International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications

ISSN (Online): 2581-6187

Revisiting Filipino Pupils’ Reading Ability Post-

Abstract— Reading is one of a person's most important skills. It is comprehension. When reading, a variety of cognitive
the world's window. Reading abilities are among the most severely processes are used to help with comprehension. A child with
impacted by the pandemic. As a result, this research was carried out. strong vocabulary skills can read well, just like one with
This quantitative study employed a descriptive method in analyzing strong grammar skills. Unfortunately, because they struggle
the data gathered. This study involved 79 pupils enrolled in Grades 1
to 3 in a public elementary school. It was found that pupils in lower
with reading, kids avoid reading a lot. Refusing to read has a
elementary grades have low reading levels – Non-reader and number of consequences since reading affects vocabulary
Frustration levels. Meanwhile, the parent’s highest educational development. As a result, vocabulary expansion is also
attainment has some implications for their children’s reading reduced when reading is not a habit or a strong activity. Kids
abilities. In contrast, parents’ employment status could not be need a wide vocabulary to understand what they read because
associated with pupils’ reading levels. they continually interpret words to give them meaning while
reading.
Keywords— Literacy, Pupils, Reading ability and levels, The results of the Adult Skills Survey demonstrated the
Remediation program. importance of literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving
I. INTRODUCTION abilities for workers in the twenty-first century. Making
sophisticated inferences and analyzing textual assertions and
Reading is essential for achievement in the many diverse arguments are skills that pay better than others. Workers with
socioeconomic industries. Reading is a crucial literacy skill less literacy, meanwhile, are more likely to be out of a job
that everyone should have. Meanwhile, reading (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
comprehension and fluency are highly valued skills essential [OECD], 2013). This shows that reading literacy has become
for social and economic progress. Even though many kids pick crucial for successfully engaging in life and the workplace.
up reading very fast, many youngsters still struggle with Reading literacy is crucial for workers and enhancing a
reading. nation's competitiveness and cultural soft power. It also
As Cimmiyotti (2013) have discussed, reading is the barometer a nation's social civilization and total national
foundation of all academic learning. He provided evidence for power (Luo et al., 2016).
his assertion by saying that children who cannot read fluently The implementation of the K–12 Basic Education Program
and thoroughly cannot benefit from the resources offered by is tied to the significance of raising students' competitive
the school and can barely obtain the material on their own. reading skills. The Department of Education's (DepEd) actions
Access to knowledge in all disciplines covered by the school and initiatives to improve the reading skills of Filipino
curriculum is made possible by reading, a cognitive activity. learners by using planned reading and writing activities to
Recognizing and accurately interpreting words in context, teach them and create independent readers and writers were
understanding sentences of any complexity, and understanding clearly outlined in the Department's Memorandum No. 4,
the major points and importance of what is read are all series of 2004, and Administrative Order No. 324.
required skills when reading. This proficiency entails silently Correspondingly, the nation's public schools must then create
reading for key concepts and details at all cognitive levels and graduates who are well-prepared for a variety of difficulties,
translating, interpreting, and extrapolating (Federal Republic according to then President Aquino's ten-point education plan,
of Nigeria [FRN], 2007). which also incorporates ECARP. In order to support the
Meanwhile, several factors have been primarily connected efficacy of instruction and reading skills, the appropriate
to learners' academic progress. Most students handle their evaluation methodologies have been reinforced to evaluate the
academic workload daily, although this is often due to poor actual status of students' reading proficiency. One such
reading comprehension and inadequate study habits. There are assessment tool is the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory
many meanings associated with reading, but it's important to (Phil-IRI). Assessing learners' reading proficiency through
keep in mind that reading extends beyond spoken word recognition and reading comprehension in English and
communication. Reading must convey the core or fundamental Filipino by gathering students' scores on word recognition
meaning to the decoder (Iheakanwa, Obro, and Akpochafo, accuracy and comprehension questions based on a set of
2021). Additionally, the research by Sanford (2015) uncovered reading level criteria (Department of Education, 2018; Aquino
a number of significant traits that impair students' reading & De Vera, 2018).

