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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Literacy in the content areas such as science, history and math, requires that the

students are able to read and comprehend expository texts. Not only do students need

necessary skills to profit from reading content related materials, but also the students

need to know how they are going to actually read the text in order to complete an

assignment.

When looking at what it takes to be good reader and skills necessary in order to

succeed more in academics, it is important that every teacher is a teacher of reading

(Gray, 1925). It implies that all teachers need to be able to support readers as thinkers and

therefore should be aware of reading strategies to help them think within the content area

(Azevedo, 2009). All teachers should be familiar with the reading process and the

number of stages a reader passes through in order to become what research call as

literate. The content area teachers need to also focus on the different types of skills

needed for expository and narrative texts and then apply teaching strategies that promote

competent readers.

How to think through print how to use reading to derive meaning from content

materials is the essence of creating lifetime-learners (Vacca, 1981). Content area

teachers are in a powerful position to encourage or discourage their students ability to

learn though reading.


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Middle school/ secondary school students need to continue to develop additional

literacy skills beyond those acquired in early learning to read process, in order for them to

understand academic content available from text sources, communicate effectively,

participate in variety of communities, and negotiate in the world (Meltzer, 2001).

Coincidentally, subject matter textbooks are usually topic specific for different grade/year

levels, but often have a readability level that is more difficult than the designated grade

level (Walker,2004). This creates a discrepancy between what the students will need to

read and understand effectively in the content area materials. This discrepancy should be

a clear indicator that literacy skills, especially those for reading content materials, must

be taught in every subject.

Some readers continue to struggle with content area texts because the skills and

strategies necessary to understand these texts are not being modeled, and taught

uniformly in every subject area (Hirsch, 2003). Jeanne Chall in the early 1980s described

two distinct stages for reading: 1) learning to read, and 2) reading to learn (Chall, 1983).

More current thinking about the teaching of reading suggests that these stages should not

be sequential, but rather developed simultaneously throughout the learners K-12

experience. In other words, a learner should be provided with instruction in learning to

read and reading to learn at all stage of reading development. However, since children

may not always be taught to read to learn while learning to read and be provided with an

appropriate balance of narrative and expository texts given in the upper elementary

grades that includes an increasing amount of expository text therefore creating what

appears to be a slump in reading performance of students when they reach the fourth

grade. One leading theory behind the fourth grade slump is related to the change in
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reading requirements that take place between the third and fourth grade. During this

transition, the primary type of instruction has been based around learning how to read,

usually from narrative materials, and now as students enter the fourth grade they are

expected to read several types of information, frequently from expository texts, and they

struggle because the skills are not being taught to comprehend the text effectively. They

are now exposed to different and sometimes more difficult texts (Snow, 2002). It is

further suggested that the majority of our struggling readers can manage simple texts, but

the problem occurs when at fourth grade and beyond they attempt more advanced

academic texts (Hirsch, 2003).

The researcher wants to find out the common reading strategies employed by

content area teachers in teaching their content and to what extent do these strategies are

being utilized. Thus the researcher formulated the research problem : Reading Strategies

Employed by Content Area Teachers of College of St. John-Roxas

Statement of the Problem

The main purpose of this study was to find out reading strategies employed by

content area teachers of the College of St. John-Roxas S.Y. 2012-2013.

Specifically it aimed to answer the following questions:

1. What are the common reading strategies employed by the content area

teachers when taken as a whole?

2. What are the common reading strategies employed by the content area

teachers when grouped according to sex, teaching status and subject

taught?
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3. Is there a significant difference among the reading strategies used by the

content area teachers according to sex, teaching status and subject taught?

Hypotheses

Based on the statements of the problem, this hypothesis was formulated:

1. There is no significant difference among the reading strategies used by the

content area teachers according to sex, teaching status and subject taught.

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical foundation upon which this study was anchored draws mainly on

Schema and Cognitive Development theories of Jean Piaget, Richard Chase Andersen

and Lev Vygotsky, respectively. Also Jeanne Challs The Purpose of Reading Instead of

Reading for Purpose Theory.

Schema theory was first introduced by Jean Piaget. According to Piaget, children

construct knowledge from their experiences instead of just only amassing things into a

collection of isolated facts. Thus, what children can learn and can do is organized into

schemes which are aptly called groups of similar actions or thoughts that are used

repeatedly in response to the environment. This was later developed by R.C. Andersen.

According to Walker (2004), schema is a framework developed by the reader to label and

categorize experiences. According to this theory, schemata represent knowledge about

concepts: objects and the relationships they have with other objects, situations, events,

sequences of events, actions, and sequences of actions.


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The Cognitive Development theory of Lev Vygotsky underscores the importance

of society and culture in promoting cognitive growth (1962, 1978, 1979). This theory

provides as a perspective on how children view and interpret the world through their

informal conversations and schooling. It also posits that children can learn to perform

more challenging tasks when they have the assistance of someone more advanced and

more competent than they are. In addition, challenging tasks promote maximum

cognitive growth. Thus, it makes instruction in and mastery of subject matter knowledge

as the primary forces underlying cognitive growth. Further conclusion derived from

Vygotskys (1962) is that without instruction in subject matter areas, students cannot

develop insights about how their own minds work and therefore, do not develop the

ability to use language to guide, monitor, and control their learning.

The Purpose of Reading Instead of Reading for Purpose Theory formulated by

Jeanne Chall (1983) states that even though reading is taught throughout the school years,

there seems to be a critical pivotal point in reading development that takes place between

the third and fourth grades. During a transition period from third to fourth, there seems to

be this idea that students are no longer asked to read for pleasure but instead must begin

reading for purpose (Bowen, 1999).

Conceptual Framework

This study focused on determining the respondents profile as to sex, teaching

status, and subject taught as independent variables. The researcher tried to find out if
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these independent variables may be a contributing factor in the use of the reading

strategies in their respective content area. The reading strategies employed by the content

area teachers of College of St. John -Roxas served as dependent variables.

This study assumed that there is no significant difference in the reading strategies

of the content area teachers when they are grouped according to sex, teaching status,and

subject they teach.

Independent Variables Dependent Variables

sex

Subject Taught Reading Strategies

Teaching Status

Figure 2. A Schematic diagram showing the assumed flow of relationship among the
variables of the study

Significance of the Study

The results of this study will be very beneficial to the following group of

individuals:
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Students. This will be very useful to students so they can reflect on their skills in

reading at the same time they can make an inventory of their present skills in reading

comprehension. Also, it will help them tackle lessons in the content area that will lead to

mastery of the literacy skills, which is of utmost importance not only in education but

also as a global tool for competence.

Teachers. This study will make them aware of the skills, knowledge and

concepts they take for granted and which are particularly important for students to be

shown explicitly. Simply put, all teachers should know what is distinct about reading in

their discipline, and they should, as a matter of basic professional competence, know how

to make those rules, conventions and practices apparent to the students.

School Administrators. Their main function is to plan and make decisions

regarding the structure and make innovations in the curriculum and the school activities;

thus,they may use this study as a basis for planning and evaluating the content area

literacy instruction program for content area teachers.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study focused on finding out the reading strategies of the content area

teachers of College of st. John-Roxas. Data were collected using researcher-made

questionnaire-checklist on common reading strategies.


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The respondents of the study were limited to the teachers of the Basic Education

Unit of the College of St. John-Roxas for the school year 2012-2013.

Definition of Terms

To ensure the understanding of terms used in this study, the following definitions

were used conceptually and operationally.

Content Area - The content areas are the academic subject areas that constitute a

student's fundamental education which is usually taught in elementary and secondary

levels: Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Christian Living, MAPEH, TLE. Students

may have varying interest and talents across the core content areas, but they can expect to

study all three disciplines at least through high school.

In this study, it refers to the above mentioned subjects in elementary and

secondary levels in the College of St. John-Roxas.

Content Area Teachers refers to the teachers teaching the content area.

In this study, it refers to the subjects teachers handling the above-mentioned

subjects in grade school and high school levels.

Teaching Status refers to the status held by the teacher on the basis of

employment status and years of service to the school. This includes New Teachers,

Continuing teachers, and permanent teachers.

Reading Strategy refers to plans or methods that can be used or taught to

facilitate reading proficiency. These are problem solving tools that enable one to recall
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content, construct meaning from diverse texts, synthesize ideas across text and create new

understandings (Robb, 2010).

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter discusses literature and studies related to reading strategies of

content area teachers.


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When children start entering school, they learn our alphabet, then early words.

They learn pronunciation through phonics; they learn sentences, then paragraphs, then

small books and short stories. In about 4 th grade they move up, to chapters and texts.

Their reading skills are built around recognizing words, interpreting their meaning,

placing them in a context that largely relates to what they already know, and then drawing

conclusions about their significance (Templeton, 1995).

Students often are not prepared to tackle what is referred to as content reading;

that is reading textbooks that teach us other things, like science, and mathematics, and

social studies and other informative materials. These books contain pictures and texts that

go beyond illustrating the text; they contain graphs, maps, diagram and comparisons that

append the text content. In trying to apply their previously acquired reading skills,

students can become lost and frustrated in trying to learn information from written words

(Williamson, 2004). These frustrations leads to incomplete homework assignments, lack

of class participation and dangerously, to their abandonment of learning altogether.

This task is a challenge for content area teachers. While they may not want to

become reading specialists, they must acquire the skills to help students transition from

reading text for storyline, images and characterization into learning to learn from texts.

Richard Vacca (1981), an acknowledged expert in the area of content reading, responds to

teacher frustration that students just dont read assigned material anymore: Its not that

they cant read. Most choose not to, primarily because they have never been shown how

to explore and interpret texts effectively.

Learning to read is explicitly taught in the primary grades, but then reading

instruction changes and becomes more focused around reading to learn, which may
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account for the fourth-grade failure and creates a bigger gap for those struggling readers

(Hirsh, 2003). From this basic principle rises the need for complete content area literacy

program filled with knowledge that is gained from the literature on what is suggested

when teaching content area reading and the important role of teaching reading strategies

within content areas.

