Factors Affecting Reading Comprehension Skills in English Language

Among Grade 10 Learners of Malasiqui Catholic School, Inc.

A Research Proposal Presented to the Faculty of

Senior High School Department
MALASIQUI CATHOLIC SCHOOL, INC.
Bonifacio St., Malasiqui Pangasinan

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in the

PRACTICAL RESEARCH

Devera, Dafne Nicolle B.

Aragon, Gebby R.
Golfo, Lara Ruth P.
Gonzales, Lenar F.
Manikan, Fatima B.
Panoringan, Danica O.
Rufino, Erlyn A.
Devera, Mark
Mondares, Axel B.
Soriano, Zedrex E.

Maeyette S. Dakila
Research Adviser
March 2023
 Chapter I

THE PROBLEM

Background of the Study

For educators and policymakers, the reading abilities of Filipino students have

been a challenge. Recent studies have shown that many students still need assistance

with reading comprehension, vocabulary expansion, and critical thinking skills, despite

government initiatives to raise literacy rates in the Philippines (Idulog et al., 2023).

Reading comprehension is the process of comprehending what you are reading,

according to DepEd (2016).

Reading comprehension requires a high level of concentration in analysis,

dissecting, classifying, and extracting implicit meaning of a text (Ardhian et al., 2020;

Erkek, 2022). Reading cannot be separated from comprehension. In order to

understand the messages of the author, readers should have the ability to read with

comprehension. Additionally, according to Farha and Rohani (2019), reading

comprehension is a skill that can be learn. It is essential to acquire a language because

reading is one of the most popular activities. Nurjanah (2018) emphasize that reading

comprehension needs to develop as it holds a prominent position among the English

skills. Students' ability to comprehend the many kinds of reading materials assigned by

their professors is substantially aided by having a solid knowledge of reading

comprehension.
 Comprehension is a strong predictor of overall academic achievement. Large

scale international studies of literacy achievement such as the Programmed for

International Student Assessment (PISA), stress the importance of students being able

to apply their knowledge and skills to real-life situations. To be successful in their

reading, students need to draw on strategies taught through the lens of comprehension

such as retrieving, interpreting, integrating, reflecting, evaluating information. (Thomson,

De Bortoli and Buckley, 2013).

Reading is essential for learning in school and in life. This skill allows everyone

to connect their prior knowledge to their learning, improve their comprehension of

concepts and methods, and make sure that these will be continuously passed down to

the next generation (Torres, 2019). In addition, reading comprehension is both an

essential skill and a challenging process with numerous cognitive and linguistic

components. Reading comprehension includes recognizing words and decoding them,

understanding the content and context of the text, making inferences and expenses,

and connecting the information to prior knowledge and experience. It necessitates

integrating several cognitive and linguistic processes, including attention, memory,

inference, vocabulary, grammar, and discourse. (Cunha and Capellini, 2016).

The practice of effective reading comprehension techniques is essential to

enhance the extent of comprehension among students. Thus, language instructors are

required to implement adequate reading strategies to improve comprehension and

facilitate critical thinking in understanding complex texts. (Alenizi, 2019; Ismail &

Tawalbeh, 2015).
 Moreover, reading comprehension also includes the ability of a person to

translate the essence of the sentences using his own words. This also consists of

applying the text read in one’s life. One aspect of reading comprehension is when a

person articulates some of his life experiences and relates them to the text written. It is

a sign that a person truly comprehends because some personal emotions are attached

to it (Wilhelm, 2018). The recent 2018 research conducted by the Program for

International Student Assessment (PISA) tested around 600,000 students aged 15-

year-old over 79 participating countries. The study found out that the Philippines ranked

the lowest in terms of Reading Comprehension with 340, which is the lowest score in all

countries surveyed.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the factors affecting reading comprehension skills

in English Language of Grade 10 Learners at Malasiqui Catholic School, Inc.

Specifically, it seeks to answer the following sub problems:

1. What is the demographic profile of respondents in terms of:

1.1 Sex

1.2 Grade Weighted Average (GWA)

1.3 Socioeconomic status

2. What are the factors affecting the reading comprehension skills of the respondents?

2.1 Cognitive factors

2.2 Educational factors

2.3 Non educational factors

3. What instructional program can be proposed to Malasiqui Catholic School Inc. to

improve the conduct of comprehension skills?

