Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction
Reading is the ability to recognize words and its corresponding sounds. Unlike speaking,
reading is not something that every individual learns to do. A huge amount of time, money, and
effort should be spent in teaching reading (Nunan 2009). Reading is a conscious and unconscious
thinking process. The reader applies many strategies to reconstruct the meaning that the author is
assumed to have intended (Mikulecky, 2008). Reading is one of the basic skills one should
master; it is a prerequisite for one to gain higher skills.
Comprehension on the other hand is an act of or capacity for grasping with the intellect
(Webster Dictionary).While most students recognize some letters, words, and sounds, most of
them fail to grasp the message of words they are reading. This was noted by Tytler (2010) if the
reading material is written in a language which the student is in the process of learning, his
comprehension will be limited. If the knowledge of the vocabulary is only basic and he speaks
in a halting manner, it will have a negative effect on his comprehension of reading material. This
is the primary problem language teachers encounter with their students, especially in the public
schools. Filipino students as Second-Language English learners should gain proficiency in
English to become more competitive.
Advocates of a strong English-as-medium of instruction policy have proposed that
Filipinos will best gain English proficiency if the formal educational system uses English as the
exclusive language of instruction for all subjects, or learning areas, except for Filipino
(Bernardo, 2009).
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According to Marquez (2009), reading is viewed as speech. Thus, a child must possess
both the aural skills and oral vocabulary to read successfully. He further stated that schools
should view a more behaviorist view of language than that of a constructivist approach
(Marquez, 2009). Furthermore, Tytler (2010) stated that a student should first be fluent in the
spoken language before he attempts to understand any but very basic literature.
The department of Education implemented the K to 12 curriculum, which is line with the
United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which is to promote achievement of universal
primary education through Education for All (EFA) movement and global literacy, implemented
plenty of programs that will help the learner develop their reading skills.
Summer reading camp and project D.E.A.R. are programs implemented by Department
of Education to strengthen the reading skills of the students and to remediate the slow readers.
The Philippines signed the United Nations-sponsored Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
These goals are targets which are to be met by 2015. For education, the MDG is that every child
completes elementary education (Grade 6). The Philippines is not meeting this goal.
Sadly, it is not even making any progress at all. For every 100 students enrolled in Grade
1, to meet the MDG, 100 students should graduate from Grade 6. In 2000, only 66 students of the
original 100 graduated from Grade 6 (Honeyman, 2014). According to the United Nations, there
are 123 million youth globally which (aged 15 to 24) lack basic reading and writing skills. Sixty
one per cent of them are young women (UN Organization, 2013).
The situation of the private schools, specifically, those which are located in the province
are not exempted on this alarming situation. Teachers too, experience and encounter difficulties
in the teaching of the second language, despite the effort exerted to match strategies to learning
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styles of students. To find out the gap and reasons for this, the researcher prompted to conduct an
investigation on the reading competency of the Grade 10 students of Our Mother of Perpetual
Succor Academy, one of the private schools in the Province of Marinduque, and Senior High
School Provider.

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to determine the competencies in reading and its effect on the academic
achievement in English of the Grade 10 students in Our Mother of Perpetual Succor Academy
for the School Year 2014-2015.
Specifically it sought answer the following questions:
1. What is the reading competency of the Grade 10 students in terms of the following:
a. noting details
b. getting the main idea
c. organizing idea
d. outlining
e. summarizing
2. What are the levels of the academic achievements of the respondents as to the following?
a. 90-above

- Advance (A)

b. 85-89

- Proficient (P)

c. 80-84

- Approaching Proficiency (AP)

d. 75-79

- Developing (D)

e. 74-below

- Beginning(B)

3. Is there a significant relationship between the students academic achievement in

English and their reading competencies?

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study primarily focused on the reading competencies Grade 10 students and its
effect on the academic achievement in English.
The study covered the 125 Grade 10 students official enrolled at OMPSA. The reading
competencies of the respondents would be measure in terms of Noting Details, Getting the Main
Idea, Organizing Idea, Outlining, and Summarizing. The research would use the respondents
form 138 A to measure their academic achievement in the English subject.
This research did not generalize or represent the academic achievement of the students in
all subjects but limited only in the English subject. The competency measured was limited only
in the reading skill in the English subject and would not be the basis for the comprehension in
our core subjects where English competency is the foundation skill for comprehension. Likewise,
this research did not touch other skills of English such as speaking, writing, and listening.

