TITLE: THE QUALITY OF THE ENGLISH READING INSTRUCTION

IN LATAG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: AN ASSESSMENT

I. CONTEXT AND RATIONALE

Reading is the right key to spiritual, social, intellectual, esthetical, mental,

moral, and academic success.
The quality of English Reading Instruction is a subtle and complex process
that involves sensation, perception, comprehension, application, and
integration.
The “NO READ, NO PASS” policy of the DepEd is a stringent measure to
upgrade the quality of instruction in our country. For this reason, greater
responsibility has been placed on teachers to develop all pupils to become
good readers in their respective grade level at the end of the school year.
It is within the premise that this action research was conceptualized. In
order to determine the quality of English Reading Instruction in Latag
Elementary School, we set up the study based on the reading skills and
comprehension of pupils.

II. REVIEW AND LITERATURE

Reading is an extremely important skill. It is by reading that you learn much

of what you need to know for your different school subjects. Reading is also an
excellent way to improve your general English. You can only learn from
reading, however, if what you read is not too difficult. For this reason, it is
important to know that makes texts difficult and how you can improve your
chances of understanding them.

There are many ways that reading helps you to learn English, but reading itself
is an important life skill. In everyday life we use reading to get information
about the world around us. There are signs on the street. Can you park your
car here? Which days can you park? How long? There are letters from school
or utility companies that come in the mail. There are also bus schedules, bills,
medicine labels, ads, health care pamphlets, and technical manuals for our
electronic devices. When you are new to a country, this is the first kind of
reading you need. USA Learns will help prepare you with the Life Skills reading
activities.

Viktor and Karina learned that reading skills are very important when signing
an agreement to rent an apartment in one of our 2nd English Course video
stories. This is a funny story, but in real life, it’s not funny when you don’t
understand what you have to sign.

The first thing you need to do is find interesting texts. No students want to
read if they have boring texts. If you can find real news stories or magazine
articles then that is much better but make sure the vocabulary and grammar
isn’t too difficult. You can also use excerpts from books or scripts, or song
lyrics, depending on the level of the group.

Finding interesting texts for beginners can be more difficult. You need to
reinforce the vocabulary they know rather than give them too many new
words, which means it is difficult for them to understand the text. Of course
you can use children’s picture books, but if you are teaching teenagers or
adults these often won't be appropriate. And even kids' books can use a lot of
new words. One option if you have a very low level class is to use the English
Short Stories for Complete Beginners. This will help them read but won't give
them complicated vocabulary.

Teaching your students to use dictionaries is important at every level. Either a

bi-lingual dictionary or a picture dictionary for lower levels, or a single
language dictionary for advanced students. Encourage them to look up words
they don't know, and not guess them. If a student looks up a word, they are
more likely to remember it, and you can be sure they understand the
meaning.

In class, reading can become a little boring. You can make your reading lessons
livelier by trying some of the following techniques. Most of them can be
adapted to suit any level.
III. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The purpose of the study was to find out the percentage of the reading
index of Grades I to VI pupils in the school for the first semester school year
2016-2017, and how many in each grade level could understand what they
read.
This study particularly dealt on the following problems.

1. What are the academic standings in English Reading & Comprehension of

the Grades I-VI of Latag Elementary School for the first semester school
year 2016-2017.

2. What is the quality of English Reading Instruction of Latag Elementary

School for the first semester, sy 2016-2017.

IV. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

The study was focused to find out the percentage of the reading index of
the grades I to VI pupils for the first semester School Year 2016-2017. We
formulated the scope and limitations of this study to identify how many in
each grade level could understand what they read to evaluate the Reading
Assessment in English.

V. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

The school composed of School Reading Evaluation Committee, wherein

the School English Coordinator as the chairman with his/her three members
assigned for the assessment made in reading.
To facilitate the conduct of the tests, the Standard of Evaluation was set.
1. A pupil might be classified as Good, Satisfactory, Moderately
Satisfactory, or Non-reader according to his basic skills in Oral Reading
Comprehension.
2. A pupil was considered Good if he could read very well and could
answer all the given four questions correctly; Satisfactory if he could read well
and could answer two or three of the questions asked; Moderately Satisfactory
if he could fairly read and could answer at least one question asked; he was
considered a Non-reader if he could hardly read and could not answer
correctly any of the questions asked.
3. The weighted mean was computed using a conversion table to
determine the quality of English Reading Instruction in the school.
4. A four-point rating scale was devised using the following weights:
Reading Letter Rating Assigned
Quality Code Scale Weight
Good G 3 2.26-3.00
Satisfactory S 2 1.51-2.25

Moderately
Satisfactory MS 1 0.76-1.50
Non-reader/
Poor NR 0 0.10-0.75
5. The quality of English reading instruction in the school could be
classified as Good, Satisfactory, Moderately Satisfactory, and Poor.
6. The frequency and percentage were also used in this study.

VI. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The result of the Oral Reading Test in English was gathered and
presented in a table for interpretation and analysis.

