Grade 6 Students' Perception on their Reading

Comprehension Level: An Action Research

Nadine F. Lazo1, Aljeya Key S.J. Evanchez 2, Lilian Rose P. Foja3, John Andrei O. Cello 4,
Jericho Patrick P. Chuajap5, Lourence C. Celajes6

ABSTRACT: The aim of the study is to learn more about the elements that influence

students' reading comprehension in grade 6, with how they view their own reading

abilities as well as to identify changes and improvements that may be implemented to

help students improve their reading skills. The study used a quantitative approach, with

a total of 30 Grade 6 students as respondents, taken from the Elementary Department

of Binangonan Catholic College in the school year 2021-2022.

The study found that there are several factors that affect students' reading

comprehension, ones that stem from internal factors like being unable to recognize and

understand unfamiliar vocabulary, motivation, reading strategies to external factors like

noise pollution in their homes, communication restrictions caused by long distance

learning and more. Overall, the study revealed that even though students encounter

problems, their general outlook on their reading comprehension is still generally

positive.

Keyword: Perception, Reading Comprehension, Level of Reading Comprehension

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researchers would like to acknowledge wholeheartedly the following persons

who are greatly involved in this study for giving suggestions, ideas, and sharing their

expertise for the improvement of the study for without their supervision, this study would

not be accomplished.

Mrs. Bella Orendain, their adviser, for extending her knowledge in research, and

also for her generous support and help suggestions on pursuing this study. For

assisting, giving useful, and valuable suggestions for the questionnaire of the

researchers. Which contributed much for the improvement and pursuing the study.

Mr. Jerome Villaflores, teacher of Elementary Department of the Binangonan

Catholic College for helping the researchers to distribute the survey for Grade 6

Students.

Ms. Pauline Lleno, principal of Elementary Department of the Binangonan

Catholic College for approving the researchers to conduct a study and for helping to

distribute and encourage Grade 6 students to answer the researchers’ survey.

To the Respondents, for their cooperation in answering genuinely the

questionnaire and the interview.

Above all, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, for giving the researchers the strength and

faith to endure all the hardships and showing His faithfulness through the struggles

encountered in pursuing this study.

 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter contains the background and purpose of the study, theoretical

framework, conceptual framework, and objectives of the study.

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Education is one of the fundamental factors that individuals attain in one's life

because this factor is the ticket to bring success and opportunities await from different

dimensions of life. Additionally, it is an essential path to becoming self-sufficient

discoverers of various innovations vital for growth. The emphasis is on students learning

the fundamental r's – reading, writing, arithmetic, and right conduct – as these are

necessary for higher or more complex skills required. However, among these r's,

learning to read is the most important one because an individual can not understand the

other three if an individual is not able to read.

Reading and understanding are not the same specialties. A child can read and

recite a sentence or a paragraph without adequately understanding its meaning or

context. Being able to read and understand a written text is called reading

comprehension. It is not something a person only learns. It comes with practice, nor is it

just beneficial for school, but in all areas of life. It is not enough for a child to merely

know how to read. Instead, a child must also have the ability to understand and interpret

sentences, words, and phrases.

Reading is defined as the process of constructing and deriving meaning from

printed words and symbols. The ability to understand the context is referred to as

comprehension. As a result, these two are among the most complex cognitive activities

carried out by humans. Because it necessitates the use of several cognitive skills that

necessitate interaction between the reader and the text. (Monteiro & Santos, 2013;

Mota, 2015). It includes elements such as vocabulary knowledge, linguistic and

semantics decoding, inferring, analysis, synthesis, creativity, and also relating the

content with other knowledges previously acquired Oliveira, Lúcio & Miguel, 2016;
Oliveira, Santos, Boruchovitch & Rueda, (2012). According to Corso, Piccolo, Miná &

Salles (2015), reading comprehension is not established only by internal causes such

as the cognitive ability of each subject, but also depends on external causes such as

the learning environment and reading practices involved in the process.

Reading Comprehension is important to consider in academics and to our lives

in primary education. Tomas, M. , Villaros, E. and Galman, S. (2021). However, As

Claessen et al. (2020) coined, reading difficulties are present in the world. The

Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Results from PISA 2018

revealed that reading is among the areas that fifteen-year-old students in the Philippines

scored lower than those in majority of the countries and economies that participated in

PISA 2018. The Philippines shared a significant rate of low performers among all

PISA-participating 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.

Individuals acquired knowledge. Utilizing senses to perceive impulses such as

hearing, tasting, seeing, or feeling. This process occurs spontaneously and enables

people to construct, interpret, and make conclusions about information they obtain. This

is what is called perception. Perception is defined as a process of making inferences.

