ELS 603: Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods
THE PERCEIVED READING CHALLENGES: BASIS FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF AN INDIVIDUALIZED READING PROGRAM
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A Dissertation Proposal Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School
Bulacan State University
City of Malolos
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In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for ELS 603
Quantitative and Qualitative Research in Doctor of Philosophy
Major in English Language Studies
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By
GERLY O. MANGULABNAN
March 2023
Gerly Ortiz Mangulabnan, Student- Ph.D. ELS Professor: Ramil G. Illustre, Ph.D. / DTESOL Page
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CHAPTER 1. INTODUCTION
This chapter presents the background and rationale of the study. It states the
problems and important terms in the study.
Background of the Study
The COVID 2019 crisis has had an impact on more than just the economic,
psychological, and social facets of the world, but also notably, and largely, the
educational field. The virus, which first appeared in December 2019, spread like a
plague, forced closures of schools, and eventually, all educational institutions at all
levels are moved toward distance learning as part of the new educational paradigm.
So, the way that education is traditionally delivered has changed, and as a result,
learning spaces have also changed.
Schools all over the world have ventured into numerous approaches like
distance education, online teaching, remote learning, and blended learning to address
the problem of developing educational delivery mechanisms in higher education.
Before the pandemic wreaked havoc on the educational system, learning to
read was difficult. Without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects
intensified the already severe literacy problems, greatly widening the gap between
children who receive reading support and those who don't.
Seemingly, this research was pushed through to moderately lower the reading
challenges of the Grade 7 learners since it is quite surprising that there are still
struggling readers in the Junior High School. Similarly also to initiate and promote
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possible solution to the adverse impact brought about by the pandemic as proven with
the succeeding statements.
The quality of a person’s life can be enhanced by the literacy level as the latter
is directly related to his/her working life (Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development [OECD], 2008). Individuals who are regarded as smart as their peers
but having poor reading abilities cannot improve it as much as their peers. As per
record, all students pass elementary education even those who have poor reading
ability pass their classes. They cannot perform reading at the level expected of their
grade, resulting in anxiety and depression throughout their schooling. They are
usually stereotyped as unsuccessful throughout their formal education. Such results in
adoption problems in their classes (Bender, 2012).
Reading is a complex process as it involves “sensation, perception,
comprehension, application and integration”. It is the process of making and getting
meaning from printed words and symbols. Reading as a whole, is a means of
communication and of information and ideas. Aracelo (1994) as cited by Panerio
(2008) reported that “85% of the things that people do involve reading”. Individuals
read street signs, advertisements, menus in restaurants and recipes from cook books,
dosage of medicine and others. Moreover, reading is the foundation of academic
success and life learning. One article from Philippine Star (2010) states that: “The
undeniable fact remains that majority of Filipino students do not possess the ability
and motivation to read. Due to the fast-evolving world and changing technology, it
cannot be denied that sometimes reading is taken for granted”.
Reading also plays a vital role in ones’ success in school. It is one of the most
important skills an individual learner must need to master. It is a prerequisite of all
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learning areas. It serves as a gateway for every learner to learn the different subjects
because when a learner has a difficulty in reading, he/she may encounter also
difficulties in all subject areas. Researches have shown that there are many reasons in
the difference in the achievement level of the students. Luz (2007) stresses that many
Filipino learners do not have the reading habit required in learning. As she noted,
“The problem of non-reading lies at the heart of why the Philippines is so
uncompetitive in the world economy and why so many of our people continue to live
in poverty or barely escape it”.
The recent result of the PISA 2019 showed that the Philippines ranked last in
reading and second to last in math and science, out of 79 countries that participated.
This strategy in developing the English proficiency of students will help in improving
their score if proven effective.
The Philippines shared a significant rate of low performers among all
PISAparticipating countries and economies. That is, 80% of the Filipino students did
not reach the minimum level of proficiency in reading. Their poor scores in English,
Mathematics, and Science are attributed to the students’ lack of ability in basic
reading and comprehension. This being the case, the Department of Education
(DepEd) has launched the Hamon : Bawat Bata Bumabasa (3Bs Initiatives ), in order
to intensify the advocacy for reading and by pledging commitment to make every
learner a reader at his/her grade level.
