Attachment 2 – Format for Research Submission

RESEARCH TITLE

Birds Eye: Skating the reading fluency and comprehension skills

through
Project Read Trip: Cabayan Drive to Read
CNHS READING TEAM

ABSTRACT

According to Manning (2013), promoting fluency seems to be a logical way to improve

reading skills and so should be a vital strand of every teacher’s approach. However, fluency
only comes about from opportunities to practice reading and struggling readers do not get this
practice to hone their skills. This is why motivation is so important in reading and why it needs
to be harnessed to help students on the road to reading and ultimately, academic success.
The conduct of Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (PHIL-IRI) revealed that one
hundred forty seven (147) out of 591 Grade 7 – 12 students have struggled in reading
comprehension in English.
In this regard, as secondary teachers who always experienced handling these kinds of
learners and as proponents of this study, the researchers want to improve the reading fluency
and comprehension level of struggling readers in English of through the implementation of
“Project Read Trip: Cabayan Drive to Read” . With this intervention, they recognize the
importance of parents in reading amidst this pandemic where they don’t have any chances to
teach their students in face to face classes.
Furthermore, parents played a significant role in the family members, for they are the
ones who exposed them to the outside world, including academics. Parental involvement
referred to the amount of participation a parent has regarding schooling and a child's life as
cited by Tus, (2021) in the work of Erlendsdóttir, 2010).

PURPOSE:

The study aims to skate the reading fluency and comprehension skills of one hundred
forty-seven students (147) students which after the program implementation and assessment,
it was only forty-six (46) students were in the program.
DESIGN / METHODOLOGY / APPROACH:

FINDINGS:

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS / IMPLICATIONS:

ORIGINALITY / VALUE:

KEYWORDS:
 TITLE:
Birds Eye: Skating the reading fluency and comprehension skills through
Project Read Trip: Cabayan Drive to Read

INTRODUCTION

Among the four language skills, reading is the most crucial since every aspect of life

involves reading like reading newspapers, magazines, printed and media advertisements,

traffic regulations, and so on. Reading is a multifaceted process that involves word

recognition, comprehension, and fluency. It is the key and the foundation of an individual

for lifelong learning. If the child knows how to read and understand what he reads, he has

a bigger chance to perform and participate well in the learning process. Learning to read is

a prerequisite for success in the literate society (Hines, 2009; Repaso, 2018). However,

according to Mondero (2005, as cited in Umali, 2016), a child who fails to develop his

reading skills at a certain level of his education finds reading boring, and difficult to

achieve.

Moreover, a child who reads poorly will experience difficulty in learning and have

low self-esteem and confidence. He will also feel isolated, then, academic, emotional,

behavioral, and social issues arise as a result.

 The Philippines participated in the Programme for International Student

Assessment (PISA) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

(OECD) as part of the Quality Basic Education reform plan last 2018. PISA statistics has

shown the Philippines has an average reading score of 340, ranking it last among 79

countries surveyed.

In consequence, the Department of Education (DepEd) implemented a national

program called Every Child A Reader Program (ECARP), which goal is to make every

Filipino child a reader and a writer at his/her grade level. The learners are expected to

read with fluency and comprehension of a certain text appropriate to their grade level.

In compliance with the DepEd initiative, Cabay National High School developed its

own school-based reading assessment. Based on the Phil. -IRI pre-test of English Oral

Reading Test of Grade 7 students of Cabay National High School, it was revealed that

there were 44 out of 118 learners or 37.29% were in independent reading level, 30 out of

118 learners or 25.42% were in instructional reading level, 44 out of 118 learners or

37.29% were in frustration reading level.

It was revealed that 44 or 37.29% of 118 learners have difficulty in word

recognition and comprehension. This prompted the researcher to conduct a study to

improve the English oral reading level of grade 7 students of Cabay National High

School.
 The researcher adopted a school-based reading program entitled Project “I

CARE” (Integrating Comprehension Activities for Reading Enhancement) that aims to

increase the number of independent readers in terms of speed and comprehension

as it focuses word recognition and reading comprehension of sentences and text

read.

Reading skills are no doubt an important criterion in students’ lives. However, many times,

learners face obstacles when they come across reading materials. As such, the assistance of

reading skills will aid language learners in becoming good readers. These skills will further assist

them in their academic reading as well.

Reading comprehension. Everything teachers do in reading class and beyond should be

designed to build children’s ability to understand increasingly complex content of all sorts.

Children need to learn reading strategies known to enhance comprehension and retention. For

example, children can learn to scan material before they read, to predict what will happen in the

story and to recap background knowledge about the topic discussed in the material. While

reading, they can learn to look for characters, settings, problems, and problem solutions, to

summarize main ideas, and to monitor their own understanding (for example, regularly asking

them whether they understand what they are reading). After reading, children can be taught to

make charts, webs, outlines, and other representations of the content. They can generate

questions for other children, or write their own reactions to stories or factual material. They can

summarize or retell stories to partners or to the teacher. They can be taught generic reading

comprehension strategies such as finding the main idea, starting with simple paragraphs and

moving to more complex material. All of these strategies help build reading comprehension skills

that will work with any reading material, not just the particular stories or content children are

reading.
 According to Manning (2013), promoting fluency seems to be a logical way to improve

reading skills and so should be a vital strand of every teacher’s approach. However, fluency only

comes about from opportunities to practice reading and struggling readers do not get this practice

to hone their skills. This is why motivation is so important in reading and why it needs to be

harnessed to help students on the road to reading and ultimately, academic success.