Through inferences, people can construct their own vision of reality which may be

distorted by past experiences, education, cultural values, and role requirements. Sari,

R. (2017).

Regarding Al-Khalifa's statement, it is implied that teachers should learn about

the students’ problem in order to help them to improve students’ reading comprehension

and make them better readers. One of the ways to identify students’ problems is by

asking their perceptions. In other words, knowing the perceptions will help students and

teachers evaluate the teaching-learning process. The teacher can assist students with

their reading problems by providing relevant and sufficient activities during the reading

process.
 In connection with the above mentioned statement, as stated in Article XIV,

Section 2 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution: “The state shall establish, maintain and

support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs

of the people, the country and society-at-large”

One of the necessities of people in civilization is to learn to read. The

government must implement and maintain the Philippines' existing educational system

for schools to have an adequate supply of instructional and reading materials to

encourage a love of reading in the first graders. As the students face their future

ambitions, they will become well prepared and mentally equipped. To that end, the state

shall establish a functional basic education system that will produce formative and

responsible citizens who are equipped with the necessary competencies, skills, and

values for both life-long learning and employment.

Therefore, in the interrelation of this section, The DepEd Memorandum no. 173,

s. 2019, entitled “HAMON: BAWAT BATA BUMABASA (3Bs)” initiative was launched by

DepEd to intensify its campaign on reading proficiency to bridge the literacy gap among

learners. It's grounded on the needs of learners, based on the six elements of reading,

which are; (1) Oral Language, (2) Phonological Awareness, (3) Phonics, (4) Vocabulary,

(5) Fluency, and (6) Comprehension. As of this moment, the Department of Education

(DePed) is continuously fulfilling its mandate to produce productive citizens equipped

with essential competencies and skills for learning.

According to a report from Annie E. Casey Foundation, in the country of America

68% of elementary graders read below grade level last school year. The necessity of

literacy skills in today’s society makes this statistic troublesome. Reading skills strongly

impact students’ academic success as well as their emotional and social well-being.

Reading skills impact students in the following ways: (1) Academically. Because reading

skills are easily the most necessary skill for academic success, students that do not

read at grade level will undoubtedly struggle in school. (2) Emotionally. Reading skills

also impact students emotionally by negatively influencing their self-esteem. (3)

Socially. Reading skills also impact students socially.

 In this sort of approach, the reports from Annie are also interrelated even here in

the Philippines. The researchers observed that today's generation is more exposed to

various activities and technologies. Since, as days passed by, more technologies have

been innovated. Therefore more individuals will be exposed to them. And affect them

not merely physically but also emotionally. Adolescence encounters it challenging to

make connections between texts and real-life scenarios. As a result, it will hinder the

levels of reading comprehension skills, and it will become less.

Under these conditions, students who lack proper comprehension skills are

unable to comprehend what they read, a problem that can have a negative impact on all

aspects of their lives. As a result, the researchers were convinced to conduct this study

to determine the reasons why students are experiencing difficulty comprehending the

context. The possibilities for a low level of reading comprehension. In this regard, the

researchers believe that this research will significantly boost the reading skills of the

youth and assist the researchers and other people involved in upgrading the teaching

strategies, student strategies, for the development of an individual's reading ability.

In essence of this study, the researchers conceptualized the idea in an attempt to

study the perception of reading comprehension level of Grade Six students of

Binangonan Catholic College.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The study made use of Schema Theory. This research was influenced by Barlett,

who was the first to use the term "Schema" in psychology. Rumelhart (1980), Carrell

(1981), and Hudson (1981) introduced it in reading (1982).

Schema theory is an explanation of how readers use prior knowledge to

comprehend and learn from text (Rumelhart, 1980). According to the Schema theory, a

text only provides directions for listeners or readers as to how they should retrieve or

construct meaning of their own, namely acquired knowledge. This previously acquired

knowledge is called the reader' s background knowledge. In relation to the researchers'

study, the Schema Theory indicates that in order to understand the context of an
individual's reading, you must use your background knowledge, as it may be difficult to

comprehend the context that you are interpreting without it.

The study also utilized Thorndike's Theory of Association. The basic premise of

this is that human activity is an association between stimulus and response. Based on

this research, three major laws of learning emerged.

First, the Law of Readiness. This law describes the conditions that refer to

"Annoying or Satisfying" When a person is prepared to respond or act, giving the

response satisfying while being prevented from giving the response becomes annoying.

This law deals with the readiness of the students to read and focus on a certain context.

If the child is ready to read, they will give a satisfactory response to the questions.

