,

sequencing events and predicting outcomes. She found out that the reading comprehension of

pupils in terms of noting details in independent which mean that the pupils can read with ease

without the help of the teacher. Whereas, in getting the main idea, the pupils comprehension is

classified an independent or instructional. In the study, it was found that the pupils oral reading

is rhythmical with conversational tone and correct interpretation. However, in sequencing events

and in predicting outcomes, many fell under frustration level which means that the pupils answered

from 0-1 questions out of the six questions based on the passage or selection.

11
 Other studies have been more concerned on reading comprehension. These studies did not

look into other interventions on improving reading comprehension levels which is the concern of

this study. Pasiteng (2005) is concerned on the reading performance of the grade six pupils on

analytical thinking in the development of interpretative comprehension. Maglanas (2005) study

is concerned with the relationship between habits and reading comprehension skills without an

intervention. The study the made by Nangleg (2006) looked into the reading skills of selected

public pupils in the Restructured Basic Education Curriculum but did not correlate it with the other

evaluation instrument in improving reading comprehension levels. Lincallo (2009) study was

focused on the selected techniques in teaching reading. Cablina (2010) and Firman (2011) looked

into the effects of Content-Based Instruction (CBI) and Literature Based Reading Program in

developing students reading comprehension skills using the Phil-IRI reading test only but did not

involve any evaluation standards.

Levels of Reading Comprehension

Reading is a thinking activity. This process involves getting meaning from the printed

word or symbol. Pupils levels of comprehension include literal, interpretative, critical, and

applied (Berry, 2005).

Literal Level

In the literal level, the reader is expected to identify the basic details, following instructions

and understanding specific rules and orders. It refers to the process of knowing the lexical or literal

meaning of a given situation or question. This level includes developmental reading skills such as

noting details, following directions, making outline, sequencing events, and getting the main idea.

12
 Noting details involve comprehension of ideas that are simply directly and explicitly stated

in the text. Details can explain ideas, give information and reveal a character feeling. If one makes

a note of the details as he reads, a story can help him or her track what is happening.

Following directions is considered as survival reading skills. Following printed directions

is required in cooking recipes, in taking medications, in traffic signals and signals and signs, in

filling out applications forms in assembling things and in forming certain tasks. In school, it is

needed in completing written assignments, in taking written tests, in conducting science

experiments, in solving mathematical problems and in making an art project. Directions are

important to every classroom process. Their ability to follow directions often affects their learning

and performance in school.

An outline according to Enriquez (2009) will help the reader see whether all the necessary

elements are included in the paragraph, ideas are connected to each other, what order of ideas work

best, or whether one has sufficient evidence to support each of his points.

Sequencing events is a prerequisite guide to making inferences, summarizing and outlining.

This skill is required not just for reading procedural steps, stages of development or listing of

chronological dates and events. It aids the pupils in breaking large tasks into smaller, more

manageable tasks.

Main idea refers to the central meaning, the focal point or the thesis of a sentence or

discourse. It is the most important think that an author wants to say.

Getting the main idea is a skill one have to be able to know how the authors viewpoint

about a topic whether the idea is implied or not, stated or not.

13
 Interpretative Level

The interpretative level of comprehension calls for what is implicitly expressed or implied

in a story. This is actually referred to as reading between the lines. How and why questions are

often asked that call for some reasoning, implications, conclusions, predictions, assumptions,

relationships, inferences, and interpretation from reading the selection.

Making inference enables readers to interact with the material in order to form

generalization about what he or she reads. The connection of the information depends to a large

extent on the readers ability to determine facts and their relationships, the depth and breadth of

his knowledge and experience, and his ability to understand the language signals of the writer. In

making inferences, the reader gets the ultimate meaning of things- what is important, why it is

important, how one event influences another, or how one happening leads to another. Simply

getting the fact is not enough, readers must think about what those facts mean to them.

Critical Level

Critical levels of comprehension calls for the readers judgment on the wisdom, propriety

or validity of ones act, statement or performance. It deals with the way the reader evaluates the

significance of what is read. It is often called as reading beyond the lines.

The principal focus of this level of comprehension is the aspect of evaluation. Critical

level of comprehension is the judgment of validity or worth of what is read or heard, based on

sound criteria of standards developed through previous experiences.

14
 Applied Level

The highest level of comprehension is the application for it approximates the creative

thinking talent. It aims to enhance ones ability to apply skills on the situations so demands.

