SIMPLE RESEARCH IN READING.docx

2

EFFECTS OF DROP EVERYTHING ANDREAD (DEAR) ON PUPILS READINGABILITY AND COMPREHENSION(An Action Research)

An In partial Fulfillment of the Requirements inEDL 231 Teaching Reading and Literary in Bilingual Context

Submitted by:

MRS. NAIDA R. QUINTOMAED Educational Management

Submitted to:

JULIETA L. GO, PH. DSubject Professor

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Reading is a fundamental ability for higher learning. The best opportunity to teach children the skills of reading is in the early grades or earlier if possible. If this window is missed, then children who have not begun to read and understand what they read will continue to fall behind unless swift action is taken.

According to Wolf (2007) the point of reading is comprehension; and the point of comprehension is learning. Children who fail to learn to read in the first few grades of school are handicapped in later grades as they must absorb increasing amounts of instructional content in print form. Poor readers cannot develop proper writing skills and become self-guided learners in other subject areas. The basic reading skills necessary to become literate do not develop naturally; we have to learn to adapt the part of our brain that recognizes images to be able to recognize written letters and words. Children must read fluently to comprehend what they are reading. As students weave together the many strands of reading, including background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures (syntax, semantics), and literary knowledge (print concepts and genres) with knowledge of print-sound relationships and decoding, they get closer to skilled reading and comprehension (Scarborough, 2002). A critical strand in this process is oral reading fluency, as measured by the number of words read correctly per minute (Fuchs et al., 2001).

In the contemporary classroom, literacy instruction is one of the most important disciplines used to prepare students for higher education and adult life. Through teaching children how to read, educators equip their students with the tools necessary not only to succeed throughout their education and careers, but also in everyday activities such as reading a menu or checking the weather forecast. While there are multiple aspects to literacy education, one of the most important components is reading comprehension. All reading instruction, including phonics, fluency, and vocabulary development, leads to the ultimate goal of comprehension.

As Opitz and Eldridge, Jr. (2004) noted in their article Remembering Comprehension: Delving into the Mysteries of Teaching Reading Comprehension that Reading comprehension skills are frequently left untaught. How important it is to remember that comprehension is the essence of reading and that it has to be taught and cannot be left to chance. While many students receive adequate instruction in phonics and vocabulary at an early age, many do not begin the process of understanding how to comprehend text until later.

Understanding the nature of education production and identifying viable strategies for increasing educational quality in resource-constrained settings are therefore crucial.

Furthermore, effective improvements in reading instruction may be particularly important because existing research suggests reading at an early age lays a necessary foundation for subsequent skill development (Scarborough, 2001).

A large number of programs in the United States have focused on providing children with one-on-one or small group tutoring in reading, specifically those children identified as requiring remedial attention. Overall, there is some evidence from randomized evaluations that such programs can be effective in improving students reading skills. Scarborough (2001) randomly assign poor readers to early one-on-one tutoring. The intervention proved effective, and while one-on-one tutoring of all children may prove too costly, the results demonstrate that reading interventions can be effective.

Philippine program has then sought to improve childrens reading skills by encouraging reading amongst elementary pupils. Using a randomized controlled trial set in Tarlac province of the Philippines, research analyzed the impact of an educational intervention that provides schools with age-appropriate reading material and then incentivizes reading through a 31-day reading marathon. The reading marathon encourages students to read as many books as possible through daily, in-school reading activities such as storytelling sessions, reading games, and posters that display each classs progress.

Educators continually look for strategies to enhance and improve the reading practices of pupils. The Department of Education is doing its best to address the reading problems among elementary pupils in the Philippine public schools. The department adopted and implemented the ECARP of Every Child A Reader Program. It also implemented different reading intervention activities among which are, Drop Everything and Read (DEAR), Three Words A Day, Read A Thon and the Directed Reading-Thinking Activities as strategy to the reading intervention programs.

As it was published in Manila Bulletin of March 9, 2011, Department of Education says that more students will benefit from a new early reading intervention program that will help young readers improve their literacy skills from Primary to Grade 3. The program will be rolled out in September and will replace Reading Recovery, a program designed to serve a small percentage of struggling Grade 1 readers needing intensive support. The programs can helping students learn and excel in reading and writing is critical to their lifelong success. This will be an example of what is meant when one says putting children and learning first.