However, if the child is not ready to read, they tend to become uneasy and annoyed. As

a result, leaming will not take place.

Next, the Law of Exercise. Describes the condition implied in the adage,

"Practice makes perfect” Repetition of an experience increases the probability of a

correct response. Nonetheless, repetition in the absence of a satisfying state of affairs

does not enhance learning. This law includes the actual practice of reading. A child who

is into reading activities will be used to reading and if it becomes a practice, it will

enhance his reading comprehension skills.

Lastly, Law of Effect. That is a satisfying state if affairs following the response

strengthens the relationship between the stimulus and the behavior, whereas an

annoying state weakens the connection. After the mind has been set and reading

practices have been established, this Jaw will determine whether the result of these is

satisfactory or not. This will explain whether the connections of three laws affect the

reading comprehension skills of the respondents.

In this theory of Thorndlike’s Theory of Association, the researchers will benefit

from this study. And will assess the reading comprehension abilities of Binangonan

Catholic College's Grade Six students. In relation to the theory, the researchers believe

that a child who is just starting to read should be properly motivated to develop an
interest in reading and engage in more reading activities. However, once they encounter

an unsatisfying condition, they become discouraged and lose interest.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

FRAMEWORK

Figure 1

A Conceptual Model showing the Grade 6 Students’ Perception on their Reading

Comprehension Level.

The input table represents the different factors that influence the reading

comprehension level and how it affects the learners perception on their level of reading

comprehension that will be used for the research’s process and monitored by the

researcher. Meanwhile, the process table contains the survey questionnaire which is

used for the output. Next, the output is the result of the study based on the given input

and process. Lastly, the action plan connects the input and output. The output answers

while the input is the basis to get the desired output.

OBJECTIVES

The study's aim is to better understand the factors that contribute to grade 6

students' reading comprehension, as well as to identify modifications and improvements

that may be made to improve a student's reading abilities.

The study has the following specific objectives:

1). To know the most common factor that affects the learners' reading comprehension.

2). To know the perception of the learners on their level of reading comprehension.

3). To know the challenges encountered by the learners in learning English in a new

normal set up.

4). To offer suggestions or solutions on how students can improve their reading

comprehension.
 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter contains the relevant literature and studies that the researcher

considered in strengthening the importance of the present study.

Reading Comprehension is still one of the issues that most encounter especially

on the intermediate level.

FOREIGN LITERATURE AND STUDIES

In the study of Sari, G., Santihastuti, A., & Wahjuningsih, E. (2019) Students’

Perception on Reading Comprehension Problems in Narrative Text. It stipulated that the

study aimed to know the students’ perception on reading comprehension problems of

narrative text. Some aspects, particularly in narrative text, become the primary causes

of their reading difficulty. Students perceived a lack of language knowledge, motivation,

and background knowledge as the sources of their reading difficulties based on these

factors.1 However, the study's respondents were restricted to senior high school

students only. As it is related to the researchers' study, it may be a great option to

conduct a study like this to intermediate students if they consider the respondents in

lower levels like; Grade 4-6 because this is the usual level who mostly faced the reading

comprehension process or the reading comprehension program that every school

implemented that may help to improve the knowledge and understanding of each

student. Since the study only had two objectives: identifying students' perceptions of

reading comprehension problems in narrative text and describing its implications. The

study failed to consider potential solutions that could aid in overcoming reading

comprehension issues in narrative text. It's just that the study focused on describing but

not thoroughly explaining it.

Tying off the study done by Sari, G., Santihastuti, A., & Wahjuningsih, E., where

motivation was the biggest factor that hinders a students reading comprehension - In

another study done by Kusdemir, Y. & Bulut, P. (2018) The Relationship between
Elementary School Students' Reading Comprehension and Reading Motivation. The

study aimed to see the link between elementary school students' reading

comprehension and reading motivation. It established that there was a positive, medium

and significant connection found in the students' level of reading comprehension,

determined through cloze tests that consisted of narrative and informative texts and

reading motivation - it concluded that the increase of students reading motivation greatly

impacts their reading comprehension, and that it makes up 12-13% of a difference in

reading comprehension. One of the researchers' suggestions was branching out to

different elementary grades as the study was only conducted on fourth grade students.

Smith, R., Snow, P., Serry T., & Hammond, L. (2021) The Role of Background

Knowledge in Reading Comprehension: A Critical Review. The study was done to see

the influence background knowledge has on reading comprehension of primary school

aged children; from ages six to twelve. It determined that background knowledge

impacts differentially on stronger and weaker readers. That it has varying degrees of

effects that are influenced by the nature of the text, the quality of the situation model

required and the presence of reader misconceptions about the text.