The influence of Kenneth Goodman on language education is marked by the

living legacy of his model of reading. It all started when he asked himself this question:

What happens when we read? such a question was thought to have been answered long

before 1962 when Goodman started his professional journey as a researcher and educator.

For during those times, the prevailing view of reading was based on the theory that

reading is a matter of recognizing their meanings and acquiring and understanding of the

text. Thus, in phonics-based approaches, the emphasis is on the application of phonics

rules in attacking words. Other electric approaches combined with phonics focused on

establishing sight word vocabularies and teaching skills for decoding word spelling

patterns and recognizing visual configuration. In addition to this, instruction involved a

focus on grammar such as knowing the parts of speech, diagramming sentences and

understanding phrase and clause structures among others. To put it simply, reading may

be considered as a series of word perceptions (Spache, 1964)

Despite the fact that millions of children learned how to read along with this

accented notion on the nature of reading, we are left to wonder what led Kenneth

Goodman to pose such question. Did he know something else and suspect that others did

not or was he simply dissatisfied with the known and accepted explanation of reading and

reading process? The answer is simple: the prevailing theory not enough to answer his
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question. In fact, theory did not fit reality (Marek, 1999). This drove him to probe further.

And when he observed children reading, he found out that they read in ways that were

incompatible with the popular theory. Word recognition did not seem to be the only, or at

times ever the primary skill they relied on in processing text. All these led to his

voluminous miscues studies which form the very foundation of his scholarly reading

model.

Description of the Reading Process

The reading process involves the integration of complex strategies, in order to

construct meaning in specific contexts (Walker, 2004). The reading process can also be

visualized as a cycle; before reading, during reading, and after reading. During the

reading process the reader is constantly making a connection with the text (Roe, Stoodt-

Hill, & Burns, 2004)

Students continue to build on those skills while developing new ones necessary

for the next stage, making this a developmental process. Every time a good reader

approaches a new text they engage in the reading process, before reading, during reading,

after reading and beyond reading. A successful reader will continue to use a variety of

skills in order to construct meaning of text (Pearson, Roehler, Dole, and Duffy, 1992).

Some of the skills good readers uses when they read are:

Adjusting the rate of their reading according to the difficulty level or the

simplicity of the text, or their purpose of reading.


Re-reading when necessary.
Asking questions or notations throughout the text.
Thinking about what they already know and using it to gain additional

understanding about the text.


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Make personal connections with the text, and


Interpret the authors intentions (Duke & Pearson, 2002).
Less successful readers may have some of these skills, but often do not know

when to use them (Vacca & Vacca, 2002). When students fail to use these skills

continuously, it has the potential to create more students who begin struggling with

reading. This problem led to an increase in interest for early researches such as the one

conducted by Jeanne Chall (1983) who noticed and created a belief that there are certain

stages a developing reader must go through.

This first state is the Initial Reading and Decoding Stage, which occurs between

the first and second grade and deals with word recognition and reading knowledge. Stage

two, the Automaticity Stage, occurs between second and third grade and is where a

gradual increase of text selection occurs. With this, more recreational reading is practiced

and less content are texts are used to enhance and strengthen good reading skills (Beers,

2006). Another stage that is directly tied to middle school students is the Reading for

Learning Stage. This stage occurs between fourth and eighth grade and where students

need to bring their prior knowledge to the reading and where they acquire facts (Beers,

2006). When a stage is missed, the reading process is interrupted and a gap is created

(Walker, 2004). Her research led to the concept known as the fourth grade slum which

takes a closer look at the teaching of reading and how it changes between the primary and

secondary grades (Azevedo, 2009)

The reading process of a proficient reader can be compared with information

processing; the long term memory holds those learned responses that have become

automatic or habitual while medium memory holds those learning and responses that are

based upon the particular reading act. They are the guesses (predictions) and
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confirmations made during reading. The short term memory, on the other hand, holds

immediate images and signals during reading.

Before the reader engages in the act of reading, he has three sets of information

stored in his long term memory:

1. Procedure for regulating the physical aspect of reading.


2. A language repertoire containing all rules and cues of spoken and written

language.
3. Meanings and concepts that have been acquired.

At the onset of a reading act, the regulating programs get the eyes to move and

focus on the material. Printed language cues in and around the world are selected for

making guesses and then stored in the short term memory. Prior predictions from the

medium term memory only aid in the selection of cues after the initial instance of

reading.

The selected cues are used to form perceptual images that are also stored in the

short term memory. The perceptual cues may be anticipatory rather than actual. Since the

proficient reader does not use all cues available, there is a search through his language

repertoire for known cues that might be useful to the present situation to the present

situation. These cues when identified are then stored in the short term memory.

The perceptual images and indentified language cues are then compared. A

decision is consequently arrived at to hold these cues in the medium term memory by

testing them to see if they fit with prior information (confirmed predictions and stored

partial meanings). If they fit the message has been decoded. At this point the meaning

(deep structure) is integrated with the other meanings, predictions are confirmed, and the

process is recycled.
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There are two places in the process where a decision may be made that he

perceived cues do not fit and that the message cannot be decoded. The first occurs after

the perceptual image and identified related language cues are compared. So the

perceptual image and the chosen cues are recalled. If there is no match cues are reselected

from the line on the page and the process repeats. If there is no match now, then the cues

are held in the short term memory and a second test is made.

The second place of decision occurs when the cues are tested against the semantic

and syntactic context developed through prior choices. If there is still no fit, the decision

is made to regress and to seek the point of inconsistency. If regression does not produce

decoding, the partial meaning, if any, is stored in the medium term memory. The reader

moves on with the possibility that the additional cues will lead to complete decoding of

the message.

Goodman has analyzed the responses of pupils reading orally and has hypnotized

as to the reasons for readers deviations from the printed text. He refused to call these

deviations error because the term implies something intrinsically bad or destructive or

avoidable. He preferred to call them miscues because an analysis of them reveals the use

and misuse of the available language cues by the reader. In addition, the analysis also

reveals the process by which the reader utilize available cues to reconstruct the authors

message.

A Psycholinguistic Model of the Reading Process

Goodman defines reading as a process of selecting graphic cues that signal

meaning, much as listening is a process of selecting auditory cues for meaning. Coming
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along with the selection of graphic cues is an active reconstruction of a message from the

written language. Reading then must involve some level of comprehension. It is cued or

miscued during the readers interaction with the written language. Thus, Goodman

supposed that the experienced reader can derive meaning directly from graphic cues

without translating them into phonemic cues.

The distinction is made among the aspects of decoding (deriving meaning),

recoding (translating letter patterns into sound), and encoding (oral reading). Decoding

occurs when the meaning of the writer is analyzed and understood, in other words, when

the reader knows that deep structure of the message as generated by the writer. Encoding

can take place only when decoding has preceded it. Recoding is a procedure whereby

only the surface structure of the message is perceived and changed into a different form.

A proficient reader does not use all of the signals built into the writing system just

as proficient listener does not use every facet of the spoken language. The reader

anticipates meaning and has it reconfirmed. The less ones thoughts about the message

have to undergo change during reading, and the fewer number of cues from the page one

needs for arriving at the authors meaning, the more the proficient he is a reader within

that reading situation.

Information Used during the Reading Process

In the guessing game which is reading, three types of information are used. Each has

several subtypes. They are used in reading simultaneously and not sequentially.

I. Grapho-phonic Information
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A. Graphic: the letters, spelling patterns and pattern of patterns created

through white space and punctuation. A word or suffix represents a

graphic pattern; a phrase or a sentence is a pattern of patterns.


B. Phonological: The sounds, sound patterns and pattern of patterns created

through intonation (pitch, stress and pause).


C. Phonic: The complex set of relationships between the graphic and

phonological representations of the language.

II. Syntactic Information


A. Sentence Patterns: The Grammatical sequence and interrelationships of

language. Thes---ed the ---s, is an example of a sentence pattern

common in English.
B. Pattern Markers: The markers which outline the patterns.
1. Function Words: Those very frequent words which, though

themselves relatively without definable meaning, signal the

grammatical function of other elements. Examples: The, was,

not, do, in very, why, but.


2. Inflections: Those bound morphemes (affixes) which convey

basically grammatical information. Examples: ing, ed, s.


3. Punctuation-Intonation: The system of markings and space

distribution and the related intonation patterns. Pitch and stress

variations and variable pauses in speech are represented to

some extent by punctuation in writing.


C. Transformational Rules: These are not characteristic of the graphic

input itself, but are supplied by the reader in response to what he

perceives as its surface structure. They carry him to the deep structure
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and meaning. If he is able to recognize and derive meaning from a

graphic pattern, he must bring these grammatical rules into the

process.

III. Semantic Information


A. Experience: The reader brings his prior experiences into play in

response to the graphic input.


B. Concepts: The reader organizes the meaning he is constructing

according to his existing concepts and recognizes experience into

concepts as he reads.
C. Vocabulary is largely a term for the ability of the child to sort out his

experiences and concepts in relation to words and phrases in the

context of what he is reading.

Skills and Strategies Used by the Reader in Reading

The primary objective in reading is comprehension. This depends on the

successful processing of the three kinds of information: Grapho-phonic, syntactic, and

semantic. There are, however, necessary series of abilities needed to make this process

successful.

1. Scanning: the ability to move from left to right and down a page line by line.
2. Fixing: the ability to focus the eye on the line of print.
3. Selecting: The ability to select from the graphic input those key cues which will

be most productive in the information processing. For example, initial consonants

are the most useful letters in words.


4. Predicting: The ability to predict input on the basis of grammar and growing sense

of meaning from prior decoding.


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5. Forming: The ability to form [perceptual images on the basis of selection and

prediction. The reader must combine what he seed with what he expects to see to

form a perceptual image.


