Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Dayhagan, Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro
Dayhagan National High School

USE OF SELF-MONITORING APPROACH TO READING & THINKING (SMART)

STRATEGY TO IMPROVE READING SKILLS OF SELECTED GRADE
8 STUDENTS OF DAYHAGAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Presented by:
Jhee Ann Galiciha Rey Sumibcay
Carl Matthew Ignacio Alexandria Arellano
Crystal Gamol Jade Jashryl Salvador

0
 June 2022

CHAPTER I1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION
There are various strategies which have been developed to teach students in
increasing students’ abilities, interests, and motivations in learning process. One of the
strategies is SMART (Self-Monitoring Approach to Reading and Thinking). Buehl (2013) states
that SMART strategy is a strategy where students are encouraged not to be satisfied until an
entire reading makes sense, and they are given specific steps to try to clear up trouble spots.

Reading is one of important language skill that must be learned by students,

because through reading students can obtain more knowledge and information. Seyler (in
Delpita &Dewi, 2012: 2) defines reading is process of obtaining or constructing from a word or
cluster of words. In other words, reading is a process of readers combining information and
understanding the idea of information in the text.

According to Vaughan and Estes as cited on Sejnost, the self-Monitoring Approach to

Reading and Thinking fosters students’ ability to concentrate on how the reading is progressing.
It requires that students, as they read, determine what they actually understand and what they
do not understand and then present them with some fix-up strategies to help them persist
through the reading until they are able to make full sense of what they have read. So, this
strategy is used to monitor the reading comprehension in reading text.

Reading is process of constructing meaning from written text through the interaction of
the readers’ knowledge and the readers’ interpretation of the language that the writer is used in
constructing the text. Cahyono stated that reading is about understanding written texts. It is a
complex activity related process: word recognition and comprehension. Word recognition refers
to the process of perceiving how written symbols correspond to one’s spoken language.
Meanwhile, comprehension is the process of making sense words, sentences and connected

1
texts. Readers typically make use of their background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical
knowledge, experience with the text and other strategies to help them understand the written
text. (Day and Bamford)
Reading in language classrooms is activity that interactive and mostly directed by
teacher. Teachers use different techniques to make reading activity much meaningful; it can be
handled in three phases are pre-reading, while reading and after-reading phases. “Pre-reading”
(warm-up, into, before-reading) activities introduce students to a particular text, elicit or provide
appropriate background knowledge, and activate necessary schemata. “While-reading” (during,
through reading) exercises help students develop reading strategies, improve their control of the
foreign language, and decode problematic text passages. And the last “Post-reading” (after,
follow-up, beyond reading) exercises first check students’ comprehension and then lead
students to a deeper analysis of the text, when warranted (Toprak&Amacioglu, 2009: 23). Each
of them has its own important role. They are all necessary parts of a reading activity. In
language classrooms, these phases have to be put in consideration in order to achieve the
development of students’ reading skills.

By student’s interest in reading expected to improve their achievement especially in

English. The researcher offers a new strategy for teacher in teaching reading that is SMART
strategy. Classroom strategies make the students actively think about what they are reading
and to apply what they have learned. The strategies as activities that permit students to interact
with other students tend to increase both motivation to learn and as a result of the study.
Teacher expected students to grow from dependence to independence in learning by using
strategies in their teaching. Furthermore, strategies guide students in assessing the learning
situation, setting their own purpose, choosing the most effective actions, and evaluating their
success in learning process.

Reading is one of important language skill that must be learned by students, because through
reading students can obtain more knowledge and information. Seyler (in Delpita &Dewi, 2012:
2) defines reading is process of obtaining or constructing from a word or cluster of words. In
other words, reading is a process of readers combining information and understanding the idea
of information in the text. In addition, Linse (2005: 69) defines reading as a set of skill that
involves making sense and deriving of meaning from the printed word. It means that the readers
must be able to decode the printed words.
Reading in language classrooms is an activity that interactive and mostly directed by
teachers. Teachers use different techniques to make reading activity much meaningful; it can be
handled in three phases to manage the task in a much proper and effective way. These three
phases are pre-reading, while reading and after-reading phases. “Pre-reading” (warm-up, into,
before reading) activities introduce students to a particular text, elicit or provide appropriate
background knowledge, and activate necessary schemata. “While-reading” (during, through