Creative reading not only requires an inquisitive and imaginative mind, it also needs analysis,

synthesis, and evaluation. A reader acquires this level of comprehension when he can show in real

life actual performance of his wisdom in creative writing, in role playing, in acting and in writing

any form of discourse in which the application of what is taught and learned is clearly manifested.

This level of comprehension goes beyond the three levels and culminates in the application

of listening or reading to practical situations. For example, one reads a how-to-do-it text to be able

to really create something, or reads the directions and the information asked for an income tax

form to be able to fill it up properly and accurately. Application comprehension is also referred to

as functional comprehension.

Acquiring reading skills is dependent upon the mastery of a wide variety of reading skills

described above as the levels or dimensions of comprehension-literal, interpretative, evaluative,

and creative.

Tizon (2012) ventured on the reading comprehension ability of Grade III pupils. In her

study she confirmed only at determining the levels of the pupils reading comprehension ability

and in designing a lesson model to enhance pupils reading. Her study revealed that the majority

of the Grade III pupils were average in their over-all level of reading comprehension ability.

Majority of the pupils had average literal ability; however, their higher level of thinking or

comprehension was very low as reflected in their lowest creative ability, and lower interpretative

and evaluative skills. Thus, their higher level of thinking/comprehension must be enhanced. She

15
recommended that teachers should use methodologies, strategies, and activities that will develop

their pupils reading ability most particularly their higher comprehension skill.

Reading Skills

The acquisition of reading skills is of paramount importance for the educational and

intellectual development of an individual. A strong connection between early reading accuracy

and later academic development has been repeatedly documented (National Research Council,

1998; Torgesen, 2002). The onset of elementary education includes introducing textbooks as an

educational tool and thereby exposing children to print. Some researchers have conceptualized

theories to explain the reading process (Hoover & Gough, 1990; LaBerge & Samuels, 1974;

Rosenblatt, 1982) and others have talked about stages through which the reader moves to become

proficient (Chall, 1983). Some of the popular theories and models in the field of reading are briefly

discussed below.

One of the popular theories that came into being in the 1930s was Reading Response theory

(Rosenblatt, 1982). According to Rosenblatt, reading is a transition process involving the reader

and the text. Both of these play an important role in understanding the meaning of the text. The

transition takes place when an individual reads a text and brings his/her prior knowledge, life

experiences, and current emotions to the understanding of the text.

Rosenblatt also brings in the concept of the efferent and aesthetic reader modes. If a reader

is reading for seeking information then he/she is in an efferent mode and if the reader brings

personal emotion and tries to make connections and judgments about the text then he/she is in an

aesthetic mode. However according to (Rosenblatt, 1982) for transition to take place the reader

should be in an aesthetic mode.

16
 There are also a few cognitive models of reading, which have distinguished two kinds of

processes: bottom-up and top-down. The bottom-up process takes input from the outside world,

which comprises letters and words and puts these together to help in comprehending the text. In

this model, a student moves from part to whole to identify the meaning of the text. The top-down

process, on the other hand, assumes that an individuals prior knowledge and expectations interact

with his/her understanding of the text during reading. According to this approach, meaning drives

reading and it proceeds from whole to part.

According to Dr. Oineza (1992), since reading is one of the major arts, one would naturally

expect to note many opportunities for teaching reading skills. Major emphasis is given to this area

to such items as structural analysis of words, word meanings, reading for meaning and character

study.

Dr. Oineza further pointed out that enlarging reading skills are divided arbitrary into four

segments, location and use of specialized reading materials, enlargement of meaning vocabulary,

comprehension of materials for different purpose, and determine of the validity of printed matter.

As discussed by Manuel (1992), teachers should be more conscious of the fact that there is

a great difference between mere voiceless reading and real silent reading. Silent reading should be

intermingled with oral reading from Grade I to Grade III in elementary schools. Silent reading and

oral reading must always go hand in hand for the former develops the habits of thought getting

habit and the latter forms the thought-giving habits, which are the main purpose of reading.

Lim (1998) emphasized that reading is a subtle but a complex process that involves

different stages. Knowing this, it is imperative that teachers have a knowledge of these processes

in order to help them detect the weaknesses and advancement of pupils in the field of reading. To

17
detect the reading skills or abilities of children means knowing their reading performance at the

expected stage learners are. At the stage, the efficient teacher should be able to help children to the

fullest so that children may experiences enjoyment or even fulfillment in their lives.

