Name of the School (where the action research was conducted):

Government Girls Middle School, Bhutto Colony Shahdra, Lahore

Overall background of the participants of the project; area / school: (socio-

economic status, occupation / profession – earning trends of majority of the
parents, literacy rate, academic quality, and any other special trait of the
community where the school is situated) (10 marks)

This research is conducted in Government Girls Middle School. The school is

located in Bhutto Colony Shahdra, Lahore. The school has total number of
students equal to 550. There are 15 teachers in the school who served for 550
students. There are a number of facilities provided to students and teachers.
There is one science and one computer lab in the school. A play ground is available
to students for extra-curricular activities. Health facilities, learning aids, well
equipped computers, activity lab and enough furniture are not available in the
school to facilitate the students.

Facilities have a great impact on academic performances of students, and

inadequate facilities translate to poor performance. Inadequate provision of
facilities and materials to mainstreamed public schools would lead to poor
academic performances of students. Adequate funding of integrated schools
would help to overcome the problem of provision and maintenance of special
equipment and materials for the use of students.

Most of the students are belonging to poor families that cannot afford studies
of the students. The family background has a big impact on the academic
performance of children at all levels of education in the school system. It is
generally accepted that the quality of family interactions has important
associations with the children’s academic motivation and achievement.

Children from low socio economic status households and communities develop
academic skills more slowly compared to their counterparts from higher socio-
economic status families. The low socio economic status (economic struggling
families) deprives children of what is necessary to support their growth and
welfare. Initial academic skills are correlated with home environment where low
literacy involvement and chronic stress negatively affect a child’s academic
performance. Parents from low socio economic background are less likely to have
the financial resources or time availability to provide children with academic
support.

Moreover, parents of students are not educated enough to teach their children
or to understand importance of schooling. More highly educated parents actively
encourage their children to develop higher expectations of their own. Students
perform better in school if their parents as well as mothers are actively involved
in their education. The home environment provides environment for learning and
is basics for students’ life that can affect academic performance. Providing
opportunities to learn outside the school helps to facilitate student’s success in
the school environment.

The overall literacy rate of Lahore district is 64.7% and it is ranked 2 nd out of
3415 districts of Punjab in terms of literacy rates (the Pakistan Social & Living
Measurement survey- PSLMs 2006-07). There are 1,330 Public schools in District
Lahore. Out of which, 697 are Primary schools, 201 middle schools, 322 are High
Schools and 110 are Higher. Lahore has hundreds of registered Girls only schools,
including government Girl schools, semi govt schools, charity schools and private
Girls schools. These schools provide education to thousands of Female students
in Lahore, you can see the list of 606 Girls schools in Lahore.

Theme: Developing Basic Skills

Sub-theme: Reading Skills
Topic: Using Inquiry Method to Improve Students’ Reading Comprehension

1. Why did you select this specific sub-theme and topic? Relate it to your
experience / problem in your classroom / institution. (10 marks)
(Give the background and rationale of the study)

Throughout my school life in a government school of Pakistan, I never felt the

need of reading English language in classroom. Those days are still fresh in my
mind when my English teachers used to paraphrase and translate reading texts
into Urdu and students had to remember words meaning, answers to the questions
asked and other tasks. It was teachers who would read the text and make us
understand the content, especially by translating them in Urdu. Generally, we did
not have anything to do with reading the text. It would be teachers’ job to read
the text, answer the questions and finally write those answers so that we could
copy those in our notebooks and remember them for test. English used to be the
toughest subject for almost all students because we had to remember so many
things like vocabulary, question answers, structures, rules, examples etc. In spite
of such hard effort, we could hardly pass in English test. The students would be
considered very bright and talented if they could get pass marks.

Similarly, being an English teacher, I observe students do not give attention to

reading. They just rote memorize the answers of questions given by the teacher.