2
reading) exercises help students develop reading strategies, improve their control of the foreign
language, and decode problematic text passages. And the last, “Post-reading” (after, follow-up,
beyond reading) exercises first check student’s comprehension and then lead students to a
deeper analysis of the text, when warranted (Toprak & Almacioglu, 2009: 23). Each of them has
its own important role. They are all necessary parts of a reading activity. In language
classrooms, these phases have to be in consideration in order to achieve the development of
the student’s reading skills.
Reading is one of the most important skills that should be landed by students in
learning English. Harmer (2001: 70-71) states that there are some principles for teaching
reading: (a) Reading is not a passive skill; (b) Students need to be engaged with what they are
reading; (c) Students should be encouraged to respond to the content of a reading text, not just
the language; (d) Prediction is a major factor in reading; (e) Match the task to the topic; (f) Good
teachers exploit reading texts to the full.
Based on explanation above, in teaching reading, teacher should employ self-guided
methods for improving reading ability to change. Making a connection is when a student can
relate a passage to an experiences, another book, or other facts about the world. Making
connections will help students understand what the author’s purpose is and what the story is
about.
Considering those conditions, the researcher is trying to offer a solution that will
increase student’s interest is reading and enhance student’s ability of reading. In addition, by
student’s interest in reading expected to improve their achievement especially in English. The
researcher offers a new strategy for teacher in teaching reading that is SMART strategy.
Classroom strategies make the students actively think about what they are reading and to apply
what they have learned. The strategies as activities that permit students to interact with other
students tend to increase both motivation to learn and aa a result of the study. Teacher
expected students to grow from dependence to independence in learning by using strategies in
their teaching. Furthermore, strategies guide students in assessing the learning situation, setting
their own purpose, choosing the most effective actions, and evaluating their success in learning
process.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study is to help students to acknowledge those information or
details that gives them better understanding on what does this strategy help themselves to
improve their reading skills or even their academic performances.

Precisely, it must answer the following:

1. What are the effects of SMART Strategy of the Grade 8 students in Dayhagan National
High School in Mental aspects in terms of:

 Mind-set
 Vocabulary Development
 Metacognitive Skills

3
 2.
3. What are the effects of SMART Strategy of the Grade 8 students in Dayhagan National High
School in Psycho-social aspects in terms of:

 Communication
 Academic Performance
 Success

4. What are the effects of SMART Strategy of the Grade 8 students in Dayhagan National
High School in Science Process Skills? Socio-economic aspect?
5. What are the positive impact of the SMART Strategy?
6. How does Self-Monitoring Approach to Reading and Thinking (SMART) Strategy helps
students improve their reading skills?

Theoretical Framework
Reading is an important skill in many different settings especially in educational
setting. In English education field, reading comprehension would be improving students to
understand the text or integrate new idea from the text.

According to Sandra Silberstein, reading is a complex information processing skill

in which the reader with the text in order to (re) create meaningful discourse.2 It means reading
is an activity or interaction between the reader and the text to get information from the text.

Goodman in Burt, Peyton, and Adam states that it is important to learn reading
since it (1) helps people learn to think new language, (2) helps people build better vocabulary,
(3) helps people more comfortable with written English, (4) can help people plan to study in
English - speaking country.7 Reading not only helps us in the reading ability but also helps us at
the other skills too. To get more knowledge the good readers realize about the importance of
reading.

From the benefits of reading above, those benefits will help the students a lot in
their life then. Reading is important for students both to develop their knowledge and develop
the way they think related to the development of moral, emotion, as well as verbal intelligence. It
is a very important skill that students have to master. Any exposure from reading gives many
benefits for the students in the process of acquiring language and developing their thinking and

4
emotional. Opportunities to expose English texts more helps the reader accustomed to written
English texts. It will develop their awareness in decoding a printed language and recalling the
meaning.

Conceptual Framework

The framework illustrates the IPO of the study and maps out how it might relate to
each other wherein the Input is the Effects of SMART Strategy consisting of the following:
___________________________________________________________________________,
which all the ideas came in it to support how the process will be formed. The process being
used in this study are Documentary Analysis, Gather some information from internet and
Survey. The output will be the _______________________.IV and DV of this study wherein the
Independent Variable is the Use of Self-Monitoring Approach to Reading and Thinking (SMART)
Strategy and the Dependent Variable is To Improve Reading Skills of Selected Grade 8
students in Dayhagan National High School.

The researcher want to find out the effects of SMART Strategy with other students,
how this Self-Monitoring Approach to Reading and Thinking Strategy will improve the reading
skills of Grade 8 students in Dayhagan National High School.