6. Searching: The ability to search memory for phonological cues and related

syntactic and semantic information associated with perceptual images. The reader

brings to bear his language knowledge and his experiential and conceptual

background as he reads.
7. Tentative Choosing: The ability to make tentative choices (guesses) on the basis

of minimal cues and related syntactic and semantic input. It is crucial that the

reader at least use the least amount of information possible to make the best guess

possible.
8. Testing-Semantic and Syntactic: the ability to test choices against the screens of

meaning and grammar. Literally the reader says to himself: Does that make

sense? Does that sound like language to me? this involves the crucial ability to

recognize his own errors when they are significant. Readers who do not use these

two screens will tend to have low comprehension and will make little effective

progress in reading though they may become good word callers.


9. Testing-Grapho-phonic: the ability to test the tentative choice, if it has failed the

prior test, against the recalled perceptual image and to gather more graphic

information if needed. Note that it is only when the choice has been rejected on

the semantic or syntactic grounds that there is any need to resort to further

grapho-phonic information. A miscalled word is most likely to be recognized as a

mistake if it doesnt fit the meaning and grammar screens.


10. Regressing: The ability to scan right to left and up the page line by line if a choice

is found unacceptable on prior tests. This involves the readers recognizing that an

anomaly or inconsistency exists in his processing to date and attempting to locate


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the source or point of error and then reprocessing. This is the device by which the

reader corrects the errors he has recognized. A great deal of learning takes place

through correction. The reader teaches himself new strategies and new insights as

well as new words.


11. Decoding: When a successful, acceptable choice has been made, the reader

integrates the information gained with the meaning which has been forming. This

may involve assimilation of new meaning or accommodation or meaning

previously decoded, or both.

Expository vs. Narrative

Different types of text require the reader to use different types of skills.

Competent readers are able to adjust their reading style as they move from narrative to

expository content (Roe, Stoodt-Hill, & Burns, 2004). Both Narrative and Expository

texts require a reader to construct meaning while reading; however, narrative texts focus

more on the elements of story-telling. Expository texts often require the use skills of

comparing and contrasting drawing conclusions, and evaluating the overall text (Pearson,

Roehler, Dole & Duffy, 1992); while, narrative texts require such skills as: understand

theme, characterization, setting and overall story structure. Expository texts can include

magazines, biographies, newspapers, essays, technical documents and subject matter

textbooks (Nauman, 1995). There are a number of skills that can be used with expository

reading such as summarizing critical reading and questioning the author. Narrative

reading is grouped around novels, plays, short stories, poetry and folktales (Nauman,

1995). Narrative reading also has its different skills that can be used throughout reading

with include understanding basic structure of a story, such as theme, plot, setting, and
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character development, using graphic organizers, which assist with analyzing stories, and

synthesizing, which is the gathering of information in order to see the big picture

(Nauman, 1995). It is critical that teachers teach students the skills necessary to use for

different texts, and more importantly, these skills have to be taught in the primary grades

and continued on into the secondary grades (Azevedo, 2009).

Principles of Content Area Teaching (Jacobson, 1998)

Three principles, relating to teacher knowledge, beliefs, and practice about

content area teaching, provide a basis for the ideas presented. Good content area teaching

has a three part foundation.

The first principle is that good content area teaching depends on the teachers

explicit or intuitive understanding of sound educational theory. An essential component

of this understanding is the teachers belief that all students can learn. An essential collar

is the teachers acceptance of the responsibility to each one.

The second principle is that good content area teaching depends on the teachers

knowledge of, and interest in, both subject matter and pedagogy, and the teachers skill in

choosing and using effective instructional strategies.

The third principle is that good content area teaching depends on the teachers

commitment to ongoing learning and professional growth, resulting in increasing general

knowledge, and deepening understanding of good educational theory and practice and the

ability to apply this understanding effectively.

Teachers Role in Content Area Instruction


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Teachers have the right to expect that the text-books students used will meet

established criteria for considerate text. Teachers have the responsibility to use the

excellent features of textbooks efficiently and the obligation to intervene effectively when

aspects of textbooks do not mesh well with students needs. Both ethically and

practically, it is more important to concentrate on the responsibility to use textbooks well,

than on the right to expect that textbook writing will qualify as considerate for students.

We have much more power to control our own teaching than to affect the way textbooks

are written (Jacobson, 1998).

A skillful, thoughtful teacher can create a match between text and students even

when the textbook would be difficult or impossible for students to learn from

independently. The term text-friendly teachers captures an important concept about

good content area instruction (Jacobson, 1999). Teachers, not textbooks, are the key to

students learning. Teachers need to understand how to use textbooks as teaching

resources, without surrendering control of instruction to the texts. Teachers can intervene

between their students and the texts they use by providing instruction that helps students

to learn new vocabulary and relate it to their reading; to acquire, use, and remember new

concepts; and to develop methods of studying that enable them to become independent

learners (Dreher & Singer, 1989).

Factors that Affect Content Area Learning

Three major elements in the content area classroom that affect learning are

teachers, students, and texts. Each has the potential to contribute to learning or to hamper

it. There are things teachers do or fail to do, that instead of helping their students learn
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make it harder for them to learn. There are problems students face that may interfere with

their school learning. There are features of textbooks that make it difficult for students to

learn from them.

Factors relating to teaching are important at every point in students progress

through school. Good teaching supports learning, but inadequate teaching interferes with

student learning. If teachers do not have a sound understanding of the subject matter they

are teaching, if they are unwilling to put thought and effort into planning and conducting

their classroom program, if they do not care sensibly about all their students, or if they

give no time and attention to their own learning, they will not teach effectively. Their

students learning and enjoyment for school will be diminished. However through

capability, energy, care for students and for subject matter, and commitment to continuing

professional growth, difficulties that arise from inadequate teaching can be prevented.

Teachers have the responsibility to teach well.

Student factors affect their learning within any classroom, students will vary

widely in the amount and kind of prior knowledge and experience they bring to the task

of learning from textbooks.

Content Area Reading

Reading is the primary method in learning content area information. Within any

classroom, variations in students current levels of reading ability, prior knowledge,

interest in a topic, and self confidence as learners are likely to result in different degrees
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of understanding. Skillful teachers can intervene between the students and the texts that

provide content area information, to enable these diverse students to understand essential

concepts. Teachers can support students comprehension through direct teaching of the

content that provides explanation and expansion of the text; through classroom activities

that promote multiple readings of text and activities that promote multiple readings of

text and activities that engage students actively in thinking about text concepts; and

through the development and use of teaching materials, including the use of well-

designed questions, that lead students to recognize and apply important text information.

Acquiring and Choosing Instructional Reading Books (Robb, 2010)

In some school districts, teachers inherit sets of literature anthologies and trade

books, and they must use them whether or not students can read them. Being forced to

instruct with books that are too difficult for students has resulted in a practice wherein

teachers read aloud and students follow in their books. This strategy improved students

listening; it does not improve their reading because students cannot follow text that is

more than two years above their instructional reading level.

Difference between Reading Strategies and Reading Skills

Pearson et al. (1992) emphasize three important difference between skills and

strategies.
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1. Strategic reading means that when the learner practices a strategy, he has a

conscious, in-the-head plan for comprehending, whereas skills are used

without conscious planning.

2. As students use strategies, they become more and more aware of their

reasoning process as they make sense out of print; skills seldom involve this

kind of self-awareness.

3. The strategies readers use change with the purpose for reading and the genre,

while skills are not adaptable.

Good Content Area Teaching Builds Reading Ability

The clich that every teacher is a teacher of reading has been interpreted by

content teachers in light of the reading teachers role and responsibility for teaching

reading. Content teachers have rejected that role and rightly so they assume that there is

no place for reading instruction as reading teachers generally employ it in content areas.

There is awhole new strategy in teaching reading through content areas, a strategy that

draws from what we know about the direct teaching of reading but adapts that knowledge

to fit the structure of and responsibilities for the total curriculum in each content area.

(Herber, 1978)

The Role of the Teacher

The teacher creates the circumstances and conditions within the classroom that

support learning. in many instances, teachers direct the activities. Focus lessons, or
26

minilessons, are concise lessons that teach a specific skill. These lessons may use

modeling, that is, they may show or demonstrate for students how to use the processes of

reading or writing or how to use particular strategies that might help in decoding words

or constructing meaning. For example, when teachers read stories to the class, they are

modeling reading; when theyr write a group story with the class, they are modeling

writing. Many times, modeling involves the use of think-alouds, sessions in which

teachers share the thought processes they have gone through in formulating the meaning

of a text (Clark,1984).

The support the teacher provides while students are involved in any aspect of

reading or writing is called scaffolding (Collins, Brown, and Newman, 1987). This might

be questioning that helps students understand what they have read or modeling to show

students how to think through a particular piece of text or to learn a strategy.

As students become increasingly competent, the teacher begins to remove the

scaffolding and provides less and less support. This is what Pearson (1985) calls the

gradual release of responsibility. In other words, the teacher gradually gives more

responsibility to the students. This process can be observed in any learning situation. For

example, young children who learned to read before going to school learned in this way:

first someone read to them, and then gradually that person read less and less and the

children read more and more.

Foreign Studies
27

Over 20 years ago, Durkin (1978 1979) conducted a study in which she set out

to see what teachers did to teach reading comprehension. She found that teachers

followed a pattern of assignment giving. They asked students to read and then respond to

questions, but they did not provide students with instruction in the process of

comprehending texts. Durkin had looked at what teachers were already doing. Other

teachers began to explore whether reading comprehension could be taught, and if so, how

that might be done.

Dole, Duffy, Roehler and Pearson (1991) also conducted a related study and

concluded that comprehension strategies can be taught, and we know a great deal about

effective procedures for doing so.