LOCAL LITERATURE AND STUDIES

In accordance with the study of Suson, Roberto & Baratbate, Christna & Anoos,

Wilfredo & Ermac, Eugenio & Aranas, Amelia Girly & Malabago, Nolasco & Galamiton,

Narcisan & Capuyan, Dennis. (2020). Differentiated Instruction for Basic Reading

Comprehension in Philippine Settings. The study's aim is to determine the role of

differentiated instruction in teaching reading and promoting comprehension in

elementary school. Furthermore, it seeks to determine the students' multiple intelligence

profiles as well as their performance in reading comprehension. It also determines

whether there is a significant relationship between the profile and the students'

performance. The study concluded that in order to enhance the reading comprehension

of the learners, teachers must provide activities and learning techniques through
differentiated instruction. In the researchers’ study, differentiated instructions will be an

additional information and will be beneficial since the researchers’ study aims to provide

solutions and actions that will help students to enhance their learning. Furthermore, it

provides a decisive and significant benefit to struggling learners and recognizes not only

the strengths and differences, but also the growing variety in today's classroom.

As stipulated in the study of Decena, A., J. (2021). A Survey on the Reading

Difficulties of K-12 Learners in Selected Tagalog-Speaking Provinces: Basis for

Intervention. This study was focused on gathering information utilizing surveys trying to

know the reading difficulties of learners from kindergarten to senior high school. The

findings, which concluded that children who struggle to learn to read are more likely to

experience a negative cycle of low self-esteem, reduced motivation, and less

persistence in academic tasks, leading to further failure experiences, come as no

surprise to most educators. Concerning comprehension, it is evident by the number of

teacher participants who observed their students having difficulty comprehending text

materials, as well as having inadequate understanding and vocabulary knowledge. As

interrelated with the researchers' study, it justifies that various factors could affect

students' reading abilities. There are obstacles that they face that cause a student to be

unable to comprehend a context that they are reading.

In a study by Caballo J.P, and Caballo M.M, (2019), that was entitled Factors

Affecting Pupils’ Reading Proficiency in Multi-grade Classes Among Rural Elementary

Schools, aimed to determine what factors influence students' reading proficiency in

multigrade classes in rural elementary schools. It revealed that the greatest factor that

impacts reading proficiency are the teachers, this was largely due to the participants of

the study being from far flung barangays that had no other venues to improve their

reading skills other than school. The researchers suggest that teachers find more ways

to further enhance students' reading proficiency, like providing more reading materials.

The study gives us a view, a sense that poor reading comprehension isn't always
caused by a student's internal factors, like motivation or reading strategies, but is also

affected by external elements out of their control.

In another study done by Estremera, M.L, and Estremera, G.L. (2018). Factors

Affecting the Reading Comprehension of Grade Six Pupils in the City Division of

Sorsogon, Philippines as Basis for the Development of Instructional Material. It explored

the factors affecting reading comprehension, in the end it revealed several factors;

pupil, language, teacher, school head, school, home and community. Much like the

previous study mentioned above, by Cabalo J.P, and Cabalo M.M, (2019). This one also

shines a light on teachers, that they should devise activities that can improve the

students' reading comprehension, like reading programs.

Based on various works of literature and studies provided from different sources.

To put it concisely, it explains that additional techniques and strategies from diverse

learning materials should be provided and promoted to improve or enhance a student's

reading comprehension. Utilizing this will increase students' motivation to focus on their

abilities and learning.

 CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter focuses on the discussions that were used in data collection and

analysis that are relevant to the researchers' study. Furthermore, this chapter will cover

content areas such as the study's setting, subject, research design, sampling, sample

size, and methods.

RESEARCH DESIGN

This study used quantitative research as a type of research that entails

measurement of information. It is the methodical investigation of observable

phenomena through techniques based on statistics, mathematics, or computation

Moreover, the study used the descriptive method of research. According to

Fraenkel and WalLen, descriptive method is a method used to explain, analyze, and

classify something through.

According to Calderon as cited by Rillo, Richard & Alieto, Ericson. (2018).

Descriptive method is a purposive process of gathering, analyzing, classifying, and

tabulating data. This method describes the data and characteristics about the

population or phenomenon being studied.

On top of that, the purpose of this study is to assess Grade 6 students'

perceptions of their reading comprehension level. And to perceive the factors that

influence the perception of reading comprehension level. Under the circumstances, this

research design was used in the study because the study's goal was to collect

appropriate data from respondents, analyze what was gathered, and interpret the data

to justify the objectives that the researchers aimed for and provided.
SETTING OF THE STUDY

Presented To the Faculty of Binangonan Catholic College. Grade 6 students of

Binangonan Catholic College, Batch of 2021-2022, were the respondents of the study.