Learning English as a foreign language covers four skills; they are listening,
speaking, reading, and writing. Reading is the process of getting meaning from
text. Reading perceives a written text in order to understand its contents. The
understanding that results is called reading comprehension. In reading
comprehension, the message to be imposed in the written form is the most
important element that the students must recognize, because the primary
purpose of reading is to know the thoughts expressed in the printed material.
Therefore, reading with comprehension is only a way for the students to arrive
at what they want to know from the reading material. However, the problem is
how to make them comprehend. Reading comprehension is not just reading with a
loud voice but reading is established to understand the meaning of word,
sentences, and paragraph sense relationship among ideas as it is (Simanjuntak
1988:4). If a student just reads loudly but can’t understand the content of the
text, it means that he fails in comprehending passage. When preparing students
for a reading activity, we can help them become aware of relevant prior
knowledge, while we judge whether or not that knowledge is sufficient for
comprehension of the text.

Reading for general comprehension is a skill that involves absorbing the content
of the text. As the reader, we are not looking for specific points only, but rather
than it, we need to get an overall understanding of the text. Problem mostly
occurs to the students when reading book. Sometimes students were facing a
book but do not read at all. They just can mention symbol word without getting
any idea from the book. The researcher herself experienced when reading a book
without any comprehension tends to feel sleepy. Many students can read the word
in passage perfectly but are unable to get the meaning of the words. They can
say the words, but unable to gain the meaning from words. They find hard to
comprehend reading materials. So, the students who did not understand what
they read. As a result, they could not answer the whole questions correctly.

The techniques of teaching reading are very important to influence the students
in success reading. A technique can help students in reading so in teaching English
a teacher must use technique or methods where can help students to
comprehends easy what the teacher teach to them.

An appropriate method for teaching English for student is very important because
appropriate method determines the result of teaching vocabulary that is
improving student's reading comprehension. To improve the students' reading
comprehension, the researcher uses Inquiry method that provides a
constructivist modeling in teaching reading as an implementation to improve the
students' reading comprehension. The model helps students connect the content
they are learning to the life contexts in which that content could be used.
Therefore, students may find meaning in the learning process. As they try to
attain the learning goals, they draw upon their previous experiences and build
upon existing knowledge.

Inquiry method motivate and recognize the students to be good learners and
sound reasoners center their attention and activity on the dynamic process of
inquiry itself, not merely on the end product of static knowledge. Inquiry is a
learning process through questions generated from the interests, curiosities, and
perspectives/experiences of the learner. One important element in this strategy
is the teacher modeling or thinking out loud about how to figure out the meaning
of the word. This can be done by sharing the associations that come to mind when
using structural analysis. Inquiry can be considered a philosophical approach to
teaching any number of subjects, not just science or can be considered a mere
method.

This research study will focus on the teaching method (Inquiry based teaching)
effects on students’ reading comprehension.
2. What was your discussion with your colleague / friend / senior teacher or
supervisor regarding the problem? (05 marks)
(Provide your discussion with your colleague or supervisor for better
understanding of the problem and alternate solutions)

Developing strong reading skills in students is one of the key goals of every early
education program. It is through reading that students expand their vocabulary
and learn about the world. Reading is also the key to success in spelling and
writing. Teaching English as a foreign language is a challenging, yet rewarding
career choice. As an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, you must learn
to constantly adapt to your students' needs. Many times, this means dealing with
a variety of problems in the classroom, many of which are all too common
occurrences. A good ESL teacher must be able to recognize these common
problems, and work to find solutions. Even a small tweak in your teaching methods
can help to create a more productive and casual environment for both you and
your students.

For better understanding, I discussed the reading comprehension issues and

solutions with my senior teachers. Here is the conclusion of discussion:

1. Students become overly dependent on the teacher.

Many times, students will automatically look to the teacher for correct answers
instead of trying themselves. If the teacher obliges them with the answer each
time, it can become a detrimental problem. Instead, focus on giving positive
encouragement. This will help to make students more comfortable and more willing
to answer (even if incorrectly).

