CONTENT

1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Reflection on teaching experience
1.3 Reflection based on related literature/ theory/assumptions/beliefs

2.0 FOCUS OF INVESTIGATION / ISSUE OF CONCERN

2.1 Preliminary Investigation of the Issue
2.2 Focus of Investigation
2.3 Problem Statement
2.4 Analysis of Preliminary Investigation of the Issue
2.4.1 Criteria of Selection
a) Workability
b) Significance
c) Practicality
d) Control
e) Collaboration
f) Relevance to school
2.5 Definitions of terms (optional)

3.0 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES/ RESEARCH QUESTIONS

3.1 Research Objectives

3.2 Research Questions

4.0 TARGET GROUP/PARTICIPANTS

5 .0 ACTION

5.1 Procedure of Action

5.2 Data Gathering Methods

6.0 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

7.0 FINDINGS

8.0 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

LIST OF REFERENCE
APPENDICES

Using Mental Imagery Construction Booklet to Enhance Year 3 Pupils Reading

Comprehension

1.0

INTRODUCTION

1.1

The Context of the Research

In this action research, I had chosen a suburb-area school in Pasir Gudang area in
Johor Bahru. Even though the school is classified in suburb area, it was surrounded by
urban development. The school is near several hypermarkets and surrounded my housing
area. There were about 1400 over pupils in this school with every standard having eight
classes, separating the high and the low achiever. The schools facilities are adequately
provided for the convenience of the teachers and pupils like canteen, ICT center, school
hall and meeting room. An English classroom was created few years back, and managed
by the head of the subject. It provides a place for English teacher to carry out more
activities that requires more movement such as group sessions and language games. The
schools English society also support the classroom with books, equipment, tools, and
language games to encourage interesting and fun-learning process to promote English.
The school emphasizes on English language, there even a short five minutes
session for English language after recess twice a week. They either gather pupils and
teach new vocabulary, or put on English learning rhyme and songs. Latest effort to
encourage the pupils to involve more in English language is the English week event.
There was this campaign where every pupil was made mandatory to wear a tag which
displays a word in English every day in school. They exchange the tag with their friends

every week. Teachers role is to randomly ask pupils what is the words meaning or how
it is pronounced.
The schools session starts from 7.00 a.m until 2.30 p.m. I was automatically
signed for year 3 class after the schools headmaster being told that I am going to do an
action research on the. But specifically, I had chosen lower achiever classroom to carry
out the action research which is the fourth class of year 3. Most of the pupils live nearby
within Pasir Gudang area. There were 16 female pupils and 12 male pupils in the
classroom. Female pupils observed more active than male pupils. The pros of this class is
they were well-exposed with English language but the con is they can just merely
understand the target language, have less comprehension and have very limited speaking
skills.
In spite of that, the class seems to have a keen interest when it comes to English
lesson. However, I have to explain the activities and instruction repeatedly with simpler
version in order for them to really understand what they are doing. Even though it is
easier for me and the class if I use mother tongue language, I insisted to use target
language to create English environment, which they do not commonly possess. In
addition, pupils respond more if I embedded my teaching with non-verbal movement.
They are attracted more to pictures and multimedia context. This is due to rapid
development of technology environment, creating a tech-savvy generation. Conventional
teaching of chalk and talk meant a boring class to them. Therefore, I included my
activities with some pictures, and student-centered sessions such as modeling, language
games and grouping or partner task. Well, when designing learning for my pupils, I
always keep this in mind. There needs to be a healthy balance between student

construction of meaning and teacher guidance. I applied Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
(2015) calls for educators to reflect on how they balance the following three teaching
roles:

Facilitation: open-ended questioning, problem posing, Socratic seminar, and

guided inquiry
Direct instruction: demonstration, modeling, and lecturing
Coaching: providing feedback, conferencing, and guided practice

In other words, I need to tell them stuff and show them how to do things, but I also
need to let my pupils discover, experiment, and practice even if they miss the mark or
target. I believe that low achiever pupils need time to muddle through and make meaning
of new content, ideas, and concepts with some coaching and guidance, but also
independently. They can be given remedial activities, guidance and support during the
activities, but as I said earlier, I want them to be an independent reader who comprehend
and can express what they read and see.
So, I gave them the opportunity to complete given tasks all by themselves, isolated
from their peers. This can also help them to evaluate their strength and weakness
throughout the activity. Some of the pupils are able to complete the given task in short
period, but they are seems to be not worried or take things lightly as they tend to answer
the question bluntly without checking. Half of them take a long time just to answer one
question. This is predictable as they are the low achiever pupils even though the questions
are appropriately made for their level.
Overall, this school has provided sufficient environment and support for pupils to
learn English better. At some level, it might be remembered as the great catch or

successfully done, but rarely do we recall the many routine plays that happened so
effortlessly. Getting and giving positive feedback is the most direct way each of us can
create a school climate conducive to high achievement and happiness. You won't be able
to influence everyone or affect everything, but a teacher may have more power than we
think to make the school more of what we want it to be for our self and most importantly,
for the pupils.
1.2 A Reflection of Past Teaching Experiences
According to the Merriam and Webster Dictionary, practice teaching means
teaching by a college student under the supervision of an experienced/certified teacher.
Marais & Meier (2004) assert that the term teaching practice represents the range of
experiences to which student teachers are exposed when they work in classrooms and
schools. Marais and Meier (2004) further argue that teaching practice is a challenging but
important part of teacher training. Teaching practice is meant to provide for the authentic
context within which student teachers are exposed to experience the complexities and
richness of the reality of being a teacher. Practice Teaching, based on my experience, is
applying what weve learned from our teacher training courses into practice. It exposed
me to the real life school setting, mentoring from my cooperating teacher and from day to
day experience handling the students.

The school I was in is Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Molek, in Johor Bahru.

