Improving Reading Comprehension in English of Grade VI-1 Pupils

of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District Through

Utilization of Instructional Materials

Chapter I

Context and Rationale

Reading is not just being able to read the words, but also understanding what you

are reading. Reading without comprehending is not reading at all. Pupils, who can hardly

understand simple text and word recognition, definitely could hardly comprehend. Thus,

affects their academic performance.

K12 Publishing, LLC, 2015: Reading comprehension is the ability to read texts,

process it, and understand its meaning. Although this definition may seem simple, it is not

necessarily simple to teach, learn or practice. An individual’s ability to comprehend text is

influenced by their traits and skills, one of which is the ability to make influences. If word

recognition is difficult, students use too much of their processing capacity to read individual

words, which interferes with their ability to comprehend what is read.

For past years, the teacher in English of every batch of grade VI pupils of Kalines

Elementary School, Olutanga District finds it hard teaching English because most of the

pupils can just read but could hardly comprehend what they have read. They lack the ability

to understand even simple texts and their vocabulary is poor. The teacher must translate

English words to Filipino or Mother Tongue for them to interact to every discussion. As

observed it really affects the pupils’ performance academically. The Mean Percentage Score

of every assessment and evaluation done by the teacher is low and really cannot reach the

targeted level of mastery learning.

 The teacher implemented rules and strict in the classroom management, uses

strategies to help the pupils improve their potentialities especially in reading and reading

comprehension. Reading comprehension skill is very important to pupils to learn for them to

communicate others using the second language. And so, the researcher conducted this

study to help her solve the present situation in the class, or in school.

N. Anderson stressed that reading skill plays an important role in teaching English as

a second language. For those who study English as a second language, ability in English

comprehension is a must.

N. Anderson, Research shows that instruction, even in early grades, can help

students become better at monitoring their comprehension. Students who are good at

monitoring their comprehension knows when they understand what they read and when they

do not.

M. Finnocchiaro said that learners need reading comprehension to be able to

continually increase their knowledge. According to MR. SMOEURN Pong in his Action

Research Presentation on Reading Comprehension, comprehension strategies are

conscious plans – sets of steps that good readers make sense of texts.

According to the NRP – National Reading Panel (US Department of Education, 2000)

– found that direct instruction of vocabulary improved reading comprehension. All classroom

teachers who expect students to learn the context of specific subjects need to be teaching

reading.

Instruction in comprehension strategy use often involves the gradual release of

responsibility, wherein teachers initially explain, model strategy, and use instructional aide.

Over time, they give students more and more responsibility for using the strategies until they

can use them independently. This technique is generally associated with the idea of self-

regulation and reflects Social Cognitive Theory, originally conceptualized by Albert Bandura.
 Responding to the call for more studies that explore the reading strategies readers

apply while engaged in online and print reading tasks, Bolaños (2009) aimed at identifying

the specific comprehension strategies good L2 readers use when they process texts in linear

and nonlinear contexts. His study is a deliberate attempt to problematize the usual way good

readers are described active, skilled, and proficient, among others which can be said to be

vague.

Premised on the view that reading is a process of constructing meaning while

interacting with texts (Ruddell, 2002), the comprehension processing in Bolaños (2009) was

accounted for

by some theories and models that served as framework of the study and these are 1) self-

regulated learning by Azevedo (2005, as cited in Scheiter & Gerjets, 2007) which states that

for better processing of any textual information, awareness and monitoring of the reading

activity being performed are necessary; 2) cognitive flexibility theory by Spiro, Feltovich,

Jacobson, and

Coulson (1991, as cited in Bolaños, 2009, p. 70) which argues that for successful hypertext

navigation, flexibility is important for it is centered on the cognitive aspect which is in

command of restructuring knowledge processing in hypertext context; 3) new literacies by

Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, and Cammack (2004) which succinctly asserts that as new technologies

emerge, new ways of reading also emerge; and 4) cognitive load theory by Sweller,

Chandler, Tierney, and Cooper (1990) which explains that to reduce the mental effort

readers must exert in comprehending a text, readers must be presented with organized,

readable material.

Instructional aides are not self-supporting; they are supplementary training devices.

The key factor is that instructional aides support, supplement, or reinforce. Instructional

materials are the tools used in educational lesson, which involves active learning and

assessment.
 Basically, any resource a teacher uses to help him teach his students is an

instructional material, September 24, 2015.