In addition Guiab (1999) stated that a sense of excitement gives a feeling of being pioneers

in an unexplored land. According to her, there is no right way to teach reading. Teachers must

always be free to be innovated in their search for the best pupil method match. Teachers have seen

to find it exciting to teach in climate where searching for a better way is the norm and taking a risk

is applauded and supported.

Although childrens development follows a particular pattern or sequence, not all children

undergo the changes at the same time. The ages are approximates only. During the pre-school

years, children begin to develop the muscular control needed for writing and drawing, they acquire

even more language skills, they develop their ability to use words to express themselves and they

develop interest in the meaning and sounds of words.

In this Revised Manual for Day Care Workers (2002), a reference was made from Machado

(1985) as to the definition of creativity as a way thinking and acting or making something that is

original for the individual and valued by him or others. A person, she stresses does not have to be

the first one in the world to produced something in order for it to be considered a creative act.

Language is a creative art which is part of a childs total development. It involves four distinct

skills: speaking, listening (comprehending or understanding speech) reading and writing, which

are part of the cognitive development of a child. Developing these four skills is the essence in

language Arts.

18
 George (2004) noted that a teacher needs to be flexible, to increase diversity of teaching

methods, learning experiences and needs to respect, encourage and support the able child to

improve his/her reading skills.

According to Sipin, literacy development among children begins earlier than what one have

previously imagined. There is an emerging literacy, a complex and an on-going process that starts

from birth. It goes on as they acquire language, learn concepts, and increase their capacity for

thinking.

Reading Ability

Recuenco (1992) at the opening of classes gave her reading pupils a test in oral reading to

determine their reading ability. She found out that a few could read fast and well, while the rest

were slow readers. In this situation, she conducted a research work on how to improve the reading

ability of the pupils. Her findings are: the reasons for poor are poor study habits and frequent

absences. Many can read better in Filipino but find difficult in reading English words and pupils

find difficulty in recognizing simple words at a glance. Recuenco used the Dolch Basic sight

words, letting the pupils read from flashcards first then on the board, then drilling them in reading

phrases and sentences. Good reader were given different activities were assigned them to help

teach the slow readers during their period or their off hours. After the conduct of this action

research, Recuenco concluded that grouping the pupils and employing remedial measure in reading

improved the reading ability of the pupils, also through the help of the good readers.

Another study was conducted by Alegre (2007), the result revealed that 28 out 38 of his

pupils could not read with comprehension. It was found out that one of the problems is the

19
attendance of the pupils in the school. She monitored the pupils attendance and conducted home

visits and guided the reading program of the class.

Guillermo (2000) in his study on how to improve the oral reading abilities of the pupils

found out that the most significant reason why pupils fail to get high scores in all their subjects is

because of their poor study habit and their poor skills in reading.

Guillermo concluded that the poor reading skills of the pupils can be improved through: a)

individual reading; b) grouping the pupils according to their level; c) reading exercises fitted to

their interest, age and comprehension level; d) remedial teaching; e) use of different/ varied devices

and techniques.

In a study conducted by Education Forum, it concluded that the basic and important

requirement before teaching the pupils how to read and write are: a) children must first be provided

with various fine motor (pre-writing) activities like arts and crafts, stringing beads, and puzzel to

practice the hand-eye coordination and small-muscle skills needed to be to write later; b) children

must also be ready to read before they can actually read. Creative that will develop their reading

readiness skills must be provided often; c) teachers that are filled with signs and labels, equipped

with picture books and which regularly feature story telling will nurture children in literacy

development.

B. Conceptual Framework

Acquiring reading skills is dependent upon the mastery of a wide variety of reading skills

such as the following levels or dimensions of comprehension literal, interpretative, evaluative,

and creative. The conceptual framework below was developed.

20
 Literal Level produces knowledge of what the author said. The students decode words,

determine what each word means in a given context and recognize that there is some relationship

among words which represent what the author has said. At this level, the learners are expected to

identify the basic information and follow simple instructions; they form ideas or meanings directly

stated in the selection. These ideas are elicited by questions beginning with what, when, where,

who, etc.

Interpretative level or reading between the lines is applied to what the author said in order

to derive, infer, and imply meaning from a statement. Students look into relationships among

statements within the material they have read. The learners are tasked to discern the implications

of the episodes by inference and to conform ideas or meanings indirectly or implicitly stated in the

selection. How and Why questions are often elicited that call for some reasoning, implications,

conclusions, assumptions and interpretation provided from reading the selection.