Primary school pupils are not easy to manage, it was not easy for me to keep the order in
the classroom but I did my best by using different strategies and some dynamics; in my

first class I did a dynamic called what have you heard?, what do you know?, and what
would you like to know? to know the previous knowledge that each of the students had
about the topic; I did it switching both languages (English and Bahasa Malaysia) because
I starting using just English because I wanted to get into the language but students
seemed not to understand what I was saying. The methods I used the most were the
Grammar Translation Method and because in that level students need to be motivated the
most due to they do not get interested in learning another language. It is so hard to get the
attention of some students
For giving the classes a good time learning English, I used many materials such as
flashcards to make students repeat and learn some words, posters, candies (for
motivation). I used to make them work in group of three or four and the first two times I
did this, pupils were unable to complete their task but instead they played with their peers
and went to other groups of the same colleague. Therefore, I arranged their seating by
groups so it is easier for them to interact to each other, switching group members each
week. By doing this, pupils will get used to each other and classroom rapport can be
build. Not just for them, but it works between me and the pupils.
I used to teach Year 3 Arif, the highest achiever class among in their standards. It
was found to have a significant effect on Malaysian primary academic achievement. My
pre-study found that high achievers were better users of self-regulated learning strategies
than low achievers. (Mental images construction is one of the self-regulated learning
strategies).

Primary school pupils are not easy to manage, it was not easy for me to keep the
order in the classroom but I did my best by using different strategies and some dynamics;
in my first class I did a dynamic called what have you heard?, what do you know?, and
what would you like to know? to know the previous knowledge that each of the students
had about the topic; I did it switching both languages (English and Bahasa Malaysia)
because I starting using just English because I wanted to get into the language but
students seemed not to understand what I was saying. The methods I used the most were
the Grammar Translation Method and because in that level students need to be motivated
the most due to they do not get interested in learning another language. It is so hard to get
the attention of some students
For giving the classes a good time learning English, I used many materials such as
flashcards to make students repeat and learn some words, posters, candies (for
motivation). I used to make them work in group of three or four and the first two times I
did this, pupils were unable to complete their task but instead they played with their peers
and went to other groups of the same colleague. Therefore, I arranged their seating by
groups so it is easier for them to interact to each other, switching group members each
week. By doing this, pupils will get used to each other and classroom rapport can be
build. Not just for them, but it works between me and the pupils.
In my observation in their reading learning session, it was found to have a low
positive correlation with the low achievers academic achievement, but was not a
significant predictor among the high achievers. Moreover, the influence of control of
learning belief on academic achievement was found to be positive among high achievers
but was found to be negative among the low achievers. This indicated that among the low

achievers, they achieved better when they were slightly more worried about their
examinations, thought that they had less control over their learning, and valued the
learning task less than their peers within the same achievement group. Perhaps these
factors made them more motivated to work harder. The differences in the relationship
between the self-regulated learning variables in predicting academic achievement need to
be investigated further.
Further research and needs to be done to look into these matters. Although my
pre-study has found support to the influence of mental images construction on primary
academic achievement, but I have to be cautious when generalizing these observation.
These observations were based on responses made by the smartest pupils on the block I
would say. The majority of the sample was from the Malay ethnicity, and more than half
of them were males. Further studies should be done using a wider sample of the
Malaysian primary pupils based on variety level and age. In addition, my action research
target is primarily among the low achiever pupils.
Thus, from what I experiences and observe, I strongly believe that by teaching
pupils with reading or specifically, comprehension skill strategies will help them to
comprehend what they learn. So, this will indirectly develop their language skills and
proficiency in the target language.

1.3

Reflection based on related literature/ theory/ assumptions/ beliefs

One of the greatest challenges for instructors in adult education programs is to

help students acquire the basic cognitive skills and habits needed to be self-directed

learners. A large body of research from both secondary and postsecondary settings
suggests that strategy instruction strengthens students abilities to engage with learning,
benefit from instruction, and succeed. Strategy instruction is an approach that teaches the
tools and techniques necessary for understanding, learning, and retaining new content and
skills. It involves teaching strategies that are both effective in assisting learners with
acquiring, retaining, and generalizing information, and efficient, helping them acquire the
information in the least amount of time (Lenz, Ellis, & Scanlon, 1996). There is a range
of approaches and a range of uses for strategy instruction in all content areas for learners
of all ages.
For many years, teaching reading comprehension was based on a concept of
reading as the application of a set of isolated skills such as identifying words, finding
main ideas, identifying cause and effect relationships, comparing and contrasting, and
sequencing. Teaching reading comprehension was viewed as a mastery of these skills.
Comprehension instruction followed what the study called mentioning, practicing, and
assessing procedure where teachers mentioned a specific skill that students were to apply,
had students practice the skill by completing workbook pages, then assessed them to find
out if they could use the skill correctly. Instruction neither did little to help students learn
how or when to use the skills, nor was is ever established that this particular set of skills
enabled comprehension.
Research indicates that we build comprehension through the teaching of comprehension
strategies and environments that support an understanding of text. It is important for
educators and parents to teach children active strategies and skills to help them become

active, purposeful readers. Teaching reading comprehension is an active process of

constructing meaning, not skill application. The act of constructing meaning is:
I.

Interactive It involves not just the reader, but the text and the context in which

II.

reading takes place.

Strategic Readers have purposes for their reading and use a variety of

III.

strategies as they construct meaning

Adaptable Readers change the strategies they use as they read different kinds
of text or as they read for different purposes. Although "metacognition" and
"schema" aren't comprehension strategies, they are very important for teaching
reading comprehension strategies. John Flavell used the term metacognition in
the 70s and believed we were capable of monitoring our own thoughts. Simply
put, metacognition means to think about your thinking. In her book,
Comprehension Connections, Tanny McGregor uses a mathematical equation to
teach this concept to her students that I have also used in my classroom: Text +

IV.

Thinking = Real Reading

Making Connection
Children make personal connections with the text by using their schema. There
are three main types of connections we can make during reading:
Text-to-Self: Refers to connections made between the text and the reader's
personal experience.
Text-to-Text: Refers to connections made between a text being read to a text that
was previously read.

Text-to-World: Refers to connections made between a text being read and

something that occurs in the world.
V.