The new program will also make closer links between board literacy specialists and classroom teachers, meaning fewer students will be taken out of the classroom. Like Reading Recovery, there will some one-on-one support, but the focus will be on small groups within the classroom

In support of the program, the Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE) developed the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil IRI). The Phil IRI will be administered to all public elementary schools to assess the progress and levels of reading ability and comprehension of the pupils after the intervention programs.

However, in spite of the reading interventions, the reading comprehensions of the many of pupils even those who are in the higher grades and in high school are still poor. Many of them cannot understand what they have read

Thus, educators continually look for strategies to enhance and improve the reading practices of their student. The Department of Education is doing its best to address the reading problems among elementary pupils in the Philippine public schools. The department adopted and implemented the ECARP of Every Child A Reader Program. In support of the program, the Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE) developed the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil IRI). The Phil IRI will be administered to all public elementary schools.

In line with the objectives of the Phil IRI, the DepEd gave and implemented specific remedial intervention for the program one of these is the Drop Everything and Read, which is guided by the DRTA strategy or Directed Reading-Thinking Activities.A daily DEAR program (Drop Everything and Read) provides students with much more than a just-sit-there-and-read experience. It gives the teacher a structured time to touch base with each student over a period of time, assess progress, and target instruction. Even more important, it gives students time to read what they want to read, share what they've read, and receive the support they need for further reading explorations and reflections. Daily reading sessions last between twenty and thirty minutes and are followed by fifteen minutes in which students can write in their reading response logs. When a student completes a book, he or she conferences with the teacher to discuss the book and share his or her reading log.

This research was then undertaken to determine the effect of Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) as an intervention program to enhance the reading ability and comprehension of the grade six pupils in Tapian Elementary School.

B. Statement of the Problem

This research was conducted to determine the effect of Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) program on the reading ability and comprehension of the grade 6 pupils in their English subject.

Specifically, it sought to answer the questions:1. What is the reading ability and comprehension of the Grade 6 pupils at the beginning of the school year 2011-2012?2. What is the reading ability and comprehension of the Grade 6 pupils at the end of the school year 2011-2012 after DEAR program was integrated in teaching?3. Is there a significant difference of DEAR program on the reading ability and comprehension among pupils at the beginning and at the end of the school year?

C. Scope and Delimitation This research studied the effect of Drop Everything and Read Program (DEAR) on reading ability and comprehension of the Grade 6 pupils in Tapian Elementary School for the entire grading periods from June to March 2012.

It delimited itself on the grade six pupils as subject of this study. This research did not cover other aspects of English class like listening, speaking, and writing.

D. Significance of the Study

The result of this study will give significant to the following: For the educational policy makers and planners, the result of this study will make them think of ways to enhance more the reading ability and comprehension of the learners if found negative. Likewise, to think of the best way to improve the pupils ability to read and to comprehend, since both are requirements for the learners to understand other learning areas of the curriculum. For the administrators, to be more aware of the issues related to pupils reading profile and for them to conduct strict monitoring on the implementation of the reading enhancement program. For the Elementary Teachers handling English subject, the findings would be their bases for upgrading their teaching strategies and making necessary adjustments to the needs to the needs of the learners if found negative; For the future researchers, for their use of the results of this investigation if they could conduct a study similar to the subject treated herein.

E. Review of Related Literature

This presents selected literature and related studies pertinent to the study to give additional insights and information for better understanding of the problem presented for investigation.

Reading

If one considers the typical classroom in the modem school it is clear that written text is used significantly. Although other mediums of instruction are used, much of the learning takes place in the form of reading - whether it can be reading from the chalkboard, from a text book or from one's own written work. Reading plays a pivotal role in the conveying of information and new knowledge.

The reading process

According to Fisher (1981) A variety of cognitive skills are required for reading involves sequencing of eye movements, decoding, encoding, and utilizing linguistic awareness. It demands knowledge of orthographic regularity and irregularity. It integrates letters, words, sentences, and passages with past experience. Surely reading is one of our most complex daily activities". Consideration will now be given to some of these cognitive processes.