Students have no trouble with decoding, but they dont understand a thing that

they read, this is according to the study made by Andersen, Mason, and Shirey (1984). It

was further found out that teachers made sure that students could decode every word in

the text. However, they found that comprehension did not follow naturally as a

consequence of students being able to decode every word.

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY
28

This chapter deals with the research design, respondents of the study, data

gathering instrument, data gathering procedure and the data analysis.

Research Design

This study utilized the descriptive method of research which according to

Locale and Respondents/Subjects of the Study

This study was conducted at College of St. John-Roxas in Roxas City, Capiz. The

subjects of the study involved all content area teachers.

The table below shows the distribution of respondents.

Categories Frequency Percentage


Whole 16 100 %
According to sex:

Male 6 37.50 %

Female 10 62.50 %
According to Subject:

Mathematics 4 25 %
Science 3 18.75 %
Social Studies 3 18.75 %
Christian Living 2 3.50 %
MAPEH 2 3.50 %
TLE 2 3.50 %
29

According to Status:

Newly-Hired 11 68.75 %

Continuing Probationary 3 18.75 %

Permanent 2 12.50 %

Research Instrument

A researcher-made questionnaire checklist was used as data gathering instrument

based on the questionnaire checklist from the Association of Supervisors and Curriculum

Developers (ASCD). The questionnaire was composed of two parts. The first part was the

respondents personal information and the second part elicited responses on the reading

strategies they employed in their daily classroom scenarios. A five point Likert scale was

used in scoring of responses.

Data Gathering Procedure

When the questionnaire was validated, tested and proven reliable, permission to

conduct the test was secured from the principal of the school. The test was personally

administered by the researcher making sure that the instructions both oral and written

were made clear; assistance and guidance were also extended by the researcher to the
30

respondents, after the respondents have accomplished the data gathering instruments,

they were gathered by the researcher. The data gathered were tallied, ranked and

interpreted accordingly using appropriate statistical analysis.

Data Analysis

The collected data was subjected to data analysis procedure.

The results of the reading strategies employed by the content area teachers

College of St.John-Roxas were interpreted using the following scale of measurement.

Value Verbal Interpretation

4.0 - 5.00 Always

3.00 - 3.99 Often

2.00-2.99 Sometimes

1.0-1..99 Rarely

0.01- 0.09 never

To determine the reading strategies of the content area teachers when grouped

according to sex, subject taught and teaching status, frequency count, Rank and mean

were used.

t-test was used to determine if significant difference in the reading strategies by

the respondents when grouped according to sex.


31

ANOVA or Analysis of Variance was used to determine if there is a significant

difference in the reading strategies of the respondents when they are grouped according to

subject taught, teaching status.

CHAPTER IV

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Descriptive Data Analysis


32

The interpretation of data was based on the following scale:

Value Verbal Interpretation

4.0 - 5.00 Always

3.00 - 3.99 Often

2.00-2.99 Sometimes

1.0-1.99 Rarely

0.01- 0.09 Never

Table 2 Reading Strategies Employed by Content Area Teachers when taken as a

Whole.

Mean Description
When taken as a whole 4.00 Always

When taken as a whole, the content area teachers always use the reading strategies

in teaching.

Table 3. Rank of the Common Reading Strategies Employed by Content Area

Teacher Based on Reading Categories.

General Categories of Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Building Vocabulary 3.89 Often 3
Making Connections 4.31 Always 1
Using Reading Tools 3.71 Often 4
33

Reading Comprehension 4.03 Always 2

The category of the reading strategy commonly employed by the content area

teachers is 1. Strategy in making connections; then 2. Reading comprehension strategies;

followed by 3. Strategy in building vocabulary and the last 4., the strategy in using

reading tools.

Table 4. Common Reading Strategies Employed by Content Area Teachers

Based on Rank.

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Relating the concepts and new knowledge to the 4.63 Always 1

situations and experiences of students.


Guiding students to connect prior knowledge to 4.56 Always 2

the new one.


Helping Students create mental or visual image of 4.50 Always 3

a word.
Organizing the lesson from the easiest to the 4.50- Always 3

complex.
Guiding students to get the main idea or key 4.50 Always 3

concepts of the lesson

When taken as a whole, the common reading strategies employed by the content

area teachers are: 1. Relating the concepts and new knowledge to the situations and

experiences of students ( M=4.63) which is interpreted as always; 2. Guiding

students to connect prior knowledge to the new one ( M=4.56), always; 3. Helping

students create mental or visual image of a word, ( M= 4.50); Organizing the lesson
34

from the easiest to the complex ( M=4.50); Guiding students to get the main idea or key

concepts of the lesson( M=4.50 ) all the rank three are interpreted as Always.

Table 5. Least Commonly Employed Reading Strategies by the Content Area

Teachers based on Rank.

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Using video clips and presentations to stimulate 2.69 Sometimes 1

thinking among students.


Exposing students to different types of texts and 2.88 Sometimes 2

reading materials such as newspapers, reports,

blogs, journals and research papers.

Making use of reference materials like dictionary 3.31- Often 3

and thesaurus to give meaning to the word.


Using the structure of the word like prefixes, 3.56 Often 4

suffixes and root words to give meaning to the

difficult word.

The least employed reading strategies based on the mean and rank are: Rank 1,Using

video clips and presentations to stimulate thinking among students ( M=2.69) ;Rank 2,

Exposing students to different types of texts and reading materials such as newspapers,

reports, blogs, journals and research papers ( M=2.88) which were both interpreted as

sometimes employed by teachers. Meanwhile, the strategy , Making use of reference

materials like dictionary and thesaurus to give meaning to the word is (M=3.31) and

Using the structure of the word like prefixes, suffixes and root words to give meaning to
35

the difficult word ( M=2.56 ) which ranked 3rd and 4th in the least employed reading

strategies respectively, both are interpreted as often.

Table 6 Reading Strategies Employed by the Content Area Teachers when

Grouped according to Sex.

When taken as according to sex Mean Description


Male 3.92 Often
Female 4.04 Always

When taken according to sex, male got the mean of 3.92 which is interpreted as

often and female got the mean of 4.04 , which means that female teachers always

employ the reading strategies when they teach.

Table 7 Rank of the Common Reading Strategies Employed by the Male Content

Area Teacher Based on Reading Categories

General Categories of Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Building Vocabulary 3.67 Often 3
Making Connections 4.23 Always 1
Using Reading Tools 3.56 Often 4
Reading Comprehension 4.10 Always 2
36

Based on the reading categories, the male content area teachers employ

reading strategies on making connections ( M=4.23) Rank 1; Rank 2 is reading

comprehension strategies ( M= 4.10); Rank 3 is vocabulary building strategies (M=3.67);

and last is rank 4, strategies using reading tools ( M= 3.56). making connections and

reading comprehension strategies are Always while building vocabulary and using

reading tools strategies as Often used.

Table 8 Common Reading Strategies Employed by Male Content Area

Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Helping students create mental or visual image of 4.67 Always 1

a word..
Guiding students to connect prior knowledge to 4.67 Always 1

the new one.


Relating new knowledge to the experiences of 4.67 Always 1

students
Asking questions after the students read to help 4.67- Always 1

shape their thinking for the reminder of the

reading
Guiding students to get the main idea or key 4.67 Always 1

concepts of the lesson

The most common reading strategies employed by male content area teachers

are: Helping students create a visual image of a word; guiding students to connect prior

knowledge to the new one; relating new knowledge to the experiences of students; asking

questions after the students read to help shape their thinking for the remainder of the
37

reading and guiding students to get the main idea or key concepts of the lesson. All of

these have the same mean ( M=4.67) and these strategies are Always employed by the

male teachers. All the above strategies are Always used by male content area

teachers.

Table 9 Least Commonly Employed Reading Strategies by the Male

Content Area Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Using video clips and presentations to stimulate 2.00 - sometimes 1

thinking among students.

Exposing students to different types of texts and 2.50 sometimes 2

reading materials such as newspapers, reports,

blogs, journals and research papers.


Using the structure of the word like 2.58 sometimes 3

prefixes, suffixes and root words to give meaning

to the difficult word.

Table 9 presents the least used strategies of male content area teachers.

Rank 1 as the least used strategy is using video clips and presentations to stimulate

thinking among students( M=2.00); then rank 2 ,exposing students to different types of

texts and reading materials such as newspaper, reports, blogs, journals and research paper

( M=2.50) and rank 3, using the structure of the word like prefixes,suffixes and root

words to give meaning to the difficult word ( M=2.58). These strategies are sometimes

employed by male content area teachers.


38

Table 10 Rank of the Common Reading Strategies Employed by the

Female Content Area Teacher Based on Reading Categories.

General Categories of Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Building Vocabulary 4.20 Always 2
Making Connections 4.36 Always 1
Using Reading Tools 3.80 Often 4
Reading Comprehension 4.04 Always 3

The reading categories most commonly employed by female content area

teachers are: Rank 1 , making connections ( M=4.36); Rank 2, building vocabulary

( M=4.20); Rank 3, reading comprehension strategies ( M=4.04). The three reading

categories are Always used by female content area teachers and Rank 4 is using reading

tools ( M=3.80) which is interpreted as Often used by female content area teachers.

Table 11 Common Reading Strategies Employed by Female Content Area

Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Helping Students create mental or visual image of 4.60 Always 1

a word..
Organizing the lesson from the easiest to the 4.60 Always 1

complex.
Identifying the meaning of the word based on the 4.50 Always 2

context or on how it is used in the sentence.


Activating students prior knowledge before 4.40- Always 3

presenting new concepts or topics.