The conduct of Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (PHIL-IRI) revealed that forty (147) out

of 591 Grade 7-12 students from Cabay National High School have been categorized to its level

of oral reading and comprehension skills.

Furthermore, parents played a significant role in the family members, for they are the ones

who exposed them to the outside world, including academics. Parental involvement referred to

the amount of participation a parent has regarding schooling and a child's life as cited by Tus,

(2021) in the work of Erlendsdóttir, 2010)

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What is the profiling of students reading level based on PHIL IRI results?

2. What are the ways and activities implemented by the school to increase and
developed the oral reading fluency and comprehension skills of Grade 7-10 students?

3. What is the result of the program implementation of Project Read Trip: Cabayan Drive
to Read?

HYPOTHESIS

The following research hypotheses will be tested:

Hₒ: There is no significant difference in the oral reading level of the

respondents before and after the conduct of Project “I CARE” in

 terms of word recognition and comprehension.

Hₒ: There is no significant relationship between the oral reading level of

the respondents before and after the conduct of Project “I CARE”

BRIEF REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

READING

According to Bernardo (2009, as cited in Repaso, 2018), reading as a

complex system deriving meaning from prints that requires all of the following:

the skills and knowledge to understand how phonemes or speech sounds are

connected to print, the ability to decode unfamiliar words, the ability to read

fluently, sufficient background information and vocabulary to foster reading

comprehension, the development of appropriate active strategies to construct

meaning from print, and the development and maintenance of a motivation to

read. It means that reading is a multifaceted process involving word recognition,

comprehension, fluency, and motivation. Readers must integrate these facets to

make meaning from print.

 Reading is the process of looking at a series of written symbols and

getting meaning from them. When we read, our eyes acquire written symbols

(letters, punctuation marks, and spaces), which we then turn into words,

sentences, and paragraphs that communicate with us (retrieved from

EnglishClub.com).

Reading can be silent (in our head) or aloud (so that other people can

hear). It is a receptive skill - through it we receive information. But the complex

process of reading also requires the skill of speaking, so that we can pronounce

the words that we read. In this sense, reading is also a productive skill in that we

are both receiving information and transmitting it (even if only to ourselves).

According to Francis Bacon, reading maketh a full man. It refers to the

notion that by reading, one is able to fill the mind with knowledge pertaining to a

variety of topics. Literature often enables a person to enter and explore territories

that are difficult to enter or explore in person, or it expands the imaginative

aspect of the mind by helping the reader to conceive of ideas they might find

foreign (eNotes Editorial, 2017).

In addition, Pribadi (2015) defines reading as one of the important skills in

English that gives many benefits for us. Reading is the window of the world. By

reading, people can get more knowledge and information from books,

magazines, newspapers, and others. Reading is the most important component

in the learning process and social interaction because, first, reading is an

essential communication tool in a civilized society. Second, the reading materials

produced in any period of time in history are most influenced by social

background. Third,
developments, over the period of the recorded history of reading have led to two

very different poles.

Through the reading activity, learners can improve their vocabulary and

communication and develop their imagination and creativity. It can also make

them wise and respectful. It is also an exercise for the mind. It helps the learner

calm down and relax, opening doors of new knowledge to enlighten their minds.

Learners who know how to read grow up to have better cognitive skills. Thus,

learners’ reading ability must be developed.

Reading is a gateway to learning anything about everything. It allows you

to discover new things and expand knowledge in any area of life that interests

you. Furthermore, reading is the foundation of academic success and life

learning. However, as cited in Estremera (2018) from one article in Philippine

Star states that the undeniable fact remains that the majority of Filipino students

do not possess the ability and motivation to read. In 2007, the Department of

Education reported that 70 percent of our learners are incapable of reading within

the expected level. This is the situation of reading achievement intensifies in the

Philippines as evaluated by Scholastic Inc., the world’s largest publisher, and

distributor of children’s books.

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

denied that sometimes reading is taken for granted. Besides, to a learner, the

inability to read may lead him to nowhere, as a disability in reading affects his

achievements
in school. He may find himself left out of school activities which makes him

inferior almost all the time (Pineda, 2018).

Consequently, the Department of Education (DepEd) intensifies reading

literacy in schools by forcing the program called “Every Child A Reader Program”

(ECARP). This program aims to make every Filipino a reader at the end of Grade

III. The government is expecting that no pupil will be promoted to higher grades

unless he/she manifests mastery and basic literacy skills in a particular grade.

Mastering reading is very important for learners to be able to master other

English skills. “Learning to read represents the weaving together of multiple

skills, understandings, and orientations, many of which have their developmental

origins in infancy and toddlerhood” (Pinnell, 2018; Rohde, 2015; Snow and Juel,

2005; Pinnell and Fountas, 2011; Bridges, 2018).

As a skill, reading can be trained and developed. People who want to be

good and effective readers must master the different reading skills and strategies

and techniques. Each reading passage has its own strategies and techniques to

read it. As cited in Prasetyono (2014) in the book of Membaca Cepat (Speed

Reading), states that in the modern era people need to read fast and effectively

because they have limited time. They need to select the appropriate strategies

and techniques for reading according to their purpose.

