UNIVERSITY OF MAKATI 1

GRADUATE SCHOOL

FACTORS AFFECTING THE READING COMPREHENSION OF LEARNERS IN

PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN MAKATI: BASIS FOR READING
PROGRAM ENHANCEMENT

A
Thesis Proposal Presented to
The Faculty of Graduate School
College of Education
UNIVERSITY OF MAKATI

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION
Major in EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT

ROSALYN M. SERRANO
2022

CHAPTER I
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INTRODUCTION

Reading is a complex process that involves sensation, perception, comprehension,

application, and integration. It is the process of making and getting meaning from printed

words and symbols. Reading is a means of exchange of information and ideas. As a matter

of fact, as cited by Panerio (2008) that “85% of the things that people do involve reading”.

Street signs, advertisements, restaurant menus, the dosage of medicine, and recipes from

cookbooks are all viewed by individuals.

Also, reading is the foundation of academic success and life literacy. One composition

from Philippine Star states that the inarguable fact remains that most Filipino scholars don't

retain the capability and provocation to read. In 2007, the Department of Education

reported that 70 percent of our learners are unable of reading within the anticipated

position. This is the situation of reading achievement intensifies in the Philippines as

estimated by Scholastic Inc., the world’s largest publisher, and distributor of children’s

books”.

Due to the fast-evolving world and changing technology, it cannot be denied that

occasionally reading is taken for granted. Former DepEd Sec. Abad deplored the poor

performance of the pupils’ assessment tests and said that the low scores in English,

Mathematics, and Science can be attributed to pupils’ lack of capability in introductory

reading and comprehension. In addition, he said that one of the major problems in reading

is poor reading comprehension, which leads to a poor understanding of published symbols.

Results in 2018 (Program for International Student Assessment) results in last 2018

out of the 79 countries that participated in the assessment Philippines ranked last in reading
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and 2nd to the last in Mathematics and science. It showed that Filipino obtained an average

score of 340 points in overall reading literacy, which was significantly lower than the

average of 487 points. Only one out of five Filipino students achieved at least the minimum

proficiency level in overall reading literacy. Mussway (2009) stated that whether the

students are taught to excel on a test or whether they are taught to construct meaning that

will sustain in the long term.

Despite this, it must be noted that reading comprehension is not an easy process to

teach, and even more challenging to acquire, for students. A similar contention was made

by when they maintained that reading comprehension is ‘one of the most complex

behaviors we engage in daily. This assertion resonates with previous authors’ view that

nothing is plain and simple about reading comprehension as a skill and ability that learners

must possess to succeed in their personal and academic lives. Similarly, researchers claim

that reading comprehension is a result of a variety of linguistic and cognitive processes. In

addition, he explained that reading comprehension is affected by several factors, aside from

the complex process itself.

It is in this light that this study would like to find out which factor affects reading

comprehension will be given emphasis.

Background of the study

The researcher, who has been working for almost ten years in one of the respondent

schools of the study, had experienced being the School English coordinator for eight years.

This took place from school year __________. As School English Coordinator, she is also
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responsible for working with pupils who need help in managing their academic

performance, especially in reading. For ____ years of being the School English

Coordinator, the researcher had a grasp of school concerns and issues pertaining to the

reading comprehension of pupils.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has presented programs to address the reading

needs of learners. It issued DepEd Order No. 45 s. 2002 or Every Child A Reader Program

(ECARP) as a national program with a goal that every child will be a reader by the time,

they finish grade three. Numerous intervention and remediation programs had been

conducted by teachers to comply with the call of DepEd. However, data showed that most

of the learners reaching grades four and above still have difficulties in their reading.

Additionally, with the PISA results in 2018 wherein the Philippines lagged among the

participating countries.

The researcher observed that with all the programs presented still reading

comprehension has been a perennial problem among grade school students. It escalated

further with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The school’s Mode of Learning

Delivery is synchronous (online classes) and asynchronous (offline classes/ Modular). It

has been a great challenge for teachers to the reliability of the reading level of most of the

students. We can’t control the parents in helping their learners comes to answer the

assessment test specifically on reading. No matter how repeatedly give the dos and don’ts

still teachers are just accepting the pupil’s test results they got. Not to mention when

confirming the reliability of the pupil’s test assessment by calling him or her to unmute the

microphone to do an oral reading during discussion. Varied reasons or unending reason is

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typed on the chat box informing the teacher that the microphone of their gadget is not

working. That’s their common reason from the beginning of the class until the end. The

camera was off if one’s phone is available, but the video was off. Coaching was rampant

during online classes. Worst with the modular students. Answer sheets were submitted to

the school, but the penmanship was not for the student but for someone else’s writing.

Modules are in their hand but only a few students are reading or studying it in advance. The

children ‘s reading ability worsen.

The result of the study will serve as a basis to develop an enhanced Reading

Program so that pupils could easily cope with reading Issues and concerns with the help of

their parents, school, and the community as well.