Guiding students to get the main idea or key 4.40 Always 3

concepts of the lesson


39

Making students summarize the lesson or topic. 4.40 Always 3

The table shows the common reading strategies employed by female

respondents. Rank 1 are: helping students create mental or visual image of a word and

organizing the lesson from the easiest to the complex both have a mean of 4.60 which

mean that these strategies are always used by female teachers.Rank 2 is identifying the

meaning of the wordbased on the context or on how it is used in the sentence ( M=4.50)

which is always used strategy. Rank 3 are: activating students prior knowledge before

presenting new concepts or topics, guiding students to get the main idea of key concepts

of the lesson and making students summarize the lesson or the topic ( M=4.40). These

strategies are also Always used by the female content area teachers.

Table 12 Least Commonly Employed Reading Strategies by the Female Content

Area Teachers based on Rank

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Exposing students to different types of texts and 3.10 Often 1

reading materials such as newspapers, reports,

blogs, journals and research papers.

Using video clips and presentations to stimulate 3.10 Often 1

thinking among students.


Making use of reference materials like 3.50- Often 2

dictionary and thesaurus to give meaning to the


40

word

The least employed reading strategies are: Rank 1 exposing students to different

types of texts and reading materials such as newspapers, reports, blogs, journals and

research papers and using video clips and presentations to stimulate thinking among

students , both with a mean of 3.10 which is often used by the female respondents. Rank

2 is Making use of reference materials like dictionary and thesaurus to give meaning to

the word ( M=3.50) which is interpreted as Often employed.

Table 13 Reading strategies Employed by the Content Area Teachers when Grouped

according to Subject Taught.

When taken as according Mean Description Rank

to Subject Taught
Math 3.61 Often 6
Science 4.35 Always 2
AP/HEKASI 4.15 Always 3
CL 4.00 Always 4
MAPEH 4.52 Always 1
TLE 3.56 Often 5

When the respondents are grouped according to subjects taught, MAPEH

teachers have the highest mean ( M=4.52) Rank 1, followed by Science teachers

( M=4.35) Rank 2, then, AP/HEKASI teachers (M=4.15) Rank 3, Christian Living

teachers CL ( 4.00) Rank 4. The results show that MAPEH,Science,AP/HEKASI and CL

teachers Always employ the reading strategies. While the TLE /HELE teachers have a
41

mean of 3.56 Rank 5 and the last are the MATH teachers( M=3.61) Rank 6 which mean

that TLE and Math teachers Often use the reading strategies.

Table 14 Rank of the Common Reading Strategies Employed by Math

Content Area Teachers Based on Reading Categories.

General Categories of Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Building Vocabulary 3.2 Often 4
Making Connections 3.95 Often 1
Using Reading Tools 3.25 Often 3
Developing Reading Comprehension Skills 3.85 Often 2

When taken according to general reading categories, Math teachers

often use Strategies in making connection Rank 1, M=3.95; Rank 2 is developing

reading comprehension skills ( M=3.85), Rank 3 is using reading tools (M=3.25) and the

last is building vocabulary M=3.20 which are also interpreted as Often employed

reading strategies.

Table 15 Common Reading Strategies Employed by Math Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Getting the main idea or key concepts of the 5.00 1
lesson.

Asking questions after the students read the 4.75 Always 2

section to help students shape their thinking

Helping Students create mental or visual image of 4.60 Always 3


42

a word..
Guiding students to connect their prior knowledge 4.50 Always 4

to the new one


Organizing the lesson from the easiest to the 4.50- Always 4

complex
Relating new knowledge to the experiences of 4.25- Always 5

students
Using guide questions and prompts that will help 4.25 Always 5

students predict or make assumptions about the

lesson

When grouped according to specific reading strategies, the common

reading strategies employed by Math teachers are: Rank 1, Getting the main idea or key

concepts of the lesson. ( M=5.00); Rank 2, Asking questions after the students read the

section to help students shape their thinking ( M=4.75), Rank 3, helping Students create

mental or visual image of a word (M=4.60) ; Rank 4, Organizing the lesson from the

easiest to the complex ( M=4.50); Rank 5, Relating new knowledge to the experiences of

students ( M=4.25); and Using guide questions and prompts that will help students

predict or make assumptions about the lesson ( 4.25). All the above strategies are

Always used by Math content area teachers.

Table 16 Least Common Reading Strategies Employed by Math Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


43

Using video clips and presentations to stimulate 1.5 rarely 1

thinking among students.


Exposing students to different types of texts and 1.75 rarely 2

reading materials such as newspapers, reports,

blogs, research journals,papers


Making use of reference materials like 2.0- sometimes 3

dictionary and thesaurus to give meaning to the

word

Table 16 presents the least employed reading strategies by the Math

content area teachers. Rank 1 is using video clips and presentations to stimulate thinking

among students ( M=1.5) and Rank 2, exposing students to different types of texts and

reading materials such as newspapers, reports, blogs, research journals,papers ( M=1.75),

bothe are Rarely employed by Math teachers and Rank 3 is making use of reference

materials like dictionary and thesaurus to give meaning to the word ( M=2.0 ) which is

Sometimes used.

Table 17 Rank of the Common Reading Strategies Employed by Science

Content Area Teachers Based on Reading Categories

General Categories of Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Building Vocabulary 4.41 Often 2
Making Connections 4.13 Often 3
Using Reading Tools 4.06 Often 4
Developing Reading Comprehension Skills 4.43 Often 1
44

Table 17 shows the categories of reading strategies employed by Science

teachers. Reank 1 ,Developing Reading Comprehension Skills (M= 4.43 ); Rank 2,

Building Vocabulary ( M=4.41), Rank 3, Making Connections ( M=4.13) and the last is

using reading tools ( M=4.06) Rank 4. Al;l these are Often used by Science content

area teachers.

Table 18 Common Reading Strategies Employed by Science Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Using the structure of the word like prefixes, 5.00 Always 1

suffixes and root words to give meaning to the

difficult word.
Making students summarize the lesson or topic 5.00 Always 1
Providing opportunities for students to make 4.67 Always 2

generalizations
Using pictures, diagrams ,concept maps and 4.67 Always 2

charts and other materials to facilitate effective

understanding of the topic.


Activating students prior knowledge before 4.67- Always 2

presenting new concepts.


Helping students to create visual image of the 4.67- Always 2

word.

The common reading strategies employed by Science teachers are: Rank 1,

using the structure of the word like prefixes, suffixes and root words to give meaning to

the difficult word and making students summarize the lesson or topic ( M=5.0) which is
45

Always. Rank 2 are providing opportunities for students to make generalizations, using

pictures, diagrams ,concept maps and charts and other materials to facilitate effective

understanding of the topic, Activating students prior knowledge before presenting new

concepts, helping students to create visual image of the word ( M=4.67) which are also

Always used by Science teachers.

Table 19 Least Common Reading Strategies Employed by Science Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Making use of reference materials like dictionary 3.67 often 1

and thesaurus to give meaning to the word


Exposing students to different types of texts and 3.67 often 1

reading materials such as newspapers, reports,

blogs, research journals,papers


Using video clips and presentations to 3.67 often 1

stimulate thinking among students.

The least employed reading strategies of the Science teachers are: Rank 1

making use of reference materials like dictionary and thesaurus to give meaning to the

word, exposing students to different types of texts and reading materials such as

newspapers, reports, blogs, research journals,papers, using video clips and presentations

to stimulate thinking among students ( M=3.67). These are interpreted as Often

employed reading strategies.

Table 20 Rank of the Common Reading Strategies Employed by AP/HEKASI

Content Area Teachers Based on Reading Categories.


46

General Categories of Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Building Vocabulary 4.53 Often 1
Making Connections 4.33 Often 2
Using Reading Tools 3.94 Often 4
Developing Reading Comprehension Skills 4.00 Often 3

Table 20 shows the general reading strategies employed by

AP/HEKASI teachers. Strategies in Building Vocabulary is ranked 1 ( M= 4.53) , Rank 2

is making connections ( M=4.33), Rank 3 , strategies in developing reading

comprehension skills ( M= 4.00) and the last Rank 4 is using reading tools (M=3.94). All

categories are Often employed by AP/HEKASI teachers.

Table 21 Common Reading Strategies Employed by HEKASI/AP Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Helping students to create visual image of the 4.67- Always 1

word.
Activating students prior knowledge before 4.67- Always 1

presenting new concepts.


Identifying the meaning of a word through 4.67- Always 1

context clues or how it is used in the sentence.


Providing time for students for brainstorming and 4.67 Always 1

buzz sessions for them to share insights to

stimulate prior knowledge and thinking processes


Making students summarize the lesson or topic 4.67 Always 1
Helping students create visuals and other forms of 4.67 Always 1

notes to show their understanding of the topic.


Encouraging students to make hypothesis or 4.67 Always 1

guesses or predictions of what might be coming


47

out of the text or lesson.

There are seven reading strategies that are Always employed by the

AP/HEKASI teachers with the same mean, ( M= 4.67): Helping students to create visual

image of the word; activating students prior knowledge before presenting new concepts;

Identifying the meaning of a word through context clues or how it is used in the

sentence.; Providing time for students for brainstorming and buzz sessions for them to

share insights to stimulate prior knowledge and thinking processes ; Making students

summarize the lesson or topic ; Helping students create visuals and other forms of notes

to show their understanding of the topic.; Helping students create visuals and other forms

of notes to show their understanding of the topic ; Encouraging students to make

hypothesis or guesses or predictions of what might be coming out of the text or lesson.

Table 22 Least Common Reading Strategies Employed by HEKASI/AP

Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Using video clips and presentations to stimulate 3.33 often 1

thinking among students.


Exposing students to different types of texts and 3.33 often 1

reading materials such as newspapers, reports,

blogs, research journals, papers


Teaching students to evaluate their own learning 3.33 often 1
Allowing students to classify and categorize ideas 3.33 often 1

from the lesson.


48

The least employed strategies by the AP/HEKASI teachers are: Using

video clips and presentations to stimulate thinking among students; Exposing students to

different types of texts and reading materials such as newspapers, reports, blogs, research

journals, papers; Teaching students to evaluate their own learning ; Allowing students to

classify and categorize ideas from the lesson. They all have common means of 3.33

which is interpreted as Often employed.