Process Output
Input
Effects of SMART - Documentary
Strategy in terms of: Analysis Dependent
Independent - Through Variable
Variable Internet
- Survey
Improve Reading
Use of Self-Monitoring
Skills of Selected
Approach to Reading
Grade 8 students in
and Thinking
Dayhagan National
(SMART) Strategy
High School
Positive impact of 5
SMART Strategy:
Statement of Research Hypothesis
According to the study of Self-Monitoring approach to reading and thinking helps
student to improve their academic performances and reading skills. Individual activities and
SMART Strategy has the identical purpose of delivering an educational lesson to enhance their
skills.

Null Hypothesis

In terms of academic performance there is no substantial different between

SMART Strategy and Traditional learning. This master plan demonstrates that SMART strategy
has little impact on how students learn in their studies. It signifies that academic performance is
determined by students’ intelligence rather than how they learn.

Significance of the Study

This study will be undertaken to find out the effects of SMART Strategy on
Grade 8 students at Dayhagan National High School. The result of this study will help different
factors to gain the appropriate information about the topic. The researchers believe that the
finding of this study will help people specifically the students.
This study was beneficial to the following:

6
The Students
Students reach a higher level of independence and fostering a deeper
understanding of a text. These strategies enable students to learn more effectively and
encourage risk-taking. Self-monitoring strategies encourage students to take more responsibility
for their own learning and, most importantly, will empower them. They will not be so
independent on teacher support while reading a text.

The Teachers
Teachers increase the likelihood of students becoming engaged readers. This
requires teachers know their student, know children literature and to share your enthusiasm for
reading. They can help student comprehension through instruction of SMART Strategy. It would
be easy for teachers to teach and guide those students who can monitor themselves and made
improvement from it.

The Parents
Reading allows children to communicate with their parents. It is also a great way to
spend time together and slow down after a hectic day. They were able to increased ability to
understand each other. With the help of parents, using SMART Strategy to improve reading
skills of their children, can promote brain development, language, vocabularies and their
communication skills. From this strategy, children might change or maintain their good morality
and might bring satisfaction on their parent’s faces.

Scope and Delimitation of the study

The overall goal of this research is to determine the impact of Self-Monitoring

learning method in the New Normal schooling especially in modular learning. Its main goal is to
see if the selected grade 8 students of Dayhagan National High School can integrate their
learning skill in their daily lives using the SMART Strategy over the school year 2021-2022.

Definition of Terms

Communication - is the act of giving, receiving, and sharing information -- in other words,
talking or writing, and listening or reading.

7
Independence - the state or quality of being independent. freedom from the control, influence,
support, aid, or the like, of others.

Metacognitive -  is an awareness of one's thought processes and an understanding of the

patterns behind them. 

Mind-set -  is an awareness of one's thought processes and an understanding of the patterns
behind them. 

Reading Comprehension -  the ability to read text, process it and understand its meaning.

Schemata - It is a process of using reader's existing knowledge (schemata) to interpret texts in

order to construct meaning.

Self-Monitoring - is a personality trait that involves the ability to monitor and regulate self-
presentations, emotions, and behaviors in response to social environments and situations.\

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Foreign Literature

According to a study conducted by The University of Sussex, reading can reduce

stress levels by up to 68%.

The Telegraph quoted Professor David Lewis, the cognitive neuropsychologist

who conducted the study, saying, “It really doesn’t matter what book you read, by losing yourself
in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday

8
world and spend a while exploring the domain of the author’s imagination…the printed page can
stimulate your creativity and cause you to enter what is essentially an altered state of
consciousness.”

Along with reducing stress, reading can help you get a better night’s sleep. Many
people turn to technology before going to bed, but screens can keep you up at night and cause
you to have trouble sleeping. Books, on the other hand, can help you sleep better. Reading
helps you relax and can signal your body that it’s time to go to sleep.

It may seem unlikely, but reading can actually make you feel happier. According to
researcher Dr. Josie Billington from the Centre of research into Reading, Literature and Society,
“reading reminds people of activities or occupations they once pursued, or knowledge and skills
they still possess, helping to restore their send of having a place and purpose in the world.

Not only that but when we read, we learn that there are other people who are
going through similar or equally difficult struggles as or own. It can help us fight feelings of
isolation or loneliness.

Historically, reading has been used to help people through difficult times. During
WWI, the United States’ Library War Service, an initiative that started with the Library of
Congress, collected over 700 million reading materials for troops. The belief was that the books
could help troops heal from the trauma of war.