Statement of the Problem

The objective of the study is to identify the factors affecting the reading comprehension

of learners as perceived by the public elementary school teachers in Makati City.

Specifically, it endeavors to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 length of service;

1.2 position;

1.3 highest educational attainment; and

1.4 school?

2. How do the teachers assess the factors affecting the reading comprehension of

learners in terms of :

2.1 Pupil Factors;

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2.2 Language Factors;

2.3 Teacher Factors;

2.4 School Head Factors;

2.5 School Factors;

2.6 Home Factors; and

2.7 Community Factors?

3 . Is there a significant difference in the teachers’ assessment of the factors affecting the

reading comprehension of learners when the respondents are grouped according to their

profile?

4 . Based on the findings, what program enhancement can be proposed to enhance the

learners reading comprehension?

Hypothesis

Based on the foregoing problems the hypothesis is formulated such as:

There is no significant difference in the teachers’ assessment of the factors affecting

the reading comprehension of learners when the respondents are grouped according to

their profiles.

Significance of the Study

The findings of the study shall be beneficial to the following:

School Reading Coordinator. The personnel in charge of the implementation of the

future reading plans are expected to make activities more wholesome and effective,

relevant, and attuned to the needs of the teachers and to times in general.
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Administrators. The findings of the study may serve as a guidepost in the formulation

of objectives to be achieved in the selection of programs to be implemented in future

reading programs with proper consideration of the training needs of the clientele. It is also

expected to assist and identify effective devices, considering the human and material

resources involved.

Teachers. It will direct them to develop further their instructional skills and make

them analyze their importance in the effective teaching-learning process giving emphasis

on the reading of learners.

Students. The students will be benefited from whatever relevant changes or

improvements are to be made because they are the ones who will be greatly affected by the

program through the quality of instruction.

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

This study is delimited on the four schools in District III, Division of Makati City where

the reading program is implemented. These schools are:

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Hen. Pio del Pilar Elementary School Main, Hen. Pio del Pilar Elementary School I,

Bangkal Elementary School Main, and Bangkal Elementary School I. These schools were

chosen by the researcher as sources of data.

The major group of respondents is limited to the selected public-school teachers of

District III, Division of Makati City who has attended a series of reading training and has

implemented reading approach/ technique in their respective schools in the district.

The data and information needed to describe quantitatively the assessment of factors

affecting the reading comprehension of learners will be gathered by means of the

researcher-made questionnaire. The respondents are limited only to public-school teachers.

The school year 2021-2022 is covered in this study.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined in terms of the context in which they are used in this

paper for better understanding on the part of the reader:

Community Factors. This refers to the support given by the community such as

barangay councils, external stakeholders, and the presence of a learning resource center.

Home Factors. This refers to the support given by the family such as helping the

child to read, family status (income), and educational background of the family.

Language Factors. This refers to the learners’ vocabulary skills, grammar and

spelling, and comprehension skills.

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Pupil Factors. This refers to the pupils’ engagement in learning such as reading

stories and essays, study habits, and nutritional status.

School Head Factors. This refers to the school head’s support of the reading

program implemented, reading training, and supervisory scheme.

School Factors. This refers to the resources available in the school for reading such

as catchy reading materials, class size, etc.

Teacher Factors. This refers to teachers’ engagement and ability in teaching

reading which involves appropriate training in the preparation of reading materials,

fostering the love for reading, and overlapping of loads and extra functions.

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents the highlights of the studies on the related principles and concepts,

both on foreign and local sources that have a significant bearing on the present

investigation.

Reading Comprehension

Children's reading comprehension is a fundamental cognitive ability that

contributes to their academic achievement and participation in most areas of adult life

(Hulme and Snowling, 2011).

Therefore, children with learning disabilities (LD) and special educational needs

who show difficulties in text comprehension, sometimes also in association with other

problems, may have an increased risk of life and school failure (Woolley, 2011).
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Reading comprehension is, indeed, a complex cognitive ability that involves not

only linguistic (e.g., vocabulary, grammatical knowledge), but also cognitive (such as

working memory, De Beni and Palladino, 2000), and metacognitive skills (both for the

aspects of knowledge and control, Channa et al., 2015), and, more specifically, higher-

order comprehension skills such as the generation of inferences (Oakhill et al., 2003).

Reading is a prerequisite for learning other skills. Kusumawanti and Bharati (2018)

explained that among English proficiencies, reading skills have the most key role in

students’ learning success since overall activities of learning are results of the reading

activity. In the writing activity, we need to read a lot to find the topic that we will write.

We also need to read before speaking to prepare what we will say. In listening, if we do not

know the meaning of the topic or the vocabulary, we will face trouble comprehending what

the speaker says.