Instructional resources are key resources used by teachers every day to help

students acquire knowledge and understanding. From textbooks to library books to web

sites, a wide variety of resources are available to help teachers meet the need and pique the

interests of their students especially in reading. Each teacher requires a range of tool to

draw upon in order to assist and support student learning. Teaching materials can support

students learning, process information and understand its meaning, and increase students’

success, June 15, 2016.

According to Roy S. Capangpangan, May 4, 2014 - Different types of Instructional

Materials, there are types of instructional materials and these are the Traditional Resources,

Graphic Organizer, Teacher-Made Resources, and Instructional Media.

Traditional Resources

Traditional resources include any textbooks and workbooks used in the classroom. For

example, language arts classrooms almost always have literature textbooks, writing

textbooks, and even vocabulary and spelling workbooks. In addition to these, traditional

resources also include any supplemental reading material, like novels or poems outside of

the textbook.

These materials can really help to introduce new concepts to your students. For example,

when learning the concept of theme, a literature textbook can provide numerous reading

materials all displaying theme in different types of literature. In the same way, workbooks

can give some useful basic practice activities for a new vocabulary words or even writing

activities that might be difficult for students. Then, when mastery is shown on a basic level, a

teacher can introduce more challenging material related to that concept.

To evaluate these traditional resources, the most important aspect is to make sure you

choose material within the resource that appropriately relates to your learning objective.

Most textbooks and workbooks have already been designed to align with certain educational

standards and are therefore very reliable in regards to addressing classroom goals. Still, it is

important to be sure to choose material within the textbooks that matches your specific

learning objective.

Graphic Organizers

A second type of instructional material is the graphic organizer, which is any type of visual

representation of information. Diagrams, charts, tables, flow charts, and graphs are all

examples of graphic organizers. For instance, in a math classroom, it is essential to use

graphs on a coordinate plane when learning about the equation of a line so that students can

actually see how a line is graphed. In language arts, Venn diagrams and plot diagrams are

clear instructional tools to use when comparing or analyzing events in a piece of literature.

All of these graphic organizers allow students to physically see relationships between ideas.

This is imperative for learning, especially for students who are more visually oriented. Seeing

a clear relationship is always easier than an abstract idea in your mind.

In fact, having students create their own graphic organizers can be a great way to

incorporate active learning. For instance, you can have students read a short story or even

an informational article and then create their own visual representation of the information.

This pushes students to internalize and apply the information, which requires more thought

than simple recall.

To evaluate your graphic organizers, the most important aspect is to make sure they support

learning and are not merely creative distractions. Some materials can be very fun and

interesting, but if they do not support learning, they should not be included in your lesson.

For instance, a Venn diagram on two characters in the novel, A Tale of Two Cities, can be a
nice visual, but this is a higher-level novel and needs a more in depth type of graphic

organizer. At this level, a Venn diagram is just too simple.

Teacher-Made Resources

Another type of instructional material comprises any teacher-made resources. These

include anything the teacher creates, like handouts, worksheets, tests, quizzes, and projects.

Many of these are used for assessment in the classroom, which is determining the level of

learning on any given topic. For instance, different handouts or worksheets can be used

throughout a unit to see which students are getting it and which students are struggling.

Evaluating these materials is very important. Everything a teacher creates must be a true

assessment of the learning objectives. For instance, a test on a more advanced novel needs

to show how a student can apply the concepts of theme, character development, conflict,

and other literary ideas covered in that unit. In this case, simple recall of plot events should

take a lesser role in any teacher-created assessments.

Instructional Media or Course Content

Instructional Media or Course Content can be the most fun and creative aspect of

developing an online course.

Instructional materials are items such as books, journal articles and other print material,

digital video and audio, computer software, simulations, and other digital content that are

used as part of the instructional process. While the format of instructional materials has

evolved and will continue to change, the purpose remains the same: Instructional materials

and media remain the primary tool that instructors use to convey concepts, topics, and

information to scaffold student learning in conjunction with well-aligned learning objectives,

activities, and assessments.

This presents the fundamental challenge: choosing from the many types of instructional

materials—while maintaining alignment with your learning objectives and also weighing

issues of copyright, fair use, and accessibility. Since it is so easy to link to resources and

materials online, it is also easy to select content that may not actually be needed to meet the

course learning objectives—leading to an overwhelming amount of course materials.