2. Persistent use of first-language

When teaching English as a foreign language, this is possibly the most common
problem. As an ESL teacher, it's important to encourage students to use English,
and only English. However, if students begin conversing in their first language,
move closer. Ask them direct questions like "do you have a question?" Another
idea is to establish a set of class rules and develop a penalty system for when
they use their first language. For example: if someone is caught using their first-
language three times, have them recite a poem in front of the class (in English).
Remember, for the 1-2 hours they are in English class, it must be English only.
3. Student is defiant, rowdy, or distracting of others.
This will happen, no matter what, in every classroom. If the entire class is acting
up, it may be the fault of the teacher, i.e. boring material or poor classroom
management. If it is one particular student, you should react swiftly to show
dominance. In order to resolve the issue, an ESL teacher must be strict and
institute discipline if needed. If it continues to happen, further disciplinary action
through the school's director could be pursued.

4. Students "hijack lesson" — the lesson doesn't go where you want it to.
When teaching English as a foreign language, you can always count on students
hijacking a lesson. To some extent, this can be a good thing. It shows that
students interest, and as long as they are participating and conversing in English,
it is a productive experience. However, if the lesson strays too far off topic, in a
direction you don't want it to go, it's important to correct the problem by
diverting the conversation.

5. Students are bored, inattentive, or unmotivated.

Many times, it is the teacher's fault that class is boring. Fortunately, with proper
planning, this problem can be solved. Choose a juicy theme to the lesson; one that
the students can relate to and one you know they will enjoy. This will automatically
give them some motivation and interest. Get to know your pupils and identify their
interests and needs, and then design your course accordingly.

6. Strong student dominance

As an ESL teacher, you will encounter learners with different capabilities and
language skills. While it is good to have some students who excel in the classroom,
it is important that they don't take away from others. If certain students begin
to constantly "steal the show," take care. Focus on calling on weaker students in
the class to answer questions. Encourage, but gently deflect some answers from
the strong students and give production time to other not-so-strong members of
the class.

7. Students are unprepared

The last thing you want as an ESL teacher is for learners to drop out simply
because they felt lost and/or unprepared. Concentrate on a more shared learning
experience. Make sure students are all on the same page before moving onto a
new topic by concept checking multiple times, and encouraging individual
participation.

3. What did you find about the problem in the existing literature (books /
articles / websites)? (10 marks)
(Explore books and online resources to know what and how has been already
done regarding this problem)

Reading is one of four language skills that has important role for the students.
One’s academic success has a strong correlation with reading. One who has a good
achievement in classroom usually likes reading. Because reading is not innate skill,
these are the reasons why the reading ability should be built as early as possible.

Reading itself means perceiving a written text in order to understand its context
that is done silently or orally. Jeremy harmer stated that reading is not a passive
skill. To do it successfully, it must be understood what words mean, see the
pictures the word are painting, understand the arguments and work out if we
agree with them. In reading comprehension, Snow and Colleagues stated that
there are three elements involved: the reader, the text and the activity. These
three elements occur within a large socio-cultural context that includes the
classroom learning environment, classroom instruction, social interaction with
peers or classmate, school culture, student’s self- concepts and instructional
history.

Harmer has defined that reading comprehension provides opportunities to study

language: vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, and the way we construct sentences,
paragraphs, and texts. According to Jhonson in Yusparizal, comprehension
activity in which the reader must be able to interpret and alter what he reads in
accordance with his or her prior knowledge about text. It tells us that the
primary activity or reading is to comprehend what text tells about.

A method of inquiry is capable of methods followed learners to realize what has

been gained during learn. Inquiry put learners as subjects to active (Miller, 2006:
234). Garcia.C (2003:2). Inquiry-based instruction is instruction using hands-on
activities that allow children to explore scientific concepts, as well as instruction
in which the focus is on using process skills to gain deeper understandings of the
connections in science. Inquiry is the dynamic process of being open to wonder
and puzzlements and coming to know and understand the world” (Galileo
Educational Network in Alberta 2004).