READING COMPREHENSION

As cited in Hariani and Pasaribu (2017), reading defines as understanding

written texts. It says that reading consists of two related processes: word

recognition and comprehension. Word recognition is defined as the process of

getting how written symbols correspond to one’s spoken language while

comprehension is the process of making the meaning of words, sentences, and

connected text. It also states that the reader who has background knowledge,

vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, experience with text, and other strategies

can help them understand written texts.

Based on the two definitions above, reading can be defined as the

immediate recognition of distinct written symbols with previous knowledge, as

well as comprehension of the information and idea presented. It implies that

when a reader interacts with printed messages, he tries to understand the

messages or texts from the writer in order to obtain visual (written) information. It

also can be said that reading is not only the process of getting the written

symbols to correspond to one’s spoken language but it is also the process of

making the meaning of words, sentences, and connected text that can be called

comprehension.

Reading and reading comprehension are interrelated skills. In order for

students to be able to comprehend what they are reading; they have to develop

comprehension skills in reading. By itself, the concept of reading comprehension

is vast in breadth and depth (Estremera, 2018).

 The main purpose of reading is to comprehend a text. When the students

read a passage, they decode written information and it is combined with the

students’ background of knowledge in their brains to produce comprehension. In

the study of Prasetyono (2014) states that reading is both a process and a

product.

The product of reading is called reading comprehension, or an internal

construction of meaning; that is, there has been an understanding of what has

been read. Smith and Robinson (1980:5; as cited in Praysetyono, 2014) define

reading comprehension as the understanding, evaluating, and utilizing of

information and ideas gained through an interaction between the reader and the

author. Furthermore, reading is a process intimately linked to thinking, and there

are three factors influencing comprehension, i.e. background experience, ability

to use language, and intelligence (Harris and Smith, 1972:243; Prasetyono,

2014).

To comprehend written forms, there are so many skills that can be used

by the students. In the study conducted by Prasetyono (2014), reading

comprehension skills are strategies readers use to retrieve information and

construct meaning from expository text. They are thinking processes which broke

down into steps to comprehend. These comprehension skills can be easily

learned and flexibly selected for a variety of reading situations. Perhaps, the

most valuable strategies for learners (as well as native speakers) are skimming

and scanning strategies. Several skills above can be improved, trained, and

developed as the way the students grow. Improving reading comprehension skills
is valuable to make them good readers and effective readers.
 Moreover, Keyser (2015) defines reading comprehension as the ability to

understand a written passage of text. It is the bridge between the passive reader

and active reader, and the crucial link to effective reading – essential for a rich

academic, professional, and personal life. Reading comprehension involves

several different processes, such as imagining what the words describe,

understanding the context of the book, and being able to answer questions

related to a text.

According to Bilbao, Donguilla, & Vasay (2016, as cited in Labarreta,

2019) contest that comprehension is the heart of reading for without such it

becomes meaningless and that there are four levels of comprehension: literal,

inferential or interpretive, evaluative, and creative. Literal is also called factual

level. It refers to the reader’s ability to decode words, give meaning in a context,

and determine word relationships. Learners are as well expected to identify

fundamental information and follow basic instructions. Interpretive level, on the

other hand, is higher-order thinking as it requires the application and analysis

process. Readers are expected to look into the relationships among statements

in the given text, understand the implications of the reading segment through

inferencing as well as determine implicit or explicit ideas contained in the reading

material. Meanwhile, the evaluative or critical level requires the readers to render

their judgments of the reading material which, in turn, makes them evaluate the

texts being read. Finally, the creative level. This is regarded as transcendental

reading as it compels the readers to go beyond the intention of the writer such

as applying gained insights

to a new situation and merging the author’s ideas to generate new thoughts,

ideas, and concepts. As such, this level challenges the readers to create or

produce novel materials as evidence of their comprehension or understanding of

the reading materials.

As cited in Estremera (2018), understanding the meaning of the text and

knowing the author’s intentions among others are part of comprehension.

Comprehension requires knowledge not only of words but their relationships in

sentences, paragraphs, and longer passages. It involves understanding the

intent of the author and may go beyond literal and recorded facts to hidden

meanings or implications. Hence, it entails deep thinking and requires skills to

infer and read critically.

Comprehension is not a single unitary process. It starts from the moving of

words on the page to meaning in the mind, the recognizing of an individual’s

words by using memory and knowledge of letter and sound patterns, matching

the resulting pronunciations to meaning, and finally connecting these words into

idea units (Caldwell, 2008: 5; Rahmawati, 2020). According to Sudibyo, Wibowo,

and Hatam (2018), reading comprehension is useful to help students for gaining

information about the text that they read. It can be concluded that reading

comprehension is a process of students in understanding a text. How students

recite the text per word or sentence, then finally can understand the meaning,

purpose, and main idea of the text.

 Without reading and comprehension skills, learners will struggle to grow

academically, as reading is the foundation of all academic disciplines such as

History, Mathematics, Science, etc. It also influences learners’ writing ability.

Reading fluency is also a very important part of reading comprehension, as

readers who spend their time decoding words often lose the understanding of

what is being read.