Table 23 Rank of the Common Reading Strategies Employed by CL Content

Area Teachers Based on Reading Categories.

General Categories of Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Building Vocabulary 4.1 Often 4
Making Connections 4.4 Often 1
Using Reading Tools 3.36 Often 3
Developing Reading Comprehension Skills 3.95 Often 2

The Christian Living (CL) teachers employ the following strategies based

on categories. Rank 1 is making connections ( M=4.4); Rank 2, strategies in developing

reading comprehension skills ( M= 3.95), Rank 3 , using reading tools and the last is

building vocabulary strategies ( M= 4.1). these categories are interpreted as Often

employed reading strategies by CL teachers.

Table 24 Common Reading Strategies Employed by CL Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Relating concepts and new knowledge to the 5.0- Always 1
49

situations and experiences of students.

Helping students create mental and visual image 4.50- Always 2


of the word

Associating the unknown words to ideas and 4.50- Always 2


concepts that students have already known

Activating students prior knowledge before 4.50 Always 2


presenting new concepts and topics.

Guiding students to connect prior knowledge to 4.50 Always 2


new ones.

Asking questions after students have read the 4.50 Always 2


section to help shape their thinking.

Using guide questions and prompts that will help 4.50 Always 2
students predict and make assumptions about the
lesson or the topic.

When taken into specific reading strategies, the common reading

strategies employed by CL teachers are: Rank 1, relating concepts and new knowledge to

the situations and experiences of students ( M= 5.00) ; Rank 2 are: Helping students

create mental and visual image of the word ; Associating the unknown words to ideas and

concepts that students have already known ; Activating students prior knowledge before

presenting new concepts and topics ; Asking questions after students have read the

section to help shape their thinking ; Using guide questions and prompts that will help

students predict and make assumptions about the lesson or the topic. ( M= 4.50). They are

Always employed by CL teachers.

Table 25 Least Common Reading Strategies Employed by CL Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Using video clips and presentations to stimulate 2.5 sometimes 1
50

thinking of students.

Exposing students to different types of texts and 3.0 often 2


reading materials such as
newspaper,reports,blogs, research journals and
papers.
Using models,replicas,representations and mock 3.5 often 2

ups in presenting concepts or ideas

The least employed reading strategies employed by the CL teachers

based on table 23 are: Rank 1 Using video clips and presentations to stimulate thinking of

students ( M= 2.50) which is sometimes employed ; Rank 2 , Exposing students to

different types of texts and reading materials such as newspaper,reports,blogs, research

journals and papers and Using models,replicas,representations and mock upsin presenting

concepts or ideas ( M= 3.5) which is Often employed reading strategies.

Table 26 Rank of the Common Reading Strategies Employed by MAPEH

Content Area Teachers Based on Reading Categories.

General Categories of Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Building Vocabulary 4.6 Always 2
Making Connections 4.7 Always 1
Using Reading Tools 4.25 Always 4
Developing Reading Comprehension Skills 4.55 Always 3

MAPEH teachers employ strategies in making connections as Rank 1

among the categories of reading strategies (M-= 4.7) ; Rank 2 Building Vocabulary

( M=4.60) ; Rank 3 developing reading comprehension skills ( M= 4.55) and the last is

Using reading tools, rank 4 (M= 4.25). They are all Always employed by MAPEH

teachers.
51

Table 27 Common Reading Strategies Employed by MAPEH Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Organizing lessons by clarifying simple ideas first 5.0- Always 1
then proceeding to the complex.

Getting the main idea or key concepts of the 5.0- Always 1


lesson.

Allowing students to categorize ideas: main ideas 5.0- Always 1


and supporting ideas.

Using pictures ,diagrams, concept maps and 5.0- Always 1


charts and other materials to facilitate effective
understanding of the topic.

Using models,replicas,representations and mock 5.0- Always 1


upsin presenting concepts or ideas

Asking questions after students have read the 5.0- Always 1


section to help shape their thinking.

Using talk aloud and think aloud strategies to 5.0- Always 1


facilitate comprehension and full understanding
of the topic.

The common reading strategies employed by MAPEH teachers are:

Rank 1 with mean of ( M=5.0) Organizing lessons by clarifying simple ideas first then

proceeding to the complex; Getting the main idea or key concepts of the lesson ;

Allowing students to categorize ideas: main ideas and supporting ideas ; Using pictures

,diagrams, concept maps and charts and other materials to facilitate effective

understanding of the topic ; Using models,replicas,representations and mock upsin

presenting concepts or ideas ; Asking questions after students have read the section to

help shape their thinking ; Using talk aloud and think aloud strategies to facilitate

comprehension and full understanding of the topic.


52

Table 28 Least Common Reading Strategies Employed by MAPEH

Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Exposing students to different types of texts and 2.5 sometimes 1
reading materials such as newspaper ,reports,
blogs, research journals and papers.
Using video clips and presentations to stimulate 3.5 often 2
thinking of students.

Encouraging students to make hypotheses or 3.5 often 2


guesses or predictions to what might be coming
out of the text or lesson.

The least employed reading strategies of the MAPEH teachers are :

Rank 1, Exposing students to different types of texts and reading materials such as

newspaper ,reports, blogs, research journals and papers ( M= 2.5) which is interpreted as

sometimes ; Rank 2 are: Using video clips and presentations to stimulate thinking of

students and Encouraging students to make hypotheses or guesses or predictions to what

might be coming out of the text or lesson, with the mean of (M=3.5) which are often

employed.

Table 29 Rank of the Common Reading Strategies Employed by TLE Content

Area Teachers Based on Reading Categories

General Categories of Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


53

Building Vocabulary 3.2 Often 4


Making Connections 3.48 Often 1
Using Reading Tools 3.42 Often 3
Developing Reading Comprehension Skills 3.70 Often 2

The common reading strategies of TLE teachers based on general

categories are : Rank 1 is making connections (M=3.48) ; Rank 2, Developing reading

comprehension skills ( M= 3.70) ; Rank 3 , Using reading tools ( M=3.42) and Rank 4 is

building vocabulary ( M=3.2). They are all Often used by TLE teachers.

Table 30 Common Reading Strategies Employed by TLE Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Helping students create mental and visual image 4.5- Often 1
of the word.

Relating concepts and new knowledge to the 4.5- Often 1


situations and experiences of students.

Asking questions after students have read the 4.5- Often 1


section to help shape their thinking.

Using guide questions and prompts that will help 4.5- Often 1
students predict and make assumptions about the
lesson or the topic.

The common reading strategies employed by TLE teachers yielded the

same means of 4.5 which is interpreted as Often employed. They are: Helping students

create mental and visual image of the word ; Relating concepts and new knowledge to the
54

situations and experiences of students ; Asking questions after students have read the

section to help shape their thinking and Using guide questions and prompts that will help

students predict and make assumptions about the lesson or the topic.

Table 31 Least Common Reading Strategies Employed by TLE Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Making use of reference materials like dictionary 2.5 sometimes 1
and thesaurus to give meaning to a word.

Using video clips and presentations to stimulate 2.5 sometimes 1


thinking of students.

Encouraging students to make hypotheses or 3.0 often 2


guesses or predictions to what might be coming
out of the text or lesson.

Table 31 shows the least employed reading strategies of TLE teachers.

Rank 1 are Making use of reference materials like dictionary and thesaurus to give

meaning to a word and Using video clips and presentations to stimulate thinking of

students ( M=2.5 ) which are sometimes employed.. Rank 2 is, Encouraging students to
55

make hypotheses or guesses or predictions to what might be coming out of the text or

lesson ( M=3.0) which is Often employed by the TLE teachers.

Table 32 Reading Strategies Employed by the Content Area Teachers

when Grouped according to Teaching Status

When taken as according to Mean Description

teaching status:
Permanent 3.83 Often
Continuing- Probationary 4.05 Always
Newly Hired 4.01 Always

When grouped according to teaching status, the reading strategies are

Often employed by permanent faculty ( M= 3.83) ; Always employed by continuing

probationary teachers ( M= 4.05) and newly-hired teachers ( M=4.01).

Table 33 Rank of the Common Reading Strategies Employed by

Permanent Teachers Based on Reading Categories.

General Categories of Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Building Vocabulary 3.4 Often 4
Making Connections 4.4 Always 1
Using Reading Tools 3.17 Often 3
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Developing Reading Comprehension Skills 4.17 Always 2

Permanent teachers employed the following reading strategies based on

reading categories. Rank 1 is making connections ( M= 4.4) ; Rank 2 is developing

reading comprehension skills ( M= 4.17) which are Always employed by permanent

teachers which Rank 3 and 4 are Often employed , Using reading tools and building

vocabulary respectively.

Table 34 Common Reading Strategies Employed by Permanent Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Guiding students to connect prior knowledge to 5.0- Always 1
new ones

Helping students create mental and visual image 4.5- Always 2


of the word

Activating students prior knowledge before 4.5- Always 2


presenting new concepts and topics.

Asking questions after students have read the 4.5- Always 2


section to help shape their thinking.

Organizing lessons by clarifying simple ideas first 4.5- Always 2


then proceeding to the complex.

Getting the main idea or key concepts of the 4.5- Always 2


lesson.

Allowing students to categorize ideas: main ideas 4.5- Always 2


and supporting ideas.

Teaching students to compare and contrast and 4.5- Always 2


using analogy of concepts and ideas.

Providing opportunities for students to share their 4.5- Always 2


insights and make generalizations about the topic
or lesson.

Making students summarize the lesson or topic 4.5- Always 2


57

Table 34 shows the common reading strategies employed by permanent teachers.

