Chapter I

THE PROBLEM

Introduction

One of the most integral ways on enhancing the abilities of the learners is

their reading comprehension and it is better if they have good working memory

too. But when the working memory system of the learners fails, it may lead them

to lost learning opportunities. Numminen (2009) said that reading comprehension

and learning through reading thus rely on working memory. He also added that

working memory is the ability to maintain information in the mind at a given

moment. Problems with working memory hamper the processing of long

sentence constructions and through that, their understanding. This problem can

be used by narrow working memory or considerable slowness in reading.

In the Philippines, the number of Filipinos, aged 10-64 years old, who do

not understand what they read, has grown to 20.1 million (Functional Literacy,

Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), 2008). In more details, Nolasco

(2010) said that comprehension skills among Filipinos remain dismally and

alarmingly low. On the other hand, working memory is one characteristic that is

found to correlate strongly with academic performance in the early years. A lack

of attention has been strongly associated with poor performance in reading

comprehension (De Dios, 2015).

In Lagao Central Elementary School, General Santos City, Poncardas

(2016) said that the level of the reading comprehension skill of her learners is
 2

low. This is due to inadequacy of their reading materials. Since the learners are

too much exposed to their various languages which is their mother tongue, the

learners are not be able to enhance English as the second language because of

the inadequacy of the reading materials that are very useful for them to enhance

their reading comprehension. According to Lastimosa (2018), it was shown on

their Phil-IRI result that there are 49% of the Grade VI pupils who had difficulty in

reading comprehension.

Studies done more recently support the role of the working memory in

attention and processing verbal information which are key to reading

comprehension (Borella and De Beni, 2009). Further studies showed that the

performance of the working memory was a good predictor of how well individuals

could answer inferential questions in long reading passages if they were not

permitted to go back and reread the material (Braten 2010). However, according

to Carretti and De Beni (2009), the role of working memory in explaining reading

comprehension abilities is still under debate because the issue mainly concerns

whether the contribution of working memory is dependent on verbal tasks and on

the attentional control implied in working memory tasks.

Every learner has their own capabilities. To deeply understand such

situation, there is a need to have awareness that working memory really

influences the reading comprehension of a learner. Whether they have good or

poor working memory, their reading comprehension must be improved and

enhanced gradually. Because of these one of the crucial situations of a learner,

the researcher was prompted to undertake the research of the study.

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Statement of the Problem

This study aimed to determine the relationship of the Working Memory

and Reading Comprehension of Grade VI pupils.

Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the level of the working memory of the pupils?

2. What is the level of the reading comprehension of the pupils?

3. Is there a significant relationship between working memory and reading

comprehension of pupils?

Significance of the Study

Hopefully, the result of this study may give benefits to the school

administrators, teachers, parents, pupils, to the other researchers, and to the

researcher of this study.

This study may be beneficial to the school administrators. This may give

them an understanding about the relationship of working memory and reading

comprehension of the pupils wherein the school may conduct a meaningful

seminar about working memory and reading comprehension.

Furthermore, the result of this study may give the teachers an idea on

what would be the strategies to be used to improve and enhance the abilities of

their pupils who are struggling to read and to comprehend. It may also give them
 4

a better understanding of the importance of working memory that correlates to

the reading comprehension of a child.

Likewise, the parents may increase the level of awareness on the

importance of working memory and on what to improve on the reading

comprehension of their children by mentoring and assisting them. They may

expose their children to meaningful and authentic activities that would serve as

an application for the children.

This study may also give the pupils ideas about the importance of their

working memory and will help them to improve their ability in reading

comprehension. It may be a great help to motivate them so that they can be

better individuals in the future.

In addition, the study may help the researcher gain new insights about

how working memory affects the reading comprehension of the pupils and the

relationship between these two variables. It may serve as a reference if she

wants to discover and explore new ideas.

Lastly, the result of this study may provide an opportunity to apply the

knowledge and skills regarding the working memory and the reading

comprehension of the pupils.

Scope and Delimitation

This study was conducted to determine the working memory and reading

comprehension levels of the Grade VI pupils. Furthermore, this study involved

 5

one hundred ninety-three (193) Grade VI pupils who were officially enrolled in

Lagao Central Elementary School, General Santos City during the school year

2017-2018. These respondents were chosen from the population of three

hundred ninety-one (391) using proportionate random sampling through lottery

method. The sample size was determined using the formula developed by Lynch

and others (1972) as cited by Ardales (2006).

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Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents view of related literature and studies that are

significant for the development of this study.

Working Memory of the Pupils

According to Baddeley (2007), the term working memory refers to a brain

system that provides temporary storage and manipulation of the information

necessary for such complex cognitive tasks as language comprehension,

learning and reasoning. Working memory has been found to require the

simultaneous storage and processing of information.

Moreover, working memory is often defined as the mental workspace

where important information is kept in a highly active state, available for a variety

of other cognitive processes (Baddeley and Hitch, 2012). It includes the

processes that encode, store, and manipulate this information.

Numminen (2009) stated that working memory is a significant memory for

learning to read. Alongside, it is important in learning through reading and

reading comprehension. Furthermore, he added that it maintains information in

the mind during active processing of information. Cain, Oakhill, and Bryant

(2006) explained that working memory is the ability to store information while

simultaneously carrying out processing operations. It is a well-established

 7

predictor of individual variation in reading comprehension performance in both

adults and children.

On the other hand, working memory is the term used to refer to a system

responsible for temporarily storing and manipulating information. It functions as a

mental workspace that can be flexibly used to support everyday cognitive

activities that require both processing and storage (Alloway, 2006). In

accordance to the idea of Klingberg (2008), working memory consists of the brain

processes used for temporary storage and manipulation of information. It

operates over only a few seconds, and it allows individuals to focus their

attention, resists distractions, and guides them in decision making.

Gathercole (2007) also added that working memory is very limited. The

volume of information that individuals can hold onto and manipulate in working

memory is quite small due to its limited capacity system. Furthermore, Alloway

and Pickering (2006) aforementioned that working memory enables people to

store information in their minds for short periods of time and they use it in their

current thinking. Furthermore, it is a kind of mental workspace that they use for

many aspects of their everyday life that includes specifically reading

comprehension. For children, it appears to play a crucial role in supporting

learning. But working memory has an upper limit to the amount of information

that an individual can hold and manipulate at any given time. For typically

developing children, working memory capacity increases steadily up to the age of

14 or 15 years where it reaches adult levels.

