LEVEL OF READING COMPREHENSION

AMONG GRADE IV PUPILS OF INDAHAG

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
(Chapter 1)

By:

Anna Karenina Angelica B. Gallo-Guno

Researcher
 LEVEL OF READING COMPREHENSION AMONG GRADE IV PUPILS OF

INDAHAG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Background of the Study

Reading comprehension is a critical skill for students, as it enables them to

understand, analyze and synthesize information from texts. It is an important

academic skill for students to develop, as it helps them to read, comprehend, and

respond to a variety of texts in all subject areas.

This study focuses on the reading comprehension levels of fourth-grade

students. Many studies have been conducted on this topic, but few have focused

specifically on fourth-grade students. This study seeks to better understand the

reading comprehension levels of fourth-grade students, to identify potential areas

of improvement, and to determine which interventions may be most effective in

improving reading comprehension levels.

The results of this study will provide valuable insight into the reading

comprehension levels of fourth-grade students, as well as potential strategies for

improving their reading comprehension. This research has the potential to inform

educators, parents, and policy makers on how to best support fourth-grade

students in their reading comprehension skills.

Introduction

Reading is a fundamental skill that is necessary for the development of other

skills and knowledge. Without the ability to read, children are unable to access
the majority of the information that is presented to them. The purpose of this

research paper is to explore the level of reading comprehension among grade 4

pupils in order to gain a better understanding of the current state of literacy

among this age group. This paper will present relevant research on the subject,

review the current levels of reading comprehension for this age group, and

present possible solutions to improve reading skills. Through this research, it is

expected that the findings will help educators and policy makers to better

understand the current state of reading comprehension among grade 4 pupils

and provide them with strategies to improve the current situation.

On the other hand, Comprehension refers to the ability to understand written

words. Comprehension adds meaning to what is read. Reading comprehension

occurs when words on a page are not just mere words but thoughts and ideas.

Comprehension makes reading enjoyable, fun, and informative. It is needed to

succeed in school, work, and life in general. One of the essentials for success is

reading comprehension (Connors and Al Otaiba 2018). It is a skill that is very

essential for students in order to become effective readers (Sultan et.al. 2018).It

is such an essential life skill that everyone uses everyday. It may be so

complicated and challenging task, yet it serves as the foundation for early

literacy; it is where students start to learn with the help of the parents as well as

the siblings even before going to school. Being not able to comprehend on what

you are reading is just making reading useless. One will never benefit anything

because of not being able to understand anything. Reading comprehension

especially in the English subject is prevalent in most schools and considered a

worldwide challenge (Chaka, 2015). In fact, According to Philstar Global, Among

79 participating countries and economies in the 2018 Programme for

International Student Assessment (PISA), the Philippines scored the lowest in

reading comprehension. It is a worldwide study where Reading was the main

subject assessed among 15-year old students in the 2018 PISA. The Philippines

had an average reading score of 340, more than 200 points below China (555)

and more than 100 points less than the OECD average (487). Reading

comprehension may not be an easy process to teach and not an easy skill to

acquire yet it is very necessary because without it, the meaning and information

that the author is trying to impart will be lost. As educators have become

dissatisfied with reading comprehension results, studies need to turn their

attention to broader views of reading and devote themselves to current issues in

reading comprehension to make some of the innovations and new directions on

how to improve reading comprehension (Paris, 2011). This study aimed to

determine the level of reading comprehension and the level of factors affecting

the reading comprehension among Grade 4 students in the English subject in

Indahag Elementary School. Specifically, it is intended to answer the following

questions: What is the level of reading comprehension in the English Subject

among Grade 4 students; What is the level of factors affecting the reading

comprehension in the English subject among Grade 4 students in terms of

Environmental and Cognitive factor; Is there any significant relationship between

reading comprehension and the factors affecting the reading comprehension of

the students; What is the proposed intervention. Furthermore, the objectives of

this research study focus on the reading comprehension in the English subject

among Grade 4 students. The study seeks to find the following: To determine the

level of reading comprehension in the English Subject among Grade 4 students;

To determine the level of factors affecting the reading comprehension in the

English subject among Grade 4 students in terms of Environmental and

Cognitive factor; To investigate whether there is any significant relationship

between the level of reading comprehension and the level of factors affecting the

reading comprehension of the students; To propose an intervention based on the

result of the study.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter comprises relevant literature and studies related to the level of

reading comprehension of the students.