Also, making decisions about finding or developing content can be a very time-consuming

part of any course development process, particularly with online courses. This is because it

is important to select just the right activities and assignments to align with your course

learning objectives.

In the early days of online teaching, it was initially thought that building an online course

simply involved selecting a good textbook and/or writing out the lectures and posting them

within the online class. As online learning has evolved, it has become clear that this

approach is not sufficient to engage online learners and allow them to meet the learning

objectives or competencies.

Instead, it is recommended to choose appropriate instructional materials from a wide variety

of options. For example, instructors may:

 Adopt a standard textbook or use an e-textbook.

 Provide a list of resources from the campus' online library.

 Select an open educational resource.

 Have learners create their own materials.

There are so many choices of content and resources available. Therefore, it may be

confusing or overwhelming…hence, the importance of using the stated learning objectives or

competencies as the basis for selecting appropriate instructional materials.

 Chapter II

Action Research Questions

This study aimed to improve the reading comprehension in English of Grade VI-1

pupils of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District through utilization of instructional

materials.

Specifically, this investigation sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the effect of instructional materials to the reading comprehension in

English of Grade VI-1 class of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District?

2. How these instructional materials improve the reading comprehension in English

of Grade VI-1 class of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District?

3. Is there a significant difference in the academic performance in English of Grade

VI-1 pupils of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District with the utilization of

instructional materials?

Chapter III

Proposed Innovation, Intervention, and Strategy

The present situation of Grade VI-1 class of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga

District in the English subject is a problem to the teacher. The pupils can just read but most

of them can hardly comprehend simple texts. The teacher must translate English words to

Filipino or Mother Tongue for them to interact to every discussion and class activities. As

observed this situation really affects their academic performance in the class.

To help her solve the problem, the researcher conducts this study on improving the

reading comprehension of Grade VI-1 pupils through utilization of instructional materials. In

every class discussion and activities, a teacher should employ various types of instructional

tools that best suited their ability and capacity. Differentiated activities with the use of
instructional tools for the pupils’ level of understanding must be applied. It must be done

gradually from the simplest one to complex.

The teacher must utilize instructional materials from traditional types, graphic

organizers, teacher-made resources or instructional media in every class activities that best

suited according to their abilities and level of understanding. Direct instruction of these

materials must be the teacher’s great responsibility to help pupils improve their vocabulary

and word recognition and their ability and skills in reading comprehension.

Chapter IV

Action Research Method

This part includes the sampled respondents in the school. Data Gathering and

Analysis of Data were also discussed.

A. Participants

Purposive sampling is use in this study in selecting the Grade VI-1 pupils of

Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District school year 2017-2018 which

composed of 25 pupils where 9 are boys and 16 girls as respondents of the study.

Purposive sampling was used in order to give the respondents the equal chances to

share their ideas in the matter being investigated.

According to Sevilla (1992:190) purposive sampling is a strategy of non-

random sampling where all the participants or respondents of the investigation must

have equal chances to respond or answer the questions. This is a kind of design in

which the investigator had the interest to find out the actual result of the investigation

through the total number of respondents.

B. Data Gathering Method

Firstly, a written consent address to the parents and school head for the

conduct of this study. After granting the request, the proponent gets the Mean

Percentage Score (MPS) result of First Grading Test in English of Grade VI-1 pupils

of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District.

Secondly, the proponent records the PHIL-IRI Pre-Test Result in English of

Grade VI-1 pupils of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District school year 2017-

2018.

And lastly, the proponent formulated a Checklist/Record Form of instructional

materials utilized by the teacher in English of Grade VI-1 pupils of Kalines

Elementary School, Olutanga District.

C. Data Analysis Plan

This part presents the analysis of data on improving the reading

comprehension in English of Grade VI-1 pupils of Kalines Elementary School,

Olutanga District through utilization of instructional materials. The study covers 25

pupils during school year 2017-2018.

Table 1 shows the MPS Result of First Grading Test in English of Grade VI-1

pupils of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District conducted last August 11,

2017.

MPS Result in English

First Grading Test

Pre- Test 32.07

Post Test 68.10

It is in Table 2 presents PHIL-IRI Pre-Test Result in English of Grade VI-1

pupils of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District, and school year 2017-2018. It

was conducted on the third week of July, 2017.