A lack of strong reading comprehension skills affects a learner’s success

at school, as academic progress depends on understanding, analyzing, and

applying information gathered through reading. According to Repaso (2018), the

learner who understands what he reads can perform well in class and can have a

great chance to be successful in life someday.

Unfortunately, common readers, especially young learners, do not have

good reading comprehension in understanding English passages well and

effectively. There are several problems that appear in the field of education. First,

the students usually find difficulties in comprehending the text if they do not know

a lot of the words in the text. This statement is supported by Paran in Harmer

(2005:203; Prasetyono, 2014). He states that if the readers do not know half of

the words in a text, they will have great difficulty understanding the text as a

whole. Second, the condition is going worse because teaching reading activity

which is usually conducted by the teacher is sometimes still unideal. The

teachers do not introduce appropriate activities and strategies in learning reading

to the students.
 However, despite teachers’ effectiveness, concerns, and dedication, it

cannot be denied that there are really learners who are retorted in reading and

are usually educationally disadvantaged because of certain problems emanating

from the home, as a result of biological factors. A poor reader, therefore,

becomes a poor learner, and all academic tasks can never be achieved

whenever a pupil performs ineffectively in Reading (Pineda, 2018).

In addition, the Philippines scored the lowest in reading comprehension in

the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). 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).

Studies show that at least one out of five students have significant

difficulty in reading acquisition (Therrien, 2004; Hartog, 2017). So, conducting

remedial reading programs is imperative to improve both reading fluency and

reading comprehension.

FACTORS AFFECTING READING PERFORMANCE

According to Anderson (2018, as cited in Elorde, 2019), a learner’s

reading ability can be affected by many factors including background knowledge,

ability, home environment, school experiences, and interest level. However, poor

reading performance is most directly linked to a child's success with five early

literacy skills-
-phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, fluency, vocabulary, and

comprehension. By understanding and nurturing these five fundamental skills,

parents and teachers can better encourage successful reading performance.

 Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and orally manipulate the

individual sounds that make words. This skill is performed entirely with oral,

not written, language. Students with strong phonemic awareness are better

prepared to sound out words while reading and more likely to become fluent,

proficient readers. Children need to develop their phonological awareness

before they can learn to read and spell (Talbot, 2020). Phonemic awareness

is one of the best predictors of how well children will learn to read. Usually,

learners who are at risk for reading difficulty often have lower levels of

phonological awareness and phonemic awareness than do their classmates.

 Alphabetic principle encompasses the recognition of letters, an

understanding that words are made from individual letters, and the ability to

connect sounds with letters in print. Working with the alphabetic principle

means deciphering the alphabetic code of words. Decoding, or sounding out

words, is an essential skill involved with the alphabetic principle. Learners’

reading development is dependent on their understanding of the alphabetic

principle – the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of

spoken language. Learning that there are predictable relationships between

sounds and letters allows children to apply these

 relationships to both familiar and unfamiliar words, and to begin to read

with fluency.

 Fluency involves the accuracy and speed of a learner in reading. It is

important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and

comprehension. A fluent reader does not have to concentrate on decoding

the words, he/she can focus their attention on what the text means. He/she

can make connections between the ideas in the text and their background

knowledge. In other words, fluent readers recognize words and comprehend

them at the same time. On the other hand, readers who have not yet

developed fluency read slowly, word by word. Their oral reading is choppy.

 Vocabulary refers to the words we must understand to communicate

effectively. It involves gaining meaning from words while reading.

Vocabulary plays an important part in learning to read. Learners who hear

more words spoken at home learn more words and enter school with a

better vocabulary. This larger vocabulary pays off exponentially as a learner

progresses through school. Vocabulary is key to reading comprehension.

Readers cannot understand what they are reading without knowing what

most of the words mean. As learners learn to read more advanced texts, they

must learn the meaning of new words that are not part of their oral

vocabulary.
  Comprehension involves constructing meaning from what is being read.
Comprehension is the reason for reading. If readers can read the words

but do not understand or connect to what they are reading, they are not

really reading. Good readers are both purposeful and active and have the

skills to absorb what they read, analyze it, make sense of it, and make it

their own.

According to Cain and Oakhill (2011), reading influences vocabulary

development; however, when learners do not read fluently or regularly, their

vocabulary skills are impacted. Additionally, vocabulary knowledge positively

affects reading comprehension and academic performance. During reading,

learners continually process words to create meaning, and without a strong

vocabulary base, they will struggle to understand what they have read

(Caccamise and Snyder, 2005; Amponsah and Mohammed, 2018). As for

Atienza (2002; as cited in Estremera, 2018), whether or not students have

mastered vocabulary skills affects their reading comprehension. Students must

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

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

definition, useful context clues, and how it functions in a sentence. These

vocabulary strategies can help improve comprehension.

As cited in Estremera (2018), affirms that there are other factors that

influence the reading activity. These are comprehension, concentration, memory,

and personality. The teacher factor must be considered also in the reading
process. The teacher chooses her subject and the instructional materials to be

used for the learners. Learners may do better in reading with proper

concentration, quick memory, and an optimistic personality. This is connected to

the outcome of the study by Estremera (2018) that there are factors related to the

reading comprehension of the learners which include absenteeism, economic

status, and so forth.