Significance of the Study

The researcher believes that this study would not only yield a data that may be helpful to
her likewise to the following groups of people in the field of instruction and even the schools
partners and stakeholders.
Schools Division Superintendent The findings may serve as a guide for Schools
Division Superintendent in planning a reading program that may help the schools with low
performance in reading comprehension.

Supervisors. Results of this research may serve a basis for the supervisors to conduct
seminars that would enhance the reading performance. It may also serve as a guide to develop an
effective reading program and resources.
Administrators. The finding of the study may serve as a guide for administrators in
planning activities that may help improve the students performance in reading and in the Entry
Assessment Test. It may also as guide them in procuring reading materials that may be effective
in developing the students reading skills.
Teachers. Findings of this study may greatly help the teacher in preparing activities to
suit the students need in developing their reading skills, and this would also help the teacher in
formulating an approach in handling the slow-readers/non-readers.
School Reading Coordinator. Findings of this study may serve as a guide in choosing
the proper reading materials that may help the developing readers in becoming an independent
reader; this may also serve as a guide in formulating an effective approach in reading
remediation.
Students. This study may provide clues in understanding the obstacles that hinder the
students from becoming an effective reader, and would serve as a guide in developing their least
mastered skill.
Parents. The result of this study may give the parents an understanding of the learners
reading development, help them in assisting the students needs in developing their reading
skills, and foster a strong teacher-parent cooperation.
Local Government Unit. The findings of this study may serve as a guide in allotment of
budget for the procurement of materials that may greatly help the students reading skills.

Future Researchers. The findings of this research may guide the future researchers on
the linguistic problems that individual students encounter in reading, and may pave way for more
researches on the field of applied linguistics and sociolinguistics and its direct effect on the
understanding of the language and its text.

Chapter 2
THE REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
This chapter presents a review of literature and related studies that have bearing on the
present study and are important in understanding the variables investigated in the study.

The Nature of Reading

Reading is about noting details, getting the main idea, organizing idea, outlining, and
summarizing. Noting Details is finding out what the text is about (Mikulecky,2008) and extract
some important information.
Anh (2010) argues that teachers must focus mostly on noting details in reading material
in order to provide significant information about the text. It is concluded in her research that the
respondents got the lowest points in noting details. It means that they had some difficulties in
noting details. Outlining is an effective tool in teaching reading. It was noted that there was
significant difference in grade of reading test achieved by the students after they had been taught
by using outlining technique.
Based on the result, the use of outlining could be an effective technique to improve
students reading comprehension (Perpus, 2012).
Summarizing is the process of shortening a material by retaining and re-stating main
ideas and leaving out details(Mikulecky,2008).
Students with low reading comprehension do not spend enough time on writing the
summary. Analyzed in terms of relating to the subject, student summaries were found not to
appropriately capture the main concepts and ideas of the text (Kirmizi & Akkaya, 2011).

Furthermore Kirmizi and Akkaya (2011) stated that in their research, when the summaries
were evaluated in terms of the code rewriting the main idea in students own words it was
found that the main idea paragraph at the end of the text was not expressed properly. It may thus
be concluded that the students were not competent in identifying the main idea of the text. This
competence indeed lies at the heart of text comprehension.

The Nature of Learning the English Language

English has always been a part of our educational curriculum, students are trained to be
competitive in the global market. The academics, policy makers, and policy implementers are
trying to involve themselves in both drafting and implementation of language related policies,
they recognize the importance of English in the Filipino society (Borlongan, 2011).
Intrinsic motivation is one way that could affect the students learning and language skill
development, especially on reading (Lucas, et al., 2011).They noted that freshman students are
intrinsically motivated to learn specific language skills such as reading and speaking in Second
Language, because they use it in conversation with their peers or as a requirement in a
classroom. Intrinsically motivated students appreciate learning English as a Second Language as
it would be their key to success in possible future employment (Lucas, et.al., 2011).
In the study conducted by Mojica (2011), she concluded that gender plays a vital role in
the usage of language, particularly Filipino. Males are associated with indecent languages and
females are identified with Taglish (Tagalog-English) language. Rivera (2010) refuted this claim.
According to her, gender and educational attainment of parents do not affect the reading
comprehension skills of the students. Furthermore, Rivera (2010) stated that its the attitude
towards reading, language preference among respondents, the parental follow-up and teachers