Bernardez (2009) added that there are four levels of comprehension namely: literal

level, interpretative level, critical level, and application level. On the literal level, learners

are expected to understand the basic information of what they read, this may include

identifying the characters in the story. The second level is the interpretative level, this is

where the learners are expected to read between the lines. Readers are expected to see what

the writer wants to imply regarding a certain situation in a reading passage. In the critical

level, the third level, learners are expected to judge or criticize the work of a writer. For

example, a teacher may ask the learners if the ending or the title is appropriate for a piece

of written work, and they need to justify their answers. And lastly, the highest level which

is the application level is where the learners are expected to apply what they have read
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through different activities. For example, the learners will write a short paragraph about the

theme of a certain piece of written work.

In addition, Jonhston (1991) views reading comprehension as building bridges

between "the known and the unknown" and that prior knowledge is essential to reading

instructions. Comprehension simply cannot occur when nothing is already “known”

because then there is nothing to which the reader could link the “unknown”. Indeed, prior

knowledge is so necessary for comprehension to flow from the easiest to the most

complicated. In support of the foregoing view, the researcher primarily stimulated the

schema of the pupils by infusing related portraits in each skill to be developed in the

reading primer.

Understanding the meaning of the text and knowing the author’s intentions among

others are part of comprehension. Russel (1995) claims that comprehension involves

knowledge not only of words but also of their meaning’s relationships in sentences,

paragraphs, and longer paragraphs. It involves understanding the intent of the author and

may go beyond literal and recorded facts to uncover hidden meaning. Hence, it entails deep

Thinking and critical reading skills are required. This finding was confirmed in this study

since the majority of the pupils were categorized under frustration level of reading

comprehension.

Factors Affecting Reading Comprehension

Pupil Factors
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According to Opoola (2016), nutrition is also a vital component of human health,

life, and brain development throughout the entire lifespan. Balanced nutrition is crucial for

endurance, physical growth, cognitive development, and productivity. As well,

malnutrition is considered a pressing problem that affects the ability of children to learn

and causes

them to perform at a lower level in school. Undernutrition is a major public health

challenge affecting academic school achievement. Children who are malnourish have low

ability to learn at school and poor scholastic achievement. Furthermore, poor feeding

practices are associated with stunted and impaired brain development.

Meanwhile, Usher (2012) cited that motivation is the key to developing successful

readers. It also affects how students approach school in general, how they relate to teachers,

how much time and effort they devote to their studies, how much support they seek when

they are struggling, how they perform on tests, and many other aspects of education. If

students are not motivated, it is difficult, if not impossible, to improve their academic

achievement, no matter how good the teacher, curriculum or school is. Higher motivation

to learn is linked not only to better academic performance but also to greater conceptual

understanding, satisfaction with school, self-esteem, social adjustment, and school

completion rates.

On the other hand, focusing on student interests in selecting reading materials may

be more beneficial in promoting reading success than a focus on reading level. It turns out

that interest is far more significant than readability. When students have a strong interest in

what they read, they can frequently transcend their reading level (Worthy, 1996). Many
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educators and researchers consider interest to be an essential factor in all learning (Hidi,

1990; Schiefele, 1991).

Research shows that letting students select their own books helps to increase

interest value and boosts motivation (e.g., Wigfield, 1997). A wide variety of texts should

be provided that are interesting and appropriate for students’ age range and personally

relevant to individuals. Students should be matched to “just right” texts on their reading

level that are challenging enough to maintain interest and foster a sense of achievement but

not so difficult that they are discouraged. The teacher pushes the student to grow, while still

making sure that it is possible for the student to succeed.

Moreover, Lazarus and Ige (2017) reported that some secondary school students

with learning disabilities experience poor reading comprehension sometimes due to their

lack of rich vocabulary and their inability.

Byamugisha (2010) found that factors such as school attendance, repeating a grade,

parent-teacher meetings, parents paying extra tuition, students taking school lunch, private

or public-school categories, the school setting, the material, and pedagogical resources, and

the educational qualifications of school staff, predicted reading and mathematics results of

sixth-grade students in Uganda to apply evidence-based reading strategies during reading.

Language Factors

According to Hart, L. (n.d.) whether students have mastered vocabulary skills

affects their reading comprehension. Students must be able to comprehend a familiar

word and its relationship with other words within a text. Mastering vocabulary includes

recognizing a word’s part of speech, definition, using context clues, and how it functions
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in a sentence. These vocabulary strategies can help improve comprehension. Good

readers increase their vocabulary every time they read and can recall these words when

they see them again. They begin by developing a sight word vocabulary. Sight words are

words that are frequently found often in common speech and books, such as "the," "is,"

"were," "was" and "said." Generally, these words cannot be sounded out, so readers must

memorize them. Knowledge of these words is essential because they can be found in any

book. Silent reading provides the opportunity to learn the meanings of many new words

in context. Kids can discover word definitions in an interesting way without any direct

instruction. They tend to be more open to this method of learning new words than they

would be if they were involved in intensive, forced vocabulary instruction. Children will

apply the word attack skills they've learned to figure out new words on their own. He also

added that comprehension is a basic reading skill that develops as children learn to sound

out words and recognize sight words. The more they read, the easier it is for them to

remember specific things like the main characters, setting, and plot. As reading skills

progress, children will develop advanced comprehension skills like inferring, evaluating,

and retelling. Comprehension is the culmination of reading skills learned in the other four

components of mastering reading. Simply stated, comprehension is the ability to

understand what's being read. A student who can decode words, understand their

meanings, and read fluently will be able to comprehend a story. Comprehension can be

assessed with questions that ask readers to identify basic story components like

characters, setting, and plot. Advanced comprehension, including predicting,

summarizing, and critical thinking, is introduced in more advanced grade levels after

students have a firm grasp of the basics.