In addition, background knowledge also plays an essential role in reading

comprehension. In an effort to comprehend a text, students rely on their

background knowledge to link what they already know to the text they are

reading. Background knowledge includes both a reader’s real-world experiences

and literary knowledge. Drawing parallels between background knowledge and

texts helps students become active readers, improving their reading

comprehension (Khateeb, 2011).

According to Amponsah and Mohammed (2018), most pupils have low

reading abilities as a result of primary school teachers’ difficulties in moving

beginning readers toward immediate reading skills, pupils’ lack of exposure to

reading strategies, and the prevailing attitude among teachers towards reading

strategies. Klapwijk and Van de Walt (2011) confirm this by stating that some

primary school teachers continue to struggle with reading instruction and remain

resistant to its implementation in class. Also, many teachers have a limited

understanding of how to teach literacy, reading, and writing. As a result, they

have no idea how to teach reading to learners or how to encourage them to

read both
within and outside the classroom (Botha et. Al, 2008; Mohammed and

Amponsah, 2018).

Lucas (2011) and Rany (2013) also note that learners may have a low

reading ability due to school heads not availing the necessary course books for

practice reading, lack of appropriate curriculum to help improve learners reading

abilities, and classroom environments that are crowded and noisy for an

appropriate teaching pedagogy to be fulfilled.

Meanwhile, the challenges teachers may face in teaching reading

strategies to learners may include learners’ lack of foundation in reading (Lucas,

2011; Rany, 2013; Amponsah and Mohammed, 2018). Learners’ inability to hear

or produce a new sound in a second language has also been noted by

Robertson (2009; as cited in Amponsah and Mohammed, 2018) as one of the

challenges which teachers may face in teaching reading strategies in class.

Sanford (2015) highlights that one key factor that obstructs learners’ reading

ability is their inability to process the individual sounds of letters that are needed

for word recognition; while Rany (2013) claims the limitations of learners’

vocabulary proficiency obstruct their reading ability as well as a challenge to

teachers when teaching reading strategies to learners.

In addition, Sanford (2015) points out that underdeveloped phonemic

awareness and phonics skills do affect learners’ ability to read words fluently

because reading is a technical process of reading letter by letter and word by

word.
 Joseph (2018) also adds that learner who becomes poor readers experience

difficulties with accurately identifying and reading words at lower grades.

Poor working memory is another factor that would contribute to pupils’ low

reading abilities. for instance, a larger number of scholars (Alloway et al., 2009;

Swanson et al., 2009; Sanford, 2015; Amponsah and Mohammed, 2018) all

claim that working memory allows a learner to temporarily store information in

short-term memory while being engaged in cognitive tasks.

Njie (2013) and Rany (2013) also assert that most pupils have low reading

ability as a result of a lack of effective learning strategies, their unwillingness, and

lack of motivation to learn how to read. As cited in Amponsah and Mohammed

(2018), the best type of motivation to stimulate reading in learners is internal

motivation (intrinsic motivation) where learners’ own interest in reading is what

makes them read. With intrinsic motivation, pupils become competent and highly

achieving readers (McRae and Guthrie, 2009; Amponsah and Mohammed,

2018).

IMPACT OF INTERVENTIONS ON THE READING PERFORMANCE

According to Cimmiyotti (2013; as cited in Elorde et. al., 2019),

educational systems are frequently challenged in meeting the needs of students

who are not achieving grade-level standards and in providing support services to

help such students narrow the performance gap. One program that has been

adopted in the hopes of achieving that goal is Response to Intervention (RtI)

which promotes early
intervention for learners who are only slightly behind their peers; however, the

department’s funding is not available to operate this type of program. For a

school where funding is limited, such as the one involved in this study, it is

possible that the limited resources available for early intervention programs can

be allocated towards a single subject area which can improve student

performance in other areas.

A study by Tutor, Baker, and Gersten (2015) looks at the effects of

implementing reading interventions on English learners who are at risk of

academic challenges, such as students with learning disabilities. The findings

revealed that reading and listening comprehension had significant moderate-to-

large effects. The interventions in these studies included explicit instruction, and

10 used published intervention programs.

While, in the study conducted by Saba (2013), the beneficiaries are able

to read while also developing responsiveness, responsibility, improving their

character, and being aware of the need for education. As a result, the project's

volunteer tutors taught the learners more than just reading skills. After running

the “Boluntaryong Lunas Basa” for six school years, from 2006-07 to 2011-12,

the contribution of this project was remarkable: 100% of the beneficiaries are

promoted to the next level and the second batch of beneficiaries graduated in

2013.

Ibrahim (2017) investigates the use of Listen Read Discuss strategy and

reading motivation toward the learners' reading comprehension. The results of

this research are, first, the students who are taught by using Listen Read Discuss
have
a better result on reading comprehension of descriptive text than the students

who were taught by using small group discussions. Second, the students with

higher reading motivation who are taught by Listen Read Discuss have better

reading comprehension of descriptive text than those who are taught by using

small group discussions. Third, students with lower reading motivation who are

taught by Listen Read Discuss had better reading comprehension of descriptive

text than those who are taught by using small group discussions. In conclusion,

Listen Read Discuss can be used as a teaching strategy in teaching reading

comprehension of descriptive text at SMK Muhammadiyah 2 Pekanbaru.