Related Literature

Reading plays a vital role in the acquisition of knowledge of every individual, and

it is considered as an important tool that everyone must acquire. It is from

reading that man can be familiar with the different aspect of learning. So, it is

very important for every individual to be an intelligent reader, for it means that

one misses half of his life if he cannot read the different printed materials that will

help him become wise, knowledgeable, productive and successful (Razalan,

2014).
In a similar vein, according to Horowitz (2014) reading comprehension is a

complex cognitive process that the reader must also be intentional and thoughtful

while reading, monitoring the words and their meaning as reading progresses.

So, they do not only read the text but also they can get the meaning and able to

construct the sentences. Several reading skills are needed in order to

comprehend and to react to a selection. (Paul Nation, 2018) noted that the

person's vocabulary is a good indicator of the ability to comprehend text. The

larger the vocabulary the more likely a person will derive more meaning than a

person with smaller vocabulary. Students often miss the connection with word

meaning at the passage that contains them. They have developed a teaching

technique that attempts to address this vocabulary-to-comprehension disconnect.

The goal of the students was to explicitly connect vocabulary to comprehend.

In simpler terms, if a student does not learn to read with comprehension, he does

not learn to read at all. An individual can be an effective reader only when he

develops the ability to comprehend. Comprehension is the most important phase

of reading. No matter how fast a child can read the printed page, he will still be

handicapped if he reads without comprehension. Therefore, reading

comprehension is one of the pillars of the act of reading. When a person reads a

text he engages in a complex array of cognitive processes. He is simultaneously

using his awareness, understanding and ability to comprehend or construct

meaning from text (K12 Reader: Reading Instruction Resources, 2016).

Moreover, some authors classified the levels of reading comprehension into four

categories. These are:

(1) Basic Comprehension: This refers to a reader's ability to understand the literal

meaning of a text(Pearson, 2021) , (2)Inferential Comprehension: This refers to a

reader's ability to draw conclusions and make inferences based on the

text( Guthrie & Wigfield, 2000), (3)Evaluative Comprehension: This refers to a

reader's ability to assess the quality of a text and make judgments about it (Paris

& Paris, 2019) , (4)Appreciative Comprehension: This refers to a reader's ability

to appreciate and enjoy a text for its aesthetic and literary values. (Kintsch & van

Dijk, 1978). The aforementioned literature showed that an individual needs to

know how to read intelligently in gaining information and acquiring useful

knowledge. By enhancing reading comprehension, an individual needs to expand

their vocabulary because children with limited vocabulary knowledge would

experience difficulty comprehending both oral and written especially those who

have not learned techniques and strategies for inferring the meaning of unknown

words. It includes an individual’s knowledge of vocabulary skills, the rate of

perception and the accuracy of recognition. If an individual doesn't know how to

comprehend a text it will affect his academic performance. Therefore, one’s

vocabulary knowledge is the primary ticket to comprehend text.

With that, to better understand where the student is at in terms of reading

comprehension, there are some categories mentioned above to

evaluate the status of reading comprehension level of an individual for the pupils

to develop the reading comprehension skills. If a student has difficulty in

comprehension, it can dramatically influence the long term abilities of a child both

in reading and context areas.

Hence, the related literature showed relevant information in this present study

because it provided insight on how crucial is reading comprehension to the

academic performance of the students and soon to the life in the future. Since

one of the purposes of this study was to determine the level of reading

comprehension, through these readings, the current study has identified the level

of the pupils’ reading comprehension across schools which may serve as a

vehicle in order to solve the problem of every school in terms of pupils’ level of

reading comprehension.

Related Studies

The study cited by Suarez (2015) stated that increasing vocabulary, extensive

reading and critical reading are some of the practices that can be used to

strengthen and refine the person's ability to comprehend any text. However, level

of reading comprehension fails for a number of reasons. One of the reasons is

the lack of knowledge base, which deals on how much knowledge a reader has

about the subject he or she is reading.