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Reading is not just spelling and pronunciation, but it is also a source of

knowledge. It is a tool to help us understand the meaning of the alphabet and create new

ideas from previous experiences. It lets a reader know not only the meaning of the

symbols of the letters but also the interpretation at the same time. They must be able to

evaluate the readings by applying existing experience and deciding how accurate and

reasonable it is. Reading skills should be cultivated for learners to be able to read verses

and think critically. From the research of Anderson (2005), it was found that reading can

have many problems; that is, students cannot read, understand, and grasp the idea.

Consistent with the research of Yimwilai, S. (2008), it was found that Thai children at all

levels still have reading problems, such as reading without understanding. They cannot

grasp the importance, cannot transfer meaning, cannot analyze content, and cannot

summarize ideas. In essence, it does not result in relatively low levels on national tests.

The low academic achievement makes students have a poor attitude towards learning

English and lose interest in studying.

Teacher Factors

According to Harste and Burke (1998), research findings have concluded that the

single most important element of an effective reading program is the attitudes and beliefs

of the regular classroom teacher.

Along with providing an environment conducive to learning, a teacher that

encourages and enjoys the improvements that each child makes is helping children to

believe in their own capabilities to succeed (Charles, 1989). These teachers have high

expectations for every student. Learners are more likely to engage in a task if (a) they feel
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capable, (b) they believe the task has potential value or purpose and use for them, (c) they

are free from anxiety, (d) and demonstrations are given by someone they like, trust,

respect, admire and would like to emulate (Cambourne, 1995).

Many individual reader factors (e.g., cognitive development, culture) are not

within a teacher’s control. However, teachers can motivate students by providing them

with interesting texts, allowing them choices in reading and writing, and helping students

set authentic purposes for reading (e.g., generating reports, writing letters, demonstrating

some new ability or skill; Pressley & Hilden, 2002). Many teachers actively seek out

students’ interests so that they can select texts, topics, themes, and units that will more

likely engage students. Teachers also provide and promote authentic purposes for

engaging in reading and writing. Authentic literacy events are those that replicate or

reflect reading and writing purposes and texts that occur in the world outside of schools.

Some teachers do this by providing pen-pals, using students’ authentic questions for in-

depth study, responding to community needs, or having students solve problems.

In addition, teachers teach students how to select appropriate texts by showing

them what features to consider. Some teachers use the Goldilocks approach (Tompkins,

2003), while others suggest that teachers level books and tell students which level books

they may select (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996). In the Goldilocks approach, readers look for

books that are not too hard or too easy, but just right. Just-right books are those that look

interesting, have mostly decodable words, have been read aloud previously, are written

by a familiar author, or will be read with a support person nearby. Teachers have a wide

variety of genres and levels of books available for students to select for independent

reading, and they support students throughout the year with appropriate book selection.
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On the other hand, Solikhah, I. (2018) opined on the issue of teaching reading and

reading comprehension so far is much involved with the reading skills and tradition of

exercises in reading. The development of reading exercises normally goes with the

exercises students equipped to achieve proficiency in reading. The exercises include

reading techniques to improve comprehension: skimming, scanning, reading for thorough

comprehension, and critical reading. The second issue deals with the development of

language skill exercises. In general, and prevalent framework, the development of

language skill exercises entails vocabulary, grammar/structure, and discourse.

In addition, Carnine, Silbert, and Kameenui (1990) suggest that much of the

failure in schools can be attributed to deficits in the instructional system. First, many

English reading programs do not carefully control the introduction of vocabulary, either

in decoding or comprehension exercises. Second, pre-skills of complex strategies review

and practice are minimal and are usually insufficient for many students to master new

information and skills at a time. Third, teachers are required to cover too many topics

every day. Consequently, finding the time to provide adequate reading practice time is

difficult. Fourth, teachers are often not trained to place students carefully in students

should be intrinsically motivated to learn to read. In other words, the failure in English

reading class is because of the deficiency of the instructional system. Reading failure can

be prevented, however, by efficiently organizing instruction, carefully selecting, and

modifying reading material, and effectively presenting the material. Students learn the

reading competencies so that they feel positive about their ability to function in society.

In addition, teachers plan their instruction carefully to achieve the expected objectives.
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School Head Factors

As cited from the article published in Reading Rockets (2022), school

administrators have a critical leadership role to play in helping students become good

readers. Administrators can create the framework for success. They can help ensure this

vision of success becomes a reality for students by addressing several instructional needs.