3.1 Seminars

3.2 Workshops

4. Is there a significant relation between socioeconomic status and reading

comprehension?

Significance of the study

This study is undertaken to identify the factors affecting reading comprehension

skills in English Language of Grade 10 learners at Malasiqui Catholic School Inc. This

research is influential in the area of scholarly works. As it provides essential information

and knowledge that will enable the school, teachers, students, and future researchers to

come up with a conclusion regarding the said study.

 School: This study informs the school that its learners' comprehension skills

need improvement. As a result, the school will be able to assist its students to

strengthen their deficiencies in comprehension. To help students progress, the school

may run programs, engage in activities or even give out books.

Teachers: The findings in this study may provide them with an insight into the

issues that their learners are struggling with and can quickly come up with a solution.

Assigning performance tasks for their students that are still aimed at improving their

comprehension skills, letting them read aloud, and engaging them in analytical

activities. This is possible because they are better informed about the teaching

approach and instructional materials needed.

Learners: This study enables them to be aware of the factors that affect their

understanding abilities. The solutions that the schools will implement, and the teaching

approaches of the teachers based on our findings of the study will greatly benefit them,

these help them become more imaginative, critical thinkers, communicators, and

collaborative workers. Learners' academic performance and conceptual understanding

will surely be enhanced.

Future Researchers: This research will be a useful reference for future

researchers as they carry out their own research that is related to this study. They can

just expand this research's scope by providing additional relevant information or filling in

the gaps that this research has not addressed yet. It is now easier for them to start or

come up with an idea about their own study since they already had the reference and

knowledge gained from this research.

Scope and Delimitation

The scope of this study focuses on determining the factors affecting reading

comprehension skills in English language among grade 10 learners at Malasiqui

Catholic School, Inc. The factors of this study will place more emphasis on how to have

better reading skills and comprehension in English language. This study is limited only

to the learners of Malasiqui Catholic School, Inc., specifically the learners from 10th

grade in the academic year 2023-2024.

Definition of Key Terms

These following terms are defined for clearer understanding and better grasp of

information.

Factor. a circumstance, fact, or influence that contributes to a result or outcome.

Factors are the variables in the study that the researchers believe will influence the

results.

Reading. It is conceptually defined as a particular interpretation or performance of

something and an indication of a certain situation. In this study, it is defined as the

decoding of the written texts.

It is conceptually defined as a
particular interpretation or
performance of
something and an indication of
a certain state of affairs. In this
study, it is defined as the
decoding of the written symbols
into speech equivalents and
acquiring meaning from the
speech sounds
Comprehension. the action or capability of understanding something. It is the process

by which a reader thinks about written language to extract and construct meaning

through integration with the reader’s prior knowledge and experiences.

Skills. the ability to do something well. The ability to apply knowledge and abilities in

order to perform reading activity.

Demographic profile. A demographic profile is a form of demographic analysis in

which information is gathered about a group. It is a study of population according to

socioeconomic information including sex, age, GWA, etc.

Cognitive Factors. refers to characteristics of the person that affect performance and

learning. In this study, it serves as an explanation of the factors affecting the

performance of a student’s regarding reading skill.

Educational Factors. relating to the provision of education. In this study, it concerned

students' performance inside the school due to the factors they were encountering.

Non-Educational Factors. It happens when a school has been used for some events

and does not provide nor relating to education. In this study, it concerned the

circumstances in learning of the students outside the school.

Instructional Program. means the planned sequence of courses, services or activities

designed to meet educational objectives. It is a blueprint for an organized sequence or

the course of study.

Socioeconomic status. is the social standing or class of an individual or group.

Includes the individual's position in a society which is determined by wealth, occupation,

and social class.