Comprehension

Without comprehension, reading is reduced to a mechanistic and meaningless skill. The reader must be able to attach meaning to what he is reading and he will do this largely as a function of his experience, context, knowledge and language proficiency. As pointed out by Pretorius (2000) decoding skill does not necessarily lead to or imply comprehension skill. There are readers who are able to decode text but who do not always understand what it is that they have read. It is on the basis of comprehension then, that one can begin to distinguish between a good reader and a poor reader. A reader who has good decoding skills but poor comprehension skills is essentially a poor reader because he is unable to find meaning in the written word. He will be unable to gain insight or knowledge from the text, he will be unable to add the new knowledge to his existing knowledge base and he will be hindered in reaching his full intellectual potential. As stated by Beckett (2005) if a child is deemed as unable to acquire functional comprehension of oral language and its associated pragmatics, and of written language and its different communicative conventions, that child will be effectively locked out of the benefits of education.

Remedial reading instruction

For many children experiencing difficulty with reading, reading remediation or areading program might become an option. According to Wolf (2007) in every classroom there will be some children with reading problems. They believe that children with minor reading problems can receive corrective instruction from the class teacher but when the reading problems are of a more serious nature, the child should receive remedial aid outside of the classroom situation. The earlier such intervention takes place, the better.

Gardner (1986) describes remedial teaching as differing from normal teaching in that the emphasis is firstly on the background of the child and on underlying causes of thespecific problem. The resulting remedial program needs to be specific, realistic and attainable. It should concentrate on one or two areas at a time as opposed to many, asthis is more likely to ensure success.

Foorman and Torgesen (2001) state that children at risk for reading failure acquire reading skills more slowly than other children but they need to acquire the same set of skills in order to become good readers. They describe the difference between remedial instruction and classroom instruction as lying in the manner in which the instruction is given, stating that "specifically, instruction for children who have difficulties learning to read must be more explicit, and comprehensive, more intensive, and more supportive than the instruction required by the majority of children.

Effectiveness of remedial reading instruction

Much research has been conducted in the area of remedial reading programs and, in general, findings seem to indicate that if carried out effectively, remedial intervention can have a positive effect on a child's reading ability. Kokong (1991) found that different strategies and styles can improve the reading ability of pupils and it is believed that improved reading ability will improve pupils' academic achievement. Foorman and Torgesen (2001) show that research with children at risk for reading failure provides evidence that phonemica1ly explicit interventions are more effective than interventions that are less phonemically explicit. They emphasize that effective interventions should contain strongly explicit instruction in the knowledge and skills needed to read words accurately and fluently.

Foorman and Torgesen (2001) describe a finding that one-to-one interventions in reading have not been shown to be more effective than small group interventions. Both methods are a means of increasing instructional intensity for struggling readers and that seems to be a key element.

Pretorius (2001) conducted research focusing on oral reading instruction contrasting the effects of a specific oral reading strategy with generic encouragement to do well. Results showed that all students improved but students who used the specific reading strategy made significantly greater progress in reading.

II. METHODOLOGY

This presents the research design, research locale, the sample, the research instrument, data collection procedure and the data analysis procedure.

Research DesignThis research study utilized the descriptive type of research. As cited by Calmorin (2004), the descriptive type of research aims to gather information about the past and present conditions and describes the nature of the variables. This type of research is suited in this type of research, since it attempted to describe the improvement of the pupils reading ability and comprehension after the DEAR program as reading intervention program. In a big concept, it describes the effects of the intervention program on pupils reading profile as it presented the existing relationship between the two variables.

Research LocaleThe study was conducted in Tapian Elementary School, a non-central school in Santa Cruz South District, Division of Marinduque.

The choice of the research locale is due to the researchers deep concern enhancing the quality of English reading instruction in the said school.

The SampleThe subjects of this study were the 14 grade six pupils .

Research Instruments

This research adopted the Phil IRI form 1, the test materials. For oral reading test, the test materials are consist of 2 reading passages of 73 words for pre test and post test respectively followed by seven prompt questions. For silent reading test, it is consist of one reading passage of 201 words for pre test followed by eight item questions and another reading passage of 208 words for post test, followed by eight item questions.

Data Collection Procedure

Pre tests were administered at the beginning of the school year to the grade six pupils to assess the oral and silent reading abilities. Test materials for pre test for (oral reading ability) consist of one reading passage of 73 words which was immediately followed by a prompt consist of seven questions. The prompt activates the pupils motivation to reading. For silent or reading comprehension test, pupils were given one passage consist of 201 words and immediately followed by eight item questions. During the administration of the pre test, pupils oral reading miscues were recorded as well the result of the prompt questions. The results were then interpreted as frustration, instructional and independent. After the pre test, pupils were given the Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) program to enhance the reading ability and comprehension. This program made use of DRTA strategy.