Creating Mental Images

This strategy involves the ability of readers to make mental images of a text as a
way to understand processes or events they encounter during reading. This ability
can be an indication that a reader understands the text. Some research suggests
that readers who visualize as they read are better able to recall what they have

VI.

read than those who do not visualize.

Questioning
This strategy involves readers asking themselves questions throughout the
reading of text. The ability of readers to ask themselves relevant questions as they
read is especially valuable in helping them to integrate information, identify main
ideas, and summarize information. Asking the right questions allows good

VII.

readers to focus on the most important information in a text.

Inferring
Authors do not always provide complete descriptions of, or explicit information
about a topic, setting, character, or event. However, they often provide clues that
readers can use to read between the linesby making inferences that combine
information in the text with their schema.

VIII.

Evaluating
Determining importance has to do with knowing why youre reading and then
making decisions about what information or ideas are most critical to

IX.

understanding the overall meaning of the piece.

Synthetizing
Synthesizing is the process of ordering, recalling, retelling, and recreating into a
coherent whole the information with which our minds are bombarded every day.

Synthesizing is closely linked to evaluating. Basically, as we identify whats

important, we interweave our thoughts to form a comprehensive perspective to
make the whole greater than just the sum of the parts.
Experimental studies
These experimental studies used imagery training programs or gave readers instructions
to form images. There have been many studies of induced imagery; those described here
show the various ways it can affect reading of extended texts.
Pressley (1976)
In a classroom setting, Pressley (1976) taught third-grade children a mental
imagery strategy to help them remember stories. The children were given practice
constructing images for progressively longer prose passages (sentences, paragraphs,
stories) and were shown slides depicting good examples of images for the passages.
Controls were told to do whatever they could to remember and did not see the slides.
Both groups then read a 950-word story with alternating printed and blank pages. The
imagery group was reminded regularly to form images on the blank pages and the control
group was reminded regularly to do whatever they could to remember when they saw the
blank pages. On a 24-item short-answer test, the imagery group outperformed the control
group. There were no difference in reading times for the passages.
Gambrell (1982)
Gambrell (1982) gave first and third graders short stories to read in segments. Before
each segment, children in the experimental group were told to make pictures in their

heads to help remember, while the controls were told to think about what they read in
order to remember it. After reading each segment, the participants were asked a
prediction question (What do you think is going to happen next?). Responses were
scored for factual accuracy and number of accurate predictions. Third graders in the
imagery group reported twice as many facts and made twice as many accurate predictions
as controls. Although first-grade imagers also outperformed controls on both measures,
the differences were not statistically significant. Gambrell and other researchers have
speculated that with beginning readers, the burden of verbal processing may inhibit
simultaneous formation of images. Possibly, very beginning readers may do better
reading and forming images successively, as in the structure of the Pressley study.

2.0

FOCUS OF INVESTIGATION
The purpose of the research is to improve the pupils reading comprehension. This
research will compare conventional reading skills with mental images construction
strategy that will determine the impact on the reading-specific self-efficacy,
comprehension, attributions, and effect of students with reading difficulties.
2.1

Preliminary Investigation of the Issue

Reading is the recognition of printed or written symbols, which serve as stimuli

for the recall of meanings built up through the reader's past experience. It has also been

described as a process of translating alphabetical symbols into a form of language from

which the native speaker has already derived the meaning. According to Lawal (1996),
readers use the symbols to guide the recovery of information from their repertoires and
subsequently use this information to construct interpretations of the message. Adewole
(2001) describes critical reading skill, which which students need to read, explore, and
appreciate a literary text effectively. The ability to read is a crucial skill for information
retrieval (Dike, 2006).
Therefore, my pupils are from suburbs and have average literacy rates. Most of them can
read, but not fully understand what they read about. Based on each reading lesson that I
have implemented, they are observed to comprehend more text on topic that they are
familiar and interested with rather than other culture or new things introduced. Their
information retrieval are good but mostly parroted based on contextual clues.

2.2

Focus of investigation (Issue of concern)

This research was done to improve pupils reading comprehension. Oyetunde and

Unoh (1986) list impediments to positive reading habits and attitude. These includes lack
of materials, poor preparation of teachers, lack of interest, poor libraries or none at all,
home background, and lack of adult readers as models.
Based on my pre-observation, I found that the major causes of pupils' poor
performance in English and other school pupils is their inability to read effectively,
which, in turn, is largely is due to the attitude of learners toward reading. Lawal (1982)
described such reading problems as: omission, substitution, reversal, mispronunciation,

sight, vocabulary, not up to grade level, nervousness, slow reading, and lack of
comprehension. Teachers must take responsibility for solving these problems, but
Folaranmi (2007) believes that the government should involve teachers in working out
effective ways of making the teaching profession viable for serving teachers and
attractive to incoming ones, in order to address the problem of student poor reading
culture. I also believe that many bilingual pupils fail to comprehend what they read in the
school situation because they lack the vital firsthand experience necessary to widen their
knowledge and general information of their culture which are not included in the school
text. Akinbade (2007) states that a good environment is necessary to promote effective
learning in primary schools.
Oyerokun (1993) emphasizes the need to use appropriate techniques and materials
in teaching. She further states that in order to achieve this, the school, teacher, and
parents should work together to ensure improvement in reading performance. I agrred
with this opinion, which maintaining that school, pupils, teachers, and parents should
work to improve English language reading skill.
2.3

Problem statement
The researcher will study how effective does the use of self-regulated

comprehension strategies in improving pupils reading comprehension.

