Globus Journal of Progressive Education

A Refereed Research Journal

Vol 12 / No 1 / Jan-Jun 2022 ISSN: 2231-1335
READING COMPREHENSION OF INDIGENOUS STUDENTS
AMIDST THE NEW NORMAL
*
Neo Abell P. Obligar
**
Ma. Rosa S. Caraballe
Paper Received: 07.04.2022 / Paper Accepted: 27.04.2022 / Paper Published: 01.05.2022
Corresponding Author: Neo Abell P. Obligar; Email: neoabell@gmail.com; doi:10.46360/globus.edu.220221013

Abstract Introduction
In 2015, member-States of United Nations (UN)
This study aimed to distinguish the
agreed to provide seventeen (17) Sustainable
comprehension level of indigenous students in
Development Goals (SDGs) that includes the
silent and oral reading and their experiences in
improvement of education by promoting inclusivity
reading amidst the New Normal. The Grade 7
of societies especially for the Indigenous
indigenous students who are officially enrolled
community [10]. In order to attain this goal,
for AY 2021-2022 in one of the tribal
reading comprehension development is the
communities in Silay City, Negros Occidental
foundation of quality edcuation that will provide
were the chosen respondents/participants of
equal chance for the indigenous students to become
this study. This study utilized Mixed Method
globally competent. This advocacy has been a
Design in which the descriptive-quantitative
challenging endeavor for educational sectors as IP
design entailed the collection of data by
communities were greatly affected by the CoVid-
administering Philippine Informal Reading
19 Pandemic where schools in many countries
Inventory. Then, participants were interviewed
adopted the New Normal Education. However,
(by pair and one-on-one) which gathered the
according to the International Labour Organization,
qualitative data. As to the weight of this
the strategies and mechanisms implemented by
design, both quantitative and qualitative data
different schools do not meet the needs of the
results have equal importance. Each design
communities because students have no capacity to
was analyzed and interpreted separately and
use gadgets and to access internet or electricity [5].
then result was converged by comparing and
contrasting its implications. The findings of
In the Philippines, the Department of Education
the reading test in students’ comprehension
implemented the Department Number 18, 2020 or
revealed that all indigenous students got a
the Most Essential Learning Competencies and
frustration reading profile result in both silent
Flexible Learning Options to ensure continuous
and oral reading. To support the claim on the
learning opportunities for Filipino students. Far-
“frustration” result of IP students, their
flung schools especially for indigenous students are
responses during the in-depth interview
provided with printed modules as a learning
pointed out their difficulty in understanding
mechanism that comprises their lessons for a
their modules because it is written in English.
specific term. Due to the face-to-face restriction,
Furthermore, the study confirmed that the low
students have to be independent in reading.
level of reading comprehension in oral and
Unfortunately, not all IP students have high level of
silent reading is a result of various experiences
reading comprehension which result to lesser
they encountered in reading amidst the
understanding of reading materials. In fact, the
implementation of the modular learning
Programme for International Student Assessment
modality. These experiences were organized
or PISA [6] revealed that Junior High School
according to the researcher’s formulated
students evidently show low reading
themes: (1) Challenges in Reading: IP
comprehension rate in the Philippines specifically
Students’ Eye View; (2) A New Normal
in Region 6, where Junior High School students
Paradigm Shift: IP Students’ Coping with
obtained a literal level of competency in reading
Predicament in Reading; and (3) The Silver
from short passages and they can only understand
Linings of Reading in the New Normal.
relationships of sentence-meaning within the
limited part of the texts. On the other hand, there
Keywords: Reading Comprehension,
were no available studies that reveal reading
Indigenous, Philippine Informal Reading
comprehension of IP students in the New Normal
Inventory, Silent Reading, Oral Reading, New
which could be useful as a basis for institutions in
Normal, Reading Experiences.
developing reading comprehension skills of
learners especially that the K-12 Curriculum of
*Educators of Negros Island Incorporated, Central Philippines State University - Valladolid Extension Class,
Negros Occidental, Philippines.
**Carlos Hilado Memorial State College – Talisay City, Negros Occidental, Philippines.
95
Junior High School in English subject is literature-
based. In each grade level, literature is emphasized
with its scope. Moreover, according to Armstrong
and Newman (2011) [2] as cited by Navarette,
Joderic (2019), “schemata” is one’s background
knowledge. The message conveyed by the text has
a meaning in which readers are the ones who
decode its context and underlying explanation of
thoughts. Thus, schemata are an important aspect in
reading comprehension as it helps elaborate the
text-meaning. Alghonaim, Ali (2020) [1] as cited
by Jingblad & Jahansson (2017) also suggests that
intrinsic motivation help students to enhance
autonomous and engaging reading habits. Thus,
reading with pleasure will help develops reading
comprehension.
Furthermore, students who were identified as
members of the indigenous community are
studying in one of the schools located on the
northern part of Negros Occidental. One of the
teachers in that school mentioned that Reading
Proficiency Test was conducted in 2018 before the
onset of the pandemic and no updated national
reading tests were administered yet due to some
restrictions during this new normal education.
