Review of Related Literature

Reading is one of the four macro skills taught in an English language classroom, which requires

a response from the reader through summarizing the main facts based on what was read

(Zintz&Maggart, 1986, in Blay et.al, 2009).Reading is not just extracting meaning from the text but a

process of connecting to the information given by the text. Reading in this sense, is a communication

between the reader and the text (Grabe, 1988in Villanueva, 2006). Reading is essential to life.

And reading with comprehension is the chief justification why we read, understanding what the

text is all about(Lastrella, 2010). Reading comprehension is a complex balance between recognizing

printed symbols and interpreting the meaning behind the symbols (Dennis, 2011). There is a growing

body of evidence supporting the concept that a reader’s background knowledge about what he is

reading is one of the most critical factors in determining whether a student will understand what he

is reading or not (Hirsch,E.D. (2006); Kamhi, A.,(2007). To continue to make progress in learning,

as well as fuel self concept and motivation, students should participate in regular classroom

experiences appropriate to their cognitive and maturational levels, including interesting and

cognitively challenging books presented orally or on tape (Worthy, 1996).According to Worthy (1996),

it is not sufficient to provide books that are geared solely to a student’s instructional reading level.

When reading level is solely considered, below level basal readers are generally used for instructing

struggling readers. Reading such “baby books” often makes struggling readers feel more defeated.

Focusing on student interests in selecting reading materials may be more beneficial in promoting

reading success than a focus on level. It turns out that interest is far more significant than

readability. When students have strong interest in what they read, they can frequently transcend their

reading level (Worthy, 1996).Many educators and researchers consider interest to be an essential

factor in all learning (Hidi, 1990; Schiefele, 1991). Students who do not enjoy typical school texts often

fail to engage in reading, and may develop a lifelong aversion to reading. Even if they are not
initially struggling readers, “reluctant readers tend to gradually lose some academic ground, because

wide Journal of Inquiry & Action in Education, 3(2), 2010reading is related to increases in general

knowledge and reading comprehension” (Williamson & Williamson, 1988).High challenge academic

tasks invite students to expend the maximum level of effort and encourage students to value the

processes of learning. As a result, motivation researchers view high challenge tasks as most

beneficial for promoting learning and motivation (Miller, 2003). Teachers promote motivation when

they provide students with opportunities to assume increasingly higher levels of responsibility for their

learning. Moreover, a challenging task often requires students to use prior knowledge and construct

an understanding of a topic. This practice increases the personal meaning that students attach to an

activity, therefore increasing the likelihood of becoming engaged in an activity (Miller, 2003).During

school, students interact and work alongside peers and adults. These social perceptions and

relationships are related to and predictive of school-related outcomes (Patrick, Knee, Canevello, &

Lonsbary, 2007). For an individual to survive in today’s world, it is a requirement for him/her to know

how to read with understanding. He/she should be capable of understanding simple text such as

transportation documents which includes travel directions and road instructions, bills and

contracts. The effect of not being able to comprehend could be disastrous (e.g. instructions on a bottle

of medicine or chemical warnings) (Lastrella, 2010). With the ability to comprehend a text, people

are able not only to live safely and productively, but also to continue to develop socially,

emotionally and intellectually. Likewise, reading is a very significant language skill for a student. Since

they are subject to a continuous flow of information, they need to prepare themselves for the

demands that reading in school and in the bigger society places on them. Readingalso has been a

segment of the entrance test in most colleges and universities. Butthere are cases by which

students fail during the entrance examination because of lack of comprehension (Yale, 2011 in

Lastrella, 2010).Maggart and Zintz (1970) in Marquez (2008) state that comprehension is the major
purpose of reading-without comprehension, reading is a meaningless activity regardless of age or

ability of the reader. There are levels of reading comprehension, namely: literal level (reading the

lines), inferential or interpretive level (reading between the lines) and the critical level (reading

beyond the lines (Romero, 1987 in Marquez, 2008).Some studies have shown that the

performance (reading comprehension) of the students is affected by several

factors.Rizardo&Tabuno, (1998)in Marquez (2008)in their study on the reading comprehension of

Fourth year high school students of Iligan, made the following conclusions:1. Parents’ monthly income

and educational attainments have contributed to the reading performance of the student. 2. The

kind of materials that the respondents read enhanced their ability to comprehend a text 3. The

respondents’ attitude towards reading differed from each other 4. The availability of reading materials

at home and in school and the students’ curiosity to learn enhanced their reading comprehension.

Educational researchers have also focused on the teacher’s behavior that should be effective in

promoting student’s motivation (Brophy, 1986 in Marquez, 2008). In the local context, Mante (2009)

in Ilustre (2011) sought to identify factors that affected Filipino bilingual high school student’s

reading comprehension in English. The objective of her paper was twofold; first was to determine and

measure the participants' dimensions of motivation to read, and second was to identify the

relationships between the participants’ motivation to read in English, their reading comprehension

and their use of meta-cognitive reading strategies when reading in the same language. Results

were not conclusive as to whether reading motivation or use of meta-cognitive reading

strategies affects reading comprehension more for there was no single predictor of the reading

test scores. On the contrary, Anderson (1994) as cited in Lastrella (2010) presented that the recall of

information in a text is affected by the reader’s schemata and explains that a reader comprehends a

message when he is able to bring to mind a schema that gives account of the objects and

events described in the message. Moreover, Wilson (1972) in Marquez (2008) stated that the
lack of educational opportunity and reading materials among poor families contribute to the

performance and competence of the learner. Educational attainment of the parents of the

respondents also matter. Students whose parents have higher educational background perform well

than those whose parents only attained elementary or high school education. This is because the

former are able to provide more learning experiences that are essential to the development of

the student’s reading skills and other aspects as well (Lardizabal, 1981 in Marquez, 2008). In a country

like Nigeria, it was found in 1985 that secondary pupil’s poor learning characteristics, which were

identified in terms of attitudes, enthusiasm, self-concept as well as study habits, arecaused by their

disadvantage when their parents have a lower education. Furthermore, more than lower socio-

economic status groups in Nigeria mostly fall into the low or the non-educated groups (Ezewu, et.al,

1981 in Omoregbe, 2010). Parental educational level in known as a factor positively related to children’s

academic achievement. And the educational level of parents is greatly connected to the educational

attainment of their children (Grissmer, et.al in Omoregbe, 2010).Reading comprehension too lies on the

student’s interest in reading. “Reluctant readers tendto gradually lose some academic ground,

because wide reading is related to increases in general knowledge and reading comprehension” p.31-

32 (Williamson, 1988 in Seitz, 2010). Kukuyo (1989) as cited by Tubio (2004) in Marquez (2008), noted

that the students might interact if they are interested with the topic and make comprehension possible

because of the interest that they have. This interest and attitude are determined through

hobbies and experiences that the reader had in order to motivate him to read (Edorot, 1998 in Marquez,

2008). Furthermore, in the study made by Kelcey (2010), results suggest that schools should be

associated with differences in teachers’ knowledge. By comparing teachers with similar personal and

school backgrounds, results showed that measured knowledge is significantly associated with

student’s achievement in reading comprehension.