Reading is lifelong activity.Those who enjoy reading derive pleasure and
satisfaction from it. Adigun and Oyelude (2003) observe that skill in reading will not only
assist pupils in organizing their thoughts and jotting down important facts while reading,
but also equip them to comprehend entire texts. Adewole (2001) asserts that the aim of

any reading programme is to lay a strong foundation that can benefit pupils throughout
their lives in academic pursuits. The literacy rate is usually higher among the male
population. While the literacy rate ranges are higher in urban area, rural area has lower
literacy rates in Malaysia.
Based on my observation made on my participant, there are some problems that pupils
face while comprehending a passage in English. These are the highlighted problems:
a) Weak decoding skills
In the classroom, almost all pupils appear to have basic decoding skills,
but are actually weak in many of the underlying fundamentals. When they
reach year 3, their decoding skills cannot keep pace with the written
material they are required to read. Pupils seems guessing words based on
size or shape, letters in the word or context of the passage that I given
them. Poor reading accuracy results in misread or omitted words, which
can change the meaning of sentences and interfere with reading
comprehension. In addition, as I tries to increase the difficulties of the
reading material (to the actual level they should be in year 3), the
participant said that the effort required to read becomes increasingly
fatiguing and there are fewer resources remaining to derive meaning from
the text.
b) Poor reading prosody
Prosody here means reading with intonation, inflection and appropriate
phrasing (pausing at commas and reading periods). When pupils run

sentences together and read without appropriate prosody, it is difficult for

them to chuck the language for meaning. This problem is largely
contributed by parroting in class. This is a common problem is primary
school as pupils merely read reading material, not trying to comprehend
them. As observed, when pupils asked to read a passage together or alone,
they read the reading material with monotonous tone continuously,
ignoring some of the commas and intonation all in one breath. For
comprehension purposes, sentences should be read aloud so that they
sound familiar to spoken language. Thats why in schools, we have
reading aloud sessions to emphasize prosody among pupils.

c) Weak language processing skills

Many of the pupils in the selected classroom have weak language skill for
higher-level language syntax. As in year 3, written syntax becomes longer
and more complex. With the elements such as embedded phrases, pronoun
referents, and passive tense. Pupils with weak language skills lose the
meaning of the sentences when syntax becomes complex, and have
difficulty parsing and linking the different parts of the sentences. This is
proven when pupils are confused when asked with a question to whom do
Jake whisper to? The sentences are Jake open his backpack and pulls out
panda. Its my first plane trip, he whispers.

d) Lack of active processing

Some pupils in the classroom have excellent decoding skill, but are not
actively processing the material they read. Pupils need to learn to learn
actively engagae with written material, through techniques such as
wondering, predicting, clarifying, linking ideas, relating to material to
their own experiences, and visually picturing scenes in a story or passage.
Based on some of the exercise given to them (reading comprehension
exercise), pupils seems to be lifting just any words or sentences related to
the question. They did not even process the questions requirement or the
passage given to come out with answer with own language. Pupils just lift
the answer from any part of the passage which they think is most related.

2.4

Analysis of Preliminary Investigation of the Issue

In my pre-conclusion, the pupils have not mastered their reading skills to

comprehend reading materials. They are influenced by factors like not up to grade level,
slow reading, and lack of comprehension.
2.4.1

Criteria of Selection (Workability, Significance, Practicality)

In terms of workability of the issue, the problem requires time to implement the

intervention. The problem is possible to be solved by the construction of mental images

during reading summarization in each reading lesson. This is to expose the pupils with

vocabulary and relate it with their imagination or sketch it to enhance their

comprehension of the text.
The significance of working out the problem is the implication it has towards the
pupils, schools and country. Pupils need the reading skills and reading comprehension for
the purposes of daily life routines and career requirements. Reading comprehension is
what allows the reader to interact with the text in a meaningful way. Its the bridge from
passive reading to active reading from letters and words to characters and contexts.
Reading comprehension is the crucial link to effective reading a strong factor in our
educational and professional lives. For many, reading comprehension also unlocks the
door to a lifetime of reading recreation and enjoyment.
It is worth it to spend time improving the vocabulary of the pupils. This is
practical as the improvement in reading comprehension mastery brings differences in
many aspects. Not only improvement in better language skills of listening, speaking,
writing and reading but also academically. There are also many practical applications for
self-regulated learning in schools and classrooms today. Paris and Paris state there are
three main areas of direct application in classrooms: literacy instruction, cognitive
engagement, and self-assessment (2001). In the area of literacy instruction, educators can
teach students the skills necessary to lead them to becoming self-regulated learners by
using strategies such as reciprocal teaching, open-ended tasks, and project-based
learning.
2.5

Definitions of terms

Mental Imagery

varieties of which are sometimes colloquially refered to as visualizing,

seeing in the mind's eye, hearing in the head, imagining the feel of,
etc.) is quasi-perceptual experience; it resembles perceptual experience, but

occurs in the absence of the appropriate external stimuli.

Construction
the style or method used in the building of something
Booklet
a small book consisting of a few sheets
Enhance
intensify, increase, or further improve the quality, value, or extent of.

Reading comprehension
Reading comprehension is the ability to read text, process it and understand
its meaning. An individual's ability to comprehend text is influenced by their
traits and skills, one of which is the ability to make inferences.

3.0

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES/ RESEARCH QUESTIONS

3.1

Research Objectives
I.

Develop pupils reading comprehension with critical understanding using

II.

mental imagery construction while reading.

Support pupils to practice this strategy and encourage pupils to become a
thoughtful reader.

3.2

Research Questions
i. Do the mental imagery construction strategies develop the pupils reading
comprehension?
ii. Do the mental imagery construction strategy can become part of their
practice while reading and encourage them to become a thoughtful reader?

4.0

TARGET GROUP/PARTICIPANTS
The participants studied in a primary school located in Johor Bahru. Their social status is

suburbs. Their age is 9 years old. The participants of the study are Year 3 pupils. In the
beginning, there were 10 participants in the group. Five male and another five is female. Only
five of them are specifically selected to be the samples of this research, two male and three
female.

They are chosen based on their difficulties in reading comprehension. The entire

participant was Malays. Most of the pupils in this group came from the areas nearby the school.
Based on the pre-observation of the classroom and the LINUS record the pupils, their
achievement are at average level. Their English proficiency in classroom is very limited. Even at
the simplest language used, some of them do not completely understand given instruction or
teaching. They prefer English with Direct-translation method where translation are followed
after the target language is given. This might due to the common practice of the current teacher.
Their writing and reading skill is better from their speaking and listening skills. They ought to
understand reading material or instruction, but many failed to give response in English. Thus it
can be conclude that their English proficiency level is below average. My pupils learning

preferences is language games and visual aids. Most of them are thrilled and interested in
learning English. According to them, English lesson are more intriguing than other subjects.
Generally, I can conclude that these pupils are better learning English by heart and
not by preach. Their level of efficiency in English can be improved with appropriate teaching
and learning process or strategy.