Thus, the researcher conducted this study to
determine the level of reading comprehension of
the Indigenous students amidst the “New Normal”
Education and their reading experiences as basis
for an enhancement program to be proposed as a
sustainable solution in the continual quest for
effective learning in times of a pandemic.
Statement of the Problem
This study aimed to determine the level of reading
comprehension of the indigenous students in the
new normal in one of the tribal communities in the
northern part of Negros Occidental, Philippines.
Table 1
Level of Reading Comprehension of Indigenous Students in Oral and Silent Reading
Areas Mean
Level of
Comprehension 75.13
for oral reading
Level of
Comprehension 25.00
for silent reading
Note: Scale for OR: 97-100%= independent, 90-96%=instructional, and 89%-below=frustration Scale for SR:
80-100%=independent, 59-79%=instructional, and 68%-below=frustration
Table 1 presents the indigenous students’ level of
reading comprehension in both oral and silent
reading. Based on the interpretation of Mean (M)
96
Specifically, this study sought to answer the
following questions:
1. What is the comprehension level of indigenous
students in terms of oral and silent reading?
2. What are the experiences of the indigenous
students in reading amidst the new normal?
3. Based on the findings of the study, what
program may be proposed?
Research Design
This study utilized Mixed Method Design.
Creswell and Plano Clark (2011) [4] defined Mixed
Method as a scientific investigation that comprises
of at least one quantitative strand and one
qualitative strand. This study aimed to investigate
the students’ reading comprehension level in both
oral and silent reading and identify personal
experiences they encountered in reading amidst the
New Normal education. The researcher chose
Mixed Method Research Design to establish a clear
and further explanation according to the
respondents’ reading comprehension level result
and interview responses. Moreover, this Mixed
Method was an appropriate design used in this
study as it provided a complete and synergistic
explanation of the data collected with clear side-by-
side discussion. Accordingly, a concurrent
triangulation design was integrated by converging
the obtained quantitative and qualitative data
through compare and contrast analysis [4].
Results and Discussion
Level of reading comprehension of
indigenous students in oral and silent
reading
To answer the research question number 1, Table 1
presents the level of reading comprehension of
indigenous students in oral and silent reading.
Interpretation SD
Frustration 28.13
Frustration .00
and Standard Deviation (SD) of the two reading
types, it can be deduced that the mean values for
oral reading (M=75.13%) and silent reading
(M=25.00%) is in the FRUSTRATION LEVEL.
The findings of the PHIL IRI result of students’
reading comprehension in SILENT READING, it
revealed that all indigenous students (3 male
students and 2 female students) got a frustration of
the PHIL IRI assessment. After the reading the
passage, all respondents obtained a score of two (2)
points out of eight (8) questions. This means that
students’ score is equivalent to 25% for reading
comprehension (silent reading) based on the
predetermined criteria adapted from Johnson, Kress
& Pikulski [7].
Furthermore, in students’ reading comprehension
in ORAL READING, although three (3) students
got “instructional” level, the overall interpretation
based on their mean score (Mean=75.13%)
indicates “frustration” result. In general, IP
students’ level of reading comprehension in both
SILENT and ORAL reading is “frustration”.
The “frustration” result of indigenous students’
reading comprehension level in silent reading
signifies these students found the reading material
difficult. This result is evident as to how they read
the passage orally: Majority of the students have
common miscues committed including the
mispronunciation of words grammatical
substitution. As to the oral reading behaviors of
students, most of them did word-by-word reading,
expressed in monotonous tone, disregarded
punctuations, and employed little method of
analysis. These findings imply that students were
used to oral reading activities which focused on the
pronunciation drills only, without understanding
the message conveyed on the texts.
Furthermore, the frustration result of students in
silent reading reveals that all of them obtained 25%
of reading comprehension score which is
interpreted that the students have less vocabulary
knowledge of the topic they have read. Most
students answered correctly the literal questions
which can be found directly from the texts, but they
failed to respond to interpretative and analytical
types of questions. In addition, most of the students
did not comprehend the message conveyed by the
author of the passage because they have lack prior
knowledge of the topic in the passage.
IP Students’ Experiences in Reading amidst
the New Normal
Based on the students’ responses during the in-
depth interview, the researcher analyzed the texts
through Thematic Coding Analysis. The data reveal
students’ experiences in reading amidst the New
Normal with the following themes:
97
Challenges in Reading: IP Students’ Eye
View
Indigenous students’ experiences in reading amidst
the implementation of modular learning caused so
much pressure on students because they were
tasked to comply all the needed written and
performance-based outputs to accomplish. During
the interview, participants revealed the impact of
the New Normal education towards reading
comprehension. In line to this, learners shared their
personal struggles and challenges they encounter in
reading which have contributed to the frustration
comprehension result both in silent and oral
reading.
Reading without Understanding. In the current
educational system amidst the Pandemic, the
school where grade 7 indigenous students are
currently enrolled to, experienced the full
implementation of Modular Learning Method in
which it has been the most essential scheme that is
currently implemented by schools from far-flung
communities.
Reading with Home Learning Partners. The
crucial role of home learning partners help enrich
learner’s capability in order to improve their
literacy skills. Most of the IP students are being
guided by their parents and immediate family
member in answering their modules amidst the
New Normal.