Binangonan Catholic College took on Sta. Ursula Parish School in 2006 became

officially the institution's elementary department.

SUBJECT OF THE STUDY

The researchers’ participants are grade 6 students of Binangonan Catholic

College. These grade 6 students of BCC has already experience reading on their

journey of academics but we should know if reading comprehension is gradually

maintained before they get to High School department, thus many of students in High

School are lack of skills on performing reading especially in subjects of English and

Science, students at bcc encouraging students to actively participate and to have an

impact on curriculum design may entail the need for re-examining teacher and student

roles, which in turn impacts social relationships, We feel that a student's team becomes

their "family" at school, and that team spirit gives the middle school experience a

distinctive flavor.
PROCEDURE OF THE STUDY

The researchers followed all the necessary steps included in the Gantt Chart of

Activities.

First, the researchers think about the possible topic that would be suited in the

action plan. Since the education system nowadays was under the new normal set-up.

The researchers presented a topic that is related to the reading comprehension of a

student.

Second, the researchers think of a topic that is suited for the reading

comprehension of a student. Afterwards, the researchers presented it, then the

research teacher approved the Grade 6 Students' Perception on their Reading

Comprehension Level: An Action Research.

The researchers then proceeded to the development of Chapters 1 and 2. After a

series of research, collection of data from different sources, organization of related

studies and literature, conceptualization of related theories and frameworks of the study,

the draft of Chapters 1 and 2 was made and passed to the research teacher.

After the research professor finished reading and correcting the submitted draft,

a discussion was conducted with the researchers. The research teacher gave

suggestions and corrections to improve Chapters 1 and 2. The next step was the

revision, editing, and finalization of the first two chapters of the study.

After the revision, the researchers developed the instrument of the study – a

questionnaire-survey. It was then subjected for validation by the research teacher of the

Binangonan Catholic College, Senior High School Department. After securing the

validation of the questionnaire-survey and the permit to conduct the study, the

researchers administered the questionnaire-survey to the respondents.

Thereafter, the statistical treatment was conducted for the analysis and

interpretation of the gathered data. The researchers also proceeded to the making of

Chapters 3, 4, 5, and also the Action Plan. After that, the researchers passed it to the

research adviser. After checking, the researchers revised and finalized the manuscript

and submitted the final research manuscript.

SOURCES OF DATA

This research is a quantitative study that aims to know the students' perception of

their own reading comprehension, that will consist of 30 grade 6 students of

Binangonan Catholic College. In terms of data gathering, the study will utilize online

surveys that will use the 4-point likert-type of scale wherein 1 stands for “strongly

disagree”, 2 for “disagree”, 3 for “agree”, and 4 for “strongly agree.”, in which

participants answer based on their agreement or disagreement with the presented

statement, the survey will close with one open-ended question for the students to

answer.

The respondents scaled the Perception on their Reading Comprehension Level.

To determine its level. The scale below was used:

RANGE VERBAL INTERPRETATION

4.00 - 3.26 Strongly Agree

3.25 - 2.51 Agree

2.50 - 1.76 Disagree

1.75 - 1.00 Strongly Disagree

STATISTICAL TREATMENT

The data gathered in the study were treated with the use of the following

statistical statement:

1. Mean

The researchers computed the mean of the sum of the scores (responses)

of each question. (1 stands for “strongly disagree”, 2 for “disagree”, 3 for “agree”,

and 4 for “strongly agree.”)

∑𝑥
m= 𝑁

∑x = sum of the scores (each question)

N = total number of respondents

 m = mean

CHAPTER 4

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter deals with the findings obtained from the analysis of data gathered.

It specifically presents the interpretation which resulted from the application of various

statistical treatments.

TABLE 1

PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS

GRADE LEVEL FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE

Six 30 100%

Table 1 depicts the profile of the respondents. Their grade level, frequency and

its percentage.