 8

Young (2005) explained that pupils having a good working memory can

easily cope up in a conversation with other peers because they can respond to

them very well and they can also wait for their turn in order to avoid interruption.

Coupled with this idea, working memory is used to process and store

information during complex and demanding activities, it supports many activities

that children routinely engage in at school. When attempting to read and

comprehend a passage of text, the process of reading sentences, holding them

in mind and integrating the information to uncover the meaning relies heavily on

the ability to simultaneously process and store information over the short term.

But with the utilization of effective reading, it surely aids reading comprehension.

Children must accomplish effective reading in order to activate their working

memory for it is an active process that really affects their cognitive skills (Alloway,

Gathercole and Pickering, 2006).

Furthermore, observations of children in the classroom, combined with

teacher reports have highlighted the major signs of a working memory difficulty.

These include: poor academic progress, difficulties following multi-step

instructions, failing to complete common classroom activities that require large

amounts of information to be held in mind, problems keeping their place in

demanding and complex activities such as writing and high levels of inattentive

and distractible behavior (Gathercole and Alloway, 2008). Furthermore, when the

working memory system fails, children forget what they are doing and this can

lead to inattentive behavior. The end result is frequent lost learning opportunities,

and consequently slow rates of educational progress.

 9

Gathercole (2006) appended that working memory is limited in a number

of ways and can easily fail children when they need it. But in order to maintain

the information that are very useful to the children, they must continue to pay

attention in every complex and demanding activity in the classroom, specifically,

when they are reading a passage and attempting to comprehend it. It is

inevitable that the information from the working memory will be lost and the only

possible way is to start again the process of entering information into working

memory.

As a matter of fact, recent studies of instruction-guided behavior have

recognized that the capacity to hold in mind the content of the instruction while

simultaneously performing each step in turn is supported by working memory.

Given that following instructions is a common requirement in the classroom

environment and that failures in this ability may contribute to broader academic

difficulties encountered by children with poor working memory (Allen, 2014). Poor

working memory will be also a hindrance in cognitive efficiency, learning, and

academic performance (Baddeley, 2012).

Working memory is important because it provides a mental workspace in

which children can hold information while mentally engaged in other relevant

activities. The capacity to do this is crucial to many learning activities in the

classroom. Children often have to hold information in mind while engaged in an

effortful activity. The information to be remembered may be the sentence that

they intend to write while trying to spell the individual words (Pisoni, 2010).
 10

Typically, children with poor working memory are well-adjusted socially,

they are reserved in group activities in the classroom, rarely volunteering

answers and sometimes not answering direct questions, behave as though they

have not paid attention, for example forgetting part or all of instructions or

messages, or not seeing tasks through to completion, frequently lose their place

in complicated tasks that they may eventually abandon, forget the content of

messages and instructions, make poor academic progress during the school

years, particularly in the areas of reading and mathematics, and are considered

by their teachers to have short attention spans and also to be easily distracted in

accordance to Pickering (2006).

Gathercole (2008) stated that children with small working memory

capacities will struggle in these activities, simply because they are unable to hold

in mind sufficient information to allow them to complete the task. In these

situations, their working memory is overloaded. Losing crucial information from

working memory will cause them to forget many things: instructions they are

attempting to follow, the details of what they are doing, where they have got to in

a complicated task, and so on.

Furthermore, children with poor working memory fail in many different

activities on many occasions due to working memory overload; they are likely to

struggle to achieve normal rates of learning and so will typically make poor

general academic progress (Daneman, 2008).

Morin (2013) stated that working memory helps learners hold on to

information long enough to use it and it plays an important role in concentration

 11

and in following instructions. Working memory is also the mental sticky note that

an individual uses to keep track of information until he or she needs to use it.

However, she explained that learners having weak working memory skills can

affect learning in many different subject areas including reading and can

experience difficulty in grabbing and holding on to that incoming information

without the background knowledge. This means they have less material to work

with when they are performing a task.

In the United States, many teachers have pupils with similar profiles of

behavior and achievement like struggling in many classroom activities. This

problem shared by approximately 10 percent of children (Gathercole, 2011).

According to Young (2005), reading is a complex skill that requires the

simultaneous activation of many different brain processes. When reading a word,

the reader must recognize the visual configuration of letters, the letter order, and

must engage in segmentation (breaking the word into individual sounds). Then,

while being held in working memory, the phonemes (letter sounds) must be

synthesized and blended, to form recognizable words. To comprehend

sentences, several more skills are necessary. The reader must not only decode

the words, but also comprehend the syntax, retain the sequence of words, use

contextual cues, and have adequate vocabulary knowledge. This must be done

simultaneously in order for sentences to be understood. At the same time,

sentences must be held in working memory and integrated with one another.

In fact, many people take working memory ability for granted. They use

this important memory function throughout the day when speaking, listening and
 12

particularly when reading. For the many children and adults who have working

memory difficulties, reading may be something that they avoid. These are often

the children in school who can read, but who do not like to read. They have

difficulty retelling a story in their own words. Even some very bright children may

experience school failure or be struggling to keep up, due to limitations in

working memory. For them, reading is a necessary activity but certainly not one

that they readily engage in. This is, in part, why they choose short stories for

book reports and prefer to watch the video of classic books rather than read them

(Perfetti, 2011).

The following could indicate the presence of working memory problems:

firstly, trouble following lengthy directions; secondly, problems understanding

long spoken sentences; thirdly, difficulty staying on topic in conversations;

fourthly, difficulty with multistep math problems; fifthly, problems with reading

comprehension; and lastly, memory problems (Shah, 2009).

Significantly, many students identified as having reading or learning

difficulties often have associated cognitive difficulties (Baker, 2008). Variability in

reading comprehension may, in some cases, be related to differences in

cognitive and memory processing abilities of the students (Schunk, 2008). The

etiology of these cognitive difficulties may have biological or environmental

beginnings and may translate into visual, phonological, language, and/or memory

deficits. At the cognitive level, many pre-requisite skills are also likely to be

influenced by environmental factors such as parental encouragement of children

to listen to sounds, opportunities to practice language, having a range of books in

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the home, attending preschool, and watching educational television programs

that develop language and pre-reading skills (Robinson, 2005).

Moreover, it has been found that skilled readers outperformed a range of

less skilled readers on measures related to working memory, processing speed,

and updating information (Swanson and Jerman, 2007). Reading comprehension

delays are also associated with problems in higher order comprehension skills,

such as prediction and summarizing, using background knowledge, and forming

mental imagery. Many of the thinking processes involved in comprehension, such

as integration and inference, anaphoric processing, use of context cues,

monitoring comprehension, and structuring of narratives, are dependent on the

storage and organization of information in memory (Cain and Oakhill, 2007).