Bruce. B. C and Davidson. J (1996:9) The Inquiry Model assumes that knowledge
is constructed through meaningful activity which may include, but is not limited
to, conventional literacy activities. Inquiry as a teaching method was invented by
social studies teachers. Students were given data from different countries, and
asked to analyze the data to make generalizations and predictions about the
people of the countries. Inquiry is a term used broadly to refer to everything
from pseudo-experiments where the teacher has the students reify already
taught concepts to one in which students have virtually total control.

Center for Inspired Teaching (2008:1) inquiry-based teaching is a pedagogical

approach that invites students to explore academic content by posing,
investigating, and answering questions. Also known as problem-based teaching or
simply as ‘inquiry,’ this approach puts students’ questions at the center of the
curriculum, and places just as much value on the component skills of research as
it does on knowledge and understanding of content.

Miller. R. G (2006: 30) Inquiry is a multifaceted activity that involves making

observations; posing questions; examining books and other sources of information
to see what is already known; planning investigations; reviewing what is already
known in light of experimental evidence; using tools to gather, analyze, and
interpret data; proposing answers, explanations, and predictions; and
communicating the results. Inquiry requires identification of assumptions, use of
critical and logical thinking, and consideration of alternative explanations
Alberta (2004:13) defines Inquiry-based learning provides opportunities for
students as follows:

a. Develop skills they will need all their lives

b. Learn to scope with problems that may not have clear solutions
c. Deal with changes and challenges to understandings
d. Shape their search for solutions, now and in the future.
A systematic approach to the development of these skills is essential to prepare
students for problem solving and lifelong learning. A systematic approach ensures
that students have the opportunity to engage in inquiry, to learn an overall process
and to understand that this general inquiry process can be transferred to other
inquiry situations, the Great Books Foundation (2007: 1) state the procedure of
inquiry method in:

a. Focus on the content of a text and attain thorough understanding

b. Read actively, ask questions, retain knowledge, and take initiative for learning
c. Resolve confusion and answer the questions themselves
d. Use new strategies independently to get the most out.

Some principles are applied in IBL stages such as engagement, exploration,

explanation, elaboration and evaluation. Firstly, an inquiry based approach starts
with engagement of the students prior to explaining. This serves several
purposes: provide a conflict between prior learning and the new more scientific
understanding - such conflict will lead students to ask questions, get students'
attention and focus, elicit and assess prior knowledge students may have
constructed alternative conceptions. Second stage is exploration without teacher
explanation. During this stage, students ask questions, hypothesize, work without
direct teacher input but are guided, gather evidence, record and organize
information, share observations, make evidence based claims, draw conclusions,
and work cooperatively and collaboratively.
Thirdly, it is explanation stage. During this stage, students draw on experiences
to offer ideas and explanations in his/her own words, uses evidence to support
ideas, critically appraise explanations, listen critically and respectfully to others,
reflect on and assess their own understanding, produce multiple representations
of concepts to improve understanding. The next stage is elaboration. During this
stage, students apply scientific terms, definitions, apply understandings to new
contexts, use previous information to ask questions, propose solutions, to make
decisions and design investigations, draw reasoned conclusions from the evidence
and check for understanding with their peers. Lastly, the stage is evaluation.
During this stage, students demonstrate their understanding of the ideas and
concepts, answer open-ended questions, evaluate his/her own progress, ask
questions and participate in peer assessment.
Despite the research that supports the Inquiry-Based Learning approach, there
are still many educators that are skeptical about this practice and even doubt its
ability to be effectively used in the classroom setting. Because many educational
professionals have been using traditional methods of teaching for years, learning
through inquiry appears to be a foreign concept to them. It may be intimidating
to someone who does not completely understand the philosophy behind this
pedagogical approach. A lack of structure has some fearing that the
implementation of inquiry in the classroom would lead to chaos. Proper
implementation of inquiry in the classroom is vital to its success. Understanding
what inquiry is and what it is not is also of use. To determine the true efficacy of
the inquiry model, one must take a closer look at the existing literature
surrounding this topic. It is of the utmost importance to form an opinion based
on facts and not around the negative thoughts of those around us.

