Candy del Carmen

 Effective Reading Strategies in Reading Engagement of the Grade 10 Students Del Carmen, Candy R. St. Mary’s Academy of Sta. Ana Manila Abstract This research was conducted for the two non-cream sections of Grade 10 level, School Year-. The aim was to evaluate as to which among the reading strategies employed are effective based on the learning competencies of DepEd K-12 Curriculum. The engagement of the students in reading was evaluated through their varied reading activities. The study did not explore the challenges of the learners but their engagement in reading based on the activities. The scores in every reading strategies were logged to determine which among the activities the students were engaged. The strategies were based on four quarters per genre; narrative, drama, poetry and research. It showed in the study that majority of the students who highly scored from the reading activities are activating prior knowledge, visualization, predicting and guessing from context, the use of mental imagery, and group presentation such as dramatization and choral reading. It only shows how the students are more engaged in associating their personal experience to the reading texts they read. The result of the research maybe used to further explore some reading strategies to develop critical readers necessary for Grade 10 level. Introduction The importance of reading as one of the necessary facets in communication skills cannot be overstated.The poor reading proficiency and the low level of reading engagement of students have remained challenge to every English teachers. Motivating students to get involved in the reading and the learning process has been a problem in a traditional large-size class. Research shows there are several underlying causes for poor reading comprehension. Among the reasons are the complex process of learning to read, the type of instruction, method for decoding, prior knowledge, a diverse population, and development of vocabulary (Caposey & Heider, 2003,). The content standards of the Grade 10 curriculum anchored in the DEPED K-12 English Curriculum Guide in which the learners must understand that reading is a psycholinguistic guessing game which utilizes visual and non-visual information in order to confirm, modify, and monitor one’s comprehension. The learning competencies such as assessing prior knowledge, evaluating literary contents and elements and organizing an independent and systematic approach to critiquing are challenging for English teachers to achieve without the use of varied reading strategies in teaching reading literacy. The reading strategies by which a teacher increase the reading comprehension is important in ensuring the effectiveness of comprehension instruction. Taylor,Pearson,Peterson,and Rodriguez (2003) suggest that teaching variables such as small-group instruction, skill instruction in comprehension, teacher modeling,and coaching for teachers explained how these variables become substantial variation in student achievement.  As studied by Guthrie et. Al, ( 2004, 2006) found that using multiple strategies can produce more strategic readers as they have investigated the concept-oriented reading instruction which combines strategy instruction with motivation supports. These include the hands-on activities, interesting texts based on the students choices, etc, In the study conducted, the students in the concept-reading instruction (CORI) were more motivated than students who received strategy instruction or traditional instruction. Most researches on reading now focus on the effective reading strategies that increase students’ comprehension. Guthrie (1996) also argues that most researchers study a single cognitive strategy, rather than conducting a long-term study of multiple strategies. Besides, few studies have addressed the issues related to “motivation” and “engagement”. As Guthrie puts it, “Engaged reading is based on motivational and cognitive characteristics of the reader…who is intrinsically motivated, builds knowledge, uses cognitive strategies, and interacts socially to learn from text. These engagement processes can be observed in student’s cognitive effort, perseverance, and self-direction in reading” Schema theorists have advanced understanding as how reading comprehension can be described as activating prior knowledge which can enhance a reader's interaction with the text. Accordingly, comprehension occurs when a reader is able to use prior knowledge and experience to interpret an author's message (Bransford, 1985; Norris & Phillips, 1987). Educators and researchers have suggested numerous instructional strategies to help students activate and use prior knowledge to aid comprehension. While Cathy Puett Miller (2017), literacy consultant included tips for developing students’ comprehension skills through visualizing text as a proven way to improve reading comprehension. She quoted from Keene and Zimmerman (1997) from Mosaic of Thought that proficient readers spontaneously and purposely create mental images while and after they read. The images emerge from all five senses as well as the emotions and are anchored in a reader's prior knowledge. For students with low level of comprehension or reading disabilities, Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) was introduced in a research-based practice developed by Janette K. Klingner and Sharon Vaughn (1996, 1998). CSR is a reading comprehension practice that combines two instructional elements: (a) modified reciprocal teaching (Palincsar & Brown, 1984), and (b) cooperative learning (Johnson & Johnson, 1987) or student pairing.It facilitates participation in mainstream content-area classes. When discussing about reading strategies and reading skills, Hudson (2007) concludes that a reading strategy can be described as any interactive process that has the