characteristics are important factors in enhancing the reading comprehension of the students As a
Filipino we are immersed by different languages.
According to McFarland (2009), there are over one hundred distinct languages in the
Philippines. Furthermore he adds that the variations of these languages are so different from one
another that the speaker of one language does not understand communication in one of the other
languages. Media and society play a vital role in vocabulary learning, which is basic in reading
comprehension In the study conducted by Miciano (2011), It was observed that Filipino Students
are good at reading for details but poor in reading for main ideas. Reading for details is a lower
skill because details are explicit in the text and is not a challenge in the readers imagination and
cognition. Furthermore, Miciano (2011), stated that the students weakness in identifying the
main idea suggests they do not have enough knowledge in abstraction or in expressing them.

The Link of Language and Reading

Learning a language is one of the complex processes a human has to undergo, it is a
systematic set of sounds with a set of rules, for the purpose of creating meaning and
communicating (Neuliep, 2008).
Upon the acquisition of language, one should also develop a reading skill. Reading is a
prerequisite to different language skills. Being an effective reader, one should comprehend the
text he/she is reading. Reading comprehension requires many different skills. It involves
understanding of the words, seeing relationships among words and concepts, organizing ideas,
evaluating the context, and making judgment of the message (Caballero, 2013).
According to Nunan (2009), context plays a very important role to reading, it helps the
reader in predicting the meaning of an upcoming word. Furthermore he stated that readers who
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are reading for meaning generate miscues that make sense semantically. A reader would
substitute a particular word without damaging the whole ideas of the sentence. For example, a
person might read It was a hot, sunny day, when the original text It was bright, sunny day.
In a research conducted by Chomchaiya and Dunworth (2008), the connection between
reading and the development of English language proficiency more generally was one which was
frequently observed, and appeared to be a factor that motivated their desire to read. Students
appreciate reading if they can relate the context of the text to their experience. Furthermore they
pointed out that participants felt discouraged when confronted by texts which contained too
much vocabulary that was unfamiliar or had not been internalized, even if it had been previously
presented to them in their classes.

Researches on Reading Comprehension

According to a research conducted by Cekiso (2012) he pointed out that a well-developed
reading strategy instruction programme can have a strong positive effect on the ESL learners
reading comprehension and reading strategies development. In other words, a readers reading
comprehension skill can greatly improve if a proper intervention is conducted. The learners in
the experimental group improved their performance in the comprehension test significantly after
the intervention, whereas the learners in the control group did not improve their performance on
the comprehension test. The results of the research indicate that reading strategy instruction can
and does make a contribution in increasing the reading comprehension and reading strategy
choice.
Gillispie (2008) argued that children with specific reading comprehension deficit (SRCD)
have higher level processing deficits, specifically semantic processing deficits. And according to

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Moges (2011) students vocabulary and grammar knowledge were seen as serious factors that
cause comprehension problem. Limited vocabulary knowledge is more likely to affect students
comprehension. Unless one has strong word power, he/she is likely to be limited in
understanding texts.
Middendorf (2013) acknowledge the powerful effect of midline crossing towards the
development of the childrens reading skill. She stated that being able to cross the midline of
ones own body (perform a cross lateral) is an important developmental milestone. Most children
who cannot effortlessly cross the midline of their body with an arm or leg from the other side of
the body will struggle with learning to read. Reading is a complex process that involves seamless
communication between both hemispheres of the brain. The left hemisphere decodes words and
the right puts meaning and emotions into it. Middendorf (2013) pointed that efficient readers
must visually cross the midline of the page as they track from left to right and from top to
bottom. A child who is unable to cross extremities of his or her body over the midline will very
likely struggle with tracking print.
Slavin, et al. (2009) stated in his studies that metacognition is important in treading. The
use of metacognitive strategies is related to age and experience. By middle school, successful
readers will have developed enough background knowledge, vocabulary, and experience with
both narrative and expository text to take the next step in their reading development. Skilled
readers develop the thinking skills necessary to grapple with the difficult text presented in
content-area classes, and to acquire the study skills needed to store, retrieve, and use information
after they achieve comprehension.
Erten and Razi (2009) acknowledge the positive effect of background knowledge and
cultural familiarity on reading comprehension. They maintained that that the students who read

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the nativized version of the story possessed relevant cultural background knowledge, which
reduced the cognitive load imposed by the complex reading procedures.

Students

can

comprehend well if they can relate their cultural background to a reading selection. Furthermore,
they pointed out that the students find it difficult to create mental representations of the
unfamiliar context, which prevented the economical use of attentional resources.