5.0

ACTION

5.1

Procedure of Action
My research will use Kurt Lewins model of action research. The model
comprises of five steps: identifying a general or initial idea, reconnaissance or fact
finding, planning, take first action step, evaluate, amended plan, take second step and the
cycle goes on. In the first step, general or initial idea will be identified on which
strategies to be used to develop reading comprehension. The second step, reconnaissance
is where reading will be done on how the Guided approach uses constructing mental
imagery to teach reading comprehension. The third step is to pretest the pupils ability to
read particular text and ask them about their understanding of the story. Then, the
researcher will teach them the strategy until they understand the method. After that the
researcher will conduct a post test whether they are able to master the strategy. The next
step will be taking the action of the planned step. Then, evaluate the action taken by
doing analysis of the data collected.

Stephen Kemmiss and Mc Taggart Model (1998)

The action procedure that will be implemented in this study as follows:

Planning
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

Preparing the reading material will be used in the pre-intervention and

post-intervention test.
Preparing the teaching media
Preparing the work sheet.
Preparing the test.
Preparing the observation instruments (questionnaire)

Action

I.

Pre-activity
i. Engagement (gives pre-intervention comprehension test to

II.

brainstorm pupils with the study context).

whilst-activity
Exploration (giving student a chance to train)
-

Elaboration (giving a challenge to reinforce pupils to enlarge their

knowledge)
-

Confirmation (to generalize the material learned: visualization,

III.

mental imagery)
Post-activity

Assessment

The research was carried out in four sessions within a month, two periods on each
session, which is roughly one hour. The session is as follow:
Table 1: Step 1- pre-intervention test

Activity step

Step 1:
Preintervention
test

Anticipated teacher
action

Teacher give a
reading
comprehension
preintervention
test
Teacher
explains the
instruction
Teacher
observes
pupils
anticipation,
interest, effort

Anticipated student
action

Pupils read
the short
passage and
answer the
given
questions
Pupils
express how
they feel after
the preintervention
test

Rationale for activity

steps based on
research focus
To analyse
pupils
comprehensio
n

To observe
responses
from the
participant

In this first step, pupils were having a pre-intervention test. Teacher gives out a set
of short passage and comprehension questions. Teacher will explain the instruction
clearly. Pupils answer the question independently without any guided support. It was to
allow the teacher to collect the data from the instrument and have an analysis to
investigate the reading comprehension rates from pupils prior knowledge. Apart from
that, the observation is to identify pupils attitude and altitude towards such reading
passage and answering comprehension questions.

Table 2: Step 2- Intervention: Applying basic skill of constructing mental imagery

Activity
step
Step 2:

Anticipated teacher
action

Teacher read
short paragraph
and pause after
few sentences
that contain good
descriptive
information
Teacher talks
about the setting,
character, or
actions
Teacher asks
pupils to close
their eyes and
draw a picture
in their head
Teacher express
the object,
situation,
character using
movement

Anticipated student
action

Pupils share
what they see,
hear, taste and
smell
Pupils come
out with words
that helped
them to create
the mental
images and
emotions (with
guidance)
Pupils express
their own
images during
non-verbal
movement

Rationale for activity

steps based on
research focus

To introduce by
explaining to
pupils what
mental imagery
is and how they
might evoke
mental imagery
To discuss the
nature of their
images for the
similarities and
differences will
help them
clarify and
refine their use
of imagery.

In this step, teacher tells student that they can remember more of what they read by
making picture in their mind of what they are reading and carefully studying illustration
that appears in their reading or textbook. Using think aloud approach, teacher reads
through a simple narrative or expository passage and pause at several points to tell pupils
what comes in teachers mind. Pupils then asked to describe theirs as they react to the
same passage. Teacher and pupils study the passage and reflect aloud on what clues it
gives about the passage reading. The non-verbal movement is to help pupils express their
mental imagery better, which foster more understanding.

Table 3: Step 3- Practice of mental imagery construction strategy

Activit
y step
Step 3:

Anticipated teacher
action

Teacher
distributes
empty booklet
to pupils
Teacher
guides pupils
to use mental
imagery
construction
strategy with
cues of the
passage from
preintervention
test.

Anticipated student
action

Read the
passage
individually
Relate their
mental
imagery
evoked to
give their
interpretation
of
significance
of words or
sentences
Pupils draw
their
interpretation
of the
passage in
the booklet

Rationale for activity

steps based on research
focus
To foster
independency
for the students
this particular
step in the
procedure
Practice with
texts that lend
themselves to
mental imagery
To see pupils
practice of
mental imagery
with the
significance of
the text

In this step, readers experiencing difficulties often need help with creating mental
images and may not realize how this can help their comprehension. Thus, Teachers
support pupils in visualizing by asking questions such as What image do you see in your
head? by explicitly drawing attention to descriptive language or a sequence of ideas, and
by sharing their own images. Pupils use a strategy similar to the think-aloud approach,
creating drawings to illustrate and understand relevant information gleaned from print
(the drawing support their visualization). This step is to practice pupils with the target
strategy, to help them independently master the mental imagery construction.

Table 4: Step 4-Post-Intervention test

Activity
step
Step 4:
PostInterventio
n test

Anticipated teacher
action

Teacher
distributed
every pupil with
a postintervention test
Teacher
explains the
instructions
Teacher observe
pupils using a
checklist
Teacher
collected the
postintervention test

Anticipated student
action

Pupils take the

post-intervention
test
Pupils read the
short passage
and answer the
questions
They are
advisable to use
the mental
imagery
construction
strategy

Rationale for activity

steps based on
research focus
To check
pupils
improvement
after the
intervention
To analyse
the different
in
achievement
before and
after the
intervention

In this step, pupils were given a set of post-intervention test. In this test, pupils are
advisable to use taught strategy (mental imagery construction strategy). There will be no
guidance given. Pupils read and answer the given question independently. This phase is very
important, where the researcher will collect the data from the instrument and have an analysis
to determine the effectiveness of mental imagery construction in developing pupils reading
comprehension.