Here is what every school should have: A comprehensive reading program grounded on

scientifically based reading research, with all components of the program carefully

aligned so that instruction is seamlessly organized. Instructional materials geared to the

specific needs of the children in that school. Administrators should ensure the use of

materials that provide highly explicit and systematic instruction. High-quality initial

training and ongoing staff development for teachers that focuses on the foundational

concepts of learning to read and the use of a selected comprehensive reading program.

Professional development must focus on helping the teacher apply the proven principles

of effective classroom reading instruction. Adequate and uninterrupted time must be

provided for reading instruction. Too often, schools allocate enough time but allow it to

be broken up, which is not effective. Also, children who are behind must be provided

extra instructional time. A system for regular assessment of student progress throughout

the school year, using valid and reliable classroom-based instructional assessments to

determine whether goals are being reached by the expected time. Data from classroom

assessments can be used to determine where help is needed at a classroom, school, and

district level. All educators must be trained to use data to make appropriate and effective

instructional decisions. Intervention must be provided when student progress is not

adequate, rather than when it is not at desired levels. The intervention should provide the
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help that aligns with the overall reading program and targets the identified areas where

the student requires additional instruction.

Fletcher et al., (2013) suggest that literacy strategies and academic curricula

should be adapted to the needs of the students so that they can be effectively taught. To

make teachers aware of effective literacy strategies, first administrators must understand

which literacy strategies are effective, and then provide appropriate professional

development to teachers to properly implement these strategies. Administrators should

understand how to help teachers before they can help them develop. Professional

development is necessary for teachers to improve their teaching skills

School Factors

Effective reading comprehension is critical to academic success at every level.

Yet not many of us do it well, especially while still young and in school. With a million

distractions, heavy homework loads, extracurricular obligations, and everything in

between, it can be plain hard to develop and apply reading comprehension skills.

As opined by Lazarus, K. (2012) considering the influence of the environment in

the school, it is possible that insignificant details could be seen affecting the ability of

students to succeed in their studies. In a supportive school environment, for instance,

there are healthy and supportive relationships between teachers and students, teachers and

teachers, students and students, and students and support staff. There is also less

discrimination against students who might be experiencing some emotional, social, or

academic difficulties such as those with special needs in this type of school. Members of

the school community benefit from the warmth, security, and safety. Excessive
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resistance, constant student-to-adult conflict in school, and frustration with all kinds of

abuse are rare in a supportive school environment.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (2009) explained that in a

supportive school environment, there is a wide range of opportunities for learner

participation and shared responsibility. Group activities are also encouraged in a socially

supportive school and students engage in fewer risk behaviors such as non-compliance

with school rules and regulations, bullying, and aggression, that interfere with teaching

and learning. Students with specific disabilities in learning domains, get along well with

their peers and teachers in a socially positive environment. The free bond established by

the school community promotes academic success and a healthy lifestyle.

As reported by Nazir and Mattoo (2012), the formal educational setting and

scholarly achievements are correlative and depend on each other. When schools provide

stimulating and supportive learning environments, students' academic performance either

directly or indirectly is bound to improve.

In addition, Michalak (2014) found that a school environment that is safe and

supportive, where student motivation and classroom diversity are promoted is among the

factors that facilitate literacy learning.

Home Factors

The home environment provides the foundation for early literacy and plays a

prominent role in the development of children’s positive attitudes, self-concept, and

reading skills. This is accomplished through access to reading resources, exposure to

modeled reading behaviors, and participation in early literacy activities that provide them
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with the skills for formal education (Duncan, et al., 2007; Mullis, Martin, Kennedy,

Trong, & Sainsbury, 2009).

According to Baker and Scher (2002), a supportive home environment begins with

positive parental attitudes toward reading and a high value placed on literacy. He also

found that children whose parents had positive beliefs about reading for pleasure had

higher motivation as readers. These parental values about reading are manifested in the

level and types of literacy engagement parents have with their children. Participating in

literacy activities and having access to reading resources help prepare children for school.

Past research has found that early literacy experiences can lead to school readiness and

that those experiences involving high levels of child engagement tend to be the most

effective.

As cited by Ladiza (2003). He stressed that parents could help their children

develop reading readiness by providing them with simple, well-illustrated picture books.

He added that parents should read good stories and poems to their children in their homes

at a level that the youngsters can understand and appreciate.

Reese as cited by Saracho (2007) illustrated that mothers and fathers who assisted

their children’s literacy development tended to have more education than those who have

not. Furthermore, Macarayon as cited by Samonte (2006) stressed the essentials of

parents in the educational process, whether in home-tutoring programs or in the school

itself. This would result in lasting educational gains for the child. She also added that

there is no more valuable way to widen everyone’s horizons than by strengthening the

link between home and school.