Reading as Skill
Reading is a very important macro skill in English but according to Lucas et.al. (2011), it
is also the most neglected skill by our students among the macro skills. But a lot of Filipino
students are still interested in reading. Social Networks such as Facebook, Twitter, multiply, and
my space can stimulate their desire to read and can be a helpful tool that might motivate the
students to read and use English as communicative language (Lucas, et al., 2011).
Cayubit (2012), argued that reading has two components, vocabulary and reading
comprehension. It is also a valid and reliable instrument that can measure reading skills. Cayubit
(2012) also stated that Filipino readers can do more if the items are in Filipino.
In a study conducted by Abeberese, et al., (2012). Incentive can be a powerful factor that
motivate the children to read, students under the Sisikat sa aklat Reading Program were given an
incentive to read through the 31-day Read-A-Thon. During the read-a-thon, the program
significantly increases the propensity of children to read, causing 20 percent more children to
have read a book in the last week at school and increasing the number of books read by 2.3 in the
last week and 7.2 in the last month. The program also increased students scores on a reading
assessment, causing students scores to improve by 0.13 standard deviations immediately after
the program.

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Tabudlong, et. al (2012) argued that students who perform well in a cognitive test will
also perform well in a reading comprehension test. Furthermore, in her study, respondents who
were high scorers in the cognitive skills test continued to be high scorers in the reading
comprehension test, those 266 who were middle scorers in the cognitive skills test continued to
be middle scorers in the reading comprehension test and those who were low scorers in the
cognitive skills test continued to be low scorers in the reading comprehension test. Meaning,
there is high consistency in the respondents performances in the two tests.
According to Aquino (2012), in teaching English as a second language, one should not
disregard the influence in the bilingual literacy. Bilingual Literacy is promoted by DepEd
through the Mother Tongue Base-Multi-Lingual Experience(MTB-MLE).The bilingual literacy
program used in her study is only one of the many ways by which such a program can be
implemented. The two-day a week exposure to each language (i.e., Filipino on Monday and
Tuesday, English on Wednesday and Thursday) apparently is not an effective way to implement a
bilingual program judging by the relatively unremarkable performance of the BL group
compared to that of the two monolingual groups. Results suggest a need to provide students daily
instruction in both languages for bilingual instruction to be effective. Furthermore Aquino (2012)
encouraged the policy-makers and educators to invest in mother tongue based instruction.

The Taxonomy of Reading Comprehension

As cited by Tizon (2010), Dr. Thomas C. Barrette developed a taxonomy now popularly
known as The Barrette Taxonomy of Reading Comprehension to meet the needs of teachers
and instructional materials developers who wanted a systematic and structural approach to
teaching reading skills.

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The Barrette Taxonomy of Reading Comprehension classifies skills and orders to the
degree of complexity. In order words, the taxonomy consists of four categories, each one
designed to identify a discrete subset of skills as follows: 1) Literal recognition or recall such as
recognition or recall of details, recognition or recall of main ideas, recognition or recall of
sequence recognition or recall of comparisons, recognition or recall of cause-and effect
relationship, recognition or recall of character traits; 2) Inference such as inferring supporting
details, inferring the main ideas, inferring sequences, inferring comparisons, inferring cause and
effect relationships, inferring character traits, inferring about figurative language, predicting
outcomes; 3) Evaluation as judgment of reality or fantasy, judgments of facts or opinions,
judgments of adequacy or validity, judgments of appropriateness, judgment of worth, desirability
or acceptability; 4) Appreciation such as emotional response to plot or theme, identification of
characters and incidents, reactions to the speakers use of language and imagery.
A poor comprehension performance of the subject of the study was attributed largely to
lack of prior knowledge.

Implicitly, it was worsened by teachers lack of training as to

application of study skills and knowledge about recent findings on comprehension research.
Lack of reading facilities and materials and a well-planned reading program in the elementary
and secondary levels could considerably contribute to the failure of majority of the subjects in
the comprehension test.
The constructivist theory states that learning comes about as a consequence of the
learners experience and interaction with the world (Reise& Dempsey, 2002; Tizon, 2010). The
individual interacts with the world surrounding him and this experience leads to an increased
ability to perform in a particular way. Recent surveys reveal poor performance of students
especially in public schools. Secondary teachers complain that there are still non-readers among

14

their high school students.