Critical or evaluative level refers to reading beyond the lines. The students give reaction,

judgment and evaluation of what is written. This involves how they can distinguish the literal

meaning of words from suggestions or intentions expressed in the selection. It further calls for the

readers judgment on the wisdom, validity or propriety of ones statement or literary output. It

ultimately deals with the evaluation of what is read.

Moreover, critical Analysis or Critical Evaluation requires readers to evaluate or weigh the

facts, events, characters viewpoints, then make judgments about the worth of these and the

effectiveness of the way they are presented in the selection. It lets the reader comprehend by

making him analyze, compare and contrast, etc.

21
 Application or creative level is the highest level of comprehension, for it requires the

exercise and application of creative talent and some practical or theoretical exercise. This level

develops the readers talent to profit from the vicarious experiences gained through reading. It also

allows the reader to create new ideas or new ways of expression with the use of whatever

understanding he got of the text. Thus, it challenges the learner to be like an inventor in using what

he got from the text to create new material as a proof of his excellent comprehension of the text.

Input Process Output

Reading
Comprehension Utilization of ABRC
Grade III Pupils of
Matuyatuya a. Literal materials to enhance
Elementary School b. Interpretative Reading
c. Critical Comprehension
d. Applied

Figure 1. The Research Paradigm

As shown in Figure 1, there are four levels of reading comprehension ability involved in

this study. These are the literal, interpretative, critical and applied levels. The utilization of the

ABRC materials.

C. Definition of Terms

For better understanding of the important terms used in the study, they are defined

operationally.

22
 Applied Level. This refers to the highest level of comprehension, for it requires the

exercise and application of creative talent and some practical or theoretical exercise. This level

develops the readers talent to profit from the vicarious experiences gained through reading.

Evaluative Level. As used in the study, it refers to reading beyond the lines also called

critical level. The pupils give reaction, judgment and evaluation of what is written. This involves

how they can distinguish the literal meaning of words from suggestions or intentions expressed in

the selection.

Grade III Pupils. They refer to the subjects of the study, whose reading comprehension

levels were tested and determined.

Interpretative Level. As used in the study, it refers to reading between the lines and is

applied to what the author said in order to derive, infer, and imply meaning from a statement.

Literal Level. It refers to the ability to produce knowledge of what the author said. The

students decode words, determine what each word means in a given context and recognize that

there is some relationship among words which represent what the author has said.

Reading Comprehension Levels. These refer to the four levels of comprehension such as

literal, interpretative, evaluative and creative levels.

23
III. METHODOLOGY

A. Research Design

This study made use of descriptive approach / design. It aimed to determine the levels of

the 24 Grade III pupils in Matuyatuya Elementary School. This type of research is suited in this

type of investigation since it attempted to describe the present status of the reading comprehension

of the Grade III pupils.

B. Research Locale

This study was conducted in Matuyatuya Elementary School, one of the schools in Torrijos

Districts in the Division of Marinduque. The choice of the locale was due to the deep concern of

the researcher to be of help in improving not only the reading comprehension of the pupils but the

quality of instruction in the school in general.

C. Respondents of the Study

The respondents of the study were the 24 Grade III pupils officially enrolled this school

year 2016-2017 at Matuyatuya Elementary School. These pupils are composed of 14 boys and 10

girls.

D. Research Instruments

The primary instrument in gathering first-hand data is a self-made questionnaire. It was

made up of 42 item reading comprehension questions. The test was composed of three literary

selections. Each selection has four sets of questions of different levels namely: literal,

interpretative, evaluative, and creative.

24
 This would determine the ability of the respondents to comprehend the selections given by

answering the literal, interpretative, evaluative and creative questions provided. All questions in

each selection were encircled by the respondents and their scores were interpreted as:

Literal Level Interpretative Level

Scores Equivalent Scores Equivalent

10- 14 High 9- 12 High

59 Average 58 Average

04 Low 14 Low

Evaluative Level Creative Level Over all Reading Ability Level

Scores Equivalent Scores Equivalent Scores Equivalent

67 High 79 High 29 42 High

45 Average 46 Average 15 28 Average

23 Low 13 Low 1 14 Low

E. Data Gathering Procedure

Upon approval and consultation from the adviser, the researcher sought the permission of

the school principal before the actual administration and distribution of the questionnaire.