It has also been widely acknowledged that working memory might be less

efficient for less able readers (Truscott, 2008). For example, Swanson (2006)

found that skilled comprehenders outperformed a range of poor comprehenders

on measures related to working memory. Some poor comprehenders exhibit poor

verbal short-term memory spans while others perform well on simple memory

tasks.

One of the most essential reading comprehension skills is the ability to

use selective and focused attention (Bender 2008). Thus, a number of other

researchers have proposed that, during reading, the ability to comprehend text is

enhanced when there is a reduction in the overall cognitive load in working

memory (Manset-Williamson and Nelson, 2005). It is asserted that memory load

 14

is affected by how attention is allocated within and between the different

component subsystems of working memory during a particular reading episode

(Archibald and Gathercole, 2007).

Andrade defined working memory as the means by which the individuals

are able to keep information consciously in mind while transforming it or using it

to achieve some goal (Andrade, 2013). Another definition was that of Manoach

(2009), she stated that working memory refers to actively holding information

‘online’ in the mind’s eye and manipulating it in the service of guiding behavior. It

is hypothesized to be a temporary store whose contents are continually updated

and scanned in response to immediate information processing demands.

Another idea was that working memory was also found to be the key

factor in understanding sentences being read in a second language (Ceno,

2009). In students demonstrating learning difficulties or deficits in reading

comprehension, Pimperton’s study showed that these issues were tied to the

working memory function (Pimperton, 2010). In fact, the verbal working memory

was found to be the best indicator of reading comprehension difficulties

(Macaruso, 2010).

Working memory has been related to reading comprehension in native

languages and in second languages. Problems in working memory have also

been cited in many of these studies as an accurate predictor of learning problems

in these areas. Recently a study done by Dahlen supported that high working
 15

memory had a positive effect on reading comprehension and literacy (Dahlen

2011).

Generally speaking, a good working memory is very essential for the

learning of every individual. The effect of having a good memory is a great

achievement in terms of comprehending a text from the book. The maintenance

of information in the brain will really help an individual to achieve success in his

or her ability in reading comprehension. But when the information is not easily

cope up by a reader, the possibility of failing in comprehending the text or

slowness in reading is inevitable.

In the Philippines, studies done more recently support the role of the

working memory in attention and processing verbal information which are key to

reading comprehension (Borella and De Beni, 2009). Further studies showed

locally that the performance of the working memory was a good predictor of how

well individuals could answer inferential questions in long reading passages if

they were not permitted to go back and reread the material (Braten, 2010).

Furthermore, working memory is necessary in a complex and demanding

activity, it needs to be active in order to gain success in every activity in the

classroom. Reading a passage from the book and understanding it is a

demanding activity which really needs the activation of the working memory, the

readers must remember what they are reading to construct a long reflection

about the passage for example because they explained every sentence
 16

thoroughly. It only means that they have good working memory because there is

maintenance of information that occurs.

Reading Comprehension of the Pupils

Reading comprehension is defined as the level of understanding of a text

or message. This understanding comes from the interaction between the words

that are written down and how they trigger knowledge outside the text or

message. Furthermore, reading comprehension is a skill that can be

strengthened and improved through more reading practice (Pesetsky &

Seidenberg, 2009).

Another key point was from Israel and Duffy (2008), they defined reading

comprehension as the ability to deeply and actively glean meaning from written

text. Research confirms that to accomplish this complex task, proficient readers

actively engage in balancing multiple strategies. Skilled readers unconsciously

and effortlessly move from one strategy to the next, as they move into, through,

and then out of text. They engage in a partnership with the author, in which

reader and text join to create a world that readers willingly enter into, navigate

through, wonder about, and then move out of with thoughtful reflection.

On the other hand, reading comprehension is defined as the process of

making meaning from text. The goal, therefore, is to gain an overall

understanding of what is described in the text rather than to obtain meaning from

isolated words or sentences. In understanding read text information children

develop mental models, or representations of meaning of the text ideas during

 17

the reading process (Van Dijk and Kintsch, 2011). Reading comprehension is a

complex interaction among automatic and strategic cognitive processes that

enables the reader to create a mental representation of the text (Broek & Espin,

2012).

Significantly, the process through which the dynamic interaction of the

background knowledge of the reader, the information inferred by the written

language, and the reading situation context is constructing meaning. The

National Reading Panel (NRP, 2008) defined comprehension as the intentional

thinking during which meaning is constructed between the reader and text. This

implies that the reader interacts with the text content, background knowledge,

skills, motivation to read that text, knowledge of text structure, and strategies to

construct meaning.

Furthermore, reading is the ability to recognize words and its

corresponding sounds. Unlike speaking, reading is not something that every

individual learns to do. Nunan (2009) states that a huge amount of time, money,

and effort should be spent in teaching reading. Reading is a conscious and

unconscious thinking process. According to Mickulecky (2008), the reader

applies many strategies to reconstruct the meaning that the author is assumed to

have intended. Reading is one of the basic skills one should master; it is a

prerequisite for one to gain higher skills. Comprehension on the other hand, is an

act of or capacity for grasping with the intellectual (Webster Dictionary). While

most students recognize some letters, words and sounds, most of them fail to

grasp the message of words they are reading.

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Certainly, comprehension depends not only on characteristics of the

reader, such as prior knowledge and working memory, but also on language

processes, such as basic reading skills, decoding, vocabulary, sensitivity to text

structure, inferencing, and motivation. Comprehension also requires effective

use of strategic processes, such as metacognition and comprehension

monitoring. As readers mature in their comprehension skills, they are able to

progress efficiently from the stage of learning to read to the ultimate goal of

reading to learn (Yovanoff, Duesbery, Alonzo, & Tindal, 2005).

Moreover, comprehension means making sense of what one reads. A

reader who comprehends text is an active reader. Comprehension strategies are

flexible and adaptable, so they can be used across a wide range of ages,

abilities, and texts. Good readers apply similar strategies when reading a simple

first novel about a favorite character or a complex explanation of weather

phenomena. While many may teach important comprehension strategies and

skills individually in practice, good readers use routines that involve picking and

choosing from among several skills and strategies that help them make sense of

text. Good readers make use of comprehension strategies before, during, and

after reading (Israel & Duffy, 2008).