This question arises about what could be expected of their

performance when they go to college. Consequently, education that is aimed for may not yield
the quality desired.
Most often teachers are blamed for the low performance of the learners. Teacher-factor is
said to be a reason because a teacher has a great influence on the achievement level of students.
But it is not the whole thing. There are other factors that contribute to the achievement level of
the students. The home, which is considered the foundation of a child, has a great influence on
the capacity of the learners to achieve something. Parents are the first teachers.
A great number of Filipinos which sadly includes teachers and learners failed to really
grasp the total effect of reading in their day to day lives. Philippines brag about having the
highest literacy rate in Southeast Asia and yet the country cannot overcome the increasing
number of illiterate Filipinos especially those who fail when it comes to understanding what they
read (Tabudlong, 2012).
Jones (2010) enumerates the factors that affect comprehension. According to him, one of
the main factors that can affect reading comprehension is enjoyment of the material. Most
people find their comprehension level going down if the material they are reading is boring to
them, similarly, if the subject is amusing or interesting enough but the text is so dry that reading
becomes a chore, comprehension goes down again. On the other hand, when someone is
reading, something he finds very interesting, his comprehension level goes up because he is
paying closer attention to what it is being written, even if the material is not written that well.
Another factor that can affect reading comprehension is overall reading ability. Most
people who read well, also do better with comprehension. One reason for this is because they
are able to focus almost exclusively on what is being conveyed, rather than on trying to get

15

through the words that are being used to convey the point. For those that have trouble with
reading, trying to dig the meaning out of the words can become a chore so difficult that all or
most of their energy is devoted to simply getting the words to appear in their head, and then to
understand individual words or sentences rather than whole concepts.
Also, attention span or ability can affect a persons ability to fully comprehend what they
are reading. Thus, even of someone is at least mildly interested in what he is reading about, if he
finds after a few minutes that his mind is drifting elsewhere and he has to continually tug his
mind back to the text, there is likely to be little sinking in. It can be construed as a low level of
reading comprehension when it is, in fact just a matter of being able to stay focused on the task at
hand.
And finally, due to the innate differences between people, some are simply going to be
better able to comprehend what they are reading than others, even when given the same
background and amount of prior reading. While this may or may not be a sing of differences in
intelligence, it is generally considered to be as such when those people are tested on a material
that has been read.
So a poor comprehension performance of the subject was attributed largely to lack of
prior knowledge. Implicitly, it was aggravated by teachers lack of training in the application of
study skills and knowledge about recent findings on comprehension research. Lack of reading
facilities and materials and a well-planned reading program in the elementary and secondary
levels could considerably contribute to the failure of majority of the subjects in the
comprehension test (Tizon, 2010).
Borja (2009) bemoaned that a decline in reading comprehension is a decline in many
other areas. Beyond the job market, poor reading comprehension also has implications on an

16

individuals level of participation in society. Those who read more tend to involve themselves
more on current issues, cultural, political and public affairs. Proficient readers are also more
included to be active in community and charity work. They engage themselves in noble causes
and make better informed decisions. A decline in reading comprehension also affects a persons
performance in mathematics and sciences. To understand complex formulas and theories, one
should be able to read properly first.
In short, reading well spurs a person to do and achieve more, far beyond getting higher
scores in scholastic exams. Proficiency in reading comprehension means proficiency in other
disciplines.
Johnson (2003) pointed out that comprehension can be improved by teaching students to
use specific cognitive strategies when they encounter barriers to understanding what they are
reading. He added that comprehension monitoring, cooperative learning using graphic and
semantic organizers such as story maps, answering questions, generating questions, structuring a
story and integrating ideas and generalizing from the text are specific pedagogical techniques
that have been found to be highly effective in enhancing student learning comprehension.
Teaching a combination of these techniques is effective.
The importance of reading comprehension is emphasized in the education community,
however, everyone may not realize how important reading actually is. Although strong reading
skills can help students do well in language arts and reading class, that is only the beginning.
Students have to use reading skills in every single subject they ever study and in almost every
aspect of life. It is so sad to note that students who struggle with reading comprehension may
fall so far behind ins school that they have limited opportunities as an adult (Tizon, 2010).

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The K to 12 Basic Education Program adheres to the idea that English is one of the
learning areas that develop the learners confidence and ability to use the language to have
effective communication and critical thinking. This crucial tool subject develops macro skills in
listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking of pupils.
This study was envisioned to help solve the perennial problems on poor reading
comprehension so that in a little way, it would help in the attainment of improved achievement
and performance of the students of Our Mother of Perpetual Succor Academy.