Table 5: Step 5- Reflection

Activity
step
Step 5
Reflection

Anticipated teacher action

Teacher took the

checklist from before
the intervention and
after the intervention
done
Teacher evaluate the
checklist with the
before and after
intervention with the
result data to
determine the
efficiency of strategy
implement

Anticipated
student
action
-

Rationale for activity

steps based on
research focus
To reflect on
the strategy
and method
used for future
action plan of
improvement
and reference

In this last step, teacher carefully looks into the checklists to see any changes of
attitude and altitude of the participant throughout the research. Teacher will also analyze
the resulted data to determine the effectiveness of mental imagery construction strategy in
enhancing pupils reading comprehension.

5.2

Data Gathering Methods

The data obtained from the pupils achievement scores of the test of reading
comprehension are recorded. They were pre-intervention and post-intervention scores.
Quantitatively, mean, mode and median are calculated. There also two checklist, before
and after the intervention done.
To construct the tables, figures and charts, a computer programmer will be used to key in
the input of the data. Qualitatively, there would be comparison between the tables and
diagrams. Also, there will be data obtained from the questionnaires.
5.2.1

Observation
Observations are done before and after the intervention. The checklist

provides the criteria pertaining to the case study. This is to observe and evaluate
pupils attitude and altitude qualitatively to give insight behavior of the participant
and also the appropriateness of the strategy implemented. Ways to collect data:
I.
II.
III.
IV.

Provide a checklist that consist all related criteria in the study

Observe the behavioural response or effort done by the participant
Determine the score based on the observation
Data collected and presented in tables for clearer view

5.2.2

Pre-intervention and post-intervention test

Before the intervention done, a set of sample passage and question are

given to the participant. These interventions test were to test participants reading
comprehension. For the pre-intervention test, it is done by the participant without
any guidance from the researcher. The researcher is there only to observe their
behavior toward the test. After the implementation of the intervention, another set
of sample passage and questions are given to the participant. The structure of the
questions and the sample passage are the same except for only the context
changed. This post-intervention test is also done independently by the participant
and the researcher observes and collects the test. Ways to collect data:
I.
II.
III.

Collected result and score presented in a graphic organizer

All five participant results are shown for clearer view
Then the data collected from the result are compared to see the
differences changes before and after the intervention.

5.2.3

Questionnaire

In order to get the participant responses toward the research, a simple set of
questionnaire consisting relevant inquires given to them. The participant answer
the

questionnaire

according

to

their

level

of understanding,

interest,

appropriateness and knowledge gained throughout the action plan.

I.
II.

Prepare simple and understandable inquires questionnaire

The effectiveness of the strategy is measured by the level of the
appropriateness of the study based on the responses

6.0

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

6.1

Observation

Table 6.1.1: Checklist on participant behavior towards pre-intervention test

No.

Criteria

1
2
3
4
5
6

Does pupil understand the story from the passage?

Does give positive expression towards the test?
Does pupil interested in the test?
Does pupil able to answer the questions independently?
Does pupil able to visualize the story/passage/questions?
Does pupil check on their answers?

Participant
1
2
3
/
X
/
/
X
X
/
/
/
X
X
/
X
X
X
X
X
/

5
X
X
/
X
X
X

X
/
X
/
X
X

Table 6.1 shows the checklist done on the observation during the pre-intervention
test. For the first criteria, to check the understanding, only 2 out of 5 participants
understand the story. Secondly, participant seems dislike the pre-intervention test because
they find it is quite difficult for them to comprehend. For the third criteria, almost all
participants are interested in the passage or the test. Only 2 out of 5 participants are able
to answer all the questions independently and none of them are able to visualize the story
as a whole. At the end of the test, only 1 participant seems to check the answer before
handed it over the researcher.

Table 6.1.2.: Checklist on participant during the intervention

No.
1
2
3
4
5

Criteria
Does pupil interested in learning the strategy?
Does give positive expression towards the strategy?
Does pupil understand how to apply the strategy?
Does pupil able to visualize the story/passage/questions?
Does pupil able to relate their mental imagery with the

Participant
1
2
3
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/

5
/
/
/
/
/

/
/
X
/
X

passage?
Does pupil

are

able

to

practice

the

strategy

independently?

Table 6.3 show the participation behavior, attitude and altitude toward the
intervention. It shows that all of the participants are eager to learn the mental imagery
construction when told and also give a very good expression towards it. It may because
young learners are motivated to learn from fun learning process (drawing the booklet).
During the teaching of the strategy, only one out of 5 participants has difficulties to
understand how it works. When it comes to creating a mental images, or what I told the
mind movies in their mind, all the participant are able to visualize them and connect it
to the reading passage but one participant failed to do so. However 2 participants needed
guidance because they are unable to practice the strategy independently while reading the
passage and drawing the character/situation. The researcher has to gives contextual clues
and a situation to help them visualize reading passage.
Table 6.1.3: Checklist on participant during the post-intervention test
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6

Criteria
Does pupil understand the story from the passage?
Does give positive expression towards the test?
Does pupil interested in the test?
Does pupil able to answer the questions independently?
Does pupil able to visualize the story/passage/questions?
Does pupil check on their answers?

Participant
1
2
3
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
/

5
/
/
/
X
X
/

Table 6.3 shows checklist on participant during the post-intervention test. 4 out of
5 participant shows comprehension of the passage. One failed to do so and only

X
/
X
/
/
X

understand a part of it. However, all participant show positive attitude while answering
the questions and only one participant expressed that he/she are not interested into the
reading and answering questions. During the test, participant 4 asked for help because
he/she are unable to answer the comprehension question without assistance. Based on the
observation,

almost

all

of

the

participants

are

able

to

visualize

the

story/passage/questions, they seem to close their eyes and show their effort to do so. One
participant does not check on his/her answer.