Comprehension includes making sense of words, connecting ideas

between text and prior knowledge, constructing and negotiating meaning in

discussions with others, and much more. According to Kintsch (2011), readers

have two tasks. One is constructing a “text model” of the literal meaning of words

as they read, and the other is building a broader representation, or “situation

 19

model,” of the meaning implied by the text. Skilled readers learn to decode words

automatically so they can devote time and thinking to these two kinds of

constructive activities.

On the other hand, reading comprehension is a process in which the

reader constructs meaning using as the building materials the information on the

printed page and the knowledge stored in the reader’s head (Samuels, “The

Method of Repeated Readings”). It involves intentional thinking, during which

meaning is constructed through interactions between text and reader

(Comprehension Strategies). Reading is comprehension. Comprehension is what

reading is all about. Decoding without comprehension is simply word barking—

being able to articulate the word correctly without understanding its meaning.

Effective comprehenders not only make sense of the text they are reading but

they can also use the information it contains (Duke and Pearson, 2012).

To comprehend text, a reader must store recently decoded text while

complex processes construct meaning. As the reading of text progresses,

working memory stores the gist of the information from one or more sentences

until a meaning-based representation of the content of the text, called a mental

model, is formed (De Beni, Borella & Carretti, 2007).

As stated in the “Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading”

(2008), reading comprehension is the product of word recognition skills and

listening comprehension skills. Recognizing the words on the page is vital to

reading comprehension; if a child cannot read the words, then they will quite
 20

obviously be unable to extract meaning from the written word. Once written

words are recognized they can be understood as long as they are in the oral

vocabulary of the child. Unfamiliar words that are not already in the oral

vocabulary of the child start to acquire aspects of their meaning from the context

within which they have been read; that is, reading gradually becomes a major

source of vocabulary development.

Once the words are recognized, they can be input to the language

comprehension system to understand what a writer conveys. It is well recognized

that children vary in the ease with which they can decode. They also vary in their

listening comprehension, and consequently in their reading comprehension. An

effective reader has good word reading and good listening comprehension skills

(Nation, 2005). Reading comprehension is composed of four cognitive skills;

these are fluency, vocabulary and semantic processing, visualization, and

reasoning and inference.

The first cognitive skill in reading comprehension is the fluency; Amora

(2011) mentioned that fluency is the ability to read text accurately, quickly and

with proper expression and comprehension. It is having mastered word

recognition skills to the point over learning. It is the ability to translate letters to

sounds and to words, effortlessly. It is essential because it bridges the gap

between the word recognition and comprehension. However, fluency appears to

be a larger influence in developing reading comprehension skills for younger

readers compared to older ones. As text becomes more challenging with each
 21

grade level, fluency becomes less predictive of reading comprehension and,

instead, gives way to vocabulary (Yovanoff, Duesbery, Alonzo, & Tindal, 2005).

Secondly, the vocabulary and semantic processing; vocabulary knowledge

is a consistent predictor of reading comprehension from fourth through eighth

grades as well. Research suggests that students with poor comprehension

exhibit a lack of semantic awareness characterized by an inability to attach

meaning to words (Sencibaugh, 2007).

As most reading professionals recognize, vocabulary plays a fundamental

role in learning to read. As learners begin to read, they map the printed

vocabulary encountered in texts onto the oral language they bring to the task.

Understanding text, therefore, depends on being able to translate letter–sound

correspondences into known words and comprehensible concepts (Kamil, 2005).

Consequently, word knowledge seems to occupy an important middle ground in

learning to read. It makes a critical contribution to beginning readers' transition

from oral to written forms and is crucial to the comprehension processes of a

skilled reader (Beck & McKeown, 2010).

However, vocabulary or the labels that individuals use are merely the tip of

the iceberg. Rather, these words relate to a network of concepts that children

develop early on. For example, teaching the word kiwi and identifying as a “kind

of fruit” helps the child begin to develop an understanding of the category in

which it belongs. Categories are essential to concept building (Neuman & Wright,

2013). They enable children to build knowledge networks, connections between

 22

concepts that are meaningful and enduring in their longer-term memory and are

primary in comprehension development. Teaching words in meaningful semantic

clusters enhances the reading development of the children.

Thirdly, the visualization; another key component of reading

comprehension is the active construction of a mental image of the text. These

mental images are fluid and change as the reader continually assimilates new

text (Woolley, 2010). This involves students making mental images of the text

they read. Creating images that relate to the setting, characters, or plot of a

narrative text, or a concept or process in expository text, can help students better

recall what they have read.

And lastly, the reasoning and inference; inferential reasoning is the ability

to use information in the text to determine additional information that is only

implied by the text. In a review of studies on inference skills for reading,

researchers at the National Foundation for Educational Research (2008)

discovered that the ability to draw inferences is directly related to reading

comprehension ability. In unrelated studies, Cain and Oakhill (2007) reported

that students’ inferencing skills contribute to future comprehension skills; and

Bowyer-Crane and Snowling (2005) discovered that students with poor

comprehension also lack inferencing ability.

The process of inferential reasoning requires both short-term and long-

term memory, acting on retrieval of background knowledge combined with the

text to arrive at the implicit information from the text (NFER, 2008). Reading
 23

comprehension can be best understood if one is adept with the different cognitive

processes as current models suggest that such processes play a significant role

in comprehension skills (Meneghetti et. al., 2006).

Notably, reading comprehension develops over time as children engage in

the process. Allocating ample time for actual text reading and ensuring that

children are actually reading text during that time are among the teacher’s most

vital tasks in comprehension instruction (Fielding and Pearson 2014).

Unfortunately, many children, especially struggling readers, often “fake it.”

Children must be reading and rereading books that they can read (“just right”

books) to improve comprehension. Through extensive reading, children’s

vocabulary and background knowledge improve, which results in improved

comprehension. However, reading comprehension is a natural co-developing

process, which can and often must be enhanced by appropriate strategy

instruction (Anders, 2008).

Ozdemir (2009) stressed that reading is fundamental in getting knowledge

as all the lessons and learning activities are mostly based on the power of

comprehensive reading; indeed, it is really necessary to read comprehensively.

In addition, reading comprehensively really affects the education of the learners

and their life as a whole. Learning in any lesson depends on understanding of the

learning instrument of that lesson; thus, a learner who cannot read

comprehensively finds it difficult for him or her to be successful in his or her

lessons. Scott (2010), Luckner & Handley (2008) also stated that reading is the
 24

cornerstone of instruction for all learners regardless of their ability level because

it sets the foundation for future progress and success in virtually all other facets

of life.