54

Jeselle Ann B. Roque, Mercy N. Pascua, Mark G. Javillonar, and Manuel B. Cruzat, “Revisiting Filipino Pupils’ Reading Ability Post-
Pandemic: Basis for a Remediation Program,” International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications (IJMRAP), Volume 5,
Issue 8, pp. 54-58, 2023.
 International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications
ISSN (Online): 2581-6187

Despite such efforts, the Philippines still scored 340 in Gillaco, 2014). Reading is, therefore, necessary for someone
Reading on the 2018 Programme for International Student to fully comprehend what is happening in his or her world.
Assessment (PISA) of the Organization for Economic Co- Reading literacy is viewed as a foundation for full
operation and Development (OECD), which is below the participation in contemporary society by PISA 2018, which
average of participating OECD nations (DepEd, 2019). In the calls for students to incorporate and apply textual information
Philippines, UNICEF found that among the 122 nations, with prior knowledge. In the same way, reading literacy is
schools have been closed to in-person instruction for the defined by PISA 2018 as "understanding, evaluating,
longest period of time. As a result, less than 15% of students, reflecting on, and engaging with texts in order to achieve one's
or roughly three in every 20, can read simple texts (De Vera, goals, develop one's knowledge and potential, and participate
2022). in society." According to the description provided above,
This led the researchers to look into the reading skills of reading literacy is no longer a skill that is only learned during
pupils in Upper Lapu-Lapu Elementary School in Narra del the formative years of education, but rather an evolving skill
Norte District, Palawan, Philippines post-pandemic, in order and technique that places more emphasis on the use and
to create a remediation plan that could be put into place to acquisition of knowledge than on its collection and retention
address the newly emergent issue connected to learners' (OECD, 2019).
reading skills. A program designed to make every Filipino learner a
reader and writer has been put into place in the Philippines by
II. RESEARCH QUESTIONS the education bureau. The K-12 Basic Education Program, or
This study assessed Grades 1 to 3 pupils' reading abilities the Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum, directly supports
in Upper Lapu-Lapu Elementary School in Narra del Norte the aforementioned goal by emphasizing the development of
District, Palawan, Philippines, and what affects their reading competitive reading skills among Filipino students. The
abilities. Answers to the questions below were sought. introduction of the Department of Education's "Every Child a
1. What describes the pupils in terms of: Reader Program (ECARP)," which offers students in public
1.1. Sex; schools structured reading and writing instruction that helps
1.2. Grade level; students become independent readers and writers,
1.3. Parents’ highest educational attainment; and demonstrated the Department's commitment to raising literacy
1.4. Parents’ employment status? levels (Aquino & De Vera, 2018; DepEd, 2018; Marual-
2. What are the pupils’ reading levels when grouped Gillaco, 2014).
according to their sex, grade level, and parents’ highest The Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI),
educational attainment and employment status? which directly addresses the Department's objective of making
3. What factors affect pupils’ reading abilities, as perceived every Filipino kid a reader, was implemented with help from
by the parents? the Department of Education. The informal reading inventory
known as the Phil-IRI uses graded passages "to measure an
III. LITERATURE REVIEW individual student's performance in oral reading, silent
Everyone is concerned about the apparent loss in students' reading, and listening comprehension" to ascertain the
literacy abilities, particularly their reading abilities. The student's degrees of independence, instruction, and frustration.
situation in question causes teachers the most concern, and The Phil-IRI measures students' abilities and overall reading
they are constantly looking for viable solutions. According to performance, and the information obtained through it "may be
Gurley (2011), reading is a difficult ability that requires the utilized to develop or adapt classroom, small group, or
coordination of language processing and eye movement individualized instruction to fit the needs and abilities of the
systems. Although other processes influence it, recognizing students." As a result, it must be used in conjunction with
words is what propels the gaze through text. other trustworthy and validated reading assessment methods
Every person's life depends on reading. Reading is used (DepEd, 2018).
everywhere, and it is believed that a person's life can be A strong reading comprehension would imply
improved by their literacy level because it is closely tied to understanding the author's points of view and his intended
their working life. Reading is regarded as being important. message. However, a person's capacity for reading and
Reading is supposedly the real foundation of most learning. decoding the meaning of the words he reads is influenced by
No of the issue, everything begins with the written word. various circumstances. Various circumstances can influence
More reading is typically necessary as students move up the the capacity of a learner to read.
educational ladder since the courses get harder and more A study found that the readers' background, classroom
complex (Philippine Star, 2010). tasks, and strategies are among the major factors influencing
Because it is often held in society that a person who cannot reading. Other factors such as "motivation, learning style, age,
read is illiterate, reading combats ignorance and sex, cognitive style, intelligence, aptitude, personality, sex,
discrimination. As a result, reading is a learning method that attitude, nationality, learning beliefs, classroom setting,
communicates social rank, hierarchy, and level of schooling teaching methods, and tasks" also affect one’s reading abilities
(Barredo, Viray & Galimba, 2022). Reading is considered (Yang, 2016). Similarly, gender, age, word recognition skills,
crucial to a person's total growth, and the ability to read and and reading habits indicates one’s reading levels (Duncan et
write is frequently seen as a sign of education (Marual- al., 2016).