In response to this DepEd’s 3Bs Initiatives, the Bahay Pare National High
School has started its reading administration to junior high school from Grade 7 to 10
to assess the level of reading ability of the learners and determine their reading
profile. It has a great hope that these learners who have reading difficulties can still be
relieved of their reading problems by means of a suitable reading environment,
teaching program and family support. The indispensable issue to be addressed here is
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the form of the environment, program and support that should be undertaken. The
reading environments must be designed to eliminate the reading difficulties of
students to make them feel relaxed and willing to express themselves. In addition to
this, students’ learning must be supplemented with materials in consonance to their
interests and abilities coupled with support from the teacher and students’ family
members. The research proves the “effectiveness of informing students about the
difficulties they experience and strategy-based programs conducted with the
cooperation of the teacher and family” (Baydık, 2011; Torgesen, 2000; Westwood,
2008).
The students’ experienced difficulties in reading and learning could serve as a
basis for a strategy-based program to be designed for them to have better reading
skills. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the students’ reading profile and
perceived challenges in reading to serve as a basis for schools’ agenda and initiatives
for the enrichment of reading programs.
Statements of the Problem
The study aimed to determine the succeeding target:
How will the Individualized Reading Program combat the reading challenges of
Grade 7 learners?
Specifically, it sought to answer the following research questions:
1. How may the respondents’ reading challenges be described?
2. What are the reading challenges identified in the Grade 7 students?
3. What reading program may be initiated to combat the reading challenges of
the Grade 7 students.
4. How the parents’ guidance affect the students reading ability?
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Significance of the Study
Given that there are still some struggling readers in Junior High School, this
study intends to considerably ease the reading demands placed on Grade 7 students.
Similarly, to begin and promote potential remedies for the negative effects caused by
the pandemic.
This study may also be significant to the following:
Students. Through the Individualized Reading Program, the reading difficulties of the
students will be addressed.
Teachers. This study helps the teachers to initiate other programs related to this study
and also to subject teachers to ease the reading difficulties of the students.
Parents. This study is beneficial to parents of struggling readers because it can give
opportunities on them in spending extra time to focus on guiding their children in
reading.
School Administrators. The study is beneficial to school administrators because it
will heighten the reading level of the students. The study is beneficial to school
administrators since it will assist them in developing more individualized programs
that will improve students' skills.
Future Researchers. They will use this study as a guide for conducting research on
the reading difficulties of students and looking for further strategies to reduce the
proportion of struggling readers in their particular schools.
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Conceptual Framework
INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT
The Figure illustrates the Conceptual Framework utilized in the study. The
Input section covers such memoranda on the implementation of varied programs such
as DepEd Memorandum No. 173, s. 2019 (Bawat Bata Bumabasa), Regional
Memorandum No. 282, s. 2021 (3 Bs Initiatives) and the Schools Division
Memorandum No.343, s. 2020 (Project Basahusay) to make every learner proficient
reader and that the latter stressed schools across the country to help learners develop
their reading skills.
The Process phase demonstrates how the teachers both from the English and
Filipino Department participate in the implementation of the call upon the delivery of
such instruments, i.e. the PHIL-IRI GST and the Oral Reading Test to identify the
Reading Challenges of the Grade 7 students.
The Output phase will be utilized through a proposed Individualized Reading
Program to emphasize teachers’ involvement and advocacy for reading with the
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concentration on the goals of the Department of Education upon pledging them
commitment and dedication to make every learner a reader upon developing the
reading skills.
Hypotheses
Hypothesis Null Hypothesis (Ho): The perceived reading challenges of the
Grade 7 students are not evident.
Alternative Hypothesis (Ha): The perceived reading challenges of the Grade 7
students are evident.
Scope and Delimitation
The researcher conducted this study entitled “The Perceived Reading
Challenges: Basis for the Development of an Individualized Reading Program.” The
attainment of the objectives of this study was dependent on the results of the
performance of the selected Grade 7 students during their PHIL-IRI Group Screening
Test and Oral Reading Test this 1st Quarter School Year 2022-2023.
Definition of Terms
Reading Challenges – refers to poor performance of learners in reading skills
such as reading comprehension, word recognition and the like.