According to the most recently released results from the National

Assessment of Educational Progress, poor reading comprehension is rampant in

the United States. A basic level of proficiency is defined as having “partial

mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient

work at each grade” (NAEP, 2011). In the US, nearly one in every three fourth-

grade students and one in four eighth-grade students is below even this basic

level. Only about one out of three students score at the proficient or advanced

levels at either grade.

To emphasize, studying reading is synonymous to studying reading

disabilities or problems associated with reading. Despite efforts to have a highly

literate population among children, there has been a rise in the number of cases

of children with reading problems or disabilities. In the United States, many

children exhibit reading difficulties as reported by the National Assessment for

Educational Progress (2005). In the Philippines, the Department of Education

has reported a number of cases of children with learning difficulties. Its impact is

not only limited to poor reading achievement because studies have shown that

poor readers are at significantly greater risk than good readers for developing

attention and behavioral problems (Maughan & Carroll, 2006).

 25

Trinidad (2011) defined reading comprehension as the level of

understanding of writing. Proficient reading depends on the ability to recognize

words quickly and effortlessly. If the word recognition is difficult, students used

too much of their processing capacity to read individual words, which interferes

with their ability to comprehend what was read. Amora (2011) mentioned in her

work that reading comprehension is the ability to understand a written passage or

text. It allows the reader to interact with the text in a meaningful way. She also

added that reading comprehension is the crucial link to effective reading.

Furthermore, she also mentioned an idea from an online source that reading

comprehension is the idea of effective reading.

As what has been stated, comprehension is the essence of reading. It is

an active and intentional thinking in which the meaning is constructed through

interactions between the text and the reader. Reading comprehension is very

important to the development of children’s reading skills and therefore to their

ability to obtain an education (Meneghetti, 2006).

Magno (2012) cited that in some ways the reading rate of an individual

affects comprehension, “Information enters short term memory before it is moved

in long term memory, where the reader store ideas and makes sense of text.

Short-term memory holds only a small amount of information and stays in short-

term memory only for a brief period of time. When the pace of reading is too

slow, the reader does not move information quickly into long-term memory.”

Bernardez (2007) explained that comprehension is the process of

discerning and understanding what the writer or speaker wants to put across to
 26

his readers or listeners by inference or by direct expression. Indeed, reading is

the true backbone of most learning. Moreover, everything starts with the written

word – whether it is Math, Science or even Home Economics. As students go up

educational ladder, more reading is usually required as subjects become denser

and challenging.

Quijano (2007) attributed “reading problems as the main culprit for the

poor performance of some students in the NAT.” Her observation is indeed

alarming. Hence, if a student’s reading comprehension is poor, chances are his

or her performance in other subjects will be compromised (Philippine Star, 2010).

Luistro (2012) stated that it is important to assess the reading capability of

students because reading is the foundation of all academic learning. He added

that if a pupil fails to master basic reading skills at the outset, it will be a constant

struggle for them to get through other disciplines successfully, thus depriving

them of the chance to become literate and productive individuals.

Another idea to be remembered was that reading comprehension is

essential to life. In order to survive and thrive in the world today, individuals must

be able to comprehend basic texts. The ability of the individuals in

comprehending what they read is not only to live safely and productively, but also

to continue to develop socially, emotionally and intellectually. The academic of a

student is profoundly shaped by the ability to understand what is read. Students

who cannot understand what they read are not likely to acquire the skills

necessary to participate in the 21st century workforce (Sweet & Snow, 2006).
 27

The study of Bautista (2016) on Reading Comprehension conducted at

Sirawan Beach Elementary School in Toril, Davao City, Davao del Sur, wherein

she noted that most of the Grade III pupils of Sirawan Beach Elementary School

can read but lack comprehension. Her study is correlated with WH Question

Strategy which is an aid to solve the said problem to the Grade III pupils.

Restauro (2014) conducted a study about reading comprehension. She

found out that that the pupils have moderate level on their reading

comprehension and based on the results, the pupils are not much exposed to

reading activities and not so engage in reading books.

Another study on reading comprehension was that of Tizon, it was found

out that more than the majority of the Grade VI pupils were moderate in their

over-all level of reading comprehension ability. The results of the study further

imply that the knowledge ability of the pupils is great but their critical thinking skill

is low (Tizon, 2010).

Significantly, in the Philippines, a number of teachers confirmed that some

of their pupils have moderate level in reading comprehension. The fact that there

are more than 40 pupils in every classroom and majority of them has reading

materials at their home and living poverty level are enough reasons for their

moderate level in reading (Barret, 2008).

In the long run, when learners read a passage from the book, it is very

helpful to them to refine their cognitive skills. It also enhances their potential to

understand what they are reading and by means of comprehending what they are
 28

reading, they can construct insights with a critical and constructive thinking

because they are using their prior knowledge and their experiences from the real

world. Reading comprehension is when there is an interaction between the

readers and the text. The readers learn from what they are reading, there is an

application of what they have learned from the text and through this application, it

is done by writing their insights from what they have learned and utilizing their

knowledge to develop them as a better individual in the future.

Relationship between Working Memory and Reading Comprehension

Good working memory is vital for academic learning. When reading,

working memory aids the ability to not only remember the meaning of the words

on the page but also how they link to the words, sentences and paragraphs on

the previous passages (Gathercole, 2007). In accordance to the ideas of

Rothlisberger, Neuenschwander, Cimeli & Roebers (2013), working memory has

been identified as an integral part of reading comprehension. They added that

working memory is defined as an executive function responsible for keeping and

updating information in the mind.

Garcia Madruga et al. (2013) also added that working memory is

responsible for managing the process of extracting information from text and

integrating it with prior knowledge which is also called as the background

knowledge. This knowledge is developed through exposure to a variety of books

and as well as through general life experiences as adduced by (Gill, 2008).

 29

In more details, understanding a sentence involves remembering words

within the sentence, retrieving information from preceding text, parsing the

sentence, and other processes that require resources. Working memory, one or

more systems of limited capacity that both store and manipulate information, is a

bottleneck for these processes. The hypothesis that working memory factors are

correlated with individual differences in comprehension has received wide

support (Baddeley, 2009). In addition, the evidence shows it is an active working

memory system rather than a passive short-term memory store that is important

in reading comprehension skill (Seigneuric, Ehrlich, Oakhill, & Yuill, 2005).

In fact, children who are less skilled in reading comprehension show

poorer memory for words they recently heard from spoken discourse (Perfetti &

Goldman, 2014). This interdependence of spoken and written language

comprehension is important in the analysis of reading comprehension problems.