Rank 1 is, Guiding students to connect prior knowledge to new ones ( M=5.0) ; Rank 2

are: Helping students create mental and visual image of the word ; Activating students

prior knowledge before presenting new concepts and topics ; Asking questions after

students have read the section to help shape their thinking ; Organizing lessons by

clarifying simple ideas first then proceeding to the complex. ; Getting the main idea or

key concepts of the lesson ; Allowing students to categorize ideas: main ideas and

supporting ideas ; Teaching students to compare and contrast and using analogy of

concepts and ideas ; Providing opportunities for students to share their insights and make

generalizations about the topic or lesson and Making students summarize the lesson or

topic with the mean of 4.5, which means that they are also Always employed by the

permanent teachers.

Table 35 Least Common Reading Strategies Employed by Permanent

Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Exposing students to different types of texts and 1.0 rarely 1
reading materials such as newspaper, reports,
blogs, research journals and papers.
Using video clips and presentations to stimulate 2.0 sometimes 2
thinking of students.

Making use of reference materials like dictionary 2.0 sometimes 2


and thesaurus to give meaning to a word.
58

The least common employed reading strategies of the permanent teachers

are: Rank 1 is Exposing students to different types of texts and reading materials such as

newspaper, reports, blogs, research journals and papers ( M=1.0) which is rarely

employed and Rank 2 with the mean of 2.0 which are sometimes employed , Using video

clips and presentations to stimulate thinking of students and Making use of reference

materials like dictionary and thesaurus to give meaning to a word.

Table 36 Rank of the Common Reading Strategies Employed by

Continuing Probationary Content Area Teachers Based on Reading Categories.

General Categories of Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Building Vocabulary 3.80 Often 4
Making Connections 4.90 Always 1
Using Reading Tools 3.94 Often 3
Developing Reading Comprehension Skills 4.3 Always 2

The common reading strategies employed by continuing probationary

teachers based on reading categories are : Rank 1 Making Connections ( M=4.90) ; Rank

2 , developing reading comprehension skills ( M=4.3) which are both Always

employed. Rank 3 is using reading tools ( M=3.94) and Rank 4 is building vocabulary

( M=3.80) which Often employed by continuing probationary teachers.

Table 37 Common Reading Strategies Employed by Continuing

Probationary Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Using pictures ,diagrams, concept maps and 4.67- Always 1
charts and other materials to facilitate effective
59

understanding of the topic.

Organizing lessons by clarifying simple ideas first 4.67- Always 1


then proceeding to the complex.

Making students summarize the lesson or topic 4.67- Always 1

Table 37 presents the specific reading strategies employed by continuing

probationary teachers Rank 1 with the same means ( M=4.67) Using pictures ,diagrams,

concept maps and charts and other materials to facilitate effective understanding of the

topic ; Organizing lessons by clarifying simple ideas first then proceeding to the complex

and Making students summarize the lesson or topic. These reading strategies are

Always employed.

Table 38 Least Common Reading Strategies Employed by Continuing

Probationary Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Using video clips and presentations to stimulate 2.33 sometimes 1
thinking of students.

Giving meaning of the word based on context 2.33 sometimes 1


clues or how it is used in the sentence.

Making use of reference materials like dictionary 2.33 sometimes 1


and thesaurus to give meaning to a word.

Table 38 shows the least employed reading strategies are: Using video

clips and presentations to stimulate thinking of students ; Giving meaning of the word

based on context clues or how it is used in the sentence and Making use of reference
60

materials like dictionary and thesaurus to give meaning to a word ( M=2.33) which are

sometimes employed by continuing probationary teachers.

Table 39 Rank of the Common Reading Strategies Employed by Newly

Hired Content Area Teachers Based on Reading Categories.

General Categories of Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Building Vocabulary 4.02 Always 2
Making Connections 4.44 Always 1
Using Reading Tools 3.71 Often 4
Developing Reading Comprehension Skills 3.92 Often 3

Based on the reading categories, the common reading strategies employed

by newly-hired teachers are : Rank 1 Making connections ( M= 4.44) ; Rank 2 Building

Vocabulary (4.02) ; Rank 3, Developing Reading Comprehension Skills ( M=3.92) and

Rank 4 is Using reading tools ( M=3.71). Rank 1 and 2 are Always employed while

Ranks 3 and 4 are Often employed by newly-hired teachers.

Table 40 Common Reading Strategies Employed by Newly-Hired Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Guiding students to connect prior knowledge to 4.72- Always 1
new ones.

Making students summarize the lesson or topic 4.72- Always 1

Helping students create mental and visual image 4.54 - Always 2


of the word.

Asking questions after students have read the 4.45 Always 3


section to help shape their thinking.
61

Getting the main idea or key concepts of the 4.45 - Always 3


lesson.

The common reading strategies employed by newly-hired teachers are:

Rank 1 Guiding students to connect prior knowledge to new ones and Making students

summarize the lesson or topic ( M=4.72) which are Always employed ; Rank 2 is

Helping students create mental and visual image of the word ( 4.52) ; Rank 3 are Asking

questions after students have read the section to help shape their thinking and Getting the

main idea or key concepts of the lesson with the means of 4.45 which are Always

employed by newly- hired teachers.

Table 41 Least Common Reading Strategies Employed by Newly-Hired

Teachers

Reading Strategies Mean/Description Rank


Exposing students to different types of texts and 2.81 sometimes 1
reading materials such as
newspaper,reports,blogs, research journals and
papers.
Using video clips and presentations to stimulate 2.90 sometimes 2
thinking of students.
62

The least common reading strategies employed by newly-hired teachers

are : Rank 1 Exposing students to different types of texts and reading materials such as

newspaper,reports,blogs, research journals and papers ( M=2.81) and rank 2 Using video

clips and presentations to stimulate thinking of students ( 2.90) which are Sometimes

employed by newly-hired teachers.

Inferential Data Analysis

Table 42 t-test Result of the Reading Strategies Employed Content Area

Teachers when Grouped According to Sex.

Category Mean t-value Df Sig.


Male 3.92

-0.22 25 -1.96

Female 4.04
P 0.05
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Table 42 indicates that a significant difference existed in the reading

strategies employed by content area teachers when grouped according to sex. Results

yielded the t-value of -0.22 is greater than the tabulated value -1.96. The null hypothesis

is rejected, hence; the reading strategies employed by male and female content area

teachers vary.

Table 43 One way ANOVA Result of the Reading Strategies Employed by

Content Area Teachers when Grouped According to Subject Taught

Source of Sum of df Mean of F Ratio Tabulated

Variation Squares Squares

Between Groups 19.72 5 3.944

10.54 2.27

Within Groups 56.13 150 .3742


P 0.05
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The One Way ANOVA result shows that significant difference existed in

the reading strategies employed by the content area teachers when grouped according to

subject taught. Result yielded F-value 10.54 is greater than the tabulated value 2.27. The

null hypothesis is rejected which means that the reading strategies employed by the

content area teachers were not the same when grouped according to subject taught.

Table 44 One Way ANOVA Result of the Reading Strategies Employed by

the Content Area Teachers When Grouped According to Teaching Status

Source of Sum of df Mean of F Ratio Tabulated

Variation Squares Squares

Between Groups 2.23 2 1.115

2.57 3.12

Within Groups 32.55 75 0.434


P 0.05
65

The table shows that no significant difference existed in the reading

strategies employed by the content area teachers when grouped according to teaching

status. The computed value 2.27 is less than the tabulated value of 3.12. The null

hypothesis is then accepted. Hence, the reading strategies employed by permanent,

continuing probationary and newly-hired teachers are the same.

CHAPTER V

SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary

The study dealt with the reading strategies employed by content area teachers of

the College of St. John Roxas for the SY 2012-2013. Specifically, the study attempted to

answer the following questions:

1. What are the common reading strategies employed by the content area teachers

when taken as a whole?


66

2. What are the common reading strategies employed by the content area teachers

when grouped according to sex, teaching status and subject taught?

3. Is there a significant difference among the reading strategies used by the

content area teachers according to sex, teaching status and subject taught?

Based on the statements of the problem, the researcher advanced the hypothesis

that there is no significant difference among the reading strategies used by the content

area teachers according to sex, teaching status and subject taught.

The study was conducted in January 2013 at the College of St. John-Roxas Basic

Education Unit. The respondents of the study were the 16 teachers from the grade school

and high. They were grouped according to sex, subject taught and teaching status.

The data were gathered using the researcher-made checklist based on the reading

strategies questionnaire checklist of the Association of Supervisors and Curriculum

Developers (ASCD).

The date obtained from the study were subjected to appropriate statistical

treatment. Mean and rank were used for descriptive data analysis of the common and

least employed reading strategies by the content area teachers. t-test is used to determine

the significant difference in the reading strategies employed by content area teachers

when grouped according to sex while One Way ANOVA was used to determine the
67

significant difference in the reading strategies employed by content area teachers when

taken according to subject taught and teaching status.

Findings

The findings of the present study were the following:

1. When taken as a whole, the content area teachers always use the reading strategies in

teaching.

2. When taken according to sex, male got the mean of 3.92 which is interpreted as

often and female got the mean of 4.04 , which means that female teachers always

employ the reading strategies when they teach..

3. When the respondents are grouped according to subjects taught, MAPEH teachers had

the highest mean ( M=4.52) Rank 1, followed by Science teachers ( M=4.35) Rank 2,

then, AP/HEKASI teachers (M=4.15) Rank 3, Christian Living teachers CL ( 4.00)

Rank 4. The results show that MAPEH,Science,AP/HEKASI and CL teachers

Always employ the reading strategies. While the TLE /HELE teachers have a mean of

3.56 Rank 5 and the last are the MATH teachers( M=3.61) Rank 6 which mean that TLE

and Math teachers Often use the reading strategies.

4. When grouped according to teaching status, the reading strategies were Always

employed by continuing probationary teachers ( M= 4.05) Rank 1 and newly-hired


68

teachers ( M=4.01) rank 2. Meanwhile they were Often employed by permanent faculty

( M= 3.83) Rank 3.