4. What were the major variables / construct of your project? Give

definitions / description from literature. (05 marks)
(What are the key terms in your topic or study? what do you mean of these
terms? What particular meaning you will attach to the term when used in this
project?)
Reading Comprehension:
Reading comprehension is defined as the level of understanding of a
text/message. This understanding comes from the interaction between the words
that are written and how they trigger knowledge outside the text/message.

Teaching Method:
A teaching method comprises the principles and methods used by teachers to
enable student learning. These strategies are determined partly on subject
matter to be taught and partly by the nature of the learner.

Inquiry-Based Learning:
Inquiry-based learning (also enquiry-based learning in British English) is a form
of active learning that starts by posing questions, problems or scenarios. It
contrasts with traditional education, which generally relies on the teacher
presenting facts and his or her knowledge about the subject.
Vocabulary:
Vocabulary is a list or collection of words or of words and phrases usually
alphabetically arranged and explained or defined.

Sentence Structure:
Sentence structure is the way a sentence is arranged, grammatically.
The sentence structure of your writing includes where the noun and verb fall
within an individual sentence. Sentence structure depends on the language in
which you're writing or speaking.

Second Language:
A second language is a language that a person learns in addition to their
first language.

5. What did you want to achieve in this research project? (05 marks)
(Objective / purpose of the study; what was the critical question that was
tried to be answered in this project)

Though many studies have examined exploratory learning methods such as inquiry
based learning and discovery learning with science and math curriculums, not many
have explored this learning method from the perspective of a language arts
curriculum. The current study will seek to examine the motivational and engaging
effects of inquiry project based learning. A primary goal of inquiry learning is to
give students more control and ownership of the learning activities and products.
By allowing students to pursue topics of interest and to choose the presentation
of knowledge, students may experience increased motivation to engage in reading
informational or literary sources about their chosen topic and to share the
information they have learned. Thus, the first question to be examined was
whether students’ motivation would increase as a result of participating in inquiry
project based learning with the expectation that motivation would indeed
increase.

6. Who were the participants in your project? (05 marks)

(Give details of the individuals or groups who were focused in this project
e.g. the early-grade students whose handwriting in Urdu was not good or the
students of class VIII who did not have good communication skills)
The study was conducted at a public sector elementary school in Lahore, named
as _________. It is a school with approximately 550 students enrolled in grades
6th, 7th and 8th.

The participants consisted of 50 students from four 6th grade English Language
classes. All students were between the ages of 11 and 13 years. The racial
demographics of the participants were similar to that of the school. There was a
combination of English Language learners, above average, average and below
average students.

Sample of students is selected by using simple random sampling method.

7. How did you try to solve the problem? (10 marks)

(Narrate the process step-wise. Procedure of intervention and data
collection)
As a researcher, I selected the theme for study that was related to my own
experiences and problems faced by own students. Then the topic was selected to
study on it. I study literature and researches conducted before to solve students’
English reading problems. I also wrote objectives that I wanted to achieve and
apply in my teaching and classroom.

The research design was the key to determining how this study was conducted.
The research design guided the case study and how the data was collected and
analyzed. Kothari (2006) noted that the research design helps the researcher to
adopt appropriate methods for collecting data and to use the correct techniques
during analysis.