55

Jeselle Ann B. Roque, Mercy N. Pascua, Mark G. Javillonar, and Manuel B. Cruzat, “Revisiting Filipino Pupils’ Reading Ability Post-
Pandemic: Basis for a Remediation Program,” International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications (IJMRAP), Volume 5,
Issue 8, pp. 54-58, 2023.
 International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications
ISSN (Online): 2581-6187

Furthermore, reading strategy has greatly impacted pupils' High School level (f = 17). The small number of parents who
ability to comprehend what they read. Students might could not finish (f = 8) and graduated only in elementary
comprehend the primary idea of a piece, clarify strange words education (f = 6) indicates that they value education. Still,
or sentences, and cut down on their reading time by using finishing college education is not so popular with the pupils’
reading methods. When reading texts, readers can overcome parents as only 5 or 6% graduated from tertiary education.
obstacles using strategies (Ahmadi & Pourhossein Gilakjani, As for the parents’ employment status, a very large
2012). Reading techniques must be practiced to improve number of parents are self-employed, with a frequency count
pupils' reading comprehension and overcome reading-related of 72 or 91%, while contractual (f = 4) and regular (f = 3)
issues and challenges. combined only comprise 9%. Parents, in general, are not
employed by any private or public institutions as they consider
IV. METHODOLOGY themselves self-employed.
This study’s design was Quantitative Design, using a
B. Pupils’ Reading Levels
Descriptive method to determine the pupils’ profiles, reading
levels, and the factors affecting their reading abilities. The The pupils’ reading levels, as classified using the DepEd’s
samples include all the grades 1 to 3 pupils enrolled in the Phil-IRI to be “non-reader, frustration, instructional, and
School Year 2022-2023. As for the instrument used to identify independent,” is presented in the following Tables.
the pupils’ reading level, passages from DepEd’s Phil-IRI Looking at the presented data in Table II, Grade 1 pupils
were adopted and utilized. Frequency count, percentages, and have a relatively high number of “non-readers” with a
rank were employed in treating and analyzing this study’s frequency of 24 or 77%. As for the reading levels of Grade 2
data. pupils, there was only 1 pupil who is a non-reader, but there
are 18, or 63%, and 10, or 34%, who are still under the
V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS frustration and instructional levels, respectively. It is noted
A. Pupils’ Description that there was no independent reader from Grade 2. While
Table I presents the pupils’ profiles or descriptions in there were zero non-readers from Grade 3, there were still 6,
terms of grade level, sex, and their parents’ highest or 32%, who were at the frustration level and 8, or 43%, who
educational attainment and occupational status. As presented, were at the instructional level.
the 79 sample pupils were composed of learners who are TABLE II. Pupils’ Reading Level When Grouped According to Grade
enrolled at grades 1 (f = 31), 2 (f = 29), and 3 (f = 19) levels. Level
In terms of sex, the number of male pupils is greater than Reading levels
Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3
females, with a frequency count of 48 or 61% of the total f % f % f %
samples. Non-Reader 24 77% 1 3% 0 0%
Frustration 4 13% 18 62% 6 32%
Instructional 2 6% 10 34% 8 42%
TABLE I. Pupils’ Grade Level and Sex, and their Parents’ Educational
Independent 1 3% 0 0% 5 26%
Attainment and Occupational Status
Total 31 100% 29 100% 19 100%
Grade Level Frequency count Percentage
Grade 1 31 39.2%
Grade 2 29 36.7% Table III presents the pupils’ reading levels when grouped
Grade 3 19 24.1% according to their sex. While there are more male non-readers
Total 79 100% (f = 17; % = 35.4%) than females (f = 8; % = 25.8%), male
Sex Frequency count Percentage independent readers (f = 4; % = 8.3%), is also greater than the
Male 48 61% females (f = 2; % = 6.5%). The results in the Table below
Female 31 39%
Total 79 100%
imply that both male and female pupils got low reading levels.
Parents' Highest Educational Frequency count Percentage
TABLE III. Pupils’ Reading Level When Grouped According to Sex
Attainment
Male Female
Elementary level 8 10% Reading Level
f % f %
Elementary graduate 6 8%
Non-Reader 17 35.4% 8 25.8%
High School level 17 22%
Frustration 16 33.3% 12 38.7%
High School graduate 25 32%
Instructional 11 22.9% 9 29.0%
College level 18 23%
Independent 4 8.3% 2 6.5%
College graduate 5 6%
Total 48 100% 31 100%
Total 79 100%
Parents' Employment Status Frequency count Percentage
Contractual 4 5% The pupils’ reading level when grouped according to their
Regular 3 4% parents’ highest educational attainment is shown in Table IV.
Self-employed 72 91% It can be noted that non-reader pupils are children of parents
Total 79 100% who are only elementary level (f = 5; % = 62.5) and
elementary graduates (f = 4; % = 66.7). On the other hand,
The parents’ educational attainment and employment there were independent readers from pupils whose parents’
status were also taken and presented in Table I, where the highest educational attainment is High School Level (f = 2; %
majority of the pupils’ parents have graduated High School (f = 11.8), college-level (f = 3; % = 16.7), and college graduate (f
= 25), reached but were unable to finish college (f = 18), and = 1; % = 20.0).