 Chapter II

REVIEW OR RELATED LITERATURE

Local Literature

Reading is an indispensable tool in the academic world, as it is involved in most,

if not all, activities in collegiate courses. It allows students to access information, gain

knowledge, and engage with different perspectives. However, several factors can

impact one's ability to read and comprehend text materials effectively, including

vocabulary, reading speed, prior knowledge, and concentration. Developing a robust

vocabulary, improving reading speed through efficient strategies, building prior

knowledge, and creating a conducive reading environment can enhance reading

comprehension skills (Gunobgunob-Mirasol, 2019).

According to the Department of Education (2019), the ability to read is

undeniably one of the most crucial educational outcomes in primary education. It serves

as the foundation for children's learning and development of broader literacy skills.

Reading not only enables children to acquire knowledge but also empowers them to

engage actively in society, including the workforce. Proficient reading skills allow

children to access a wealth of information from various sources, fostering their

intellectual growth and expanding their horizons. Moreover, reading proficiency equips

children with the tools to comprehend complex texts, think critically, and express

themselves effectively. These skills are essential for success not only in academic

pursuits but also in future careers and active participation in society. By nurturing strong
reading abilities early on, primary education sets the stage for children to become

lifelong learners and active contributors to their communities.

According to Meron (2018), poverty is a major factor contributing to the

Philippines' low ranking in terms of reading comprehension. In the Philippine education

system, students from low-income families often prioritize work at a young age instead

of attending school regularly. This lack of consistent formal schooling, coupled with

poverty and limited access to academic resources, hinders their cognitive development

and ability to interact with people in the academic community. On the other hand, a child

who grows up surrounded by teachers, books, and other reading materials gains a clear

understanding of the importance of education.

In recent years, there has been some work to help students score better on

reading comprehension, which is often assessed with English-language texts. In Mother

Tongue Language Instruction, non-native speakers study various academic courses in

the language that influenced their infancy while learning English as a foreign language.

The system, adopted throughout the world, aims to help students understand English as

a language so that they are not forced to translate a text while having to discover the

text’s meaning simultaneously. While it has been used for a long while in the country, it

is still not leading to better scores (De Leon, 2022).

Foreign Literature

Individuals need reading comprehension skills to have and maintain a job and

successfully engage in different daily activities. In addition, individuals who recognize

what they are reading can safely live their lives and continue to gain socially and

intellectually (Hoch et al., 2015). Investigating the elements that influence reading

comprehension is a first step in understanding why children struggle to comprehend the

text they are reading. Reading comprehension is a crucial factor in making reading

more enjoyable, informative, and interesting. It is also required to succeed in school,

job, and life in general. When we determine the factors, we will be able to find the best

intervention to help lessen these factors.

Language teachers must adopt suitable reading methods to boost

comprehension and support critical thinking in understanding difficult texts since the use

of good reading comprehension approaches is crucial to increasing the degree of

comprehension among pupils. Due to the difficulty of reading comprehension, which

includes cognitive, linguistic, and sociocultural components, it might be challenging for

language teachers to come up with an efficient reading plan (Alenizi, 2019; Ismail &

Tawalbeh, 2015). In some countries, reading comprehension is taught using topics that

students like, through books that students choose, which supposedly encourages them

to read on their own later. Robert Pondiscio of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute says

otherwise: Recent research shows that comprehension increases not when students

are interested in what they read per se, but when they first have strong foundational

knowledge of what they are reading. This means they need instruction on topics such
as the sciences and art, contributing to what the scholar E.D. Hirsch Jr. called “cultural

literacy.”

Reading comprehension was described as the act of "extracting and constructing

meaning through interaction and involvement with written language" by the RAND

Reading Model, another significant reading paradigm for study and practice. (RAND

Reading Study Group, 2002, p. 11). In a sociocultural setting, reading comprehension

specifically refers to the relationship of the reader, text, and task characteristics. This

paradigm emphasizes how understanding is context-dependent. A person may achieve

a clear understanding of a text when the text is easy and the task simple (e.g.,

answering multiple-choice questions), but the same reader may struggle when

encountering complex text on an unfamiliar topic (Elleman, 2019).

A crucial ability that all students must have is reading comprehension. According

to Rutzler (2017), in an educational setting, students need to possess proficient

comprehension abilities. Comprehension finds application in other disciplines like

mathematics, science, and history. For instance, in mathematics, students encounter

word problems where adept comprehension skills are crucial for discerning the

underlying problem. In the realm of science, proficient comprehension aids students in

grasping information about living organisms, flora, celestial bodies, and the scientific

process, among other topics.

