FACTORS AFFECTING THE READING COMPREHENSION OF GRADE 7 IN KALINGA COLLEGES SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY

CHAPTER 1:

THE PROBLEM

This chapter consists of problem and its background, scope and the delimitation, significance of the
study and definition of terms. This chapter will provide an introduction or background about this
research.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The world is a place where the people need to be more competitive. A people need to be a
knowledgeable to understand anything just like in reading. Reading is one of the most fundamental skills
needed to learn of young children most especially if they reach the first level of education. In the daily
life of every people, they always read for some purposes even if it’s just to scan only or skim.

Base on the research conducted by NICHHD, they identify in 34,000 children from the United
States that 20% of them did not know how to comprehend what they read (National Center of
Educational Statistics, 2009). In the beginning, the researchers’ observed that some of the students in
grade 7 Junior High School in Kalinga Colleges Science and Technology that they cannot understand
what they have read. Some of the teachers notice that and they are alarming for this problem.
Secondary students who are non-proficient readers are unable to read the core curriculum thereby
interfering with content knowledge acquisition. Lack of content knowledge transcend the classroom and
negatively impact standardized test scores of both state standards and high school exit exams
(Fritschmann, Deshler and Schumaker,2007). The students who did not know how to comprehend will
possibly get a low score in their exams. At the same time students fail to use reading comprehension
(Jitendra and Gajria,2011).

As they comprehend their readings, they cannot use their ways on how to understand the
message of that text that’s why it become more difficult to comprehend. Comprehension has also been
shown to improve when students have an expansive understanding of words-both functional and
content-area vocabulary (Kamil, et al.,2008, Kintsch and Mangalath, 2011). The researchers’ simply
stated that a student will also improve their comprehension if they always read books, dictionary,
encyclopedia, etc. as part of their learnings because it can help them to understand the content of the
story. In addition, research indicates that students need multiple exposure to words before they are able
to understand what they mean (Ebbers and Denton, 2008). That’s why they need to have a broader
vocabulary to better understand what they read because some of the text have a deeper words
encountered and it became more difficult to understand.

Expressed that reading has key role in completing all university courses. Although EFL learners
are proficient in their language, they usually have a lot of problems in comprehending texts. Thus, it can
be stated that there are some factors that impact learners’ reading comprehension process (Kim and
Anderson, 2011; Salehi, Lari, and Rezanejad, 2014). In education, a student from elementary can be able
to read but not to comprehend because they are yet practicing their reading skills but when they step u

p the higher level of education which is the high school, they should be more competitive when it comes
to reading skills. Since grade 7 is the participants of this study, they are needed to have a deep
knowledge about their reading comprehension but the researchers find out that some of them do not
know how to understand what they read. Most especially if they step up to college universities, they
needed to be more competitive because that is the highest level of education whatever the courses they
get. Moreover, according to their research, there are some factors why they always have mistaken in
their reading comprehension skills.
 Reading comprehension is a complex process that involves components, processes and factors
with the aim of finding better ways of improving it among learners. He continued that reading
comprehension is an interactive process of finding meanings from a text (Meniado, 2016; Remulhart ,
1981 ). It says that reading comprehension have a various part wherein it has components, procedures
and a factors in improving this skill. They continued also that this skill is a process where in the readers
will find a meaning from those texts.

Reading is one of the great and satisfying pleasures of human beings. These person who reads
well is an individual thinks well. He wins the respect and good opinion of others (Serrano, 1994). That is
what some old says that a person who knows how to read can be fulfilled the whole world. They can
understand anything if they know how to read. He can gain a lot of respect and praises from others
because the researchers find out that everyone who can read can conquer the whole world and it is
needed by some students. Reading underlies all teaching in school and has the most persuasive
influence in the student success in school and adjustment in leaving (Trailer, 1984). A person needed to
know first how to read before they go to school that’s why some books said that education starts first in
home wherein the parents should be the one must teach their children. In school, the teachers should
be the one who will continue the journey of the children in reading.

English is the universal language and it needed to master by different people in different
countries in order to connect to other nation. That is why it to a young. They need to master English as
part of their language but it will be gain by simply relying to what they read. Although Filipino have a
language of Filipinos they need to adopt English for academic purposes.