56

Jeselle Ann B. Roque, Mercy N. Pascua, Mark G. Javillonar, and Manuel B. Cruzat, “Revisiting Filipino Pupils’ Reading Ability Post-
Pandemic: Basis for a Remediation Program,” International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications (IJMRAP), Volume 5,
Issue 8, pp. 54-58, 2023.
 International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications
ISSN (Online): 2581-6187

TABLE IV. Pupils’ Reading Level When Grouped According to Parents’ Highest Educational Attainment
Elementary Level Elementary Graduate High School Level High School Graduate College Level College Graduate
Reading Level
f % f % f % f % f % f %
Non-Reader 5 62.5 4 66.7 5 29.4 8 32.0 3 16.7
Frustration 1 12.5 2 33.3 7 41.2 11 44.0 6 33.3 1 20.0
Instructional 2 25.0 3 17.6 6 24.0 6 33.3 3 60.0
Independent 2 11.8 3 16.7 1 20.0
Total 8 100 6 100 17 100 25 100 18 100 5 100

The reading level of pupils, when grouped according to 1. Pupils in lower grades, specifically Grades 1 and 2, have a
their parent’s employment status, was revealed in Table V. problem with reading ability as most fall under non-reader and
The three pupils whose parents are in regular employment frustration levels. With this, the school must devise a reading
status were reported to be under the instructional level of program intended for early primary-grade pupils to ensure the
reading, while those whose parents are in contractual status early development of reading abilities.
were classified as a non-reader (f = 1; % = 25.0), Frustration (f 2. The parents’ educational attainment has implications for
= 2; % = 50.0), and Instructional (f = 1; % = 25.0). As for their child’s reading abilities, as pupils who are non-readers
those whose parents are self-employed, 24, or 33.3%, were were children of parents who are elementary or high school
non-readers, 26, or 36.1%, were under the Frustration level, graduates only. Thus, parents’ and teachers’ collaborations
16, or 22.2%, were under the Instructional level, and only 6, or must be enhanced to improve pupils’ reading levels.
8.3%, were independent readers. The results imply that the 3. As indicated in the findings, parents’ employment status
parents’ employment status cannot be implicated in their cannot be implicated with the pupils’ reading abilities.
children's reading levels.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
TABLE V. Pupils’ Reading Level When Grouped According to This study would not be possible without the divine
Parents' Employment Status
intervention of the Lord Almighty, who gave the researchers
Reading Contractual Regular Self-Employed
Level f % f % f % the courage to start and the knowledge to finish this study. The
Non-Reader 1 25.0 24 33.3 untiring support of the parents who participated in this study
Frustration 2 50.0 26 36.1 and the unending love and encouragement of the researchers'
Instructional 1 25.0 3 100.0 16 22.2 loved ones are likewise acknowledged.
Independent 6 8.3
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Jeselle Ann B. Roque, Mercy N. Pascua, Mark G. Javillonar, and Manuel B. Cruzat, “Revisiting Filipino Pupils’ Reading Ability Post-
Pandemic: Basis for a Remediation Program,” International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications (IJMRAP), Volume 5,
Issue 8, pp. 54-58, 2023.
 International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications
ISSN (Online): 2581-6187

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58

Jeselle Ann B. Roque, Mercy N. Pascua, Mark G. Javillonar, and Manuel B. Cruzat, “Revisiting Filipino Pupils’ Reading Ability Post-
Pandemic: Basis for a Remediation Program,” International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Publications (IJMRAP), Volume 5,
Issue 8, pp. 54-58, 2023.