The librarians noted that the books did help calm the troops and helped then begin
their material and emotional recoveries. Books and reading have the power to improve your
mood and help you deal with difficult circumstances.

DeBruin-Parecki et al. (2015) states that reading enables students to become

independent in comprehending complex text structures while improving their proficiency in
academic and professional skills. Successful readers tend to have a higher extent of
comprehension as they are able to create connection between different ideas, understand
complex notions and reflect on the information simultaneously while reading. Hence, educators
are required to implement educational strategies that promote critical thinking and pre-reading
to develop comprehension skills in students (Javed et al., 2015). Similarly, reading should be
considered as a strategy by the educators and authors so that it can intrigue the readers attain
related information from texts, improve their academic vocabulary while engaging in critical
reflection to promote comprehension (DeBruin-Parecki et al., 2015). Glenberg (2017) implies

9
that comprehension accounts as the ability to engage in adequate response to the information
provided in text. Similarly, reading interventions in education setting enables the students to
engage in the critical reflection and understanding text, and utilize rational in order to generate
adequate responses in comprehension.

Swan (2015) determined the efficacy of reading strategies in improving

comprehension, and provided evidence that active learners tend to have a lower level of
performance in reading comprehension followed by pre- and- rereading activities based on
keyword strategy in reading, whereas visual, sensitive and sequential learners performed in this
reading strategy. In this instance, Swan (2015) suggested that keyword strategy should be
integrated with reading strategy to enhance the extent of comprehension in students. Similarly,
Ness (2016) has enlightened the context of strategies that promote effective reading in students
and their effect on enhancing their level of reading comprehension, and the findings suggest
that teachers should adopt explicit teaching style in reading comprehension during reading
activities. Rastegar et al. (2017) have implied that metacognitive reading strategies; mainly
comprising of thinking about text and character, rereading, intuitive pause during reading, notes
taking and underlining important information in text helps the students to engage in effective
comprehension.

Ismail et al. (2015) proved that smart and apt reading strategies; that are mainly
comprised of inferences, reorganization and literal comprehension are highly effective in
improving comprehension in students. Moreover, these strategies are also found to increase the
motivation level of learners to engage in reading activity. Hence, pre-reading activities in
integration with smart and apt strategies can help low-achiever learners to practice and learn
comprehension in an effective manner. Moreover, Mousavian and Siahpoosh (2018)
enlightened the efficacy of pre-teaching vocabulary pre-questioning strategy to enhance reading
comprehension; and proved that effective reading strategies are an effective means to support
students in their academic students provided with effective reading strategies outperformed the
students who were not provided with any pre reading strategy during comprehension activities.

Local Literature

10
 After participating in various international assessments where the Philippines
ranked the lowest in reading, math, and science, the Department of Education (DepEd)
vowed to continue implementing reforms to improve the quality of education in the country.
With the awareness that comprehension is fundamental in learning, DepEd had focused on
the reading proficiency of students.  

In 2019, DepEd launched the initiative called “Hamon: Bawa’t Bata Bumasa” or
3Bs to bridge literacy gaps among learners. The following year, the department used
Research O’clock as a venue to learn from studies that addressed the challenges in basic
education, which still included reading literacy. With these programs, among others, the
DepEd’s aim was to uplift the education standard, which eventually could also give better
results in future international assessments.

According to reading specialist Daisy Jane Cunanan-Calado, apart from

participating in international assessments, we should develop our own culture of
assessment, which focuses on cognitive ability in major subjects to improve instruction or
the methods of teaching as well as profiling of students who really need attention.

In the Philippines, the Department of Education implemented the Department Number

18, 2020 or the Most Essential Learning Competencies and Flexible Learning Options to ensure
continuous learning opportunities for Filipino students. Farflung schools especially for
indigenous students are provided with printed modules as a learning mechanism that comprises
their lessons for a specific term. Due to the face-to-face restriction, students have to be
independent in reading. Unfortunately, not all IP students have high level of reading
comprehension which result to lesser understanding of reading materials. In fact, the
Programme for International Student Assessment or PISA revealed that Junior High School
students evidently show low reading comprehension rate in the Philippines specifically in
Region 6, where Junior High School students obtained a literal level of competency in reading
from short passages and they can only understand relationships of sentence-meaning within the
limited part of the texts. On the other hand, there were no available studies that reveal reading
comprehension of IP students in the New Normal which could be useful as a basis for

11
institutions in developing reading comprehension skills of learners especially that the K-12
Curriculum of Junior High School in English subject is literature-based.

12