Post tests were administered at the end of the school year, to determine the improvement difference of the grade six pupils in their oral and silent reading abilities. Pupils were given one reading passage of 73 words and seven item questions for post oral test; one reading passage of 208 words and eight item questions for post silent test. Miscues and answers were recorded and interpreted as frustration, instructional and independent.Data AnalysisResults of pre and post tests in both oral and silent readings were compared and computed to get the improvement difference using descriptive statistics like percentage.To get the effects of reading intervention on pupils reading ability and comprehension, Chi square was employed. The Chi square tested the research null hypothesis.

Table1. Results of the Phil-IRISY 2011-2012 Grade VI English Oral Test (Number and Percentage of Pupils per Reading Levels)

Total Number of EnrolmentFrustration LevelInstructional LevelIndependent LevelTotal

Pre-TestN%N%N%N%

Male4375001254100

Female1066022022010100

Total14964.29214.29321.4314100

Post TestMale4002502504100

Female1011066033010100

Total1417.14857.14535.7114100

Total Improvement of Pre test and Post testMale4250125

Female10440110

Total1457.15642.86214.29


Pre-TestN%N%N%N%

Male4250250004100

Female104406600010100

Total14642.86857.140014100


Female1066044010100

Total14964.29535.7114100


Female1000440

Total1417.14535.71

Table 2. English Silent Reading Test (Number and Percentage per Reading

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This presents the data gathered, the analysis made and interpreted data to obtain information that would answer the stated problems.

For organization purposes, tables were arranged according to the statement of the problem. Each immediately followed by analysis, interpretation and discussion based on the concept, principles and theories discussed in the review of related literature.Table 3. Results of the Phil-IRI SY 2011-2012Grade VI English Oral Test


Pre-TestN%N%N%N%

Male4375001254100

Female1066022022010100

Total14964.29214.29321.4314100


Female1011066033010100

Total1417.14857.14535.7114100


Female10440110

Total1457.15642.86214.29

Table 3 shows the result of the English Oral reading test. The findings revealed a decrease of 57.15 percent on pupils belonging to frustration level, further, an increase of 42.86 percent of instructional readers and 14.29 of independent readers. Findings implied that the decrease of frustration and increase of instructional and independent readers are attributed to the integration of DEAR program in between teaching of English for the entire school year. Findings also implied that pupils oral and silent (comprehension) abilities have improved after the DEAR program.


Pre-TestN%N%N%N%

Male4250250004100

Female104406600010100

Total14642.86857.140014100


Female1066044010100

Total14964.29535.7114100


Female1000440

Total1417.14535.71

Table 4. Results of the Phil-IRI SY 2011-2012Grade VI English Silent Test

Table 4 presents, the results of English Silent Reading test, the findings revealed a total decrease of frustration readers and an increase of 7.14 percent of instructional readers and 35.71 percent of independent readers. The findings implied that the smaller the number of frustration and instructional readers, the bigger the numbers of the independent readers. The increase number of the independent readers is attributed to DEAR program. Thus the DEAR intervention program has significant effect to pupils reading ability and comprehension.

Table 5. Effects of DEAR Intervention Programon Pupils Oral Reading AbilityFrustration LevelInstructional LevelIndependent LevelTotalInterpretation

Pre - TestMale

Female3

60

21

24

10df = 6 at 0.05 = 12.592X2 = 70.30

Significant

Post Test

Male

Female-3

-5+2

+4+1

+1

Total18514

Tables 5 reveals the significant effect of 70.30 set at 6 at 0.05 levels of significance of DEAR reading intervention on pupils reading ability.

Table 6. Effects of DEAR Intervention Programon Pupils Silent Reading Ability (Comprehension)

Frustration LevelInstructional LevelIndependent LevelTotalInterpretation

Pre - TestMale

Female2

42

60

04

10df = 6 at 0.05 = 12.592 X2= 5.155

not significant

Post Test

Male

Female-2

-4+1

0+1

+4

Total0

9514

Table 6 reveals that DEAR reading intervention has no significant effect on pupils reading comprehension skill. The level of measurement was set at 0.05 with df of 6, the significant level is below the set degree of frequency. Data suggest for another intervention program to enhance the reading comprehension of the pupils.