Additionally, the action research of Brizuela & Morales (2017; as cited in

Elorde et. al., 2019) discovers that using the Microsoft One Note application to

improve the reading ability of grade 6 students is effective and beneficial. The

reading level of 46 grade 6 pupils of Isabang Elementary school improved after

the implementation of the intervention program.

Combalicer (2017) finds out that the intervention program he studied is

effective in improving reading comprehension and academic achievement. A total

of 169 learners are directly involved in the implementation of the remedial

reading teaching strategies. These learners demonstrate improvement in reading

comprehension and academic performance after its implementation.

Furthermore, the intervention program used by Repaso (2018) improves

the oral reading level of grade four pupils of Mauban South Elementary School.

The research utilizes the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil – IRI) as the

data
gathering instruments for pre-test and post-test. The findings revealed that there

is an improvement in the reading level of grade four pupils after the conduct of

AHHORA.

Moreover, the intervention program used by Elorde et. Al. (2019) finds out

effective in improving the reading performance of the respondents. There is a

marked improvement in the reading performance of Grades 2 to 6 pupils after the

implementation of Project BEST STARS. Through Project BEST STARS, the

pupils are given the opportunity to love reading, increase phonemic awareness,

develop skillful study habits, and helped pupils to listen and read with

comprehension. They also conclude that an intervention program is needed for

slow and non–reading pupils because reading opens the door to several

opportunities for growth and development.

As cited in Repaso (2018), repeated readings help to develop students’

fluency, word recognition, concepts of print, and comprehension abilities.

Students read texts or have texts read to them multiple times. When teachers

read aloud, students can follow along, read aloud, or echo the teachers’ words.

Teachers may wish to point to the words as they read aloud.

In the study by Matthews (2015), she cites that early intervention targets

specific skills that learners lack in the areas of word recognition, vocabulary,

fluency, comprehension, and writing. All of these skills contribute to the overall

reading achievement level of the student. Brady (2014) expresses that

remediation and early intervention can reduce the incidence of reading failure.
Relevance of the Related Literature and Studies to the Present Study

Learning to read is very important in the success of learners, particularly in

school, because it improves the cognitive skills of the learners. Obviously, this

highly contributes to the development of the child, especially in acquiring

knowledge and the most needed learning that will help him become more

competitive and language literature. Indeed, the key to success is through

reading (Pineda, 2018). Also, according to Bridges (2018), hundreds of studies

show that the most successful students read the most, while the least successful

students read the least.

The above-mentioned factors affecting the reading performance of the

learners are related in the present study since these are the possible common

problems encountered by teachers in teaching reading to the respondents. Aside

from that, the literature gathered regarding the impact of the intervention is

deemed necessary in the current study since it discussed the effectiveness of the

intervention program used in improving the reading performance of the learners.

This literature is much important to support the findings of the current study.

The aim of this study is to improve the Oral Reading Level of Grade 7

students of Cabay National High School through Project “I CARE” (Integrating

Comprehension Activities for Reading Enhancement).

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The study focused on improving the Oral Reading Level of Grade 7

Students Through Learning Delivery Mobilizer in conducting Project “I CARE”

(Integrating Comprehension Activities for Reading Enhancement). The study is

anchored in the three main theories of reading. First, the traditional view, which

focused on the printed form of a text. Second, the cognitive view enhanced the

role of background knowledge in addition to what appeared on the printed. Third,

the metacognitive view, which is based on the control and manipulation that a

reader can have on the act of comprehending a text, thus, highlights the

involvement of the reader’s thinking about what he is doing while reading.

1. The Traditional View

Figure 1. Bottom-Up Theory.

Dole et al. (1991, as cited in Vaezi, 2011) state the traditional view of

reading, also known as the bottom-up approach, novice readers acquire a set of

hierarchically ordered sub-skills that sequentially build toward comprehension

ability. Readers who have mastered these skills are considered experts who

comprehend what they read. Today, bottom-up focus on direct instruction of

phonics, such as identifying features of letters, like curves and straight lines, to

distinguish them. From there, students will start combining letters to read and

write words. Then, they become familiar with spelling patterns and learn to read

sentences, paragraphs, and longer texts. Thus, the bottom-up model highlights a

single-direction, part-to-whole processing of a text.

2. The Cognitive View

Figure 2. Whole language Approach reflects Top-down Theory.

The Whole Language approach reflects the "top-down" theory of reading

that posits reading is learned best when the main goal is to derive meaning.

Learners are given authentic material and encouraged to bring their experience

to the text in order to predict content and meaning; they then read to confirm or

contradict those predictions.

 The top-down reading approach is based on the principle that

understanding and success are centered on the brain and the reader. This

approach claims that readers bring an understanding to the print, not print to the

reader. In other words, a reader's experiences aid him or her in reading,

decoding, and comprehending text. This approach asks readers to construct

meaning from a text; this knowledge is made from the whole (text) to the part

(words). Instead of focusing on phonics and decoding, this approach allows

students to read and comprehend "real" books. Thus, the top-down approach

makes use of grammar and text clues to figure out unknown words.

3. Metacognitive View
According to Block (1992, cited in Vaezi, 2011), there is nothing to argue about

"whether reading is a bottom-up, language-based process or a top- down, knowledge-

based process." It is not also difficult to accept the influence of background knowledge

on both L1 and L2 readers. Research has gone even further to define the control readers

execute on their ability to understand a text. This control, Block (1992) has referred to

as metacognition.