Reading difficulties are one of the greatest obstacles in education.

Children lagging behind in their reading development do not seem to catch up

with their peers (Torgesen, Alexander, Wagner, Rashotte, Voeller, & Conway,

2006) and this may have a long-term negative effect on their future school career

(Savolainen, Ahonen, Aro, Tolvanen, & Holopainen, 2008). Phoneme awareness

and letter knowledge are important predictors of early literacy problems

(Vellutino, Fletcher, Snowling, & Scanlon, 2005).

Furthermore, if poor reading comprehension is at least partly caused by

working memory problems, then training in working memory should improve

 30

reading comprehension. Working memory was traditionally thought to have a

limited capacity unamenable to improvement (Niaz & Logie, 2008). However,

recent studies have yielded positive outcomes from working memory training for

both children (Hooft, Andersson, Sejersen, Bartfai, & von Wendt, 2006) and

adults (Gunther, Schafer, Holzner, and Kemmler, 2006).

Research has established a correlation between working memory and

comprehension (Cain, Oakhill, & Bryant, 2005). In two studies, (Seigneuric,

2005) and his colleagues found working memory to be a direct predictor of

reading comprehension scores among third and fourth graders, although not

significant for first and second graders. Further, a similar result emerged from a

study of 8 to 16 year olds, identifying working memory as a statistically significant

predictor of reading comprehension (Cantor et al., 2012). The findings from

these three studies suggest that as text complexity increases with grade level, a

greater amount of working memory is needed for assimilating longer sentences

with new vocabulary into rapidly changing mental images. Indeed, working

memory seems to play a critical role in reading comprehension across age

groups.

Locally, studies have found that working memory appears to be equally

correlated to both reading comprehension and reading speed. Furthermore,

results from experimental research suggest that working memory is involved in a

broad range of cognitive abilities and particularly, it seems to be a direct predictor

of reading comprehension as explained by (Kane, 2012).

 31

Given these points, the relationship of reading comprehension skill and

working memory of the learners has a great impact on their learning. If they have

a good memory, it will be easier for them to remember and accomplish different

tasks in the school. In reading a passage, it is very important for a learner if he or

she can easily extract information from the text, can read continuously with active

comprehension, and can relate the ideas from his or her prior knowledge. But

when the working memory of this learner cannot function well, it might lead to

slowness in academic progression because of the difficulty in maintaining

information in the brain.

Conceptual Framework

In this study, cognitive theory of Jean Piaget (1986) is linked to the two (2)

variables, wherein the independent variable is the working memory and the

dependent variable is the reading comprehension. This theory involves the

processing and storing information and it attempts to explain human behavior by

understanding thought processes (Fritscher, 2016).

Cognitive theory, with its strong focus on the connection between

language and thinking, places importance on the ability of the readers to make

appropriate choices between contextual cues and the ability to decode and

comprehend read text (Linnenbrink and Pintrich 2006). Thus, cognitive

psychologists have theorized that a balanced approach to the teaching of reading

is one that combines a text-based approach and a discourse meaning approach

 32

in such a way that the processes are interactive and reciprocal (Farris, 2007). For

working memory, it is the theoretical construct that has come to be used in

cognitive psychology to refer to the system or mechanism underlying the

maintenance of task-relevant information during the performance of a cognitive

task (Baddeley 2012). As reflected by the fact that it has been labeled “the hub of

cognition” (Haberlandt, 2005) and proclaimed as “perhaps the most significant

achievement of human mental evolution” (Goldman-Rakic, 2008), it is a central

construct in cognitive psychology and, more recently, cognitive neuroscience.

Based on the related literature of the researcher, the reading

comprehension skill and working memory have a significant relationship, wherein

the reading comprehension skill relies on the working memory. The researcher

conceptualized that a significant relationship exists between the independent

variable which is the working memory and the dependent variable which is the

reading comprehension skill. The arrow indicates the nature of relationship

between the variable which is direct.

Readers must consider the intention of the author as well as their own

background knowledge and experiences that they bring to the text (Pearson and

Raphael 2010). From this theoretical perspective both the reader and the text

play critical roles in the comprehension process. The claim is that the cognitive

processing of the reader to the text information does not enter the consciousness

of the reader from one direction; rather the reader synthesizes the text-based and

prior knowledge information simultaneously (Dreher, 2008).

 33

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Working Memory Reading Comprehension

Figure 1 shows the Conceptual Framework

 34

Hypothesis

There is no significant relationship between working memory and reading

comprehension among Grade VI pupils.

Definition of Terms

Working Memory. Conceptually, this refers to the ability of individuals to

mentally grasp and shape new information within a short time-frame (Gathercole,

2007). Operationally, it refers to the ability of the learners to maintain information

in their minds for a short period of time.

Reading Comprehension. Conceptually, this refers to the ability of the

students to understand and answer questions after reading the selections (De

Corte et al. 2005). Operationally, it refers to the ability of the learners to

understand what they are reading.

 35

Chapter III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research design, respondents of the study,

locale of the study, research instruments, data gathering procedures, and the

statistical treatment for data analysis.

Research Design

This study employed a correlational research design. This is appropriate

because according to Waters (2000), correlation is a resemble design used to

determine the degree of positive or negative relationship of variable to one

another. Thus, this study described the working memory and reading

comprehension of Grade VI pupils. It also determined the significant relationship

between the working memory and reading comprehension.

Respondents

The respondents of the study were one hundred ninety-three (193) Grade

VI pupils who were officially enrolled in Lagao Central Elementary School,

General Santos City during the school year 2017-2018. These respondents were

chosen from the population of three hundred ninety-one (391) using

proportionate random sampling through lottery method. The sample size was

determined using the formula developed by Lynch and others (1972) as cited by

Ardales (2006).
 36

The distributions of the respondents were as follows: from the population

of fifty-one (51) pupils of section Atlas, twenty-five (25) were chosen. From the

population of forty-seven (47) pupils of section Cassiopeia, twenty-three (23)

were chosen. From the population of fifty-one (51) pupils of section Procyon,

twenty-five (25) were chosen. From the population of forty-eight (48) pupils of

section Orion, twenty-four (24) were chosen. From the population of fifty (50)

pupils of section Sirius, twenty-five (25) were chosen. From the population of

forty-eight (48) pupils of section Antares, twenty-four (24) were chosen. From the

population of forty-nine (49) pupils of section Rigel, twenty-four (24) were chosen

and from the population of forty-seven (47) pupils of section Andromeda, twenty-

three (23) were chosen with the total of one hundred ninety-three (193) pupils.