5. When taken according to reading categories, as a whole, the category of the reading

strategy commonly employed by the content area teachers is Rank 1. Strategy in making

connections; then Rank 2. Reading comprehension strategies; followed by Rank 3.

Strategy in building vocabulary and the last Rank 4., the strategy in using reading tools.

6. Based on the reading categories, the male content area teachers employ reading

strategies on making connections ( M=4.23) Rank 1; Rank 2 is reading comprehension

strategies ( M= 4.10); Rank 3 is vocabulary building strategies (M=3.67); and last is rank

4, strategies using reading tools ( M= 3.56). Making connections and reading

comprehension strategies are Always while building vocabulary and using reading

tools strategies as Often used.

7. The reading categories most commonly employed by female content area teachers are:

Rank 1 , making connections ( M=4.36); Rank 2, building vocabulary ( M=4.20);

Rank 3, reading comprehension strategies ( M=4.04). The three reading categories are

Always used by female content area teachers and Rank 4 is using reading tools ( M=3.80)

which is interpreted as Often used by female content area teachers.

8. When taken according to general reading categories, Math teachers often use

Strategies in making connection Rank 1, M=3.95; Rank 2 is developing reading

comprehension skills ( M=3.85), Rank 3 is using reading tools (M=3.25) and the last is

building vocabulary M=3.20 which are also interpreted as Often employed reading

strategies.
69

9. The categories of reading strategies employed by Science teachers. Rank 1

,Developing Reading Comprehension Skills (M= 4.43 ); Rank 2, Building Vocabulary

( M=4.41), Rank 3, Making Connections ( M=4.13) and the last is using reading tools

( M=4.06) Rank 4. Al;l these are Often used by Science content area teachers.

10. The general reading strategies employed by AP/HEKASI teachers. Strategies in

Building Vocabulary is ranked 1 ( M= 4.53) , Rank 2 is making connections ( M=4.33),

Rank 3 , strategies in developing reading comprehension skills ( M= 4.00) and the last

Rank 4 is using reading tools (M=3.94). All categories are Often employed by

AP/HEKASI teachers.

11. The Christian Living (CL) teachers employ the following strategies based on

categories. Rank 1 is making connections ( M=4.4); Rank 2, strategies in developing

reading comprehension skills ( M= 3.95), Rank 3 , using reading tools and the last is

building vocabulary strategies ( M= 4.1). these categories are interpreted as Often

employed reading strategies by CL teachers.

12. MAPEH teachers employ strategies in making connections as Rank 1 among the

categories of reading strategies (M-= 4.7) ; Rank 2 Building Vocabulary ( M=4.60)

; Rank 3 developing reading comprehension skills ( M= 4.55) and the last is Using

reading tools, rank 4 (M= 4.25). They are all Always employed by MAPEH teachers.

13.The common reading strategies of TLE teachers based on general categories are :

Rank 1 is making connections (M=3.48) ; Rank 2, Developing reading comprehension

skills ( M= 3.70) ; Rank 3 , Using reading tools ( M=3.42) and Rank 4 is building

vocabulary ( M=3.2). They are all Often used by TLE teachers.


70

14. Permanent teachers employed the following reading strategies based on reading

categories. Rank 1 is making connections ( M= 4.4) ; Rank 2 is developing reading

comprehension skills ( M= 4.17) which are Always employed by permanent teachers

which Rank 3 and 4 are Often employed , Using reading tools and building vocabulary

respectively.

15. The common reading strategies employed by continuing probationary teachers based

on reading categories are : Rank 1 Making Connections ( M=4.90) ; Rank 2 , developing

reading comprehension skills ( M=4.3) which are both Always employed. Rank 3 is

using reading tools ( M=3.94) and Rank 4 is building vocabulary ( M=3.80) which is

Often employed by continuing probationary teachers.

16. Based on the reading categories, the common reading strategies employed by newly-

hired teachers are : Rank 1 Making connections ( M= 4.44) ; Rank 2 Building Vocabulary

(4.02) ; Rank 3, Developing Reading Comprehension Skills ( M=3.92) and Rank 4 is

Using reading tools ( M=3.71). Rank 1 and 2 are Always employed while Ranks 3

and 4 are Often employed by newly-hired teachers

17. The common specific reading strategies employed by content area teachers are:

- Relating the concepts and new knowledge to the situations and experiences of

students

- Guiding students to connect prior knowledge to the new one

- Helping students create mental or visual image of a word

- Organizing the lesson from the easiest to the complex


71

- Guiding students to get the main idea or key concepts of the lesson

18. The least employed specific reading strategies of the content area teachers are:

- Using video clips and presentations to stimulate thinking among students

- Exposing students to different types of texts and reading materials such as

newspapers, reports, blogs, journals and research papers

-Making use of reference materials like dictionary and thesaurus to give meaning to

the word

- Using the structure of the word like prefixes, suffixes and root words to give

meaning to the difficult word

19. There is a significant difference in the common strategies employed by the content

area teachers when grouped according to sex and subject taught.

20 . There is no significant difference in the reading strategies employed by content area

teachers when grouped according to teaching status.

Conclusions

Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn:

1. Generally, the content area teachers of the College of St. John Roxas most

frequently employ the reading strategies in teaching their content such as strategies in

making connections, developing reading comprehension skills, vocabulary building and

using reading tools.


72

2. Female content area teachers had higher extent of use of the reading strategies

compared to the male teachers.

3. When grouped according to subject taught, MAPEH teachers had the highest extent of

use of the reading strategies and the least extent of use of the reading strategies were the

MATH teachers among the content area teachers.

4. Continuing probationary teachers lead in the use of reading strategies followed by the

newly-hired teachers and the last were the permanent teachers.

5. Among the categories of reading strategies, the strategies in making connections and

reading comprehension strategies were the most commonly employed by the content area

teachers while strategies in vocabulary building and using reading tools were the least

employed.

6. The reading strategies employed by content area teachers vary when grouped

according to sex and subject taught. Hence, sex and subject taught were indicators of the

use of reading strategies.

7. When grouped according to teaching status, the reading strategies employed by

permanent, probationary and newly-hired were the same. The status of teacher , therefore;

was not a factor in the use of reading strategies.

Recommendations

Based on the findings and conclusions, the following recommendations were

formulated:
73

1. The need to constantly orient, train and coach teachers to use reading strategies must

be done by the school head and academic coordinators.

2. Special attention must be provided to the male teachers in terms of trainings and

coaching of the effective and consistent implementation and utilization of reading

strategies in teaching. Female teachers can be utilized to help the male teachers through

teaching demonstration and professional sharings.

3. The need to strengthen the faculty development program specifically the Math teachers

in the use of reading strategies. They must understand that math instruction must not be

isolated to solving only but also to understanding and analyzing details and concepts.

They must continuously attack comprehension skills and vocabulary building in teaching.

Also, Math teachers must explore on using reading tools so that comprehension skills of

students would be developed.

4. Since, the result showed that permanent teachers ranked last in the use of reading

strategies, it is strongly recommended that they be given more responsibility in training

and orienting teachers so that they push themselves to be better implementers of the

strategies. Greater accountability must be emphasized to them by assigning them as

mentors to the new teachers. Through this, they would exert more effort in improving

themselves.

5. The strategies in making connections and building comprehension skills must be done

consistently by teachers and constant evaluation of the head must be undertaken if these

strategies were effectively utilized in the classroom and if they were translated to better

student achievement.
74

6. Special faculty development program on the use of reading tools and building

vocabulary strategies be put in place. It must be made clear to the content area teachers

that these strategies are not only for English teachers but for everybody. It should be

stressed out that all teachers must be reading teachers so that literacy rate would be

improved. The program must focus on the following:

Using Reading Tools


-Using pictures ,diagrams, concept maps and charts and other materials to facilitate effective
understanding of the topic.

-Using models,replicas,representations and mock upsin presenting concepts or ideas

-Asking questions after students have read the section to help shape their thinking.

-Using guide questions and prompts that will help students predict and make assumptions about
the lesson or the topic.

-Using video clips and presentations to stimulate thinking of students.

-Exposing students to different types of texts and reading materials such as


newspaper,reports,blogs, research journals and papers.

Building Vocabulary

-Using the structure of a word like prefixes, suffixes and root word in order to give
meaning to it.

-Giving meaning of the word based on context clues or how it is used in the sentence.

-Helping students create mental and visual image of the word

-Associating the unknown words to ideas and concepts that students have already known

-Making use of reference materials like dictionary and thesaurus to give meaning to a
word.

7. The least used reading strategies below must be addressed by giving special attention

by the school head.

a. Using video clips and presentations to stimulate thinking among students


75

Provide resources on the use of media technology such as internet connection and the use

of multi-media materials in the school learning resource center. Constant upgrading of

these resources must also be undertaken.

b.Exposing students to different types of texts and reading materials such as

newspapers, reports, blogs, journals and research papers

The school librarian must collaborate with subject teachers in the use of available

reference materials. He/she can help by providing teachers easy access to these materials

especially research papers and journals. The school must invest on these materials to

maximize learning of students and effective delivery modes of teaching by the teachers.

c.Making use of reference materials like dictionary and thesaurus to give meaning

to

the word

All teachers must be provided with dictionary and thesaurus so that vocabulary building

would be part of every teachers strategy. It is also recommended that all students be

required to bring these materials so that formal or incidental learning of words would take

place anytime.

d.Using the structure of the word like prefixes, suffixes and root words to give

meaning to the difficult word

Teachers must be trained to vocabulary building strategies specifically on structural

analysis so that meaningful content area learning would be intensified. This can be

coupled with contextual clues and other strategies in building vocabulary.

8. The school head must consider sex and subject taught as a factor in planning for

effective training program and faculty development activities for teaching pedagogy.
76

9. Further studies are suggested regarding the use of reading strategies specifically on

descriptive correlational design using other variables such as exposure to training

programs, level of English language proficiency and type of school.

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