Figure 3. Metacognitive Theory.

 Metacognition involves thinking about what one is doing while reading. Klein

et al. (1991; Vaezi, 2011) stated that strategic readers attempt the following while

reading:

 Identifying the purpose of the reading before reading

 Identifying the form or type of the text before reading

 Thinking about the general character and features of the form or type of the

text. For instance, they try to locate a topic sentence and follow supporting

details toward a conclusion

 Projecting the author's purpose for writing the text (while reading it),

 Choosing, scanning, or reading in detail

 Making continuous predictions about what will occur next, based on

information obtained earlier, prior knowledge, and conclusions obtained

within the previous stages.

Aside from that, the study is anchored in the cognitive theory of Jean Piaget

and Schema’s theory of reading.

Cognitive Theory of Jean Piaget

Figure 4. The Cognitive theory of Jean Piaget.

According to Piaget, the first stage is gathering sensory and motor

information, a child begins the process of reading and language acquisition.

This information refers to the way things feel, taste, smell, and look. Their

motor information is how they move and handle objects in space which typically

happens during the period between when a child is born and when she is about

two years old. Having books around, a child will begin to understand that reading

is important. When a child is between the ages of two and seven, the second

stage of Piaget's reading theory begins. This is known as the preoperational

stage of life.

In this stage, the child begins to understand the concept of the past and a

future but requires repetition to grasp the concept of sequence. This is something
he/she can learn by rereading the same story over and over.
 The third stage is where the child is in the concrete operations stage of

her cognitive development which is between seven and 12 years of age. In this

stage, the child begins to develop the ability to think both logically and abstractly.

These skills form the essential foundation for reading comprehension. The child

must be able to read and comprehend what he or she is reading. This is why

reading aloud to children is so effective in improving comprehension.

The last stage is formal operational which begins at approximately 11 to

12 years of age and continues throughout adulthood. The last phase associated

with Piaget's concept requires a rise in reasoning, the opportunity to utilize

deductive thinking, as well as an awareness associated with subjective

suggestions.

Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development suggests that children

move through four different stages of mental development. His theory focuses

not only on understanding how children acquire knowledge but also on

understanding the nature of intelligence. Piaget is one of the theorists who have

studied how a child learns information, processes information, and transfers that

information. This theory helps the researcher to understand why reading requires

several complex cognitive processes of the brain.

 As cited in Seymour (2017), schema theory explains how readers use prior

knowledge to comprehend and learn from text. This theory refers to the role of prior

knowledge in reading comprehension. It also refers to the conceptual framework that

a reader takes to a text and a psychological framework that covers both top- down

and bottom-up approaches. In this theory, understanding a text is an interactive

process between the reader’s prior knowledge and the text itself which the ability to

connect the written material to one's knowledge is required for effective

comprehension. Reading comprehension research over the years has been

profoundly influenced by schema theory, a hypothesis that explains how the

information we have stored in our minds helps us gain new knowledge.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

The scope of the program were limited to 591 as the total population of school and 147 as
assessed through PHIL IRI results were the focus of the program.

The main focus of this study is to improve the English oral reading level of

Grade 7 students of Cabay National High School (CNHS) through conducting Project

“I CARE”. It aims to measure the significant difference in the reading performance of

Grades 7 students before and after the implementation of Project “I CARE” and the

significant relationship between the oral reading level of the respondents before and

after the conduct of Project “I CARE” and problems encountered by the teachers in

teaching reading. This study will cover 11 grade 7 teachers and 74 grades 7 students

of Cabay National High School.

METHODOLOGY
Research Design

Descriptive evaluative and descriptive comparative methods will be used in

this study to determine and analyze the oral reading level of Grade 7 students in

Cabay National High School through pre-test and post-test of the Philippine Informal

Reading Inventory (PHIL. IRI). The results will be compared in order to measure the

effectiveness of the intervention that will be used by the researcher

Research Population and Sample

The respondents of the study are 11 grade 7 teachers and 74 grade 7 students who
are in instructional reading level, frustration reading level, and non-readers. The respondents
are chosen through the purposive sampling method. As a purposive sampling, the researcher
considered the following in the selection of respondents: (a) Grade 7 teachers (b) students
enrolled in Cabay National High

School; (c) grades 7 students; those who will be identified in instructional reading level,
frustration reading level, and non-reader during the pre-reading evaluation and willing to serve
as a respondent of this study.

Statistical Treatment

Statistical Treatment

In order to answer the problem posted in the study, the following statistical

treatment will be used:

a. To determine the level of students in terms of word recognition in oral reading

level simple percentage formula will be used. The formula to be used in

finding the percentage is:

Where:

WR = word recognition

M = number of miscues

N = number of words in the passage

Oral Reading Level Word Recognition

Score (in %)
Independent 97-100%
Instructional 90-96%
Frustration 89% and below

Table 1. Oral reading profile in word recognition.

b. To determine the reading level of students in terms of comprehension in oral

reading level simple percentage formula will be used:

Oral Reading Level Word Recognition

Score (in %)
Independent 80-100%
Instructional 59-79%
Frustration 58% and below

Table 2. Oral reading profile in comprehension.

c. To test the hypothesis on the significant difference in the oral reading level of

the respondents before and after the conduct of Project “I CARE” in terms of word

recognition and comprehension, a T-test for dependent samples will be used. The

formula in finding the t-value:

Where:

t= t-value

D= difference between the miscues in terms of word recognition and scores in

terms of comprehension before and after the conduct of Project “I CARE”

N= total number of respondents

 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region IV-A
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF QUEZON PROVINCE

The computed t-value will be compared with the corresponding tabular value at

0.05 level of significance at their corresponding degree of freedom. Rejection or

acceptance of the null hypothesis will be based on the following guide: if t ≥ CV, the null

hypothesis will be rejected, and if t ≤ CV, the null hypothesis will be accepted.

d. To test the hypothesis of the significant relationship between the oral reading level of

the respondents before and after the conduct of Project “I CARE” and the perceptions of

teachers about the effectiveness of Project “I CARE” in improving the oral reading level in

terms of word recognition and comprehension, a Chi-square Test of Independence will be

used.

The chi-square calculated value will be compared with the chi-square critical

value. If the chi-square calculated value is greater than the chi-square critical value, the

null hypothesis will be rejected. But, If the chi-square calculated value is less than the

chi-square critical value, the null hypothesis will be accepted.

Research Instrumentation

PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

SELECTION OF STUDENTS UNDER THE PROGRAM

The selection included the needs analysis to firmly assess the reading program
and action plan to be used to various students under the frustration level. English teachers were

DEPEDQUEZON-TM-SDS-04-025-004

“Creating Possibilities, Inspiring Innovations”

Address: Sitio Fori, Brgy. Talipan, Pagbilao, Quezon
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Website: www.depedquezon.com.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region IV-A
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF QUEZON PROVINCE

asked to give the name of those students who need remediation program focusing on
some coaching strategies as part of their strategic reading.

As the prior reference of PHIL IRI results students adopted the material from QUELTA
(Quezon English Language Teachers Association) from Grade 7-10 and the latter were the result of
previous PHIL IRI result.

The reading team assessed the 591 students and arrived at 147 students under the
program which will underwent the program implementation.

Needs Analysis

Students were given set of contextualized materials that entails the need analysis to
firmly assess whether they belong to the level that reading needs support as they need some
coaching strategies in reading. Coaching Strategies and Action Plan

Monitoring and evaluation

To ensure the productivity and efficiency of the remediation program in order for the student
to develop their reading and comprehension skills, they were monitored regularly every end of the
week. They presented their outputs made for the whole week, it was checked and asses by the
teacher objectively until they reached the independent level.

Data Gathering Procedures

The researcher will ask permission from the concerned persons. The pre- test

reading assessment will be given by the researcher at the beginning of the school year.

The researcher will get the result and profiling of the reading level of learners to identify

the students who have poor reading abilities. Then, the implementation of Project “I

CARE” will apply to address the reading gaps of the students. The researcher will

explain to the students the purpose of implementing the Project “I CARE”. At the end of

the school year, the post-test reading assessment will be given by the researcher. The
DEPEDQUEZON-TM-SDS-04-025-004

“Creating Possibilities, Inspiring Innovations”

Address: Sitio Fori, Brgy. Talipan, Pagbilao, Quezon
Trunkline #: (042) 784-0366, (042) 784-0164, (042) 784-0391, (042) 784-0321
Email Address: quezon@deped.gov.ph
Website: www.depedquezon.com.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region IV-A
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF QUEZON PROVINCE

researcher will analyze the results of the PHIL. IRI pre-test and post-test to determine if

there is a significant difference in the oral reading level of the respondents before and

after the conduct of Project “I CARE” in terms of word recognition and comprehension.

In conducting a survey questionnaire with teachers, the researcher will check and record the answers of the
respondents. Then, a researcher will collect data that will be carefully tallied, computed, and analyzed in order
to come up with meaningful conclusions and recommendations regarding the effectiveness of Project “I CARE”
in improving the oral reading level of the respondents

LIST OF REFERENCES

APPENDICES
Action Plan / Intervention Program
Curriculum Vitae (with picture)
Please be guided by the following:

 Font Style – Arial

 Font Size – 11
 Justified
 Double-Spaced
 Use only this prescribed template for publication
 Limit your paper to 20 to 30 pages only (including the appendices)
 Refer to the division template for research submission and be guided with the writing
prompts
 Present the results of your study in tabular or graphical form or both based on the research
questions.
 Directly answer your research questions, explain your findings, and support your
explanations with your related readings.
 Provide a specific title for your figures/tables. Label it with Figure 2 or Table 1….

DEPEDQUEZON-TM-SDS-04-025-004

“Creating Possibilities, Inspiring Innovations”

Address: Sitio Fori, Brgy. Talipan, Pagbilao, Quezon
Trunkline #: (042) 784-0366, (042) 784-0164, (042) 784-0391, (042) 784-0321
Email Address: quezon@deped.gov.ph
Website: www.depedquezon.com.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region IV-A
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF QUEZON PROVINCE

DEPEDQUEZON-TM-SDS-04-025-004

“Creating Possibilities, Inspiring Innovations”

Address: Sitio Fori, Brgy. Talipan, Pagbilao, Quezon
Trunkline #: (042) 784-0366, (042) 784-0164, (042) 784-0391, (042) 784-0321
Email Address: quezon@deped.gov.ph
Website: www.depedquezon.com.ph