Individualized Reading Program – a program that would engage teachers
from different departments to implement one-on-one guided teaching for the
selected Grade 7 students with reading challenges.
CHAPTER 2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
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Developing strong reading skills in students is one of the key goals of every
early education program. It is through reading that students expand their vocabulary
and learn about the world. Reading is also the key to success in spelling and writing.
And while 6 and 7-year-olds are fluent speakers, they require instruction in
how to navigate print. If a student is having problems with literacy skills, it can affect
their performance across the school curriculum and have a negative impact on
motivation to learn and self-esteem.
Sometimes there may be an undiagnosed learning difficulty to blame – as is
the case for students who struggle with dyslexia or slow processing. In these
situations parents and educators are tasked with understanding the root of the problem
and providing children with appropriate coping strategies, to ensure they continue to
progress and achieve reading milestones.
How reading works
Not every student acquires reading skills at the same rate. Reading begins with
mastering pre-literacy skills, including learning the alphabet and enhancing phonemic
awareness. This is followed closely by phonics instruction that teaches children how
to map sounds to letters and sound out words.
As more terms become familiar to a beginner reader, the process speeds up via
whole word recognition or sight-reading. This can be encouraged through direct
instruction in high frequency vocabulary.
When students move into middle school, they will be asked to achieve greater
feats of comprehension, which include understanding complex texts and processing
more information in shorter amounts of time.
Gerly Ortiz Mangulabnan, Student- Ph.D. ELS Professor: Ramil G. Illustre, Ph.D. / DTESOL Page
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Being a fast and efficient reader is important for classroom based lessons, but
also for satisfying homework requirements and performing well on standardized
exams. Learn more about teaching children to read.
3 Common difficulties
Issues with decoding
Also known as sounding out words, decoding is when children are able to put
sounds to letters in order to sound out written language. It’s common for beginner
readers to struggle when they meet new or unfamiliar terms, but typically decoding
becomes easier with phonics instruction and repeated practice with reading out loud.
If a child continues to struggle, there may be a specific learning difficulty present, or a
physical impairment that is preventing them from physically seeing the letters or
hearing the sounds in spoken language. Learn more in our posts on dyslexia and
visual impairment in the classroom.
Poor comprehension
There’s a lot going on in reading, from letter and word recognition to
understanding meaning at the phrase, sentence, and paragraph level. When a beginner
reader encounters vocabulary they do not know or do not recognize due to inaccurate
decoding, they are likely to skip ahead. The more blanks in a line of text, the harder it
is to make meaning and the more cognitively challenging and frustrating the reading
task becomes. That’s why poor comprehension can result when a student struggles
with decoding, has a limited vocabulary or attempts to read a text that is at too high of
a level.
However, reading also requires being able to pay attention to narrative.
Students need to identify gist, main ideas, and specific details and even make
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inferences about what they are reading. If a student has problems staying focused as a
result of attention difficulties, it can affect comprehension.
Speed
The more students read, the more they encounter unfamiliar terms. Quite often
the context in which these new words are found gives children all of the clues they
need to guess at the meaning. As students expand their vocabulary, they recognize
more words by sight and reading speeds up. Students who continue to decode may
benefit from overlearning sight words such as those on the Dolch List.
If speed is still an issue, there may be an underlying problem, such as slow
processing. Reading is a cognitively demanding task and holding so much information
in mind while continuing to process text can exhaust children with slow processing.
Strategy instruction may help, but it’s important that these students be allowed extra
time to complete tasks that require extensive reading.
CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the methodology to be employed in the preliminary,
actual, and post parts of the study. In the preliminary stage, necessary baseline
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information will be gathered to create the research plan such as the research design,
participants and sampling procedure, instrument, data gathering procedure, data
analysis and statistical treatment.
Research Design
The study employed a mixed method of research. The quantitative method
(descriptive) used wherein collection and analysis of data will help to determine the
reading level of the students. The qualitative data (in-depth interviews) was used to
assess the perceived challenges of students in learning. This study aims to determine
the effectiveness of the proposed Individualized Reading Program as a strategy in
improving the reading skills of the students.