The 42 item test was administered to the 24 pupils by the researcher herself. She

explained to the pupils the purpose and importance of the test and she also made the instructions

very clear to them.

25
 The questionnaire is composed of three selections having 14 questions representing the

four levels: literal, interpretative, evaluative and creative. The pupils were given individual set of

questionnaire and were asked to answer the comprehension questions which measure their

abilities.

The test took the students 45 minutes to answer. The questionnaires were checked and the

scores were tallied using frequency and percentage and were interpreted accordingly by levels.

E. Statistical Treatment

Frequency and Percentage distribution were used to determine the four levels of the

pupils reading comprehension ability.

IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Table 1.1
Reading Comprehension Ability of the Pupils as to Literal Level
Scores Level of Achievement Frequency Average
10-14 High 10 41.67
5-9 Average 11 45.83
0-4 Low 3 12.50
Total 24 100.00

As shown in Table 1.1, 11 pupils or 45.83% achieved an average literal level of

comprehension. Findings were similar to Redondo (2004) who find out that that majority of the
students got average scores in literal level. Results imply that the pupils really do well in their
literal ability as questions asked in this level are eliciting basic information, ideas, or meaning
directly stated in the selection.

26
 Interpretative level enables the pupils give judgment, inference and implication on some

indirectly or implicitly stated ideas. Table 1.2 depicts the pupils ability in the interpretative level.

Meanwhile, 3 out of 24 or 12.5% below to the low level of comprehension. It entails for a constant

remediation or intervention.

Table 1.2
Reading Comprehension Ability of the Pupils as to Interpretative Level
Scores Level of Achievement Frequency Average
9-12 High 0 0
5-8 Average 7 29.17
1-4 Low 17 70.83
Total 24 100.00

As illustrated in Table 1.2, a big percentage of 70.80 of the pupils performed low in their

interpretative ability. This suggests that the pupils have the difficulty to comprehend ideas or

meaning which are embedded between or among the lines. Thus, they lack the ability to interpret

the meaning implied in the selection.

In evaluative level, the pupils give reaction, judgment, and evaluation of what is written.

Table 1.3
Reading Comprehension Ability of the Pupils as to Evaluative Level
Scores Level of Achievement Frequency Average
6-7 High 0 0
4-5 Average 8 33.33
2-3 Low 16 66.67
Total 24 100.00

27
 As depicted in Table 1.3, majority of the pupils achieved low in their ability to evaluate

and think critically as reflected in a high percentage of 66.67. Results show that students ability

to make sound judgment and to give correct evaluation is really poor. They could not make

judgment and realize the worth of ideas and meanings the way they are presented in the selection.

Creative level allows the reader to create new ideas or new ways of expression with the use

of whatever understanding he got from the text.

Table 1.4
Reading Comprehension Ability of the Pupils as to Creative Level
Scores Level of Achievement Frequency Average
6-7 High 0 0
4-5 Average 5 20.83
2-3 Low 19 79.17
Total 24 100.00

As presented in Table 1.4, more than the majority of the pupils achieved very poor in their

creative ability as evidently supported with the very high percentage of 79.17. This is similar to

Redondos study (2004) showing that the pupils evaluative level was also poor. They lack the

ability to create new ideas and to use what they have comprehended from the text. They could not

read well beyond the printed lines and going further as to exceed the limits of knowledge and find

new methods of demonstrating their thoughts and explaining them. This very great number of

pupils who perform poorly simply implies that pupils higher order thinking is not well enhanced.

Reading comprehension is a dynamic interactive process between the reader and the

reading material. It is a complex process which aims to demonstrate and correlate thoughts to

28
prior experiences. The table below exhibits the level of the reading comprehension ability of the

24 pupils.