Grade Enrolment Pupil Tested Good Satisfactory Moderately Non-reader/

Satisfactory Poor
M F T M F T % % % %
I 9 6 15 9 6 15 1 7 3 20 5 33 6 40
II 5 4 9 5 4 9 3 33 2 22 2 22 2 22
III 5 13 18 5 13 18 2 11 8 44 5 28 3 17
IV 6 7 13 6 7 13 3 23 5 38 3 23 2 15
V 11 16 27 11 16 27 6 22 11 41 8 30 2 7
VI 9 10 19 9 10 19 2 11 9 47 7 37 1 5
Total 45 56 101 45 56 101 17 17 38 38 30 30 16 16

Out of 15 Grade I pupils tested, 1 or 7% was found to be Good reader, 3

or 20% were Satisfactory readers, 5 or 33% were Moderately Satisfactory
readers, and 6 or 40% were Non-readers.
In Grade II, out of 9 pupils, 3 or 33% were Good readers, 2 or 22% were
Satisfactory readers, 2 or 22% were Moderately Satisfactory readers, and 2 or
22% were Non-readers.
 Among the 18 pupils in Grade in Grade III, there were 2 or 11% were
Good readers, 8 or 44% Satisfactory readers, 5 or 28% were Moderately
Satisfactory readers, and 3 or 17% were Non-readers.
Out of 13 Grade IV pupils tested, 3 or 23% were Good readers, 5 or 38%
were Satisfactory readers, 3 or 23% were Moderately Satisfactory readers, and
2 or 15% were Non-readers.
In Grade V, out of 27 pupils, 6 or 22% were Good readers, 11 or 41%
were Satisfactory readers, 8 or 30% were Moderately Satisfactory readers, and
only 2 or 7% was tested Non-readers.
For the Grade VI pupils, out of 19 pupils tested, 2 or 11% were Good
readers, 9 or 47% were Satisfactory readers, 7 or 37% pupils were Moderately
Satisfactory readers, and only 1 or 5% was Non-reader.
Out of 101 pupils tested, 17 or 17% were Good readers, 38 or 38% were
Satisfactory readers, 30 or 30% were Moderately Satisfactory readers, and 16
or 16% were Non-readers.
It could be noted that Grade I had the biggest number of Non-readers
with 6 or 40% followed by Grade III with 3 or 17%, Grade II, IV & V 2 or 22%,
15%, 7% respectively and Grade VI with 1 or 5%.
Using the Grade mean in classification of reading abilities, Grade I mean
of 0.93 fell under Moderately Satisfactory, Grade II mean of 1.67 fell under the
category of Satisfactory; Grade III mean of 1.50 classified the pupils as
Moderately Satisfactory readers; Grades IV mean of 1.69 fell under
Satisfactory; Grade V mean of 1.78 categorized pupils as Satisfactory and
Grade VI mean of 1.63 classified the pupils as Satisfactory readers.
Using the grade mean in classifying, it can be inferred that the academic
standings in English Reading Comprehension of Grades I and III pupils were
Moderately Satisfactory for many of them still need follow ups in reading and
understanding what they had read even at the end of the First Semester.
However, the numbers of non-readers still existed and needs to give
more proper guidance in reading.
The overall mean of 1.53 showed that the school academic standing in
English Reading and Comprehension could be categorized as Satisfactory which
also indicated the Quality of English Reading Instruction of the School. The
result implied that English Reading Instruction in the school still needs
improvement.

VII. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the foregoing data, the following conclusions were deduced:

 1. The reading and comprehension ability of Grades I-VI pupils of Latag
Elementary School at the end of the First Semester were:
a. Non-reader
b. Moderately Satisfactory
c. Satisfactory
d. Good
2. Many Grades I and II pupils were Non-readers at the end of the First
Semester.
3. Grade III pupils English Reading and Comprehension abilities were
Moderately Satisfactory.
4. The English Reading and Comprehension abilities of Grades IV-VI
pupils were Satisfactory.
5. The quality of the English Reading Instruction of Latag Elementary
School for the First Semester Year 2016-2017 was Moderately Satisfactory.
6. The English Reading Instruction in Latag Elementary School needs
improvement to attain an ideal percentage of Good readers.

The result of the study called for the improvement of English Reading
Instruction in the school. To do so, the following actions for implementation
are suggested:
1. Evolve a School English Reading Program based on the existing grade
level needs of the pupils particularly in Grades I and II.
2. Prepare remedial measures in English Reading Program for the Non-
readers.
3. Each grade teacher should devote extra time and effort to improve
their pupils’ reading abilities.
4. Supplementary reading materials should be given to Satisfactory and
Good readers for the pupils to develop independent reading.
5. Regular periodic monitoring of the English Reading Program of the
school should be observed.
6. An in-service training should be conducted to improve the teaching
reading skills of teachers in English.
7. A follow-up study should be conducted at the end of the Second
Semester School Year 2016-2017 to find out the progress of the English
Reading Instruction of the school and to evaluate the reading comprehension
abilities of the pupils.

References