Participants and Sampling Procedure
The participants in the study will involve selected Grade 7 students of Bahay
Pare National High School identified as test takers during the 1st Quarter PHIL-IRI
Group Screening Test and Oral Reading Test who seemed to be the least achiever and
are more challenged in reading as resulted with the given assessment; thus endorsed
by the Reading Coordinator to be part of the program.
All these respondents were selected through random sampling. This sampling
method is conducted where each member of a population has a capability to become
part of the sample.
Materials and Instrument
The administration of reading is one form of reading assessment that defined
the felt needs, problems and other key issues challenging the schools in terms of
learning reading ability. It also explored their perceived causes, origins and attendant
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variables; and their actual effects/impacts to the quality of teaching and learning in
schools.
The researcher will use the PHIL-IRI Group Screening Test as well as the Oral
Reading Test results both given during 1st Quarter and 2nd Quarterly respectively for
this school year. These instruments provided by the schools division and prepared by
the school are both recognized as acceptable tool in assessing the learners’
performance in reading.
In the process, the reading skill of the learners was determined through the
oral reading assessment tools. Observations were also made as the learners read the
texts/passages. The reading difficulties were recorded, tabulated and analyzed
thematically. Semi-structured questionnaire was also made to know the learners
perceived challenges in reading and made such individualized reading program to
develop their reading skills among learners.
Data Gathering and Procedure
The researcher collected data using the Phl-IRi tools to assess the reading level
of the learners and Interview questionnaires during the free hours. The interviews
between the researcher and respondents were conducted during their most convenient
time were the recorded files were saved in the personal google drive of the researcher
which was restricted and only the researcher has access to secure the data collected
from the respondents.
In the conduct of the study, no information of participants was divulged during
and after the study. Their identity was kept confidential. The researcher made sure
that no incentives were given to the groups to avoid bias in data results. After
finalizing the paper, the researcher waited until the full completion of the study, after
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which the researcher deleted all files on her personal laptop and google drive and the
researcher did not keep any copy of the respondents’ data.
Data analysis
The responses of the students to the instruments employed in the study were
collected, tallied, and analyzed quantitatively. In the qualitative part, after collecting
the desired data, the researcher promptly transcribed, examined, described, and
categorized them to form themes. The responses from the interview were carefully
analyzed using content analysis.
Content analysis served as the method of examining, analyzing, and describing
textual data. The researcher obediently and rigorously followed the guidelines in
textual data processing by reading scholarly books, materials, and studies dealing with
qualitative research methods and designs.
Ethical Considerations
The researcher in this study ensured that all ethical guidelines concerning data
collection will be properly addressed and will be held liable with strict confidentiality;
likewise participants will be free from mandatory or obligatory in giving responses. In
addition, the researcher will also acknowledge the schools division, the school
administrators, and the reading coordinator in the preparation of the tool (PHIL-IRI
GST and the Oral Reading Test) which have been valuable to assess the reading
performance of the learners. Likewise for the researcher to avoid plagiarism, all
information derived from different sources will ensure proper citations.
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REFERENCES
Beck, I. L., & McKeown, M. G. (2007). Increasing Young Low-Income Children’s
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Vocabulary Repertoires through Rich and Focused Instruction. The
Elementary School Journal, 107, 251-271. [Link]
Bromley, K. (2007). Nine Things Every Teacher Should Know about Words and
Vocabulary Instruction. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50, 528-536.
[Link]
Bromley, K. (2007). Nine Things Every Teacher Should Know about Words and
Vocabulary Instruction. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50, 528-536.
[Link]
Konza, D. (2011). Research into Practice: Understanding the Reading Process .
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Luz, M. J. (2007). Literature and Literacy: A Nation of Non-Readers .
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OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) (2008). Teaching,
Learning and Assessment for Adults: Improving Foundation Skills. Paris:
[Link]://[Link]/education/ceri/teachinglearningandassessmentfor
[Link]
Philippine Star (2010). How Do Filipino Students Rate in Reading?
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filipino-st udents-rate-reading
Tomas, M. J. L., Villaros, E. T., & Galman, S. M. A. (2021). The Perceived
Challenges in Reading of Learners: Basis for School Reading Programs.
Open Journal of Social Sciences, 9, 107-122.
[Link]
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