goal of obtaining meaning from connected text, and reading skills operate within the context of such reading strategies. Therefore, the strategies of predicting, confirming, monitoring, reflecting, and evaluating can be consciously supported and thus, strategies could also help to lessen demands on working memory by facilitating comprehension processing. The varied use of reading strategies will be employed to Grade 10 students of St. Mary’s Academy of Sta. Ana Manila where the researcher is currently teaching in the same grade level. The study was pursued to increase the engagement of the students in reading that would aid them to develop their reading skills necessary for higher order of critical reading. Statement of the Problem English educators are often frustrated as how students with varied reading comprehension skills can transfer the strategies they use in reading instruction. There are several factors to consider to adjust the reading strategies based on the reading skills of the students and the genre of literary text. It is challenging in the part of English educators to adjust in a large-class population and monitoring the actual progress of the students in their reading comprehension. Therefore this research would to explore the possible answers to the following research questions; 1. From which among the reading strategies employed have engaged the Grade 10 students in reading as reflected on their reading activity scores? 2. Are Grade 10 students more engaged in reading when applying the multiple strategies and collaborative learning than independent reading? Significance of the Study This study would help the following beneficiaries of this paper; For the students, especially the Grade 10 students, this paper may encourage them to actively participate in reading activities that can be their tools to enhance their reading comprehension as needed on their academic research. For the English teachers, this paper may support their reading instruction as to what reading strategies may engage their students to be more active participants in reading activities. For the Administrators, this paper may serve as their baseline in giving extensive trainings for teachers to employ multiple strategies until desired results are achieved to improve the reading comprehension and be an independent and critical readers. For the future researchers, this paper could be the baseline to conduct further studies of more reading strategies effective in the class instruction. Methodology The two sections of Grade 10 students are participants of the study since the researcher is handing both sections that belong to non-cream skimming. There were 77 students involved in the study. Different reading strategies are employed based on the literary genre. Narrative is the focus on the first quarter, while drama on the second quarter and poetry on the third quarter. The reading strategies employed during the third quarter may help them to engage in reading necessary to come up with their academic research on the fourth quarter. Also, the strategies employed are anchored on the learning competencies stated in the DEPED K-12 English Curriculum Guide and carefully chosen to test if the reading strategies would engage the Grade 10 students in reading. Recorded scores for the reading activities are logged to gauge as to what reading strategies the students were more engaged by getting a passing score of 55% and above. Findings Table 1 Reading Strategies Employed in Reading Narrative Learning Competencies in Narrative Reading Strategies f % 1. Determine the effect of textual aids in the understanding of a text Use of advance organizers 65 84% Use of textual aids 50 65% 2. Compare new insights with previous learnings KWL Chart Inquiry Chart 75 64 97% 83% 3. Understand the nature of narratives Previewing Predicting Story Mapping 60 72 57 78% 94% 74% 4. Determine tone, mood, technique, and purpose of the author Plotting Weaving Ideas Visualization Guessing from Context 63 59 70 69 82% 77% 91% 90% 5.Evaluate literature as a way of expressing and resolving one’s personal conflicts Skimming and Scanning Interpreting  the text through evaluation 50 45 65% 60% Among the reading strategies employed in teaching narrative, the results show that 84% of students are engaged in using advance organizers when determining the effects of textual aids in reading. While 97% of the students are very engaged in using the KWL chat in comparing their new insights with previous learning. It also shows that majority of the students with 94% are good in predicting in aid to understand the narrative text. This also supports the Guessing from Context reading strategy which is effective resulting to majority of 90%. The students use the images which emerge from all five senses as well as the emotions and are anchored in a reader's prior knowledge (Keene and Zimmerma, 1997) Lastly, the students got only 60% in interpreting the text through evaluation. Table 2 Reading Strategies Employed in Reading Drama Learning Competencies in Drama Reading Strategies f % 1. Get familiar with technical vocabulary for Drama and theatre as stage, direction, etc Story Dramatization Developing Sensory Images 65 57 84% 74% 2. Explain how a drama may be influenced by culture, history, environment, or other factors Building and Activating Prior Knowledge Questioning Reasoning 64 45 42 83% 58% 55% 3. Evaluate literature as a vehicle of expressing and resolving conflicts between and among individuals or groups Determining Importance Inferring Synthesizing Evaluating 60 68 63 56 78% 88% 82% 73% The reading strategies employed in drama resulting to 84% in story dramatization acquainting the students of the technicality of drama. While 83% from building and activating prior knowledge strategy got the 83% student engagement in explaining how drama maybe influenced