Table 1.5
Overall Level of Reading Comprehension Ability of the Pupils
Scores Level of Achievement Frequency Average
29-42 High 0 0
15-28 Average 16 66.67
1-14 Low 8 33.33
Total 24 100.00

As shown in Table 1.5, the highest percentage of 66.67% was achieved by the pupils in

their overall level. It means that they have an average reading comprehension capacity. Although

pupils over-all average level is high, it still should be noticed that only their scores in literal level

is high but the rest of the levels are very low. This further implies that their knowledge ability is

great but critical skill is low. This impression is best supported in Table 2 showing the summary

of the pupils levels of reading comprehension that revealed the most ranked reading

comprehension level

29
Table 2
Summary of the Reading Comprehension Ability of the Pupils

Achievement Literal Level Interpretative Level Evaluative Level Creative Level

Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage Frequency Percentage

High 10 41.67 0 0 0 0 0 0

Average 11 45.83 7 29.17 8 33.36 5 20.83

Low 3 12.50 17 70.83 16 66.67 19 79.17

Total 24 24 24 100.00 24 100.00 24 100.00

Table 2 manifest that pupils most of the Grade III pupils have low reading comprehension,

specifically in evaluation level with 19 or 79.17%, interpretative with 17 or 70.83%, and evaluative

with 16 or 66.67%. This implies that the pupils have not developed their higher order thinking.

Their high comprehension ability needs to be reinforced. They do not perform well in answering

the questions elicited by how and why. They do not have much skill in giving judgment and they

could not generate ideas implicitly stated in the selections. Their critical thinking should be

improved. Thus, there is a need of some effective intervention to enhance the comprehension skills

of the Grade III pupils.

Alongside the intervention or remediation program for reading, pupils should be encourage

to read news media such as newspaper, magazines, television, and should listen to radio in the

class help promote critical reading and thinking and can encourage pupils to enhance critical

listening and reading skills.

30
Table 3

Problems that hinder Pupils Reading Comprehension

Problems Frequency Percentage Rank

1. Failure to read well beyond the printed lines. 17 80.95 1
2. Incapable of explaining or demonstrating thoughts 16 76.19 2
3. Cannot to create new ideas. 15 71.42 3
4. Cannot interpret implied meaning in the selection. 14 66.66 4
5. Unable to realize the worth of ideas and its meaning 13 61.90 5
6. Unable to comprehend ideas or meaning. 12 57.14 6

Table 3 presents the problems that hinder pupils ability to comprehend. Analysis of data

revealed that majority of the pupils has problems with reading beyond the printed lines with 17 or

80.95 interpreted as ranked 1. Failure to read well beyond the printed lines is a manifestation of

poor development of critical thinking skill of pupils. Similarly, incapable of explaining or

demonstrating thoughts with 16 or 76.19, categorized as ranked 2, is also an evident of pupils

poor critical thinking skill.

Data suggest that teachers have to nurture the critical thinking skill or the so call higher

order thinking skills by giving more reading selections with comprehension questions to boost the

mind of pupils. Likewise, data implied that teachers need to sustain interest of pupils in reading.

31
V. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

A. Summary of Findings

This particular study attempted to describe the reading comprehension of the Grade III

pupils of Matuyatuya School and the proposed intervention- model lesson to enhance the reading

comprehension of the pupils.

This descriptive type of research utilized 42 item test questionnaire. The questionnaire is

composed of three selections having 14 questions representing the four levels: literal,

interpretative, evaluative and creative to measure the reading comprehension abilities of the pupils.

The researcher made use of the 24 Grade III pupils from the school where she is teaching.

Descriptive statistics such as frequency count, averaging, and percentage were used. Modified

Likert scale was also used to arrange the score obtained.

Specifically, this study attempted to answer the following questions:

1. What is the level of the pupils reading comprehension as to:

a. literal level;

b. interpretative level;

c. critical level;

d. applied level?

2. What are the problems that hinder pupils reading comprehension?

3. What lesson model can be designed to help improve pupils reading comprehension?

32
 Findings of the study revealed that more than the majority of the Grade III pupils were

average in their reading comprehension ability. Majority of the pupils had average literal

ability. Also, the pupils higher level of thinking/comprehension was very low as reflected in

their low level of creative, interpretative and evaluative abilities.

B. Conclusions

In the light of the findings, the study concludes that the Grade III pupils could do well using

their literal ability but they perform very low in interpretative, creative, and evaluative abilities;

thus, their high level of thinking or comprehension must be enhanced by employing the lesson

model designed in this study as it geared toward the maximum use of pupils higher order thinking

skills through its various activities.

C. Recommendations

In the light of the conclusions, the following recommendations are hereby offered:

The Department of Education administrators may intensify the strict in the curriculum in

all grade levels of the development of pupils thinking abilities by incorporating reading materials

in all lessons even in grammar. DepEd officials must see to it that the pupils are properly provided

with adequate opportunity to read and comprehend the appropriate and varied reading resources.