Conceptual Framework
The objective of this study was to find out the relationship between a students reading
competency level and the academic performance in English, if reading competency plays a big
factor in the students academic performance.
The researcher believed that not all students who belong to the beginning level are slow
readers as the English language is divided into different competency.
In the K to 12 curriculum, English language is divided into the following competencies,
reading, speaking, listening, writing, literature, grammar, and viewing . Language reading
comprehension can be a problematic process and that many learners experience considerable
difficulties in developing their expertise in reading.
The reasons for this are numerous and include issues with first language reading ability,
low level decoding skills, lack of cultural knowledge of the material, lack of motivation to learn,
lack of diversity in teaching materials, over- dependence on the teacher and a concomitant lack
of learner autonomy, lack of opportunities to read and inadequate exposure to reading materials.

18

Classroom pedagogies can also impact on reading (Chomchaiya & Dunworth, 2008). The
student needs experience in an area, before he can fully grasp the significance of an article or
book on a specific topic (Tytler, 2010). In a 2007 interview about the reason for below mastery
levels in the National Achievement Test (NAT), Dr. Yolanda Quijano, head of the DepEds
Bureau of Elementary Education, attributed reading problems as the main culprit for the poor
performance of some students in the NAT(The Philippine Star, 2010).
The Philippines is among the many nations that have reformed their curricula to improve
basic education and to meet the challenges of the 21st century (Plata, 2011). Though we are one
of the best English-speakers in Asia, but English is only used as a second language and hence,
according to Mickulecky (2008).
The reader applies many strategies to reconstruct the meaning that the author is assumed
to have intended.

The reader does this by comparing Readers first language and mental

schemata, however, determine what they notice in a text and how they apply the mental schemata
to that information, and second language readers mental schemata are based on their first
language and cultural background.
This means that what second-language readers notice in the text and how they interpret it
will vary due to differing expectations about language structure and cultural attitudes toward
literacy (Mikulecky, 2008).
Independent Variables

Dependent Variables
a. 90-above
b. 85-89
c. 80-84

Reading Competencies
Noting details
Getting the main idea
Organizing idea
Outlining
Summarizing

Figure 1.
The
Research
Paradigm

- Advance (A)
- Proficient (P)
- Approaching
Proficiency (AP)
d. 75-79
- Developing (D)
e. 74-below - Beginning(B)

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Figure 1 shows the research paradigm of the study. The first frame contains the
independent variables of the study which include the reading competencies of the Grade 10
students such as noting details, getting the main idea, organizing idea, outlining, and
summarizing. The second frame presents the dependent variables of the study which include the
achievement rating of the Grade 10 students in the English subject generated from the schools
Form 138 or progress report card that made use of the descriptive and numerical grades. The
arrow that points from the first frame to the second frame connotes the significant difference
between the variables being investigated.

Research Hypotheses
The research hypotheses tested in this study include:
Ha: There is a significant difference between the reading competencies and the academic
achievement of the Grade 10 students in the English subject;
Ho: There is no significant difference between the reading competencies and the
academic achievement of the Grade 10 students in the English subject.

Definition of Terms
The following terms are defined either conceptually or operationally as the case may be:
Academic Achievement it refers to the grade obtained by the Grade 10 students in their
English subject either descriptive or numerical as reflected in the schools Form 138 or progress
report card.

Grade 10 students they refer to the respondents of the study, whose reading competency
and academic achievement in the English subject were measured.
20

Reading Competencies as used in this study, refer to the measurement of different reading
comprehension skills such as noting details, getting the main idea, organizing idea, outlining, and
summarizing.

Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
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This chapter discusses the research design, the research locale, sampling procedure,
research instrument, data gathering procedure, and the statistical treatment of the data.

Research Design
The study utilized the descriptive method of research in order in obtaining valuable data
from the respondents. The descriptive method deals with what is designed for investigation to
gather information about the present conditions, status, or trend, and dealing with what are
prevailing (Adanza, et.al. 2009).

Research Locale
The study was conducted in Marinduque, specifically in Torrijos Poblacion, where Our
Mother of Perpetual Succor Academy, a private school is located.

Sampling Procedure
This study made use of total enumeration as sampling procedure of the study. The
researcher covered the entire population of the Grade 10 class at Our Mother of Perpetual Succor
Academy. The researcher believed that the number of the respondents was enough to gather the
needed data of the study.