Foreign Studies

The study conducted by Jingblad and Johansson (2017) implies that lack of

motivation prevails in students, due to which students are required to be intrinsically

motivated to develop autonomous and engaging reading habits. It can help in improving

reading comprehension in EFL learners while keeping them intrinsically engaged in

reading activities that improve their extent of comprehension. Similarly, Protacio (2017)

has suggested that reading engagement accounts for students’ motivation to read,

participate in social activities that promote reading, use learning strategies while reading

and developing meaning from texts.

Reading comprehension integrated with HoM (Habits of Mind) promotes

interaction between students and reading material, due to which reading objectives in

language courses are rejuvenated to develop HoM skills in reading practices.

Furthermore, language instructors focus on collaborative reading practices to provide

the students with an effective means to engage in their social environment while

developing their comprehension skills. The adequate social environment that can

improve reading comprehension is comprised of literature circles, group discussions,

reading apprenticeship, book clubs and author analyses. These activities result in

stimulating an interpretive discussion among the students and utilize critical reflection

while reading and engaging with texts (Abdelhalim, 2017).

In the study of Tanczike (2017), there is a positive correlation between

morphological awareness to reading comprehension because it was found that

understanding of words contributes to reading comprehension. Vocabulary and word

knowledge are other factors to facilitate reading comprehension. The reading of the text

starts with identification of individual words, for instance, the process which converts the

visual input into linguistic representation, Vocabulary knowledge aids in activating and

building background knowledge to make connections to text, and having vocabulary

knowledge can increase reading comprehension and fluency while reading (Weiser,

2013). As explained by Hollowell (2013), one of the factors is concerned with medical

problems. Poor reading comprehension skill may be related to the medical difficulty that

does not get addressed until the child is older. This involves undiagnosed ADD

(attention deficit disorder), speech problems, and hearing impairments. She

emphasized that learners with speech and hearing difficulties are less likely to take part

in oral reading and class discussions. These are the two activities that help learners

improve their reading comprehension skills.

Local Studies

In the study by Bilbao, et al. (2016) entitled, "Level of Reading Comprehension of

the Education Students", students' reading competence is one of the skills that must be

cultivated for them to acquire outstanding English communication skills. In the world of

education, the ability to read becomes crucial. Reading can provide students with useful

knowledge they may not have otherwise acquired. This knowledge would be helpful if

students could comprehend it and move beyond the written word to construct their own

thoughts and ideas. Comprehension, therefore, is the capacity for understanding those

thoughts and ideas. This skill should be developed as all lessons and activities require

comprehension. It is because students’ application of this information and their

understanding of what they have read becomes the successful conclusion.

Nonetheless, despite teachers' use of strategies and procedures to improve reading

comprehension, some students still do not meet the reading competency standard.

The previous researchers conducted a test for the significance of the difference

in the level of the education students’ reading comprehension when analyzed according
to sex. The test shows that the average mean for female students is 58.69, which is

higher than the average mean for male students, which is 57.48. This indicates that

when it comes to reading comprehension, female students outperform male students.

But the p-value of 0.713, which is greater than 0.05 as the alpha level, indicates that

there is no discernible difference in the level of Education students’ reading

comprehension when grouped according to sex.

In the study by Robison (2022) entitled, “Peer Tutoring towards Improved

Reading Comprehension of Grade 10 Learners in a National High School”, reading is an

essential life skill that is important in both the teaching-learning context and outside of it.

One of the factors that contribute to growth in both individuals and the community is the

ability to read. In the local context, there is a serious concern about understanding the

contexts and contents of English-language courses, as well as how effectively learners

perform academically in subjects that use English as a medium of instruction, such as

mathematics, science, and technological livelihood education (TLE). Such

performances highlight students' poor comprehension of texts written at their level. This

is supported by other crucial reading skills, such as phonological awareness, phonics

and decoding, fluency, and vocabulary, which all affect comprehension.