Reading with Limited Accessibility. Electronic
reading materials have been the effective tools to
advance the research method among learners and
teachers especially in the current implementation of
modular learning schemes. There are several
advantages in e-reading such that children’s books
as digital text that can be downloaded thru online.
Through this mechanism, it helps improve learners’
phonological awareness, word-reading skills, and
vocabulary knowledge [3]. However, electronic
reading as a learning tool among indigenous
students were not efficient educational support in
their case.
Learning with Available Reading Materials or
Textbooks. On the availability of reading
materials, most students rely on the lent textbooks
by their teachers. Considering the small number of
students which comprise of one hundred seventeen
(117) officially enrolled learners from kindergarten
to grade 12 as validated by the school’s principal, it
is more efficient for the teachers to let their
students borrow textbooks that can help reinforce
them in answering modules.
Reading with Limited English Vocabulary. The
role of background knowledge toward learning
second language reading is a crucial aspect to
improve students understanding of read
passages/texts provided to them by their teachers.
In the context of modules given to students in the
New Normal, English texts are the vernacular
language used. In the process of schema theory,
learners follow series of steps to fully comprehend
the texts which includes distinguishing passage’s
author, context background, words, description of
texts, the way texts are structured, phrases included
in the tasks/activities, sentences embedded on the
texts for writing, and deep meaning of the passage
[9].
Reading with Flexibility. In this New Normal
scenario, reading of modules amidst the difficulties
and challenges is still the innermost motivation of
students to uphold the demanding of learning
during this crisis.
A New Normal Paradigm Shift: IP Students’
Coping with Predicament in Reading Learning
with the Aid of Gadgets. On the other hand, the
researcher found out that Ray was staying in
Bacolod City because she is currently a College
student studying in one of the institution of the said
town.
Adopting Strategies as a Means of Coping with
Reading Difficulties. To help comprehend the read
texts, two effective reading strategies were
employed by the students: Silent reading method
and guided reading practice.
The Silver Linings of Reading in the New
Normal
Importance of Constant Reading for Continuous
Learning. Significant perception of students
towards reading in the New Normal generally
explains its importance in understanding the
modules provided for them as a “preparation
learning tool” when face to face class will be lifted.
Conclusion
According to the findings of the study, the
following conclusions were made:
The indigenous students’ word recognition score in
oral reading and reading comprehension score in
silent reading obtained a “frustration” result on
their level of reading comprehension because all
students were slow readers and they have difficulty
in comprehending English reading passages due to
insufficient vocabulary knowledge and lack of
home learning support provided by their parents or
immediate family members, and reading materials.
The indigenous students’ experiences in reading
amidst the New Normal imply that reading
comprehension skills have a vital role to enhance
their learning progress especially in the current
implementation of the modular learning scheme.
98
It was evident that the implementation of modular
learning modality had been one of the factors why
students have difficulty in comprehending the texts
they read in their modules. In their current
experiences, students have to climb on the elevated
areas within their community for research
purposes. Furthermore, IP students were struggling
in reading English the learning materials due to
limited vocabulary. Amidst the unprecedented
crisis, these young learners exhibit positive belief
that they can surpass and overcome in these
challenging times.
Recommendations
Based on the obtained data results and conclusions
in this scientific investigation on reading
comprehension and experiences in reading amidst
the New Normal, the following recommendations
were suggested:
The indigenous students residing in the tribal
community may support the Reading Enhancement
Program as suggested of this study to be able to
improve their language literacy.
The Grade 7 Junior High School Students may
improve their reading comprehension by
collaborating with fellow students and participating
with the school’s reading enhancement initiatives.
Language teachers who are implementers of
English curriculum, might be suggested to revive
“reading policy” among students that shall support
New Normal reading strategy.
The principal of the school may adopt research-
based reading intervention program to address the
needs of indigenous students towards reading skills
development in order to address the issue on their
low level of reading comprehension and develop
their academic performance.
The Home Learning Partners such as the
participation of parents, guardians, and immediate
family members are very crucial to help students
improve their reading comprehension. It is also
important that home learning partners may initiate
hands-on involvement for home-based reading
practice of the students.
English Program Supervisor as one of the lead
implementers of “every child a reader” program, it
is recommended that reading
remedial/enhancement program can be
implemented especially to the indigenous
community where the school resides. Innovative
on-line and off-line mechanisms must further be
improved even until face-to-face restriction will be
lifted.
The Department of Education (DepED) of Silay
City may use this study as the basis in
implementing effective reading program for the IP
students in preparation for the limited face to face
classes.
Educators of Negros Island Incorporated
(EONII) as external partner of the school will help
support the reading enhancement program
proposed in this study through fund raising, literacy
drive, and reading remediation programs.
The Researcher may use the proposed reading
program of this study as basis to further conduct
research studies related to reading comprehension.
The Future researchers can also delve on the
current level of reading comprehension of higher or
lower year levels in order to obtain other data
needed for the improvement of reading skills of the
whole student population of the school.
Conflict of Interest
There is no conflict of interest between the authors
in this manuscript.
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