That, lessons may be incorporated with good reading selections, effective teaching procedures,

reading comprehension activities and techniques that introduce interesting topics, stimulate

33
discussions, excite imaginative responses and become springboard for well-rounded, fascinating

lessons.

Results may give teachers idea, insights, viewpoint on how they should restructure,

redesign their methodologies, strategies, and activities to suit to the learners in order to develop

pupils reading ability, in particular the higher order thinking skills. Teachers may also choose

strategies and good books most appropriate for achieving their own teaching objectives.

Furthermore, the lesson model designed in this study may help them to modify if it is necessary to

fit on the pupils level and capacity as this lesson model is designed to focus on final products or

performance and innovative activities that would surely develop pupils higher order thinking

skills.

Teachers need to intensively the conduct of reading remediation program. They may also

intensify the utilization of Activities for Better Reading Comprehension during their remediation

program.

Pupils are primary beneficiary of the results or findings of the study. They may spend

quality time to explore any reading materials especially those that would enhance their thinking

comprehension skill. Teachers may also do the following activities like peer tutoring and buddy-

buddy reading.

For the future researcher, results may give them overview or generalization and may be

used as future reference as they conduct study similar to the one treated herein.

34
Proposed Intervention

INTENSIVE UTILIZATION OF ACTIVITIES FOR BETTER READING

COMPREHENSION (ABRC MATERIAS)

The Activities for Better Reading Comprehension (ABRC) is developed by Aravela A.

Ramos in 2005. These are learning modules designed to develop the reading comprehension of the

elementary as well as the secondary level students who want to develop critical thinking. With

these modules, a students learning gap is addressed. The child starts where he is, his level of

comprehension works up to the higher level. The learner develops more self-confidence and can

now interact in his different subjects.

The modules are made up of six (6) levels contained in six boxes, color-coded as red (level

1), yellow (level 2), green (level 3), gray (level 4), blue (level 5), and brown (level 6). Each box

has five (5) skills to develop: 1) noting details, 2) getting the main idea, 3) predicting outcome, 4)

sequencing events, and 5) cause and effect relationships.

Noting details is reading comprehension skill that involves picking out from a piece of text

the particular piece or pieces of information to achieve a given purpose such as answering question

in a test.

Getting the main idea is getting important information that tells more about the overall idea

of the paragraph or section.

Predicting outcomes is telling what might possibly happen next in the story.

Sequencing event is arranging events based on what you read.

35
 Cause and effect is a relationship between actions or events, such that one or more are the

results of the other or others.

There are 35 exercises per skill followed by questions that intends to test comprehension

of the reader.

The following are the guides and steps on how to use the modules/materials:

1. The grade level of pupils after administering the reading test is first determined.

2. Each learner is furnished with his or her own Individual Record Form. A sample of the

form is enclosed in each box.

3. Based on the result of the reading test, the pupil is informed the color of the box that

he or she is working on. There are six boxes, with each box having own levels as

follows:

a. Red - Level 1

b. Yellow - Level 2

c. Green - Level 3

d. Gray -Level 4

e. Blue -Level 5

f. Brown -Level 6

Each color-coded level is arranged according to the complexity of the exercises. The Red

is the lowest level. It is the level wherein the pupils should start reading the different skills in the

box.

4. Once the learner has identified the color of his or her box, he or she is instructed to start

with skill A. Each box has 5 skills to develop namely:

36
 A. Noting Details

B. Getting the Main Idea

C. Predicting Outcome

D. Sequencing

E. Cause and Effect

5. There are thirty-five (35) exercises per skill. The pupil is told which exercise to begin.

He or she is instructed to read the story and then answer the questions after reading the

story. As soon as the pupil has finished answering the questions, he or she can check

his or her answers using the Key to Correction found at the back of each box. He or

she is told to record his or her score on the Individual Record Form. Once the pupil

gets a perfect score, he or she is then told to report it to the teacher. The pupil is now

tested or told to the next higher skill.

6. Once the pupil has finished with all the skills in a particular box, then, he or she can

proceed to the next higher level or box.

7. If a pupil gets a very low scores after 3 or exercises, that level is too difficult for the

pupil. He or she will be told to go to the next lower level or color.

37
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. Books

Atienza, L. (2002). Basic communication and thinking skills. Bulacan: Trinitas Publishing Inc.

Baraceros, E. Ph.D. (2005). Communication skills: Improving study and thinking skills.
Quezon City: Rex Printing Company Inc.