TABLE 2

PERCEPTION OF THE READING COMPREHENSION LEVEL IN TERMS OF

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

BACKGROUND MEAN VERBAL

KNOWLEDGE INTERPRETATION (VI)

I was able to know the 3.23 AGREE

vocabulary usage of what
I’m reading

I was able to comprehend 2.93 AGREE

the vocabulary usage of
what I’m reading

I was able to determine the 2.77 AGREE

vocabulary usage of what
I’m reading

I was able to differentiate 2.45 DISAGREE

the vocabulary usage of
what I’m reading

I was able to interpret the 2.40 DISAGREE

vocabulary usage and the
structure of the sentence
 that I am reading

OVERALL 2.76 AGREE

Table 2 presents that some students' perceptions are capable of knowing and

have background knowledge when it comes to reading comprehension and interpreting

vocabulary usage simultaneously with the mean of 3.23, 2.93, and 2.77. Furthermore,

some students' perceptions in different passages in the factor of background knowledge

seem inadequate, and require additional background knowledge when it comes to

reading comprehension and interpreting a meaning of a word vocabulary usage. Since it

shows that some students disagree with it with the mean of 2.45 and 2.40. And for the

overall view of the category the average weighted mean was 2.76 with the verbal

interpretation of “Agree”

TABLE 3

PERCEPTION OF THE READING COMPREHENSION LEVEL IN TERMS OF

KNOWLEDGE IN LANGUAGE

KNOWLEDGE IN MEAN VERBAL

LANGUAGE INTERPRETATION (VI)

I am knowledgeable in the 3.00 AGREE

English Language

I am knowledgeable in 2.93 AGREE

understanding the English
Language.

I am knowledgeable in 2.77 AGREE

classifying the words in the
English Language.

I am knowledgeable in 2.53 AGREE

establishing the words in
the English Language

I am knowledgeable in 2.47 DISAGREE

interpreting and evaluating
the structure and the words
in the English Language

OVERALL 2.74 AGREE

 Table 3 shows that the respondents are proficient in the English language, with a

highest mean score of 3.00. However, respondents with a mean score of 2.47 disagree

that they are knowledgeable in interpreting and evaluating the structure of words in this

language. Further, this indicates that some students are familiar with understanding and

categorizing words in this language. However, some are incapable at interpreting and

evaluating sentence structure in the English language. Further, the overall weighted

mean of this factor was 2.74 with the verbal interpretation of “Agree”

TABLE 4

PERCEPTION OF THE READING COMPREHENSION LEVEL IN TERMS OF

READING STRATEGY AND PROCESS

READING STRATEGY & MEAN VERBAL

PROCESS INTERPRETATION (VI)

I was able to understand 3.30 AGREE

the text

I was able to predict the 2.67 AGREE

text

I was able to identify the 2.77 AGREE

the text

I was able to visualize the 2.60 AGREE

text

I was able to read and 2.47 DISAGREE

absorb the text with more
than 50 words

OVERALL 2.76 AGREE

As seen in Table 4, with the highest arithmetic mean of 3.30, students who

participated in the study agree that they are capable of understanding the text, but as

the answers show to statement 5, mean of 2.47, they have trouble fully understanding a

test with more than 50 words. Overall, the answers reveal that a large part of the

participants are capable of using reading strategies and process with the average

weighted mean of 2.76 and the verbal interpretation of “Agree”

 TABLE 5

PERCEPTION OF THE READING COMPREHENSION LEVEL IN TERMS OF

MOTIVATION

MOTIVATION MEAN VERBAL

INTERPRETATION (VI)

I was motivated when I am 2.73 AGREE

reading

I feel happy when I read 2.87 AGREE

I don’t find it boring when I 2.60 AGREE

am reading

I find it interesting even 2.57 AGREE

though the words are
difficult to understand

I enjoy reading even 2.37 DISAGREE

though the text is more
than 100 words

OVERALL 2.62 AGREE

As presented in Table 5, with a mean score of 2.87, finds that students agree that

they feel happy when they read, but as shown in the last statement, with a value of

2.37, their enjoyment of reading can vary depending on how many words are present in

the text. Overall, the verbal interpretation of the given statements are agree, revealing

that a majority of students feel some motivation, or enjoyment in reading.

It strengthened the study of Kusdemir, Y. & Bulut, P. (2018), whereas motivation

is a large part of reading, a factor that can affect 12-13% difference on reading

comprehension. In this study it shows that generally most readers have motivation to

read, but are hindered by components such as vocabulary, and the great deal of words

used in the text.

THE CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED IN LEARNING ENGLISH UNDER THE NEW
NORMAL

This presents the challenges encountered by the students in learning English

with regards to their reading comprehension under the new normal.

The most common difficulty students encountered in learning English under the

new normal was difficulty understanding the meaning of what they read, especially if

there were uncommon words that did not fit into their vocabulary knowledge. The

students also stated that there are many distractions in their environment, which affects

their motivation to learn English and causes them to have difficulty understanding

English precisely. Some stated that they feel unmotivated if the text is too long to read.

“Even though I sometimes understand the context, I still find it challenging

especially when there are words that I am not familiar with” one of the students stated. “I

can't understand the lesson well because of the noises in my house so I find it difficult to

understand English” added by the other students.