Locale of the Study

This study was conducted in Lagao Central Elementary School, General

Santos City. This school is a public educational institution located at Tiongson

Street, Lagao, General Santos City, South Cotabato.

Furthermore, one teacher said that the level of the reading comprehension

skill of her learners is low. Since the learners were too much exposed to their

various languages which is their mother tongue, the learners were not be able to

enhance English as the second language because of the inadequacy of the

reading materials that are very useful for them to enhance their reading

comprehension.
 37

The total number of Grade VI pupils at present was three hundred ninety-

one (391), the non-readers of boys and girls were zero (0) and the pupils who

had frustration in reading was one hundred ninety-three (193) or forty-nine

percent (49%). Meanwhile, there were one hundred two (102) or twenty-six

(26%) pupils in their instructional reading result and only ninety-six (96) or

twenty-five percent (25%) pupils who can read independently. Thus, this problem

captured the interest of the researcher to conduct her study in this school

(Personal communication, 2018).

38
 39

Figure 3 shows the location of Lagao Central Elementary School

Instrument

The needed data for this study were gathered using a questionnaire on

working memory which the researcher adapted and modified from Usha Patel

(2013). It consisted of fifteen (15) items specifically designed to measure the

working memory level of the pupils. This questionnaire has undergone validation

that obtained .812 which was based on Cronbach’s Alpha reliability statistics, this

means that it has a good internal consistency.

On the other hand, the second instrument used was called Reading

Comprehension Test wherein it was adapted from the thesis of Restauro (2014).

The test was consisted of fifty (50) items; it was designed to measure the level of

the reading comprehension of the pupils. According to Restauro (2014), the

result of the reading comprehension test was reliable enough (0.72) for the

relevant goals of the current study which means that it has an acceptable internal

consistency.

Data Gathering Procedure

Prior to the conduct of the study, the researcher followed the standard

procedure in conducting a survey. She sent a letter and informed her adviser of

the approval of the request.

 40

The researcher asked permission from the school principal of Lagao

Central Elementary School, General Santos City to administer the research in

their school. Upon approval, the researcher coordinated with the principal and

guidance counselor for the administration of the questionnaire.

During the conduct of the study, the researcher first explained the

questionnaires for about five (5) minutes and with the help of the cooperating

teacher. The questions that had been raised by the pupils were answered

properly. The pupils were given two copies of questionnaires, one of which was a

survey questionnaire and the other one was a test questionnaire. She personally

distributed the survey questionnaires with the reading comprehension test to the

pupils.

Finally, the questionnaires were collected. The researcher extended her

thanks to the principal, advisers for their cooperation, time and effort shared

during the conduct of the study and to the pupils. Lastly, the data were tallied,

tabulated, analyzed and interpreted.

Statistical Treatment

The data gathered for this study were treated using frequency distribution

and weighted mean. To determine the working memory capacity of the pupils, a

five-point scale as shown will be used:

Scale Range Description Verbal Interpretation

5 4.50 – 5.00 Always Very High Level

4 3.50 – 4.49 Often High Level

 41

3 2.50 – 3.49 Sometimes Moderate Level

2 1.50 – 2.49 Rarely Low Level

1 1.00 – 1.49 Never Very Low Level

On the other hand, to describe the reading comprehension of the pupils an

Ebel’s criteria of mastery as shown below were used:

Mean Ebel‘s Description

86-100 86-100% Very High Level
71-85 71-85% High Level
40-70 40-70% Moderate Level
15-39 15-39% Low Level
0-14 0-14% Very Low Level

To determine the significant relationship between the working memory and

reading comprehension, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient was

used. The hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance.

 42

Chapter IV

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter deals with the presentation, analysis and interpretation of the

gathered data for this study. The various results are presented in the following

tables with corresponding discussions and explanations. It also answers specific

problems stated in the previous chapter.

Table 1
The Level of Working Memory of Grade VI Pupils
Indicators Mean Description

1. I can focus well when working on or doing something that is highly 3.79 Often
interesting.
2. In a conversation with other peers, I can wait for my turn to speak in order to 4.09 Often
avoid interruption.
3. I can easily understand texts I have read from the books. 3.97 Often
4. I can easily hold information in my mind. 3.53 Often
5. I can recite my ideas well through my own words after reading an English 3.37 Sometimes
topic from a book.
6. I can complete multiple step tasks. 3.46 Sometimes
7. I can easily remember long instructions given in several steps. 3.24 Sometimes
8. I can easily understand the context of a story or of a conversation. 3.76 Often
9. I can plan and organize something that needs to be done in separate steps. 3.80 Often
10. I can create my own ideas with the use of my previous knowledge. 3.89 Often
11. I can easily learn new information without my previous knowledge. 2.91 Sometimes
12. I can remember what I am going to say when I am called on. 3.67 Often
13. I can take note and listen to my teacher at the same time while he or she is 3.54 Often
discussing a lesson.
14. I can make my own conclusions after reading a selection from the book. 3.32 Sometimes
15. I can remember my teacher’s discussions about our lesson and can 3.47 Sometimes
participate well in our activities.
Overall Mean 3.59 Often
 43

n=193

The table 1 presents the working memory of Grade VI pupils.

The data show that the pupils often find that in a conversation with other

peers, they can wait for their turn to speak in order to avoid interruption (M=4.09);

can easily understand texts they have read from the books (M=3.97); and can

create their own ideas with the use of their previous knowledge (M=3.89). This

means that these pupils are conceptual learners and at the same time practical

learners. As a matter of fact, pupils who are conceptual and also practical are the

kind of learners who used their learning or knowledge to take actions in different

situations specifically in the classroom activities; furthermore, they are likely to

take a practical approach (McLeod, 2017).

On the other hand, the pupils sometimes find that they can easily learn

new information without their previous knowledge (M=2.91); can easily remember

long instructions given in several steps (M=3.24); and can make their own

conclusions after reading a selection from the book (M=3.32). This indicates that

the pupils slack a bit in such demanding cognitive activities that are usually done

inside the classroom.

As stated by Morin (2013), children with weak working memory skills have

difficulty grabbing and holding on to that incoming information without their

background knowledge. Furthermore, recent studies of instruction-guided

behavior have recognized that failures in this ability may contribute to broader
 44

academic difficulties encountered by children with poor working memory (Allen,

2014). Poor working memory will be also a hindrance in cognitive efficiency,

learning, and academic performance (Baddeley, 2012).