According to a study conducted by the Department of Education (DepEd) in

2019, the reading comprehension skills of Grade 4 pupils in the Philippines were

found to be below the expected level. The study, which was titled "National

Assessment of Student Progress (NASP) in Reading and Mathematics,"

assessed the reading comprehension skills of over 200,000 Grade 4 pupils in

more than 10,000 public and private schools across the country. The results
showed that only 27.5% of the pupils were able to demonstrate proficiency in

reading comprehension, with the majority of them (62.5%) being classified as

"below proficient."

Another study conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies

(PIDS) in 2018 found that the reading comprehension skills of Grade 4 pupils in

the Philippines were significantly lower compared to their counterparts in other

Asian countries. The study, which was titled "Assessing the Quality of Education

in the Philippines," used data from the Programme for International Student

Assessment (PISA) to compare the reading comprehension skills of Grade 4

pupils in the Philippines with those of other countries in the region. The results

showed that the Philippines ranked last among the 14 countries in the region in

terms of reading comprehension skills, with an average score of only 326 out of

500.

A study published in the Journal of Education and Human Development in 2017

also found that the reading comprehension skills of Grade 4 pupils in the

Philippines were sub-optimal. The study, which was titled "Reading

Comprehension Skills of Grade 4 Pupils in the Philippines: A Baseline Study,"

assessed the reading comprehension skills of 120 Grade 4 pupils in a public

school in Manila. The results showed that the pupils had difficulty with reading

comprehension, particularly with understanding the main idea and supporting

details of a text.
Overall, these studies suggest that the level of reading comprehension of Grade

4 pupils in the Philippines is a cause for concern, and that there is a need for

improved instruction and assessment practices to address this issue.

Many students do not improve their ability to comprehend text. Studies revealed

that deep reading and critical reading are some of the good practices to refine

pupil’s ability to comprehend text. The level of reading comprehension however,

degenerates for a number of reasons. First in the line is the poor prior knowledge

of the pupils about the topic within the text or the text itself. Yet, other researches

mentioned that some pupils are proficient in terms level of reading

comprehension, whether Filipino or English. These students still need proper

assistance and guidance from more knowledgeable resource persons who

include the teacher as well as the parents in order for these students to become

independent and functional readers soon.

Hence, research has also shown that complete and clear reading comprehension

strategies can help increase the level of reading comprehension of the students.

Other findings specified that instruction in actual reading comprehension method

is uncommon and thus, pupils have difficulty on how to comprehend.

Several studies have been conducted to identify the factors that affect the level

of reading comprehension among grade 4 pupils in the Philippines. These

studies have explored various aspects, including language proficiency, socio-

economic status, teaching methods, and home environment.

Language Proficiency: One of the primary factors influencing reading

comprehension is language proficiency. A study conducted by Santos and

colleagues (2018) found that students with higher language proficiency tend to

have better reading comprehension skills. This includes both oral and written

language skills, as they are closely related to understanding and interpreting

texts. Students who struggle with vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure

may face difficulties in comprehending written materials.

Socio-economic Status: Socio-economic status (SES) has been identified as

another significant factor affecting reading comprehension. Research by Reyes

and colleagues (2016) revealed that students from low-income families tend to

have lower reading comprehension levels compared to their peers from higher-

income backgrounds. This disparity can be attributed to limited access to

educational resources, such as books, technology, and quality instruction.

Additionally, students from low SES backgrounds may face more challenges at

home, which can impact their ability to focus on reading and develop necessary

skills.

Teaching Methods: The instructional approaches employed by teachers also play

a vital role in developing reading comprehension skills. A study by Garcia and

colleagues (2019) highlighted the importance of using effective teaching

strategies, such as explicit instruction, modeling, guided practice, and

independent practice. Teachers who provide clear explanations, engage students

in meaningful discussions about texts, and offer opportunities for independent

reading can significantly enhance their pupils' reading comprehension abilities.

Home Environment: The home environment has a considerable influence on a

child's reading comprehension skills. Research conducted by Cruz and

colleagues (2017) indicated that parental involvement in literacy activities

positively impacts children's reading comprehension. Parents who read to their

children, provide access to books, and engage in discussions about texts create

a supportive environment that fosters reading comprehension development. On

the other hand, a lack of parental involvement and limited exposure to reading

materials at home can hinder a child's progress in this area.