The model of classroom action research used in this study is based on the model
developed by Kemmis and McTaggart (1988) in Burns (1999:32) who state that
action research occurs through a dynamic and complementary process which
consists of four fundamental steps in a spiraling process. They are as follow:

a. Planning
Develop a plan of critically informed action to improve what is already happening.
Here the researcher prepared everything that is needed in doing the research,
for instance she wrote the objectives, select population and sample, prepared the
questionnaire that will be used to collect data, the material that is used in
implementing the action and she also prepared the evaluation material after
conducting the action to calculate the results.

b. Action
Having planning the action, the writer implemented the research activity. She
distributed the questionnaire to students. During this process, the English
teacher was there in classroom to help researcher in explaining questions to
students and interacting with them.

c. Observation
The researcher observed the classroom environment, students’ previous academic
achievements in English writing.

d. Reflection
After doing the action, the researcher continue to the step namely reflection. In
this step the researcher reflects how the teaching and learning process runs. The
function of reflection is to know the weaknesses and the strengths of the action.
The researcher makes an evaluation from the result of the test and also from
the observation done by the researcher and the responses collected via
questionnaire.

The site chosen for this study was ________ in Lahore. Students at this school
are all full fee paying learners, aged 3 and over, who come from the same city and
nearest villages. They are all full-time students. In this institute, maximum class
size is 30. All of the students study English as a compulsory subject. For this
reason, reading comprehension is of vital importance to them, as they will be
expected to read and write content, and to participate in final examinations. This
means that they will be required to read and to speak in as fluent and
grammatically correct English as possible, so that they can be easily understood
by both lecturers and fellow students.

This study adopted a quantitative approach to explore the problems, factors that
hamper reading development, and suggestions to improve reading skills of
Pakistani ESL learners. The research was carried out to answer the following
research questions given above.

To answer these questions, data were collected through questionnaire designed

for elementary class students who are ESL learners. Findings of this study have
been categorized into following three major areas: problems in Pakistani ESL
learners' reading, factors responsible of these problems and suggestions to
improve ESL learners' reading comprehension.

Then, the questionnaires were examined by the researchers to check for possible
intended errors. The above tables have been analyzed carefully to present the
students’ opinion on every single problem and causes and their solutions.

8. What kind of instrument was used to collect the data? How was the
instrument developed? (05 marks)
(For example: observation, rating scale, interview, student work, portfolio,
test, etc.)

To collect the responses of students, close ended questions were used because
closed-ended question generates a limited set of responses that can be coded
easily in a database with some number or symbol that represents a response.
Closed-ended questions can be more specific, thus more likely to communicate
similar meanings. Because open-ended questions allow respondents to use their
own words, it is difficult to compare the meanings of the responses. Closed-ended
questions take less time from the participants and the researcher, and so is a
less expensive survey method. The response rate is higher with surveys that use
closed-ended question than with those that use open-ended questions.

Questionnaire was divided into two parts. First was students’ questionnaire and
the other one was teacher’ questionnaire. First one attempts to explore the
students’ interest towards reading and their capabilities in reading class. For
example, do they find reading interesting or difficult and do they prefer speaking
or writing etc. Students were required to select answer by selecting any one of
the three options: “Agree, Somehow, Disagree”.
Teacher’s questionnaire included different open ended questions, each with
different kind of response. It attempts to know more about the teachers’
interaction in the classroom. For instance, whether they give opinions and
participate in the classroom, and whether they express willingness to read in
classroom and how they motivate students when expressing themselves and finally
which teaching method is best in the classroom.

9. What were the findings and conclusion? (Provide instruments and analysis
as appendix) (10 marks)

FINIDNGS:

STUDENTS’ QUESTIONNAIRE:
Section 01:

Questions Agree Somehow Disagree

I feel reading is interesting 44% 42% 14%
I wish to finish the reading class quickly 28% 34% 38%
I prefer reading on writing 52% 20% 28%
When I have something to read, I focus on its meanings 40% 26% 34%
also
I think reading and summarizing it is a difficult skill 60% 34% 6%

Section 02:

1. Which strategy you like in reading class?

Questions Percentage
a. Discussion Method 20%
b. Lecture Method 12%
c. Inquiry Method 68%

2. Which part of reading you find more difficult?

Questions Percentage
 a. Meanings 10%
c. Pronunciation 18%
d. Spelling 12%
e. Explaining in own words 18%

3. Does your teacher give you homework to read chapter and explain or
summarize in your own words?

Questions Percentage
Most of time 0%
Sometimes 72%
Never 28%

4. Do you question/answer session in the class?

Questions Percentage
Yes 34%
No 66%

TEACHERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE:

Q1: How does the teacher define students’ motivation towards reading
comprehension?
Student academic motivation was generally defined as a student’s desire to
participate in reading task.