IV. CONCLUSION

This intends to present the conclusions that have been drawn from the findings.

This particular study attempted to describe the effects of DEAR intervention program on pupils reading ability and comprehension and to find the relationship between the two variables.

This descriptive type of research utilized test materials such as reading passages, prompts and reading comprehension tests.

The researcher made us of 14 grade six pupils in Tapian Elementary School.Descriptive statistic like percentage was employed. To test the effect, chi square was utilized.This study attempted to answer the following questions:

Specifically, it sought to answer the questions:1. What is the reading ability and comprehension of the Grade 6 pupils at the beginning of the school year 2011-2012?2. What is the reading ability and comprehension of the Grade 6 pupils at the end of the school year 2011-2012 after DEAR program was integrated in teaching?3. Is there a significant difference of DEAR program on the reading ability and comprehension among pupils at the beginning and at the end of the school year?

Findings of study showed the following results1. The oral reading ability of the grade six pupils in Tapian Elementary School is described to be instructional. Majority of the pupils belong to instructional level in spite of the DEAR reading intervention program.2. The silent reading ability (comprehension) of the grade six pupils in Tapian Elementary is described to be instructional. Majority of the pupils still lack the needed comprehension skills. They can read but some could not understand what they have read.3. The result of the chi-square showed that there is a significant effect of DEAR on pupils oral reading skill while there is no significant effect on pupils comprehension skill (silent).

ConclusionBased on the findings, this study concludes that:1. There is a significant effect of DEAR on pupils oral reading ability. Likewise, there is an existing relationship between these variables. Therefore, the null hypothesis is hereby affirmed.2. There is no significant effect of DEAR on pupils reading comprehension (silent) skill. Therefore, there is no existing relationship between these variables, thus, the null hypothesis is rejected.

V. RECOMMENDATIONIn the light of the findings, the following recommendations are offered:

Continues implementation and monitoring of DEAR program on pupils belonging to Instructional levels to make them independent readers;

DepEd other reading intervention programs are also offered: National English Proficiency Programa. Peer teachingb. Mentoringc. Buddy-buddy /teach one-each-one Read A Thon One on one small group tutoring Use of ABRC materials to develop comprehension of pupils belong to instruction levels. Provide individualize education plan with regards to reading to enhance pupils reading ability and comprehension.

VI. Literature Cited

A. Books

Gardner, K. 1986. Reading in today's schools. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd. pp. 212-225.

Kokong, M.M. 1991. The relationship between reading ability and achievement in English as a second language and other subjects at matric level. Potchefstroom: University of Potchefstroom for Christian Higher Education. pp. 123-130.

B. Periodicals/Journals/Unpublished Materials

Beckett, G. 2005. Perspectives on reading and listening comprehension. SAALED News 25: 2-2 Fisher, D.F. 1981. In the beginning was the word. Basic processes in reading. Journal of Experimental Psychology : Human Perception and Performance. (7): 489-494.

Foorman, R and R. Torgesen. 2001. Critical elements of classroom and small-group instruction promote reading success in all children. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice 16 (4):203-212.

Opitz, M.F. and R. G. Eldridge. 2004. Remembering comprehension: Delving into the mysteries of teaching reading comprehension. Reading Teacher 57 (8): 772-773.

Pretorius, E.J. 2002. Reading ability and academic performance in South Africa : are we fiddling while Rome is burning? Language matJers, Issue 33: 169-196.

Scarborough, H.S. 2001. Connecting Early Language and Literacy to Later Reading (Dis)Abilities: Evidence, Theory, and Practice, In S.B. Neuman and D.K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of Early Literacy Research. New York, NY: Guilford Press. 1:97-110.

Wolf, K. M. 2007. Accountable talk in reading comprehension instruction. (CSE Technical Report 670.) Los Angeles, CA: National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST). (Retrieved from: http://www.google.com/#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=Vellutino+and+Scanlon+(2001&oq=Vellutino+and+Scanlon+(2001&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_l=hp On August10, 2012).

Documents

SIMPLE RESEARCH IN READING.docx