Pressley (2000) and Birsch (2011) defined reading comprehension as the ability to get meaning
from what is read. Reading comprehension needs different reading comprehension needs different
reading skills such as word recognition, fluency, lexical knowledge, and pre-existing knowledge to be
undertaken quickly so that the reader gets knowledge from text. According to what they said, it define
as the reading comprehension on how the readers understand the story. In making a reading
comprehension, there are lots of reading skills to be undertaken by the readers such as word
recognition, there fluency in English, lexical knowledge, etc. According to block (2004) and Graves, Juel,
and Graves (1998), reading comprehension is a complicated process in which readers have an important
role in making meaning from the text through applying existing skills. In reading there is a reader who
read a certain text. They trying to comprehend what is all about and give an even brief analysis or
critique to the text. It is somehow that there will be arises a difficulties in grade 7 because they do not
know how to apply their skills from their elementary when they are now in grade 7. It means that it can
affect their skills because of their vocabulary and fluency in English even in a simple word, they cannot
understand it no matter how the teachers tries many times to understand it to them.

Conceptual Framework

According to the PASS or also called as planning, attention, simultaneous and successive processing
theory Made by J.P Das, he has contributed a lot of numerous texts in the field of reading, has informed
and shape our understanding about the cognitive process that are involved in reading development and
reading disabilities. The components of PASS theory have been explicitly lined to reading, decoding and
fluency, as well as to visual or orthographic processing, but less often to reading comprehension. It
means that it’s not only to the surroundings originated the problem but also to their mental. According
to Hollowell (2013), poor reading comprehension skill may be related to the medical difficulty does not
get addressed until the child is older. It may be come from the poor cognitive ability of a student that’s
why they cannot easily comprehend the text. The theory states that there is a problem in the cognitive
skills of the students most especially in reading process. Even though intelligence when assessed with
traditionsl IQ tests only weekly relates to reading achievement, intelligence when assessed in terms of
cognitive processes relate strongly to reading achievement (Georgiou and Das, 2012: Naglieri And
Reardon, 1993). It means that when the intelligence fits in the traditional IQ test, the result of it will
weakly relate to the reading achievements of the students but if the intelligence fit with the cognitive
process like trheir vocabulary and fluency then, it will relatedly strong to the reading achievement or
reading development. (Retrived from www.researchgate.net/publication/303215875-reading -com
prehension-and-PASS-theory.jenuary 30, 2020)

Another theory being propose in which they are considering the basic factors affecting the reading
comprehension of a students. The CI model proposed by KIntsh and Van Dijik about the text
comprehension in 1978, later expanded in 1983. It is a cognitive processing model that thoroughly
describes how readers comprehend, and is one of the most highly cited comprehension models
(Deshler, Hock, and Catts, 2006). Since it is not totally a well-accepted but have some basis because it is
being studied by the cognitive psychologies in which they are study the analysis. It is being objective
because they have statistical model to propose the measure and rank order factor thoughts as addition
in reading comprehension.