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Samonte (2006) focused her study on the performance of Grade VI pupils in

reading comprehension as influenced by their home reading support, attributes, and

attitudes towards learning. The study endeavored to discuss the following topics: 1)

pupil’s home reading support; 2) pupil’s attributes; 3) pupil’s attitudes towards learning;

4) pupil’s reading comprehension; 5) significant relationship between the pupil’s home

reading support and their reading comprehension performance. Based on the salient

findings of the study, the conclusions are deduced: 1) parents are less supportive of their

children’s schooling. They do not give sufficient home reading support to their children.

2) the pupils’ attributes are not good. The pupils possess fair traits toward reading. 3)

Generally, pupils like schooling. Most of them have a positive inclination towards

learning. 4)Most pupils are very good in picking up explicit and implied information

mentioned in the story. 5) The pupils’ home reading support is very necessary in reading

comprehension specifically in the interpretative and application/ creation levels; thus,

parents should provide the reading materials deemed useful to develop their interpretative

and creation levels. 6) The pupils’ attributes, whether good or worse, could determine

their reading comprehension performance. This is true in the four levels of literal,

interpretative, critical analysis, and application/ creation. 7) Possessing positive attitudes

towards learning would help improve the pupils’ reading comprehension performance,

particularly in the aspects of critical analysis/ creation.

Community Factors

The community and parents have important roles in ensuring the quality of

education in schools and such involvement makes a difference Beveridge, (2005).

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Community involvement in schools is, potentially, a rich area for innovation that has

benefits far beyond access. Due to some limitations of the government in providing

quality education (remoteness, bureaucracy, corruption, and inefficient management),

bridging the values gap between government initiatives and community desires, and

adjusting to the child’s familial obligations to family interest, would help shift towards

ways to mobilize a sense of community through building relationships among

governments, schools, and communities.

In another study, Chowdhury et al. (1997, p. 246) expresses the same view that,

“in the wake of the existing problems of failure of the ‘top down’ policy in educational

management, community participation in educational planning and management has been

viewed as a key to success in developing countries in general”.

Synthesis

The literature and related studies helped the researcher to have a profound

understanding of the relationship of variables that may contribute to the development of

this study. The kinds of literature supported the researcher to clarify why there is a need to

pursue the study and what solution can be used to help District III schools.

The most important skill that man should have is reading. It serves as a tool for

acquiring knowledge, pleasure, and happiness, and it even serves as an enhancement of

skills. At early ages and until now, it was proven that reading played a vital role in man’s

life. The importance of reading in the modern era has increased and to cope with the trends

and demands, man is in needs to know and learn more. But as it increases, problems also

arise.
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According to Hirsch (2006), the main purpose of reading is comprehension.

Without comprehension, there is no reading since it is constructing meaning. Along the

way, there is less time spent in learning to comprehend and develop the skills and strategies

in reading comprehension. As the pupils reach higher grade levels, they are expected to be

competent readers but sad to say due to the effort in teaching how to read-only,

comprehension tends to be sacrificed.

There are several factors identified that affect reading comprehension. One of

which is the pupil factors. According to Opoola (2016), undernutrition is a major public

health challenge affecting reading. Thus, academic school achievement. Meanwhile, Usher

(2012) stated that motivation plays a vital role to help a child learn the love of reading. He

also stressed that if students are not motivated, it is difficult to improve their academic

performance.

Another factor identified is language factors. According to Hart, L. (n.d.) Students

must be able to comprehend a familiar word and its relationship with other words within

a text. Mastering vocabulary includes recognizing a word’s part of speech, definition, use

context clues, and how it functions in a sentence. Consistent with the research of

Yimwilai, S. (2008), it was found that Thai children at all levels still have reading

problems, such as reading without understanding. They cannot grasp the importance,

cannot transfer meaning, cannot analyze content, and cannot summarize ideas.

Moreover, teacher factors are also identified as one of the factors affecting reading.

According to Harste and Burke (1998), research findings have concluded that the single

most important element of an effective reading program is the attitudes and beliefs of the

regular classroom teacher. Along with providing an environment conducive to learning, a

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teacher that encourages and enjoys the improvements that each child makes is helping

children to believe in their own capabilities to succeed (Charles, 1989). In addition,

teachers teach students how to select appropriate texts by showing them what features to

consider. Some teachers use the Goldilocks approach (Tompkins, 2003), while others

suggest that teachers level books and tell students which level books they may select

(Fountas & Pinnell, 1996).

As cited from the article published in Reading Rockets (2022), school

administrators have a critical leadership role to play in helping students become good

readers. Administrators can create the framework for success. They can help ensure this

vision of success becomes a reality for students by addressing several instructional needs.

Fletcher et al., (2013) stressed that to make teachers aware of effective literacy strategies,

first administrators must understand which literacy strategies are effective, and then

provide appropriate professional development to teachers to properly implement these

strategies.

On the other hand, Michalak (2014) found that a school environment- one of the

factors affecting reading comprehension stressed that is safe and supportive, where

student motivation and classroom diversity are promoted is among the factors that

facilitate literacy learning.

Meanwhile, according to Baker and Scher (2002) a supportive home environment

begins with positive parental attitudes toward reading and a high value placed on literacy.