Reading Motivation: Another factor that affects reading comprehension is the

level of motivation and interest in reading. A study by Tan and colleagues (2015)

found that students who are intrinsically motivated to read tend to have higher

levels of reading comprehension. Intrinsic motivation can be fostered through

creating a positive reading culture in schools, providing engaging and relevant

reading materials, and incorporating student choice in selecting texts. When

students are motivated to read, they are more likely to invest effort in

understanding the content and develop better comprehension skills.

Classroom Environment: The classroom environment also plays a role in shaping

students' reading comprehension abilities. Research by Ramos and colleagues

(2019) highlighted the importance of creating a supportive and inclusive

classroom atmosphere. Teachers who establish a safe space for students to ask

questions, share ideas, and collaborate with peers can enhance their reading

comprehension skills. Additionally, providing opportunities for cooperative

learning, where students work together on reading tasks, can promote deeper

understanding of texts.

In conclusion, several factors influence the level of reading comprehension

among grade 4 pupils in the Philippines. Language proficiency, socio-economic

status, teaching methods, home environment, reading motivation, and classroom

environment all play significant roles in shaping students' abilities to comprehend

written materials. Addressing these factors through targeted interventions and

support can help improve reading comprehension outcomes for grade 4 pupils.

Statement of the Problem

This research focused on the level of reading comprehension among Grade IV

pupils of Indahag Elementary School at Barangay Indahag, Cagayan de Oro

City. Specifically, it aimed to answer the following problems:

1.How may the respondents be described in terms of:

a.age;

b.gender; and

c.level of reading comprehension?

2. What teaching methods and strategies may be proposed to increase pupil's

level of reading comprehension?

Research Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

The study on the theories and concepts about reading comprehension is a vital

process of understanding and giving meaning through the interaction of a reader

to the written language.

The Schema Theory states that readers use prior knowledge, or schemas, to

make sense of new information. Pre-existing knowledge helps readers to

recognize patterns and draw connections between ideas, aiding in

comprehension. The fundamental tenet of schema theory assumes that written

text does not carry meaning by itself. Rather, a text only provides directions for

readers as to how they should retrieve or construct meaning from their own

previously acquired knowledge. The schemata of a reader are organized in a

hierarchical manner, with the most general at the top down to the most specific at

the bottom. According to schema theory, comprehending a text is an interactive

process between the reader’s background knowledge and the text. Efficient

comprehension requires the ability to relate the textual material to one's own

knowledge as cited by An (2013). Therefore, students can relate this new

information to the existing information they have compartmentalized in their

minds, adding it to the schemas or experiences which determine the degree of

reading comprehension, for future use.

Another theory is the Proposition Theory. It is a type of linguistic theory that

states that the meaning of a sentence lies in the propositions that it expresses. It
suggests that the meaning of a sentence is determined by the combination of

words that form the sentence, and the relations between the words. This theory

helps students in reading comprehension by providing them with a way to make

sense of what they are reading. By understanding the propositions expressed in

a sentence, students can better comprehend the meaning of the text and make

connections to other ideas. Additionally, the theory can help students become

better at making inferences and drawing conclusions from what they are reading.

Constructivism is also a theory that can help students in reading comprehension

by encouraging them to make connections between what they are reading and

what they already know. This helps learners establish meaning and

comprehension from the text. Constructivists also believe that students should be

able to interact with the text in order to fully understand it. This can involve

students discussing the text with their peers, responding to questions or prompts

about the text, or summarizing the text in their own words. All of these activities

can help students better comprehend the text.

We also have a Reader response theory. An approach to literary criticism that

focuses on the reader's reaction to and interpretation of a text. It argues that the

meaning of a text is not determined by the author alone, but rather is shaped by

the reader's individual experience. This theory suggests that readers actively

construct meaning from a text, creating their own interpretations and engaging

with the text in a personal way. This approach to literary criticism can help

students in reading comprehension by allowing them to explore a text from

different perspectives and develop a deeper understanding of it. It encourages

 students to think critically about the text and to consider their own personal

reactions, biases, and interpretations. It also encourages readers to reflect on

their own experiences and how they relate to the text, and to develop their own

interpretations and ideas. In this way, reader response theory can help students

develop a more meaningful relationship with the text and gain a better

understanding of its themes and ideas.This theory states that readers actively

create meaning from a text, and that each reader will have a unique response

based on their background and experiences. Readers’ interpretations of a text

are shaped by their perspectives and attitudes.