Integrated level1
Situation

Model Created

Conceptual Level 1

Macrostructure
Gist/themes

Semantic level-about
ideas conveyed

Proposition

Format

Prior
Linguistic level
Working Memory Knowledge
Microstructure
Schema

Activation

Text

Based to the figure proposed in the theory, it has divided into three sets of operation. The first
operation is linguistic level in which the students begins scanning how many are the pages of the text.
They will search for the basic information of the text which is the characters, settings, etc. and also the
title. Their memory will begin to process about what they read and what will be the next scene in the
story. After of reading, they will compare it and give a prior knowledge about it. Second operation is all
about the idea being made about the story in which after comprehending a text, they will find the main
idea or the themes of that literature. They will formed a mental representation demonstrate the idea
they are being conveyed from the story. Lastly, the integration level, they will make simulation or
situation to create a model to illustrate those ideas being decode by the students. (Retrieved from
https://repository.usfca./edu/diss/125. January 31, 2020). According to the study of “the reading
comprehension level of grade 7 students of Andarayan Natioanal High School: A basis for reading
program” made by Jeff D. Agbisit (2017), reading is one of the fundamental R, S of Man’s life. As a basic
tool for education, serious attention should be given to it. Reading is the fundamental skill that needed
by the people that is why the reading comprehension is the most serious problem nowadays. Learning
to read and comprehend English is of great importance in the philipines because English is the language
of the government. The educated citizens must know how to read signs, ballots, documents, letters and
business forms in English. The educated citizens depend to great extent on his ability to read English to
learn new happenings, current trends and development not only in the Philipines but throughout the
world especially in nation’s objective for global competitiveness. In the concept of the Philipines, the
voters must know how to read before they sign the ballot. English is the universal language that’s why
they say that it is the language of the government. Every country have their own languages and English
is the only one that can unified every country in order to enhance also the competencies of the people
in globally competitive. (Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/35017359/_THE_READING_COMPREHENSION_LEVEL_OF_GRADE_7_STUDE
NTS_OF_ANDARAYAN_In_Partial_Fulfillment_of_the_requirements_for_Advance_Research_Doctor_of_
Philosopy_rhetoric_and_Lingustics_THE_PROBLEM_AND_REVIEW_RELATED_LITERATURE_
Background_of _the_Study. January 30 2020).

According to the study entitled “reading comprehension levels in English among grad 7 7 students in
Caraga State University, Philipines” made by Petervi A. Paz, there is a degree of deficiency to be provide
to the students in terms of materials at home for reading improvements. Based on the result of their
survey, females have the higher percentage of education. It means that in the parents nowadays, female
can be able to attain an education attainment. In terms of the parent’s monthly income, it leads to
certain reasons that some of the families in the country have insufficient income that cannot support
their child in terms of materials for reading improvements. The result of their survey that some of the
students cannot understand what is being asked in the written texts. Moreover, their study result to
there are reading factors which require slight assistance. The following factors are the availability of
reading materials at home and the reading habit. It means that it must be supported by the appropriate
and healthy reading materials in which they can read to enhance more their skills. Another one is
comprehensive monitoring of the parents and teachers for better improving to their reading
comprehension skills. (Retrieved from article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.edu.20180801.02.html.january
31,2020)

In figure 1 the paradigm of the study, the researchers’ use the input-process-output to make a concept
for this study. Since the study is all about the factors that affects the reading comprehension of grade 7,
they use this paradigm to show how will they conduct their research and what will be the possible ways
to catch the answer to it. As the researchers do the diagram, they put all of the specific problems in the
input because that will be the problems arise from the observations of the researchers. This included all
of the questions and objectives that will be the guide and need to identify by the researchers. It means
to say that the objective or the questions behind of those written are just the questions are not yet
resolve. For it to be recognize, the researchers will use the case study under of qualitative research
approach to investigate the case of grade 7 in reading comprehension. The researchers will conduct the
interview to the participants with a floating questionnaire answerable by them through observing with
their actions. After of it, the output will be the possible solution to help those grade 7 students. From
that concept, the researchers can say that through a thorough investigations and a critical analysis of the
given case, it can be resolved or perhaps this study can help them to identify their failures in
understanding a written story or text. It can also help them to classify the factors affecting their
comprehension skills in a text.
 Input-Process-Output Concept

Input
Process Output
A. What are the factors
A case study research design Factors affecting the reading
affecting the reading
under qualitative research comprehension of grade 7
comprehension of grade 7?
approach. Using the Junior High School Jr.
B. How these factors affect purposive sampling consist
the reading comprehension of a typical sample through
of grade 7? observations and interview
with a floating questionnaire
C. How these factors affect
the teaching learning
process of the teachers in
grade 7?
Statement of the Objective

 Specific Problem:

1.What are the factors affecting the reading comprehension of grade 7?

2. How these factors affect the reading comprehension of grade 7? When it comes to academic

performance?

3. How these factors affect the teaching learning process of the teachers and grade 7?

 General Problem: “The study aims to identify problems on the reading comprehension of grade
7”

Definition of Terms

This part the research has be able to gather all the key terms for them to better
understood the study. The study has a lot of terms that they cannot be understand well
like in reading comprehension. For them to understand this study, the researchers
make a list to understand this study, the researchers make a list wherein it will show
the definition of all terms needed by a reader of this study. Some terms use by the
researchers are:

Acquisition- used by the researchers to point out the knowledge that must be gain by a student.