He also found that children whose parents had positive beliefs about reading for pleasure

had higher motivation as readers.

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The community and parents have important roles in ensuring the quality of

education in schools and such involvement makes a difference Beveridge, (2005).

Community involvement in schools is, potentially, a rich area for innovation that has

benefits far beyond access.

Theoretical Framework

This study was anchored on the Laws of Learning by Thorndike (2001). The “Laws of

Learning” such as the Law of Readiness assert that before a pupil can learn, he or she must

be ready to learn. The Law of Exercise makes perfect sense that with all other things being

equal, those things most repeated are most often remembered. Practice is part of the study

routine, especially in reading. Teachers should adopt the principles of individual

differences. The easier learning tasks should be assigned to pupils of less metal ability and

the more difficult tasks should be assigned to pupils of superior mental ability. Thorndike

also stated in his law of exercise that practice reinforces learning. This puts importance on

drill, repetition, and review. Combining readiness and exercise can create substantial

progress in learning for students of any discipline of beginning skill level. The Law of

Effect principal responses that produce a satisfying effect in a particular situation become

more likely to occur again in that situation. It stated that any behavior followed by pleasant

consequences is likely to be repeated, and any behavior followed by unpleasant

consequences is likely to be stopped.

Conceptual Framework
Demographic Profile

Pupil Factors
Language Factors Survey Questionnaire
Teacher Factors
School Head Factors
School Factors Interpretation of Results
Home Factors
Community Factors
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Demographic Profile

Length of Service Enhanced Reading

Position Program
Educational Attainment
School

Figure 1 Research Paradigm

As shown in the research framework the study included the demographic profile of the

respondents as to the length of service, position, educational attainment, and school. It also

included teachers’ assessments of the different factors affecting the reading comprehension

of the learners.

The process of the research will be a survey of the researcher the assessment the factors

affecting the reading comprehension of learners using the researcher-made questionnaire.

Also included will be the test of difference of the data which the researcher gathered, using

an appropriate statistical tool. The output will be the proposed enhanced Reading Program.

Thus, through this, study the researcher glimpse how the reading program is implemented

in schools. Through the data that will be gathered the researcher will propose an enhanced

Reading program that can help in achieving better results- a higher reading comprehension

level of learners.
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CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research methods used, population and sampling techniques,

description of respondents, instruments and validation of instruments, procedures in

gathering data, and statistical treatment of data.

Research Design

The descriptive comparative method of research was adopted in this study. Since the

present study is concerned with the teachers’ assessment of the factors affecting the reading

comprehension of learners in the public elementary schools in District III, Division of

Makati City, the quantitative descriptive method is the most appropriate method to use

because it quantifies the problem by way of generating numerical data that can be

transformed into usable statistics. The principal data to be used to gather data is a

questionnaire checklist.
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Research Locale

The study will be conducted at District III of Makati City in the school year 2021-

2022. There are four schools in District III. Hen. Pio del Pilar Elementary School Main

with a population of ____ pupils, Bangkal Main ____ pupils, Pio 1 with a population of

___ pupils, and Bangkal 1 with ___ pupils. In every school, there is a reading program

implemented. The researcher considered the proximity of the respondents.

Participants of the Study

Table 1
Schools in District III, Division of Makati City
Population and Sample Size

Name of School Number of Percentage

Teachers (%)
(f)
Pio Main 60 36%

Pio I 36 21%

Bangkal Main 42 25%

Bangkal 1 30 18%

Total 168 100%

As shown in table 1 Pio Main has the greatest number of teachers with the frequency of

60 teachers or 36% of the total population, whereas Bangkal 1 has the least number of

teachers with the frequency of 30 teachers or 18% of the total population.

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Research Instrument

The instrument used was a researcher-made questionnaire. The said instrument will be

scrutinized by the researcher’s adviser, the postgraduate professors, and other

knowledgeable person who are considered experts in questionnaire making. The

questionnaire will be a pilot test on 30 teachers from one of the schools in Makati outside

District III for a reliability analysis test before giving it to the actual respondents.

The questionnaire was divided into two (2) parts. Part I- Demographic Profile of

Respondents. Part II deals with how the respondents’ assessment of the factors affecting the

reading comprehension of learners.

The sets of survey questionnaires used will be pilot tested and validated as to contents

and administrability in other schools in the Division of Makati City, that will not be

included in the respondents of the study. The result of the survey together with the remarks

and suggestions was noted and incorporated to further enrich instruments.

Once the procedure is undertaken, the sets of survey questionnaires undergo judgment

validation by the researcher’s adviser, the masters’ committee, and the panel of experts.

This instrument will be finalized and personally administered to the respondents.

Data Collection Procedure

To know teachers’ assessment of the factors affecting the reading comprehension of

learners in public elementary schools in District III, the researcher undertakes a series of

steps.

First, the researcher will seek permission and approval of the Schools Division

Superintendent of Makati City through a letter for the conduct of the study.
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Second, the researcher will distribute the survey questionnaires to the different

schools in District III, Division of Makati City.