6.2

Analysis of Pre-intervention test and Post-intervention test

6.2.1

Analysis

of

Pre-intervention

test

and

Post-intervention

test-

Quantitative
Table 6.2.1: Pre-intervention and post-intervention test score
No

Participan

Pre-intervention test
Marks
Mean Media

Post-intervention test
Mode Marks
Mean Media

Mode

t
n
1
2
3
4
5

P1
P2
P3
P4
P5

Note: Full marks is 6

1
1
0
1
1

5
5
5
5
4

12

Based on the table 6.2.1, the researcher has calculated the mean, median and
mode of both pre-intervention and post-intervention test. The mean score for the pre and
post-test increase from 2 to 12. The mean score are escalated 10 points from preintervention test. This increase is contributed from the intervention done. The positive
improvement are also shown in median and mode score. The data show an increase of 4
points, 1 to 5 score in median. The same goes to mode score.

6.2.2 Analysis of Pre-intervention test and Post-intervention test in

percentage
Table 6.2.2: Comparison between pre-intervention and post-intervention
test result in terms of percentage and marks
No

1
2
3

Marks

Good
5-6
Average
3-4
Weak
0-2
Total

Pre-test

Post-test

Pupils

(+/-)

(+/-)

Pupils
0

%
0

Pupils
4

%
75

75

25

25

100

-5

-100

100

100

The result from analysis showed that there are big gap of differences which is
improvement after the intervention done. This is due to the implication of the mental
imagery construction. From entire participant down in weak group and now one person at
average level and the rest are on good level.
Thus, the first research question which is does the mental imagery construction
strategy improve pupils reading comprehension answered prior to the result in preintervention and post intervention test. Mean score from 2 to 12 means a very good
result, while the good grades ranged from 5-6 improved from 0% to 75% and the
number increased from 0 to 4 participants.
In the average grade range, (3-4) there is an increase of 25%. In the other hand, in
weak range marks (0-2), the percentage decrease from 100% to 0%. Means was no
participants are now longer in weak range marks from 5 participants to 0.
6.3 Pre-intervention and Post-Intervention Test result
Chart 6.3.1: Pre-intervention test result and percentage

The result of Pre- Intervention test

120
100
80

Total pupils/ Percentage (%)

60
40
20
0

0-2

3-4

5-6

Based on the chart above, the pre-intervention test showed the participants
marks scored between 0-2 are all of them, 5 participants. It showed that participant have
lack of reading comprehension during reading a passage and answering questions
regarding it. This chart portrayed that none of the participant are able to score higher
that 2 marks.

The result of Post- Intervention test

70
60
50
40

Total pupils/ Percentage (%)

30
20
10
0

0-2

3-4

5-6

Chart 6.7.1: Post-intervention test result and percentage

Based on chart 6.7.1, post-intervention test showed there is no longer participant
encompassed in weak range score, which is below 3 marks. There is 1 participant who
scored more than 2 marks, which is in average range marks while the rest, the other 4
scored good marks between 5-6. This result prove that the participant have improved

their reading comprehension skills over the intervention done. From 0 to 4 participants
moved from weak range marks to good range marks, it is a positive improvement resulted
from the application of mental imagery construction strategy.

6.4

The analysis of Questionnaire

Table 6.4.1: Analysis of the questionnaire

No
1
2

Questionnaire
I am interested in learning mind
movies
I understand how to make mind
movies in my head

Participant
1
2
3
L
L
L

4
L

5
L

total
L
D
5
0

I use mind movies to read

I can imagine things in my mind

I imagine pictures when reading

I think of many pictures and myself

when reading

I understand story with mind movies

I can read alone when I use mind

movies

I can imagine more things with mind

movies

10

I want to learn more about mind

movies

Note

: L: like (agree) D: Dislike (disagree)

Mind movies : Mental imagery construction strategy

Table 6.4.1 showed the response from the five participants towards the mental
imagery construction strategy. There were 10 items in the questionnaire those inquiries
participants responses as shown. For item number 1, entire participant agreed that they
interested in learning this strategy. For item number 2 and 3, four participants agreed that
they understand how the strategy works and use the strategy to read but one participant
failed to understand this strategy and to practice it. The same goes with item number 5. In
the other hand, item number 4 got all the participants vote. For the item number 7, the
same participant who failed to understand mental imagery construction strategy also
responded that he/she failed to understand reading material using the strategy. The others
went well in understanding reading material using the strategy. The same goes with item
number 8, which covers independency in reading using this strategy. For thoughtfulness
aspect, item number 9, four participants responded that they can imagine more
pictures/situation/things than just the reading material when they applying the mental
imagery. Lastly, only three out of five participant want to learn more about the strategy
intervened to them while the other two decline.
Table 6.4.2: Questionnaire analysis in percentage

The result of Post- Intervention test

120
100
80

Percentage (%)

60
40
20
0

Q1

No

Questionnaire

I am interested in learning mind movies

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q5

Q6

Q7

Q8

Q9

Q10

I understand how to make mind movies in my head

3
4
5

I use mind movies to read

I can imagine things in my mind
I imagine pictures when reading

6
7
8
9

I think of many pictures and myself when reading

I understand story with mind movies
I can read alone when I use mind movies
I can imagine more things with mind movies

10

I want to learn more about mind movies

Graph 6.4.2 indicates the analysis of questionnaire in percentage and the table
shown is the questions asked to the participant. For statement number 1 and 4, 100%
participant agreed that they are interested in learning mental imagery strategy. For
questions number 2, 3, 5,7,8,9, 75 % of the participant agreed to the statement given
whereas another 25% decline. Lastly, for statement number 6 and 10, only 60% of the
participant agreed that they think of many pictures, situation, things and themselves while
reading using this strategy. Another 40% of the participant decline. Total disagreement
with the questionnaire is 29.87% while the percentage of agreement is 70.13%.