Competitive- this must be possessed by the grade 7 students for them to step up the next level of
education.

Complex- use by the researchers to classified the reading comprehension as the hectic in improving the
skills of a student.

Comprehension- an ability of the grade 7 to understand something about what they have read.

Conducted- an act of the researcher to initiate the students to the respondents

Fluctuate- it refers to the mistakes done by the grade 7 in their reading comprehension skills.

Fundamental- the researchers use it as to define that reading is one of the most important skills needed
by a student.

Interactive- it means that comprehension is relative to finding a meaning from those written text that
they read.

Knowledgeable- needed by the grade 7 students because they are already in high school.

Non-proficiency- it means that they are the readers who cannot able to read the text.

Reading- the skills associated in the students of grade 7 where in that is their fundamental skills needed.

Reading Comprehension- a problem arise from the grade 7 being observe by the researchers and
reasons why the researchers introduce this study.

Remedies- an act in which the researchers will make some ways to help them in this situation.

Standardized- meaning to say is the test with having a standard or systematic arrangement.

Universal- the researchers define universal as the English is used by all of the people around the world.
Significance of the Study

The researchers will conduct a study for the people who must be benefited from it. It will give them a
deep knowledge about their problem in reading comprehension. It will be offer to:

To the Curriculum and Learning Management Division, the benefits that will be gained by the division
from this study or research is they will easily know what will be the steps that they can do to help the
schools in teaching to their teaching method for the students in their difficulties in reading
comprehension of grade 7.

To the Community Development planners,

the study will help the barangays even the barangay officials for them to know what will be the solution
that they can make in able to help the schools in teaching their students. It may also yield to the
barangays to conduct an advocacy by making a meeting for the parents to help the teachers in tutoring
the students for the improvement to their reading comprehension.

To the Teachers,

This study will help the teachers to determine the problem of the grade 7 in their reading
comprehension skills and make a remedies for them to improve their skills to it. It will yield to a
realization of the teachers that not all the students particularly grade 7 known how to comprehend what
they read and teach them how to correct their comprehension skills.

To the Students,

the study will benefit them because they are the participants of this research. As they read this study,
will be able to identify what are the factors why they always fluctuate their reading comprehension
reading skills.

To the Researchers,

As the grade 7 are the participants of this study, the researchers are also benefited because some of
them are not totally knowledgeable how to comprehend their readings. That’s the truth behind those
students who reached the higher level of education but they do not know how to understand what they
read. That’s why it will initiates to the researchers their realization or it will add another knowledge to
them.

To the Future Researchers,

This study will help the future researchers as they will continue this research. Furthermore, the future
researchers will be used this study as part of their research will be used this study as part of their
research and It can be one of their resources or references. From this study, it will guide them in making
their research.
 Chapter 11:

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This part will give an information about the review of related literature that will provide an overview
about the past. researchers who already make this study or the previews study being make by the
experts. This will help the researchers find out some studies that can be able to help them to support
that research.

Cognitive factors affect the reading comprehension

written by Lucy Heart, he is a writer and educator since 2007 and an associate editor for Nile publishing
reading comprehension is a cognitive process that requires myriad skills and strategies. In
comprehending a text it should be having a strategies to help a student understand certain stories. Lucy
stated the different strategy to understand a text like summer reading, read to succeed, student book
clubs and battle of the books. That’s why other schools offer summer camp where in they will teach to
read and to write something. Like in other researchers, he also promoted the various impacts of
affecting their reading comprehensions like vocabulary, knowledge and etc.

According to Cris Tovani in his book 1 read it but I don’t get it, “golf styles new jerse. He said that in his
classroom, above the chalkboard are giant purple letters that say, reading is thinking” in every classroom
there is a letter in the surroundings most especially the elementary students. It is truly state that reading
is thinking because if a student is reading, the person would think about what they read. According to
David Raudenbush, a literacy teacher, staff developer and literacy coach for more than 20 years, says
that comprehension is a thoughtful process, she explains, readers need instructions that shows them
how to read and think. It means that comprehension is a complex process in which a reader need to
instruct or to direct them in reading for they will understand the written text. Tovani’s book goes on to
explain how that instruction looks in her classroom. It’s one of many books teachers and parents can use
to help children read better. The books made by Cris Tovani is all abourt that instruction that he made in
his classroom as a teacher. He also suggest to everyone that their teachers and parents are the only one
who will help the students in their deficiency in reading comprehension. One of the benefit of this study
is that it will give an idea to the parents and teachers why that student can’t be able to understand a
written text. Tovani have a colleague with keene and Zimmerman, she discusses why many children who
have learn how to recite the words on the page still struggle with comprehension. She believes that
struggling readers need to see how good readers think as they read. Even though they know how to

recite some words but basically, they cannot understand what is all about the written text. There are lot
of people who know how to read but they cannot be able to understand it well.