Third, the researcher will retrieve the questionnaires afterward.

Finally, the researcher will tabulate and validate the responses of the respondents of

the study for analysis, summary, conclusion, and recommendations.

Ethical Considerations

Initially, ethical approval for the conduct of the study will be obtained from the

University of Makati Graduate School. After which, permission to conduct the study on the

target population- the public elementary school teachers in District III, Division of Makati

obtained from the Schools Division Superintendent and from the respective school

principals is given. The approval form will be given to the participants for them to review

and sign if they agree with the terms and conditions of the study. The consent forms

suggested that it is voluntary, and their answers will be confidential. Data collection is

private, and teachers are assured that no data will anyway identify them.

Data Analysis

To ensure systematic and objective presentation, analysis, and interpretation of data, the

following descriptive and inferential statistical tools are applied through SPSS Version

2019 to wit:

1. Frequency and Percentage

2. Mean and Standard Deviation

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The following categories of Scale have been applied with Scale Range Verbal

Interpretation. Standard Deviation was used to describe the position of an individual

score away or close to the mean score.

Scale Interval Verbal Interpretation

5 4.51- 5.00 Strongly Agree

4 3.51- 4.50 Agree

3 2.51- 3.50 Moderately Agree

2 1.51- 2.50 Fairly Agree

1 1.00- 1.50 Not Agree

3. T-test for independence

4. ANOVA

Research
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SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ON FACTORS AFFECTING THE

READING COMPREHENSION OF LEARNERS IN THE PUBLIC
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS OF MAKATI CITY
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Dear Respondents:

The undesigned researcher is presently working on her thesis entitled “Factors

Affecting the Reading Comprehension of Learners in the Public Elementary Schools of
Makati City: Basis for Enhanced Reading Program” as a requirement for the degree in
Master of Arts major in Educational Management at the University of Makati. Your
valuable assistance in answering the questions to the best of your ability will surely be
contributory to the success of the study.
Rest assured, all collected data shall be treated with the utmost confidentiality and
exclusively the research purposes only.

Respectfully yours,

ROSALYN M. SERRANO
Researcher

Questionnaire

PART I: RESPONDENT’S PROFILE:

Please put a check on the box that corresponds to your most appropriate answer.

Length of Service

1-10 years 11-20 years

21–30 years 31 years & above

Position
Teacher I-III Master Teacher I-II

Educational Attainment
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Bachelor’s Degree Masters Units

Master’s Degree Doctorate Units

Doctorate Degree

School

Heneral Pio Del Pilar Elementary School-Main

Heneral Pio Del Pilar Elementary School-Main

Bangkal Elementary School-Main

Bangkal Elementary School I

PART II:

Factors Affecting Reading Comprehension

The following statements describe the factors affecting the reading comprehension
of learners in the Public Elementary Schools in the Division of Makati City.
Please put a check mark on the item which fits your answer by using the following
scale to wit:

5 – Strongly Agree

4 – Agree

3 – Moderately Agree

2 – Fairly Agree

1 – Not Agree

1. Pupil Factors

Indicators 5 4 3 2 1

1. Nutritional Status
2. Pupils are not motivated to read.
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3. Pupils read stories, selections, and essays

selectively.
4. Pupils’ poor study habit.
5. Absenteeism

2. Language Factors

Indicators 5 4 3 2 1

1. Pupils’ poor/limited vocabulary

2. Pupils’ poor grammar and spelling.
3. Low comprehension level.

4. Selection contains unfamiliar words

5. Pupils are not immersed to English
3. Teacher Factors

Indicators 5 4 3 2 1
1. Lack of appropriate strategies and
approaches to foster love for
reading.
2. Lack of skills in preparing reading
materials.
3. Overlapping teaching loads and
extra function.
4. Lack of strategies to unlock
unfamiliar words.
5. Lack of training in teaching
reading comprehension skills.

4. School Head Factors

Indicators 5 4 3 2 1
1. Lack of training in teaching
reading.
2. Poor supervisory scheme.
3. Lack of support to teachers
4. Inability to provide technical
assistance to improve teaching.
5. Lack of instructional supervision
due to overlapping of activities.
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5. School Factors

Indicators 5 4 3 2 1
1. Class size
2. Lack of catchy reading materials.
3. Classroom not conducive to learning.
4. Substandard classroom for learning with
inadequate facilities.
5. Absence of functional library.

6. Home Factors

Indicators 5 4 3 2 1
1. No follow up at home
2. Less motivation by siblings to study.
3. Low educational background of parents.
4. Pupils are forced to work for an extra income.
5. Absence of reading materials at home.

7. Community Factors

Indicators 5 4 3 2 1
1. Lack of support from the barangay.
2. Lack of support from external stakeholders.
3. Non-functional of/no Barangay Learning Resource
Center (BLRC)
4. Non-motivating community members.
5. Lack of reading materials available in the barangay
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