Using a peer tutoring strategy, this study sought to find out how well readers

performed in reading comprehension before and after written and oral assessments to

serve as a basis for a reading intervention program.

Prior to the intervention, the learners' reading comprehension levels are

"distinguished" In terms of oral assessment in both control and experimental groups.

Before the intervention, both groups' learners' reading comprehension was "advanced"

in line with written assessments. In comparison to its counterpart, the control group's

students made more errors. Both the control group and the experimental group's

reading comprehension abilities in the post-intervention oral assessment improved

further to a significant level. After the intervention, learners in the experimental group

were placed in the superior level in the reading comprehension written test, whereas

learners in the control group were placed in the advanced level for written assessment.

In the control group, there is no significant difference between the learners' reading

comprehension before and after the intervention; but, when assessed orally, there is a

significant difference between the learners in the experimental group's reading

comprehension. However, there was a big difference between the two groups' reading

comprehension levels before and after the written assessment. The suggested action

plan for reading comprehension is considered effective.

Synthesis

All the studies reviewed and presented were contributory to the present study in

one way or another. They enriched the study in the sense that they served as a support

and background to the present study. The studies referred to above are linked to the

present study since it indicates the factors that are found to be affecting the reading

comprehension of learners.

According to Jingblad and Johansson (2017) and Protacio (2017), students must

be fundamentally motivated to develop their reading-related learning skills. It can help in

enhancing learners reading comprehension while maintaining their natural dedication to

reading activities that increase their comprehension. Furthermore, the study of

Abdelhalim (2017), implies that activities such as group discussions, literature circles,

and reading apprenticeship are an effective means to engage in their social

environment while developing their comprehension skills. According to Hoch et al.

(2015) and Department of Education (2019) reading comprehension skills enable

individuals to maintain a job and engage in different daily activities. Reading

comprehension skills are essential for students' success not only in their academic

pursuits but also in their future careers and active participation in society. Additionally,

having a reading comprehension skill can be use is subjects like math science, and

history as it involves identifying problems and grasping information (Rutzler, 2017). In

the study of Tanczike (2017) and Weiser (2013), they both emphasizes that vocabulary

and word knowledge are other factors to facilitate reading comprehension. Vocabulary

knowledge can improve reading comprehension and fluency because it helps readers

make connections with the text by activating and building up background information.

The study of Bilbao et al. (2016), emphasizes the importance of developing

strong reading skills for students to succeed in English communication. They

underscore comprehension as a fundamental ability crucial for achieving academic

excellence. In the study of Robison (2022), also points out that being good at reading is

important not just for school, but also for everyday life. This is especially true in subjects

like math and science where English is used to teach. They found that when students

helped each other through peer tutoring, everyone got better at reading. These studies

say that getting good at understanding what you read is super important for doing well

in school, and they give some good ideas for how teachers can help students get better
at it. However, both the studies by Bilbao et al. (2016) and Robison (2022) highlight the

pivotal role of reading comprehension in education.

According to the Department of Education (2019) learners must nurture their

reading abilities in early age, as primary education sets the stage for them to become

active contributors for community. Similarly, the study of Meron (2018), emphasize that

learner who will grow up surrounded by teachers, books, and other reading materials ca

gain a clear understanding about education. In the study of Elleman (2019) and RAND

study group (2002.p11), reading comprehension is an interaction and involvement of

readers with written language.

Theoretical Framework

This study has anchored Frederic Bartlett’s “schema theory,” which describes

how knowledge is acquired, processed, and organized. This theory’s concept is that any

act

understanding entails using one’s knowledge of the world. According to this theory,

awareness is a network of mental frames or cognitive structures called schema (pl.

schemata). Long-term memory information is structured using schemas (Carbon &

Albrecht, 2012).

Bartlett’s Schema theory (‘schemata’ as plural) or background knowledge in the

study is characterized as the knowledge bank in human minds before reading. It is

a collection of ideas, concepts, and judgments about occasions and settings. In that

capacity, it is like collecting various brain folders, every one of which contains data on a

particular subject or issue. Such folders of information assume an indispensable job in

controlling a reader to grasp content when reading. In interacting with text, the reader’s

mind searches for folders containing some relating ideas with the content. It helps build

comprehension and understanding (Lemov, 2016). Overall, with this amount of

evidence schema theory should be considered an important theory, for all students to

use their own previous background knowledge to be tapped before reading even begin

and active their schema to understand what they read.