Overall, the working memory of pupils generated a mean of 3.59,

described as often. This implies that the pupils have high level of working

memory.

In accordance to the ideas of Alloway (2006), working memory functions

as a mental workspace that can be flexibly used to support everyday cognitive

activities that require both processing and storage. In addition, a study of

Kronenberger & Geers (2010) has the result that revealed high level of working

memory of pupils. The findings revealed the importance of working memory in

everyone's daily life in academic, professional, and social settings.

Table 2
The Level of Reading Comprehension of Grade VI Pupils

Indicators f % Description
86-100 10 5 Very High Level
71-85 27 14 High Level
40-70 120 62 Moderate Level
15-39 36 19 Low Level
0-14 0 0 Very Low Level
193 100
Overall Mean 55 Moderate Level
n=193

The table 2 presents the reading comprehension of Grade VI

pupils.
 45

The results show that sixty-two percent (62%) of the pupils are in

moderate level of reading comprehension; nineteen percent (19%) of the pupils

are in low level of reading comprehension; fourteen percent (14%) of the pupils

are in high level of reading comprehension; five percent (5%) of the pupils are in

very high level of reading comprehension; and nobody (0%) is in very low level

of reading comprehension.

As shown, sixty-two percent (62%) of the pupils are in average level of

reading comprehension. The results are similar to the study of Tizon (2010)

wherein the pupils were moderate in reading comprehension because they were

not really applying their critical thinking skill in reading. On the other hand,

nineteen percent (19%) of the pupils are in low level of reading comprehension.

Bernardez (2009) has a study wherein the pupils are in low level; this is because

they lack the ability to create new ideas and to use what they have

comprehended from the text.

Next, fourteen percent (14%) of the pupils are in high level of reading

comprehension. The result is the same to the idea of Ozdemir (2009) wherein he

stated that learners who can read comprehensively can be successful in all their

lessons. Then, five percent (5%) of the pupils are in very high level of reading

comprehension. This finding is similar to Redondo (2005), who find out that

majority of the pupils are in moderate level, the result implies that the pupils has

the ability to really do well in questions asked wherein the pupils can give

implications and judgments on some implicitly stated ideas.

 46

Lastly, nobody (0%) is in very low level of reading comprehension. Ono

(2004) emphasized in his study that reading has the potential to help English

language learners become better readers and make improvements in other

aspects of their English skills.

Overall, the level of reading comprehension of the pupils obtained a mean

of 55 which is described as average level. This implies that the pupils have

average level of reading comprehension. It means that the pupils need more

practice in improving their reading comprehension and exposure on reading

materials that will enhance their thinking and comprehension skill.

The result of the study is aligned to the study conducted by Restauro

(2014) that the pupils were moderate in their overall level of reading

comprehension. It explained that the pupils are not really exposed to reading

activities and are not interested in reading books. However, the knowledge ability

of the pupils is great but their critical thinking skill is low. The fact that there are

more than forty pupils in every classroom and majority of them has reading

materials at their home and living poverty level are enough reasons for their

moderate level in reading.

Table 3

The Relationship between Working Memory and Reading Comprehension

of Grade VI Pupils

Variables Extent of
r r² p value Remarks
Correlated Relationship
 47

Working Memory
Slight
and Reading 0.361 0.130 0.000 Significant
relationship
Comprehension
n=193

Table 3 presents the relationship between Working Memory and Reading

Comprehension of pupils.

The data show that there is a slight relationship between the said

variables having a remark of significant with the computed r-value of 0.361 and

p-value of 0.000. This implies that the working memory influenced the reading

comprehension of Grade VI pupils.

In connection to this, research has established a correlation between

working memory and comprehension (Cain, Oakhill, & Bryant, 2005). In two

studies, (Seigneuric, 2005) and his colleagues found working memory to be a

direct predictor of reading comprehension (Cantor et al., 2012). In addition, good

working memory is vital for academic learning. When reading, working memory

aids the ability to not only remember the meaning of the words on the page but

also how they link to the words, sentences and paragraphs on the previous

passages (Gathercole, 2007).

 48

Chapter V

SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter discusses the summary, findings, conclusions and

recommendations made for this study.

Summary

This study aimed to find out the relationship between working memory

and reading comprehension of Grade VI pupils. Specifically, the researcher

sought answers to the following questions:

1. What is the level of the working memory of the pupils?

2. What is the level of the reading comprehension of the pupils?

3. Is there a significant relationship between working memory and

reading comprehension of pupils?

This study employed correlational research design. It involved one

hundred ninety-three (193) Grade VI pupils of Lagao Central Elementary School,

General Santos City during school year 2017-2018. The respondents were

chosen from the population of three hundred ninety-one (391) using

proportionate random sampling through lottery method. The sample size was

determined using the formula developed by Lynch. Adapted questionnaires were

used to gather the needed data. They were analyzed using frequency count,

weighted mean, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient.

 49

Findings

Based on the analysis of the gathered data of this study, the following

were the findings:

1. The pupils find that in a conversation with other peers, they can wait

for their turn to speak in order to avoid interruption (M=4.09) and can

easily understand texts they have read from the books (M=3.97). This

means that these pupils are conceptual learners and at the same time

practical learners. On the other hand, the pupils find that they can

easily learn new information without their previous knowledge (M=2.91)

and can easily remember long instructions given in several steps

(M=3.24). This indicates that the pupils slack a bit in such demanding

cognitive activities that are usually done inside the classroom. Overall,

the working memory generated a mean of 3.59 which is described as

often.

2. Sixty-two percent (62%) of the pupils are in moderate level of reading

comprehension, nineteen percent (19%) of the pupils are in low level

of reading comprehension, and fourteen percent (14%) of the pupils

are in high level of reading comprehension.

3. There is a significant relationship between working memory and

reading comprehension as supported by the r value of 0.361 with a p-

value of 0.000.
 50

Conclusions

Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions were made:

1. The Grade VI pupils have high level of working memory.

2. The Grade VI pupils have average level of reading comprehension.

3. The working memory does contribute to the reading comprehension of

Grade VI pupils.

Recommendations

On the basis of the result of this study, the following recommendations

were offered:

1. The school administrators may implement a full-blown reading program

inside the school in order to deal with reading inadequacies.

2. The teachers may think of interesting activities that are more meaningful

and authentic to the learners such as reading tutorials to enrich their

reading comprehension.

3. Replication of the study on similar field through exploring other factors

such as the school may endeavor to have seminars for teachers which

may contribute in developing the reading comprehension of the pupils.

 51

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