According to Ellin Oliver Keene and Susan Zimmermann (1997), partners at the Denver based public
Education and Business Coalition, published “Mosaic of Thought”, which explain how good readers use
thinking strategies to build comprehension. In arts, Mosaic is a form of arts in which a picture or pattern
produce by arranging together small colored piece of hard material. Just like in the cognitive idea of a
person in which their conception is arranging to form an idea that will suit to what they thought. In
reading the mind of a reader is always processing while interpreting the text. Cris tovin work for “seven
keys to comprehension” in which design for giving a practical advice to parents and teachers on teaching
children to read strategically. In Filipino subject, reading must begin at home wherein a child will be
learned how to read and their parents will be their first teacher. Maybe one of the factors affecting the
reading comprehension of a student is their parents. Maybe when they are still young their parents have
not enough time to teach them with a basic word.

There are some ways affecting the reading comprehension of a person. According to Koda (2002), there
are various variables involve vocabulary knowledge, prior knowledge, meta cognitive information, and
reading strategies. A students should have a broader vocabulary that can better help them in
constructing their comprehension because some of the text have a deeper words or unfamiliar words.
(https://education.seattlepi.com/cognitive-factors-affect-reading-comprehension-1591.html. January
27, 2020.

Definitions of reading comprehension and areas of Reading Research

Children’s brain is not prepared to read and write. Therefore, grapheme correspondence should be
taught systematically (Dehaene, 2017). Ever since grade 6, a students have a prior knowledge in reading
but they have not deeper on it because there are some difficulties that they will encounter. According to
Debbie Miller, the author of several books in reading, outlines method for teaching reading
comprehension to elementary school students in “Reading with Meaning”. (Retrieved from www.2017-
ART-006-Tanczikne.pdf. January 27, 2020)

The Role of Working Memory Capacity and Gender Reading Comprehension

According to Harmony and Khasawne (2011), the result of their study showed the presence of statistical
significant differences among student performance averages on test working memory capacity and test
reading comprehension due to gender variable in favor of females. They have a survey wherein they
make a test about their reading comprehension and they find out that there are some factors in which
gender is involve. The females are the one who have a bigger capacity to understand the males.

The Degree of Arabic Language Teachers to teach reading critical skills in the 10 th Grade in its Impact
on student Achievement and attitude Towards Reading

According to Weili, Abu and Alroz, the result of their study showed that the achievement of the students
who their teachers practice (likert) consisted of (36) paragraph depending on likert skills system with
medium degree are better than the achievements students who their teachers practice ow degree skills
and there is no significant difference between the achievements of the student who their teachers
practiced skills with medium degree Waeli, Abu Alroz, 2009) sometimes teaching methods of the
teachers are one of the factors in the reading comprehension of students. When the researchers
conducted an observation over since they are not started yet the study, they notice that some of them
teach it well but the students did not understand it due to the factors affecting their reading
comprehension skills. That is why one of the most influential factors is the skills of the teachers based on
their teaching method.

Main Factors of Reading Comprehension through the Ability Variables to Read Words and Variables
Associated with Language and Memory in the third up to Fifth grade of Australia

the study results showed that when they adjust the age and intelligence variables, the ability to read the
words and language variables in general were more strongly predicted by reading comprehension than
of those memory related variables. Moreover, reading comprehension as the ability to get meaning
from what is read. Reading comprehension reads different reading skills such as word recognition,
fluency, lexical knowledge and pre- existing knowledge to be undertaken quickly so that the reader gets
from text. The researchers find out that it has different factors that affects the reading comprehension
of the students that comes into different aspects of their reading.