7.0

FINDINGS

This action research was a definite learning experience for my students and
myself. My goal was to use the guided approach teaching of mental imagery construction
strategies to increase comprehension. Students need to know how to think through the
processes. Oftentimes, they do not know how to do this. By modeling my thoughts aloud,
they were better able to grasp the concepts. I would then have them model their thinking
process when volunteering in class. This really helped the interventions, especially those
on creating meaningful phrase units.
Chart 6.3.2: Analysis of pre-intervention test and post-intervention test

Analysis of Pre-intervention test and Post-intervention test

6
5
4
3
2
1
0

P1

P2

P3

Post-intervention

P4
Pre-intervention

P5

Based on the graph above, these are the differences analysis between preintervention test and post-intervention test marks scored by the participants. Participant 1,
2, 4 and participant 5 all scored 1 over 6 marks in the pre-intervention test. Whereas
participant 3 failed to score any marks. After the intervention, another test of similar
reading comprehension structure were given (post-intervention test), participant 1, 2,3,
and participant 4 scored 5 marks. Which the differences is 4 marks than previous test
except for participant 3 who achieved boost of 5 marks from 0. In the other hand,
participant 5 only achieved a difference of 3 marks than previous test from 1 to 4 marks.
As a result of increased visualizations, such as mental pictures, thoughtfulness,
vocabulary, and meaningful reading, my year 3 reading class will increase their reading
skills fluency which will, in turn, increase their reading comprehension. I believe that I
was able to answer my research question that mental imagery construction will increase
pupils comprehension. There were several instances when this was supported throughout
my action plan. Illustration readings are a proven method of increasing comprehension.
Imanjutak (1998) agreed on reading as a cognitive process of making interaction with
print and monitoring comprehension to establish meaning which involves the process of
identification (the ability of the reader to identify or determine what the text says) and the
process of interpretation (the readers activity to make sense or to draw out the meaning

of the reading text they read).After practicing this for two sessions, my students were able
to increase their understanding of the passage in previous pre-intervention test. The time
my participants take pre-intervention test, none succeeded to answer more than 1
question correctly.
I also marked the post-intervention test that turns out as expected. Many of the
students increased their comprehension scores by at least 3 marks, 50% of their previous
scores. The others even achieved high marks than expected, just one more correct answer
for full mark. I also saw support that teaching the students how to read with meaningful
phrase units, increased their fluency and comprehension. I would hear students reading
with appropriate pauses, even during their post-intervention test. They were consciously
imagining their reading for meaning lies behind. I have one student that particularly grew
in this area. She is a good reader and can read quite well. Her personal scores increased
dramatically in the area of comprehension. She actually scores nothing at first and found
that by learning and doing what I taught her in the intervention, she was able to
understand what she read. She learned that mere reading is not the purpose but the
thought that counts. Moreover, pupils are more attracted to this kind of reading, visualize
things the read in their mind. This gives them more opportunity to explore the passage
and become more thoughtful readers. Based on the questionnaire data, pupils are agreed
that they think more than just what they read, but related experiences, situation, pictures
and about themselves more. Gillet and Temple in Juniari (2003) stated that reading
comprehension is a search for meaning, actively using our word knowledge and the text
to understand new things we read. We need knowledge of the world to understand new

things, need to be familiar with various text structure encountered and need to be active
in seeking meaning to rise up from the passage.
I believe that this has also affected my instruction. I am using the various
techniques I incorporated throughout the unit in all areas of my instruction, not just in my
reading class. Todays students are a challenge, to say the least. We encounter so much
more than just the student. We encounter everything that is happening in their lives.
Students that struggle must learn ways to adapt to the curriculum they face. I feel that this
unit has given me more tools that I can use to reach them. School must be a place they
want to come to each day. By incorporating strategies that they can take with them and
apply in other areas, I am truly reaching them. I am a better teacher because of this.
I believe that I confirmed my Action Research objective and answered my
research questions. Although I was only able to specifically teach these specific strategies
to my students for four days, I saw tremendous growth. Their reading fluency did not
change much from the pre- to post-intervention test, but their comprehension did grow. I
had 100% of my students either meet or exceed their comprehension objective on the
post-intervention test compared to 0% on the pre-intervention. I also saw a significant
increase in their phrasing. I believe that these data support my hypothesis. I did not see
the growth in their oral reading fluency, but I feel part of that was due to the fact that I
may have set criteria that was too challenging. Since the start of my action plan, I have
progress monitored my class using a checklist. Those checklist items were achieved
higher than their previous monitoring prior to before the intervention. I believe that all
this information combined shows support that by teaching pupils the mental imagery
construction strategy and apply it in a reading classroom; you will see an increase in

student comprehension. This is said by Pearson Johnson, in Gipe (1991) Comprehension

processes and second language acquisition processes, although somewhat overlapping,
are also distinct, in my case, comprehension involves constructing a mental
representation from the propositional content for the purpose of understanding the
message. This means in order for a linguistic system to be developed through
comprehension activities, additional input processing must occur. Such processing entails
making form-meaning connections from the input, or focusing attention on new forms
and associating them with their functions or referents.
8.0

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

In the future, I plan to continue to use these techniques in my daily teaching. I will
continue to use mental imagery constructions reading strategy using the material we are
currently have in the curriculum or extra from reliable source. This activity truly helped
my participant. I would also like to continue to develop the vocabulary activities. As
students get older, they will read more content area passages. They need to be able to use
these vocabulary skills to decode words in science, sports and other text-based readings.
The reading level of those passages will oftentimes be above their reading level and they
will need these strategies in order to find success in these areas. I will use the booklet
method and small group sessions to reinforce student learning. These activities provided
students with significant growth throughout the unit.
Further research about imagery also should include a study of pre-service teacher
education programs with an eye out for instruction in imagery strategies. It would be
useful to study teachers manuals associated with classroom reading instruction, to see if

they include explicit imagery techniques. This kind of action research also needs to be
conducted on nonfiction text and how imagery techniques affect understanding of
nonfiction text. For example, as students picture events of the Malaysian Independent
day, thinking of how the uniforms looked, descriptions of the crowds, and the emotions
evoked as our politician and patriots fought against for our freedom, they gain a mental
picture that can help them connect to information about the event.
In sum, further studies need to be conducted on the use of imagery in nonfiction
text, on the documentation of specific imagery techniques, and on the results of using
explicit imagery techniques

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APPENDICES