“Even though I sometimes understand the text, I feel unmotivated especially if

the text is long” one of the student’s responses.

Moreover, according to the students, some are having a hard time understanding

vocabularies and to know how to pronounce the word properly, whether it is related to

uncommon or vocabulary words. Some students also stated that they did not find it

challenging especially in the new normal set up since they got used to it.

“It seems a bit harder when it comes to understanding vocabularies and right

pronunciation of english words for a tendency of being misheard.” one of the

respondents says. “The challenges I encountered are learning new words that I can't

understand clearly and long words I have to learn, pronounce and spell.” added by the

respondents.

“I don't really find it quite challenging, since everything is now digital, I really got

used to it. I only find it hard when it comes to directions online.” added by the other

student. “I really understand the new normal English,” another student responded
 The result implies that students' responses show that they have various

perspectives encountering the challenges in learning English with regards to their

reading comprehension.

These results build on existing evidence in the study of Sari, G., Santihastuti, A.,

& Wahjuningsih, E. (2019) whereas it stated that students perceived a lack of language

knowledge, motivation, and background knowledge as the sources of their reading

difficulties based on these factors. As a result of data collection, the data presented has

contributed to a clearer understanding of some respondents' lacking the

aforementioned factors that the researchers' study is centered on.

 CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

This chapter presents the summary of findings, the conclusions drawn based

from the results obtained, and the recommendations offered.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS:

From the analysis of data and the results obtained in the previous chapter, the

findings were summarized as follows:

1. PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS

Chapter 4 table 1 shows that around 30 students of the Binangonan

Catholic college were chosen to be the respondents for this research.

2. PERCEPTION OF THE READING COMPREHENSION LEVEL IN TERMS OF

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE

Chapter 4 table 2 shows that some students' perceptions are capable of

knowing and have background knowledge and some students' perceptions in

different passages in the factor of background knowledge seem inadequate.

Moreover, the overall view of the category the average weighted mean was 2.76

with the verbal interpretation of “Agree”

3. PERCEPTION OF THE READING COMPREHENSION LEVEL IN TERMS OF

KNOWLEDGE IN LANGUAGE

Chapter 4 table 3 shows that some students are familiar with

understanding and categorizing words in this language. However, some are

incapable at interpreting and evaluating sentence structure in the English

language. Further, the overall weighted mean of this factor was 2.74 with the

verbal interpretation of “Agree”

 4. PERCEPTION OF THE READING COMPREHENSION LEVEL IN TERMS OF

READING STRATEGY AND PROCESS

Chapter 4 table 4 shows that some students agree that they are capable

of understanding the text. However, as the answers show to statement 5, mean

of 2.47, they have trouble fully understanding a test with more than 50 words.

Overall, participants are capable of using reading strategies and process with

the average weighted mean of 2.76 with the verbal interpretation of “Agree”

5. PERCEPTION OF THE READING COMPREHENSION LEVEL IN TERMS OF

MOTIVATION

Chapter 4 table 5 finds that students agree that they feel happy when

they read, but as shown in the last statement, with a value of 2.37, their

enjoyment of reading can vary depending on how many words are present. Still,

the average weighted mean is 2.62 with the verbal interpretation of “Agree”

6. THE CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED IN LEARNING ENGLISH UNDER THE

NEW NORMAL

The challenges met by the students were difficult to understand the

meaning of what they read, especially if there were uncommon words. Some also

stated that there are many distractions in their environment, concerning

motivation, pronouncing the word properly, and some did not find it challenging

since they were used to it.

CONCLUSION

In the lights of the foregoing findings of the study, the following conclusions were

drawn:

1. Since the result is a minimum standard, it was conclusive that the Grade 6

perception of reading comprehension problems was still positive.

 2. With regards to the perception of reading comprehension, there are positive

viewpoints, in some aspects of the factor there are still negative viewpoints.

3. A student's perception of reading comprehension can vary depending on how

easy or difficult it is required to accomplish a task merely like it is stated on the

researchers’ survey

4. The result implies that there are different factors and sources of the reading

problems that affect the reading comprehension of some students such as:

background knowledge, knowledge in language, reading process and strategies,

and motivation.

5. With regards to the challenges that the students encounter in terms of learning

English under the new normal, it implies that some students experience difficulty

while some students do not experience difficulty since they are already adjusted

and used to it.

RECOMMENDATION

Based on forgoing findings and conclusions of the study, the following

recommendations are proposed:

FOR STUDENTS:

1. Strengthen and practice exposure concerning reading that will help develop and

improve their skills in reading comprehension.

