EFFECTIVENESS OF THE READING INTERVENTION PROGRAM OF GRADE 8 STUDENTS

IN BATANGAS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL: BASIS FOR AN ACTION PLAN

Reading is a fundamental skill which transfers to other subject areas. Students at the
middle level, grades six through eight who are behind in reading are also not on a trajectory for
success in terms of college and career readiness. The issue is further compounded when
teachers are not equipped with the skills and training to meet the needs of these students.
Consequently, the researcher has motivated to conduct this study to be well prepared not only
with the necessary knowledge and skills in teaching English but also to be able to prepare and
use the most appropriate guide for the successful implementation of the reading program.

The study utilized descriptive method to gather information from the respondents that
include thirty (30) English teachers which was chosen using non-probability purposive sampling
and 200 selected grade 8 students, all from Batangas National High School. The questionnaire
used is composed of three parts. Part I focuses on how the reading program developed; Part II
focuses on the status of the reading program of teachers, and Part III focuses on the assessment
of the teachers in the existing reading intervention program. After a thorough construction and
modification, the questionnaire is validated and then distributed to the respondents.

Results of the study revealed that reading intervention is most commonly done verbally
as ‘Oral Reading Intervention’ attained the highest rank with a weighted mean on 3.73 while the
‘Home Reading Report’ obtained lowest with weighted mean of 3.08. The composite mean of
3.46, interpreted as often used, suggests that reading intervention programs should be intensified.
The effectiveness of the reading intervention programs in terms of objectives, principles and basic
considerations in the implementation is greatly evident. There is no significant difference between
the assessment of the teacher and student respondents on the effectiveness of the reading
intervention program in terms of its objective and there is a significant difference in terms
principles and basic considerations in the implementation. Moreover, ‘phonemic awareness’ and
‘screening and continuous assessment’ with a weighted mean of 3.65 ranked highest in the
strengths of the reading intervention programs while ‘reading encounters unfamiliar words due to
inaccurate decoding’ ranked highest in terms of weaknesses/concerns and issues. The strengths
of the reading intervention programs are greatly evident while the weaknesses/concerns and
issues are described as moderately evident. Considering the results, the researcher recommends
to device a plan of action which aim not only to motivate students to love and enjoy reading but
also to enhance their reading skills with comprehension.