Q2: In what ways does the teacher try to motivate students towards reading?
The research participants indicated they reward students in order to increase
reading motivation. Moreover they involve students in class lecture through
questioning and inquire to acknowledge students’ accomplishments and to motivate
students to continue to strive for academic excellence.

Q3: What behaviors do students engage in when they are motivated in reading
lesson?
The research participants stated that motivated students pay attention to the
lesson and work diligently to complete their reading task. One teacher also stated
that motivated students have a positive attitude and take pride in their reading
skills, while the second teacher stated that motivated students volunteer to read
the lesson.

Q4: What techniques teacher used to motivate students in the classroom?

Teachers used technology, audio aids, discussion method, evaluation techniques,
and games to motivate students in the classroom. Additionally, verbal praise,
maintaining close proximity to the students, gently touching students and
offering words of encouragement were techniques used to motivate students.

CONCLUSIONS:
The analysis of students’ productions allowed us to conclude that they are facing
many problems in reading comprehension. In fact, learners are competent in basic
rules of the foreign language, but their knowledge in the foreign language has
some defects. These kinds of defects in learning the foreign language may be due
to the negative effects of L1, and to the lack of practice in reading during their
education at school.

Almost half of the students find reading an interesting skill. They are willing to
read but find it difficult when describe their own words. Students want to learn
reading in discussion groups and through inquiry method as it is interesting way
to teach students.

Teachers as well as lecturers should apply integrating reading skills to teach

students.
2- Using inquiry and discussion techniques in the reading lesson helps students to
exchange their ideas and help each other.
3- Integrating summarizing and asking short conceptual questions help make the
learning process more effective and dynamic.
4- Providing students with frequent feedback, including positive reinforcement
and suggestions for improvement.
5- Focusing on the elements of satisfactory reading which are: clarity, coherence
and focus.
10. Summary of the Project (05 marks)
(What and how was the research conducted – main objective, process and
findings)

Developing strong reading skills in students is one of the key goals of every early
education program. It is through reading that students expand their vocabulary
and learn about the world. An appropriate method for teaching English for
student is very important because appropriate method determines the result of
teaching vocabulary that is improving student's reading comprehension. To
improve the students' reading comprehension, the researcher uses Inquiry
method that provides a constructivist modeling in teaching reading as an
implementation to improve the students' reading comprehension.

This research is conducted in Government Girls Middle School. The school is located in
Bhutto Colony Shahdra, Lahore. The school has total number of students equal to 550.
There are 15 teachers in the school who served for 550 students. There are a number
of facilities provided to students and teachers. The participants consisted of 50
students from four 6th grade English Language classes. All students were
between the ages of 11 and 13 years. Research used questionnaire approach to
collect students’ and teachers’ responses.

The strategies used to motivate students include walking around the classroom in
order to reduce the distance between the teacher and the students, the use of
touch, reading interesting material to the students, using technology and humor
in the lesson, asking little and simple questions, appreciating students’
participation, using manipulatives and reading interactively. These strategies
helped students to fulfill their social and esteem needs and contributed to high
levels of student engagement. Because of this, it can be concluded that the more
successful teachers are at motivating their students, the more engaged students
will be in the lesson. The goal of all educational institutions is to increase academic
achievement; therefore, if teachers are able to effectively motivate students,
by using one or more of the strategies, it is likely their students will be engaged
at high levels, which may lead to increased achievement.
11. How do you feel about this practice? What have you learnt? (self-
reflection) (10 marks)

In the beginning, I was swimming in a sea of ambiguity. I wanted to innovate and

to do original work, but I didn’t know how to do that. Even if I got clues from my
supervisor, or from the literature, it looks so difficult. There were so many things
I didn’t know. It was like beating my head against a wall. After an enough time,
and a couple more literature study, I got the ideas and understand the
methodologies of research.
My favorite parts about being a researcher:
• Independence was the most prominent feeling. Not at first, necessarily,
but it’s a huge plus. Furthermore, I consider it a plus. I get to be
independent, unlike what I hear from my colleagues.