 PHIL-IRI Pre-Test Result

in English

Grade VI-1 Class Frustration Instructional Dependent

BOYS 6 3 0

GIRLS 6 9 1

TOTAL 12 12 1

Table 3 presents the Result of instructional materials used by teacher of

Grade VI-1 pupils of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District school year 2017-

2018, basis on the Checklist/ Record Form of Instructional Materials Utilized.

Instructional Materials Utilized by Teacher

Never Utilized Sometimes Always

Utilized Utilized

A. Traditional Resources

1. Textbooks

2. Spelling Workbooks

3. Compilation of Poems,

Rhymes, and Short Stories

B. Graphic Organizers

1. Charts

2. Flow Charts

3. Tables

4. Graphs

5. Diagrams

C. Teacher-Made Resources

1. Handouts

2. Flash cards
 3. Tests

4. Quizzes

5. Assignments

6. Worksheets

7. Projects

8. Cut-outs

9. Pop-ups

D. Instructional Media or Course

Content

1. Printed Materials

2. Digital Video and audio

3. Power point lessons

And lastly, it is in Table 4 where portrays the summary of computation as a

solution of the appropriate statistical test employed by the researcher to determine

whether there is no significant difference in the academic performance in English of

Grade VI-1 pupils of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District school year 2017-

2018 with the utilization of instructional materials.

 Chapter V

Work Plan and Timeline

Time Frame Budgetary

Activities Persons Involved
June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March Requirement

1. Cluster 3 Action Research District Supervisor,

Orientation of teachers at School Head and

Villacorte Elementary School. teachers

2. Call for Homeroom PTA School Head,

meeting of Grade VI-1 class Proponent ,

Parents

3. Drafting of Action Research

Proponent 100.00
Proposal

4. Finalization of Action
Proponent 250.00
Research Proposal

5. Counter Check and

Evaluation of Action Research

District Committee
Proposal by the District

Committee
6. Submission of Action Division

Research Proposal to the Committee,

Division office for approval Proponent

7. Revision on suggested
Proponent 500.00
output

8. Preparation of the

Questionnaire-Checklist and Proponent 5,000.00

Record Form

9. Distribution of the tool to the Proponent and

1,000.00
respondents respondents

10. Data Gathering Proponent

11. Analysis and Interpretation

Proponent
of Data collected

12. Formulation of Findings

Proponent
and Recommendations

13. Submission of Action Proponent

Research to the Division Office

 Chapter VI

Cost Estimates

Particulars Amount

2 reams of bond paper 500.00

Pens 100.00

Cartolina 1,500.00

Construction papers 1,000.00

Folder and Fasteners 1,000.00

Cartridge Ink (black) 1,000.00

Cartridge Ink (colored) 1,000.00

Pilot 500.00

Pilot ink 500.00

Printing 5,000.00

Scissors 200.00

Glue 800.00

Binding 1,500.00

Food and allowance 5,000.00

Travel expenses 10,000.00

Communication/wifi load 3,000.00

Manila papers 500.00

TOTAL 33,100.00
 Chapter VII

Plans for Dissemination and Utilization

Upon the approval of the findings and recommendations of this study, the researcher will

produce copies of the study for dissemination. The researcher addresses a written consent to the

school head of Kalines Elementary School and to the district supervisor for the release of the study

to different schools in the district for intervention purposes.

The result of the study may useful not only to the respondent class but to other classes of the

other schools as well. The researcher may also directly explain the result of the study to other

teachers especially the other teachers of Kalines Elementary School for them to understand better of

the content of the study.

Chapter VIII

References

N. Anderson, Action Research Presentation on Reading Comprehension, January 13, 2015

M. Firnochiaro, Action Research Presentation on Reading Comprehension

MR. SMOEURN Pong, Reading Comprehension

Roy S. Capangpangan, Different Types of Instructional Materials, May 4, 2014

Eduardo Bolanos, Department of English and Linguistics (De La Salle University) A Comparison of
the Reading Strategies Used by Good Readers in Print and Hypertext Environments: Implications
and Recommendations for the Improvement of Reading Instructions, 2009
ANNEX 1: Research Proposal Application Form and Endorsement of Immediate
Supervisor

A. RESEARCH INFORMATION

RESEARCH TITLE

Improving Reading Comprehension in English of Grade VI-1 Pupils of Kalines Elementary School,

Olutanga District Through Utilization of Instructional Materials

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH

This study is conducted to improve the reading comprehension of the Grade VI-1 class of
Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District through utilization of instructional materials.
The researcher finds it hard to teach English subject because most of her pupils can hardly
comprehend. This situation affects the MPS result of every assessment and evaluation done by the
teacher. With regard to this, the researcher decided to conduct this study to help her solve the
present situation in her class.