Research Instrument
The researcher utilized a close-ended questionnaire adapted from the questionnaire of
Copino (2001) on measuring the reading comprehension of the respondents.

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The first questionnaire a reading comprehension test, it consist of 48 items in which the
following reading skills are measured: noting details (10 items), getting the main idea (10 items),
organizing idea (10 items), outlining (10 items) and summarizing (10 items)
In measuring the students academic achievement, the researcher secured a copy of the
respondents form 138 A through the permission of the school principal and the respondents
classroom adviser.

Data Gathering Procedure

A letter of permission was handed to Fr. Christian Regencia, the Director of Our Mother
of Perpetual Succor Academy (OMPSA), Mrs. Rosalinda S. Diaz, School Principal, upon
gathering the data and the usage of the classroom where the test was conducted.
The researcher sought the permission of the classroom adviser to allow the Grade 10
student to take the test. Upon the approval, the researcher gathered the respondents in a particular
room then discussed the procedure in answering the questionnaire.
The questionnaire was administered for an hour. Answer sheets were provided by the
researcher. It was retrieved and collected afterwards. The data gathered were checked, tallied,
tabulated, organized, and analyzed.
In measuring the students level of academic achievement, the researcher obtained a copy
of form 138A by asking permission from the principal, the respondents classroom adviser. Data
were analysed and interpreted.
Statistical Treatment of the Study
According to Copino (2001), Statement of the Problem No. 1 could be answered by
computing the mean scores. The scores in each area would be converted to mean percentage

23

scores by dividing the mean by the total number of items. The results would be placed in a scale
of five with twenty intervals from excellent to poor.
Levels of competence

Score Interval

Excellent -----------------------------------------------------------81%-100%
Above Average ---------------------------------------------------61%-80%
Average ------------------------------------------------------------41%-60%
Below Average ---------------------------------------------------21%-40%
Poor -----------------------------------------------------------------20% and below

Statement of the Problem No. 2 could be answered by getting the average mean of Grade
10 pupils total academic achievement from first grading to fourth grading in the English subject.
Their grade would be ranked based to the guidelines given by the Department of Education.
90-above

- Advanced (A)

85-89

- Proficient (P)

80-84

- Approaching Proficiency (AP)

75-79

- Developing (D)

74-below

- Beginning (B)

Chapter 4
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

24

This chapter presents the data gathered, organized, and processed statistically, and then
carefully interpreted to obtain information that would answer the problem raised in Chapter 1.
For organization purposes, tables are arranged according to the statement of the
problems. Each one immediately followed by analysis, discussion.

Table 1
Reading Competency of the Grade 10 Students
Reading Competency
Noting Details
Getting the Main Idea
Organizing Idea
Outlining
Summarizing

Mean
25.88
23.34
21.00
20.00
19.00

Grade 10 Students
Mean Percentage Score
86.27
77.47
42.00
40.00
39.00

Adjectival Equivalent
Excellent
Above Average
Average
Below Average
Below Average

Legend:
40.01-50.00 (81-100) Excellent
30.01-40.00 (61-80) - Above Average
20.01-30.00 (41-60) - Average

20.01 30.00 (41-60)- Below Average

00-10.00 (20 and below) Poor

Table 1 presents the reading competency of the Grade 10 students in the English subject.
Findings revealed that students score high in noting details with a recorded mean of 25.88 or
86.27%, interpreted as excellent, followed by getting the main idea with 23.34 or 77.47%
described as above average, next is organizing idea with 21.00 or 42.00%, with adjectival
equivalent of average, then outlining with 20.00 or 40% and summarizing with 19.00 or
39.00% described as below average respectively.
Data showed that among the listed reading competency, students excelled in noting
details and were above average in getting the main idea whereas below average in both
summarizing and outlining. Results revealed that the reading competencies of the Grade 10
students were not fully developed despite the fact that they were already in the last year of their
25

Junior High School level. Data implied that students got hard time organizing and summarizing
thoughts or ideals as skills because they lack in analzying thoughts, and thus they are not
analytical or critical thinker. It took time for them to analyze data and information precisely
because the understanding of the reading text was very shallow. Most of the Grade 10 students
could not read beyond the lines.
Findings suggest that students should be given lots of reading materials that test their
analytical and critical thinking skills to be able to them to learn how to organize and summarize
information.
On the other hand, data implied that most of the Grade 10 readers are literal readers and
with developing comprehension skills, hence they scored excellent and above average in noting
details and getting the main idea. Nevertheless, understanding how organizing ideas was evident
among them.
Table 2
Academic Achievement in English
Academic Grade
90-above
85-89
80-84
75-79
74 and below
Total