This study is anchored on the Automaticity Theory by La Berge and Samuel in

1974. In this theory, it is said the human mind functions like a computer and has limited

capacity for multitasking. Hence, the process of decoding the text and comprehending

cannot happen simultaneously. Additionally, all readers start in the same position,

where they know nothing or at least very little knowledge. In this manner, the learners

tend to repeat the text again and again to comprehend until it stays in their mind and

can be retrieved again if it will be repeated. In relevance to the present study,

automaticity theory will provide some ideas why learners cannot comprehend the text in

just one reading.

According to National Reading Panel (2000), repeated reading activity plays an

significance influence in reading fluency and comprehension. Therefore, learners should

be exposed more in repeated readings that involve reading short passage while

receiving assstance of instructions to fix error. However, repeated reading may be

useless if the learners do not pay attention and concentration. Moreover, in terms of
psychological perspective, Tavakoli defines it as capacity to perform tasks with less or

no conscious effort in processing information (Tavakoli, 2019). Thus, this study can help

the learners to improve their reading fluency and their reading comprehension as well, if

only the teachers can create a various strategy for the learners to not lead them to

boredom, as repeated reading takes time.

The study is anchored on the Reader-Response Theory by Louise Rosenblatt.

She deemed that both the text and the reader are equally needed to form meaning. This

theory rejects the structuralist view that meaning resides solely in the text, words in a

text evoke images in readers' mind and readers bring their experiences to this

encounter. Since individuals have different life experiences, it is almost certain that both

readers will not form the exact same interpretation of a text. Another aspect of reader-

response theory is viewing reading on an efferent -aesthetic continuum

(Rosenblatt,1982). The efferent stance focuses on information carried away at the end

of the reading, whereas the aesthetic stance focuses on readers thoughts and feelings

during reading itself. However, the two stances are not mutually exclusive. Through this

theory we can inform teachers should be more receptive to different responses from a

student. Rather, than focusing on the correct or wrong answer, it is worthwhile helping

students explore their reasons for their interpretation of a text.

Conceptual Framework

The IPO model or Input-Process-Output model served as the study's conceptual

framework. The general structure and direction of the study were provided by the IPO

model. Following the IPO model, a process is represented as a series of boxes

connected by inputs and outputs (Harris and Taylor, 1997). What goes in is the input;
 what causes the change is the process; what comes out is the output (Armstrong,

2001).

For input, it consists of the respondent’s demographic profile in terms of sex,

GWA, and socioeconomic status. It also includes the factors that affect the reading

comprehension skills in English Language of Grade 10 learners. For the process, it

consists of the data collection gathered through surveys, giving the participants

questionnaires, organization of the learner’s responses and statistical analysis and

interpretation of data, Lastly, the output where it shows the improved and better reading

comprehension skills through the conducted instructional program intended to help

learners improve their reading comprehension skills.

Research Paradigm

INPUT
1.) Demographic profile
of respondents in terms
of;
- Sex
- Socioeconomic
status PROCESS
- GWA OUTPUT
- Data collection
gathered through - Conduct an
2.) Factors affecting surveys. instructional
reading - Giving the program to
participants improve reading
comprehension skills
questionnaires. comprehension.
among grade 10 - Organization of
learners in Malasiqui the learner’s
Catholic School, Inc. responses.
- Cognitive factors - Statistical - Improved and
analysis and better reading
- Educational factors interpretation of comprehension
- Non educational data. skills
factors
3.) Significant
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

The current investigation utilized the descriptive correlation research design. As

cited by McBurney & White (2019), descriptive correlational design used in research

studies that aim to provide static pictures of situations as well as establish the

relationship between different variables. Furthermore, this research study is considered

cross-sectional and non-experimental. A cross-sectional study describes a group of

subjects at one particular point in time (Campbell et al.,2007). Moreover, non-

experimental study is referred to as a study that does now involve utilization of

treatment nor or intervention.