Belen, V. (2003). Effective study and thinking skills. Bulacan: Trinitas Publishing Inc.

Bernardez, E. (2009). Developmental reading 2. Intramuros, Manila: Mindshapers Co. Inc.

Goodman (1992). Reading: a psycholinguistics game. In Harry Su=inger and Robert B. Rudded.
Theoretical models and process of reading. New York: DE IRA.

Ono, L., Day, L., Harsch. (2004). Tips for reading extensively. English Teaching Forum. pp.
12-16.

Romero, A. & Romero, R. (2005). Developmental reading: A Skill for college students. Manila:
Rex Book Store.

Villamin, A.M., Diaz, L.S.; Santos, N. A. & Talens, B.A. (2001).Gateways and skyways to
developmental reading. Quezon City: Katha Publish Co. Inc.

Villamin, A.M.; Salazar, E.; Bala, E. & Sunga, N. (1994). Innovative strategies in
communication arts. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc.

Wiggins, McTighe. (1998). Understanding by design. De La Salle Philippines

B. Journal

Hafiz, F. and Tudor, I. (1989)."Extensive reading and the development of language skills."
English Language Teaching Journal 43, (1) 4-13.

C. Unpublished Materials

Cablina, A.B.G. (2010). Content based instruction and students reading comprehension.
Unpublished thesis. University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

38
Enriquez, J.O (2009). Effects of pupils developmental reading skills to solving worded problems
in mathematics v. Unpublished thesis. Marinduque State College.

Firma, J.B. (2011). Improving fourth graders reading attitude and comprehension through a
literature based reading program. Unpublished thesis. University of the Philippines,
Diliman, Quezon City.

Gadgadan, A. (2004). Correlation between factors and level of reading comprehension of the
grade II pupils in Aurora. Unpublished thesis. Benguet State University. La Trinidad
Benguet.

Lincallo, M.G. (2009). Selected techniques in teaching English v as tools in improving

comprehension. Unpublished thesis. Marinduque State College, Boac, Marinduque.

Lumayog, C.V. (1998). Reading interest associated with the reading comprehension of grade v
pupils in the south district, Gingoog City division. Unpublished thesis. Cagayan Capitol
College, Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental.

Maglana, E.J.A. (2005). Relationship between study habits and reading comprehension skills of
teachers education students. Unpublished thesis. Adventist university of the Philippines.

Nangleg, D.T. (2006). Reading skills of selected public schools pupils in the restructured basic
education curriculum (RBEC). Unpublished thesis. University of the Cordilleras, CAR.

Pasiteng, M. (2005). Reading performance of the Grade III pupils in the private schools of
Baguio City. Unpublished thesis. Baguio State University, Baguio City.

Tizon, J.S. (2009). The reading competencies of the second year high school students of the
selected high schools of Dipolog City division: Basis for a strategic reading program.
Unpublished thesis. Adnres Bonifacio College, Dipolog City.

Redondo, E. (2004). The Reading Proficiency of the First Year High School Students of MSU
Lanao Norte Agricultural College and a Proposed Functional Reading Program. Ozamiz
City: La Salle University. 131pp.

D. Online References

Adeniji, M. A. (2010). Teaching reading comprehension in selected primary schools in Oyo

State, Nigeria. Retrieved December 2015 from http://unlib.unl.edu/LPP/adeniji-
omale.htm.

39
Al Khateeb, O. (2010). The impact of using kwl strategy on grade ten female students' reading
comprehension of religious concepts in Ma'an city. Retrieved December, 2015 from
World Wide Web http://www.eurojournals.com/ejss_12_3_14.pdf.

Importance of Reading Comprehension in Second Language Learning. (2009). Retrieved

December 2015 from http://www.articlesbase.com/languages-articles/importanceof-
reading-comprehension-in-second-language-learning- 1325911.html.

Jaum, V. (n.d.) Mental ability, gender, and reading comprehension in relation to pupils
achievement in Mathematics. Retrieved December 2015, from
http://www.hnu.edu.ph/main/publication/kinaadman/03 20061731.pdf

Learning Rx Center. (1995). Reading to achieve reading comprehension. Retrieved December

2015 from World Wide Web http://www.learningrx.com/readingcomprehension. Htm.

Ozdemir, A. (2010). The effect of reading comprehension abilities primary school students over
their problem solving achievement. Retrieved January 2016, from
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6516/is_2_46/ai_n32 067948/

40