2. Participate in any learning enhancement program provided by the school with

regards to reading comprehension (if any) that will help improve their reading

comprehension skills.

3. Participate and listen to teachers in any topic because reading is engaged in all

subjects. This will help them develop their reading comprehension knowledge

and skills.
FOR TEACHERS:

1. Recognize a variety of non-boring strategies that can be used in teaching,

particularly when it comes to reading, to motivate the students to read and to

learn.

2. Since some students have difficulty understanding what is being read, especially

if there are unfamiliar words, the teacher can discuss the unfamiliar words with

the students to make it clearer and more understandable.

3. Some students have difficulty pronouncing words correctly, especially if the

words are too complex. As a result, teachers should instruct students on how to

pronounce words that are unfamiliar to them as well as those that are difficult to

pronounce.

FOR FUTURE RESEARCHERS:

1. The direct assessment can be used to diagnose students' reading

comprehension issues.

2. Since time is limited due to the Pandemic, the researchers rely solely on

survey-questionnaires to determine the students' perceptions of the reading

comprehension of Grade 6 students. Therefore, future researchers may conduct

an in-depth investigation using tests to determine the domain of difficulties the

students experienced with reading comprehension.

 Binangonan Catholic College
Binangonan, Rizal

Senior High School Department

Action Plan

Research Title: Grade 6 Students' Perception on their Reading

Comprehension Level: An Action Research

GOALS/OBJECTIVES
1. Encourage students in further developing their reading progress.
2. Overcome difficulties that they encounter in reading.
3. Enhance and monitor students in their reading progress.
4. Instill the importance of reading and its benefits.

TARGET DATE: June – July, 2022

ACTION PERSONS START REQUIRED OUTCOME

DESCRIPTION INVOLVED DATE RESOURCES
(Activity Title)

READING GRADE 6 JUNE - BOOKS FOR 90% OF GRADE 6

INTERVENTION STUDENTS JULY READING STUDENTS HAS
ENHANCE THEIR
TEACHERS SCHOOL READING
FACILITIES COMPREHENSION
PRINCIPALS SUCH AS
LAPTOP,
RESEARCHERS DESKTOP

PAPERS, PEN
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 APPENDIX A

Gantt Chart of Activities

Activities JAN FEB MAR APRI MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NO DEC
CH L E Y V

Planning

Formulation of
Research Title

Presenting the
Research Title to
the Research
Adviser

Conceptualization
and formulation of
chapter 1

Passing chapter
1 and
formulation of
chapter 2

Revision and
Finalization of
Chapter 1 and 2

Formulation of
Chapter 3 and
Construction and
Validation of
Questionnaire
Checklist

Administration of
Questionnaire
Checklist

Analysis and
Interpretation of
Data

Formulation of
Chapter 4 and 5

Passing the
chapter 3-5 and
Action Plan

Revision and
Finalization of
Manuscript

Submission of
Manuscript
 APPENDIX B

Survey - Questionnaire

Strongly Agree - 4
Agree - 3
Disagree - 2
Strongly Disagree - 1

Background Knowledge (4) Strongly (3) Agree (2) (1) Strongly

Agree Disagree Disagree

1. I was able to know the

vocabulary usage of what
I’m reading

2. I was able to comprehend

the vocabulary usage of
what I’m reading

3. I was able to determine

the vocabulary usage of
what I’m reading

4. I was able to differentiate

the vocabulary usage of
what I’m reading

5. I was able to interpret the

vocabulary usage and the
structure of the sentence
that I am reading

Knowledge in Language (4) Strongly (3) Agree (2) (1) Strongly

Agree Disagree Disagree

1. I am knowledgeable in
the English Language

2. I am knowledgeable in
understanding the
English Language.

3. I am knowledgeable in
classifying the words in
the English Language.

4. I am knowledgeable in
establishing the words in
the English Language

5. I am knowledgeable in
interpreting and
evaluating the structure
and the words in the
English Language
 Reading Strategy & Process (4) Strongly (3) Agree (2) (1) Strongly
Agree Disagree Disagree

1. I was able to understand

the text

2. I was able to predict the

text

3. I was able to identify the

the text

4. I was able to visualize the

text

5. I was able to read and

absorb the text with more
than 50 words.

Motivation (4) Strongly (3) Agree (2) (1) Strongly

Agree Disagree Disagree

1. I was motivated when I

am reading

2. I feel happy when I read

3. I don’t find it boring when

I am reading

4. I find it interesting even

though the words are
difficult to understand

5. I enjoy reading even

though the text is more
than 100 words

OPEN ENDED QUESTION

1. What are the challenges you encountered in learning English under the new normal?