In this study, the level of reading of comprehension of the Grade IV pupils served

as a basis for the proposed teaching methods and strategies which is seemed to

be effective in teaching reading comprehension.

Level of Reading

Comprehension of Grade IV

pupils of Indahag Elementary

School at Indahag, Cagayan de

Oro City in terms of: Proposed teaching methods

and strategies for effective

teaching of reading

A. Age; comprehension.

B. Gender; and

C. Level of Reading

comprehension
Figure 1. Conceptual Paradigm of the Study

Objectives of the Study

The primary objective of this study was to identify the level of reading

comprehension among Grade IV pupils of Indahag Elementary School.

1.To describe the respondents in terms of their:

a.age;

b.gender; and

c.level of reading comprehension.

2.To determine if there is a significant variation among pupil’s level of reading

comprehension across schools.

3. To propose teaching methods and strategies that may increase the pupil's

level of reading comprehension.

Hypothesis of the Study

There is no significant variation among the level of reading comprehension of

Grade IV pupils of Indahag Elementary School at Barangay Indahag, Cagayan

de Oro City.

Scope and Limitation of the study

The study mainly focused on the level of comprehension among Grade IV pupils

of Indahag Elementary School at Barangay Indahag, Cagayan de Oro City.

The respondents of the study were only limited among Grade IV pupils of

Indahag Elementary School at Barangay Indahag, Cagayan de Oro City for the

school year 2023-2024. The English Teachers of the subjects were also the

respondents of the study.

The researcher will use a reading comprehension test to identify the reading

comprehension of the respondents. Verbal interviews for selected pupils and a

checklist for the English Teachers to determine the most effective teaching

methods and strategies used by the teachers in teaching reading comprehension

were included.

Significance of the Study

The accomplishment of this study is deemed beneficial to the following:

To the students, the result of this research may help identify their level of reading

comprehension and may evaluate their strengths and weaknesses on reading to

improve their performance.

To the teachers, the output of this study may provide assistance to apply varied

teaching strategies, methods and techniques in teaching reading comprehension,

to help the students increase their level of understanding and to love reading.

To the parents, the outcome may become a way in helping their children to

develop reading and comprehension skills by monitoring and teaching them how

to read and understand text. The product therein may serve as the bases of the

DepEd to provide efficient teaching paradigm in reading instruction and good

reading materials needed for improving the student's reading proficiency. The

findings may be a tool for other departments and agencies of the government to

provide materials or objects needed by the schools for the teaching of reading

comprehension.

Definition of Terms

To have a better understanding of this study, important terms are defined as

follows:

Comprehension. Merriam-Webster (2023) as in understanding, the knowledge

gained from the process of coming to know or understand something.

Level of Reading Comprehension. In the light of this research, level of reading

comprehension is defined as the scores of the respondents obtained in the

reading comprehension test which corresponds to their verbal description. Score

ranges from 1-5 is considered as ‘very low.’ Scores from 6-10 is said to be ‘low’.
Scores which stretch from 11-15 is ‘high’. Obtaining score from 16-20 is ‘very

high’ level of reading comprehension.

Reading Comprehension. is the ability to process written text, understand its

meaning, and to integrate with what the reader already knows.Reading

comprehension relies on two abilities that are connected to each other: word

reading and language comprehension (Wikipedia, 2023). Thus, in this study,

reading comprehension is defined as the ability of the respondents to read and

able to understand and give meaning to the text or passage they read.

Reading. is a skill that the readers need to engage with mental and physical

activity in order to reach their reading goals. Therefore, reading is as an activity

that should involve the readers with the readings content in order to analyze and

obtain the message conveyed by the author. (AL-Sohbani, 2013)

Representatives. The representatives are composed of the high, average and

low performer pupils. The high performer pupils have grades range from 91-100,

while the average performers obtained grades from 81- 90 and the low

performers on the other hand are the pupils who have grades range from 71-80.