RESEARCH CATEGORY(Check only one) RESEARCH AGENDA CATEGORY

National (Check only one main research theme)
Region Teaching and Learning
Division Child Protection
District Human Resource Development
School Governance
(Check up to one cross-cutting theme,if
Check only one applicable)
Action Research DRRM
Basic Research Gender and Development
Inclusive Education

Others, (please specify):

FUND SOURCE (e.g. BERF,SEF,Others) AMOUNT

BERF 30,000.00

PERSONAL 5,000.00

TOTAL AMOUNT 35,000.00

ANNEX 2: Minimum Requirements of the Research Proposal

A. Basic Research Proposal Template

I. Introduction and Rationale

II. Literature Review
III. Research Questions
IV. Scope and Limitation
V. Research Methodology
A. Sampling
B. Data Collection
C. Ethical Issues
D. Plan for Data Analysis
VI. Timetable / Gantt chart
VII. Cost Estimates
VIII. Plans for Dissemination / Advocacy
IX. References

B. ACTION RESEARCH TEMPLATE

I. Context and Rationale

II. Action Research Questions
III. Proposed Innovation, Intervention, and Strategy
IV. Action Research Method
A. Participants and/or other Sources of Data and Information
B. Data Gathering Method
C. Data Analysis Plan
V. Work Plan and Timeline
VI. Cost Estimates
VII. Plans for Dissemination and Utilization
VIII. References
ANNEX 3: Declaration of Anti-Plagiarism and Absence of Conflict and Interest

Declaration of Anti-Plagiarism

1. I, MARICEL V. TABON, understand that plagiarism is the act of taking and using
another’s ideas and works and passing them off as one’s own. This includes explicitly
copying the whole work of another person and/or using some parts of their work
without proper acknowledgment and referencing.

2. I hereby attest to the originality of this research proposal and cited properly all the
reference used. I further commit that all deliverables and the final research study
emanating from this proposal shall be of original content. I shall use appropriate
citations in referencing other works from various sources.

3. I understand that violation of this declaration and commitment shall be subject to

consequences and shall be dealt with accordingly by the Department of Education and
(insert grant mechanism).

PROPONENT: MARICEL V. TABON

SIGNATURE: ____________________

DATE: AUGUST 29, 2017

 Declaration of Absence of Conflict and Interest

1. I, MARICEL V. TABON, understand that conflict of interest refers to in which financial

or other personal considerations may compromise my judgment in evaluating,
conducting, or reporting research.

2. I hereby declare that I do not have any personal conflict of interest that may arise from
my application and submission of my research proposal. I understand that my
research proposal may be returned to me if found out that there conflict of interest
during the initial screening as per (insert RMG provision).

3. Further, in case of any form of conflict of interest (possible or actual) which may
inadvertently emerge during the conduct of my research, I will duly report it to the
research committee for immediate action.

4. I understand that I may be held accountable by the Department of Education and

(insert grant mechanism) for any conflict of interest which I have intentionally
concealed.

PROPONENT: MARICEL V. TABON

SIGNATURE: ____________________

DATE: AUGUST 29, 2017

ANNEX 5.A: Sample Letter of Approval

August 29, 2017

Improving Reading Comprehension in English of Grade VI-1 Pupils

of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District Through

Utilization of Instructional Materials

An Action Research Proposal

Of

MARICEL V. TABON

Kalines Elementary School

Olutanga District

School Year 2017-2018

 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region IX, Zamboanga Peninsula
Division of Zamboanga Peninsula
District of Olutanga

KALINES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Improving Reading Comprehension in English of Grade VI-1 Pupils

of Kalines Elementary School, Olutanga District Through

Utilization of Instructional Materials

An Action Research Proposal

Of

MARICEL V. TABON

Kalines Elementary School

Olutanga District
School Year 2017-2018