• I learnt a lot from this research. I studied a number of literatures about

students’ issues and their solutions inside the classroom. I learnt to solve
problems with the help of students.

• I contribute to the body of knowledge in my own field. Now I am able to

understand students’ problems and I can help them in a more efficient
and effective way.

• Ambiguity was paramount. I never know what directions will lead to good
results. Will this method lead to good results? Would I achieve my
research objectives? Am I able to calculate findings correctly?

• Working with others who have a lot of other responsibilities. I discussed

my topic with experienced teachers and got their views about research
objectives.

12. What has it added to your professional skills as a teacher? (05 marks)

This research process added a number of professional skills:

Motivation:
I learnt to inspire students to think and write, be innovative, creative, adaptable,
passionate, and flexible. This research taught me to empower them to be able to
solve problems, self-direct, self-reflect, and lead.

Time management:

As a teacher I need to solve a variety of problems, often under a tight deadline,

on daily basis. I need to answer difficult questions from students on the spot,
solve conflicts between students, revise lesson plans, and deal with issues among
colleagues. After this research process I came to know how to manage time to
solve these kinds of questions quickly and effectively.

Creativity:

As I need to face a number of problems in my classroom, enthusiasm is a key when

teaching a subject in order to keep the students engaged and enthusiastic
themselves. In the same vein, being creative is important when planning and
presenting a lesson is integral to keeping students’ attention.

Patience:

I learnt that I need to demonstrate patience, particularly when dealing with

difficult classroom situations. As a teacher I must handle all of it with a calm,
professional demeanor, and pay careful attention to the challenge of the moment.
I can solve every problem with planning and implementation in a presentable way.

Multitasking:
Teaching is not only about following the curriculum and marking exams; it’s also
about multitasking. As I conducted students’ responses, I came to know that a
good teacher should be able to monitor all her pupils’ behavior and keep her
attention on every moment to know where there is a problem which may neglect
students’ interests towards studies.
Self-Evaluation
To develop professionally and provide quality education, I constantly need to self-
evaluate and reinvent myself. I will have to push my pride aside and analyze where
I have gone wrong and what can be improved within my classes.

Risk Taking
Sometimes to get the big reward, I may need to take a risk. Being a teacher is
about finding a way to get kids to learn and I will always try new things that will
be more effective for my students.

13. List the works you cited in your project (follow the APA manual – 6th
Edition). (05 marks)
Examples of format are available on websites.
References:

Alberta (2004), Focus on Inquiry Contents Alberta Learning, Canada

Bruce. B. C and Davidson. J (1996) in the Journal of Curriculum Studies University

of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Center for Inspired Teaching (2008) Inspired Issue Brief: Inquiry-Based

Teaching. Washington.

Garcia. C (2003) The Effect of Teacher Attitude, Experience and Background

Knowledge on the use of Inquiry Method Teaching in the Elementary
Classroom.

Jack C. Richards et al. Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied

Linguistics.3rd Edition (Malaysia: British Library Cataloguing, 2002). p.
443

Janette K. Klingner et al., Teaching Reading Comprehension to Students with

Learning Difficulties (New York: The Guilford Press, 2007).

Jeremy Harmer. How to Teach English. (London: Longman, 2001). p. 70

Leisa Gaye Standish, “The Effects of Collaborative Strategic Reading and Direct
Instruction in Persuasion on Sixth-Grade Student’s Persuasive Writing
and Attitude” (PhD diss., University of Maryland, 2005).

Miller. R. G (2006) Unlocking Reading Comprehension with Key Science Inquiry.

Yusparizal, Op.Cit. p. 13