Frequency
10
30
60
25
0
125

Grade 10 Students
Percentage
8.00
24.00
48.00
20.00
0.00
100.00

Adjectival Equivalent
Advanced (A)
Proficient (P)
Approaching Proficiency (AP)
Developing (D)
Beginning (B)

Table 2 displays the academic achievement in English of the Grade 10 students. Findings
revealed that most of 48% of the respondents were within Approaching Proficiency (AP);
followed by 24% Proficient and the least was 8% within the Advanced level.

26

Results were attributed to the scores obtained in reading competencies of the respondents.
The biggest percentage and responses were the Grade 10 who were excellent and above
average in the first two reading competencies, these results were also associated with the 24%
respondents belong to proficient level. Conversely, below average results in summarizing and
outlining, were attributed to 20% students under developing. Meanwhile, none from the 125
respondents fall under beginning.

Table 3
Significant Difference between the variables
Reading Competencies
Noting Details
Getting the Main Idea
Organizing Idea
Outlining
Summarizing

Mean
25.88
23.34
21.00
20.00
19.00

Grade 10 Students
T-Value
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0.01

Adjectival Equivalent
Significant
Significant
Significant
Significant
Significant

Significant difference set to 0.05

Table 3 shows the significant difference between the variable investigated. Findings
revealed that all reading competencies were significant to the scores obtained in the respondents
academic achievement in the English subject. Thus, the affirmative hypothesis set in this
investigation is hereby accepted.

Chapter 5
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

27

This chapter intends to present the summary of findings as answers to the problems
posted in Chapter 1. The conclusions that have been drawn from the findings are also presented
in the same way and immediately followed by the recommendations.

Summary of Findings
This study attempted to describe the reading competencies and its effect on the academic
achievement of the students in the English subject.
It made use of the descriptive type of research to describe the present condition of the
variables investigated. It was conducted in Torrijos, Marnduque, where the research locale, Our
Mother of Perpetual Succor Academy is located.
This research used total enumeration in determining the respondents of the study and
utilized a closed-ended questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as mean, frequency, and
percentage were employed to describe the results.
Findings showed the following results:
1. The ability to note details was excellent; similarly, the skill in getting the main idea was above
average. Meanwhile, the competency in organizing idea was average. In contrast outlining and
summarizing skills were both below average level.
2. The academic achievement of the most Grade 10 students was Approaching Proficiency (AP).
3. The reading competencies of the Grade 10 students were all significant to their academic
achievement in the English subject.

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Conclusions
In the light of the findings, this study concludes that reading competencies are the bases
of academic achievement of the Grade 10 students in the English subject. Although this subject is
comprised of different macro skills, a bigger part of this involves reading comprehension
competencies. Thus, the null hypothesis set in this study is rejected and accepts the affirmative
hypothesis.

Recommendations
In the light of the findings, the following recommendations are offered:
Department of Education Program Supervisors and Authority in the Academe,
findings may be helpful in redesigning effective reading program that may help schools with
poor readers and poor academic achievement in English improve competencies and achievement;
School Administrator, results of the study may serve as an input in planning seminars,
enhancement trainings and programs that would help improved students reading competencies,
especially at Grade 7, to make them prepare to higher order thinking skills as they go the higher
grade level;

Teachers, findings of this study may greatly help them in the designing their activities to
suit the students need in developing reading skills. Likewise, this may guide them to give

29

special attention to the reading skills that need remediation and enhancement as it is deemed
important to develop the analytical and critical thinking skills of the students;
School Reading Coordinator, results of this study may serve as a guide in choosing the
appropriate reading materials that may help in developing readers to become an independent
reader, this may also serve as a guide in formulating an effective approach in reading
remediation. Likewise, school reading coordinator, may opt to make use of the so-called
Activities for Better Reading Comprehension (ABRC) which has been proven effective in
developing the reading competencies of students specifically in summarizing and outlining
skills.
The students are the primary beneficiaries of the study, results may provide help for them
to develop a passion for reading;
Future researchers are encouraged to conduct similar study treated hereto and results of
this may become their bases.

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