by culture, history and other factors. The results support the study regard prior knowledge which can enhance a reader's interaction with the text. Accordingly, comprehension occurs when a reader is able to use prior knowledge and experience to interpret an author's message (Bransford, 1985; Norris & Phillips, 1987). While inferring from evaluating drama literature got the highest score of 88% from among the reading strategies employed in evaluating. Table 3 Reading Strategies Employed in Reading Poetry Learning Competencies in Poetry Reading Strategies f % 1. Understand the nature of poetry Mental Imagery Choral Reading Using Figurative Languages in Own Poetry 65 77 66 84% 100% 86% 2. Explain how the elements of poetry contribute to the theme of the selection Activating Prior Knowledge Poetry Interpretation Explaining and Evaluating 75 66 53 97% 86% 69% Among the reading strategies employed in reading poetry, all the participants were engaged in choral reading. The use of Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) introduced in a research-based practice developed by Janette K. Klingner and Sharon Vaughn (1996) was indeed effective strategy to use in engaging the students in reading poetry. While followed by activating prior knowledge in explaining the elements of poetry which resulted to 97% and the lowest percentage of 69% in terms of explaining and evaluating the poetry text. Table 4 Reading Strategies Employed in Reading Research Learning Competencies in Research Reading Strategies f % 1 Get familiar with technical terms used in research Library research 67 87% 2. Use locational skills to gather information from valid primary and secondary sources of information Online and library research Evaluation of Pint and Non Print Sources 62 56 81% 73% 4. Evaluate the accuracy of given information Gathering Varied Sources from Print and Non Print and Group Evaluation of Sources 67 87% Among the strategies employed in reading research materials, the group evaluation of sources got the highest percentage of 87% in which the students gathered varied sources from print and non print to evaluate the accuracy of given information while the lowest score of 73% among the reading strategies is the evaluation of print and non print sources to identify the valid primary and secondary sources. Conclusions From this study the following conclusions were drawn; That, majority of the students who highly scored from the reading activities are activating prior knowledge, visualization, predicting and guessing from context, the use of mental imagery, and group presentation such as dramatization and choral reading. It only shows how the students are more engaged in associating their personal experience to the reading texts they read. Also, majority of them are more visual reader and can associate from the reading texts through the power of visualization whereas they use their sensory images in relating to the flow of the reading texts. While the collaborative learning through group presentation such as dramatization and choral reading made the students more engaged. They can interpret more the reading context when being actualized into artistic presentation. Nevertheless, the lowest engagement of students dwell more in synthesizing, reasoning, questioning, explaining and evaluating the literary text. Therefore, the strategies employed should be more focused on how the students can develop more intensive reading strategies to develop their critical reading to be able to expand their knowledge through interpreting and evaluating the reading texts. Recommendations For the students, especially the Grade 10 students, extensive and critical reading strategies should be developed in order to relate their experiences in the literary texts they read so that they may able to interpret, synthesize and evaluate the reading materials effectively. For the teachers, varied strategies may apply to engage the students in reading. The result of this study may guide them to adjust the reading instruction based on the literary genre and other factors that may affect the reading engagement of their students. By knowing which strategies to employ, it would be less taxing for the English teachers to engage their students and develop them to be critical readers. For the Administrators, this paper could be the baseline for more extensive training for English teachers to equip them in employing different reading strategies that would be beneficial to their varied learners. By developing critical readers, the comprehension level of the students may increase based on the learning competencies they should acquire from their grade level.S For the future researchers, this paper could be the baseline to conduct further studies of more reading strategies effective in the class instruction especially to those reading strategies which gained lower score of reading engagement of students. References K-12 English Curriculum Guide. Department of Education website. Retrieved on March 14, 2017 from file:///E:/OWN%20RESEARCH/english-k-to-12-curriculum-guide-grades-1-to-3-7-to-10.pdf Abraham, Paul. (2002). Skilled Reading: Top-down, bottom-up. Field Notes, 10(2); Retrieved on March 15 from http://www.sabes.org/ resources/ fieldnotes/vol10/fn102.pdf Gabb, Sally. (2000). From talk to print: Preparing students to read with ease. Field Notes, 10(2); Retrieved on March 14 from http://www.sabes.org/resources/ fieldnotes/vol10/fn102.pdf Opening the Door: Teaching Students to Use Visualization to Improve Comprehension. Retrieved on March 14 from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev094.shtml A Review of the Current Research on Comprehension Instruction (2010). Retrieved on March 12, 2017 from file:///C:/Users/gandy327/Desktop/OWN%20RESEARCH/review%20on%20current%20research%20.pdf Teaching Reading and Viewing (2010). Retrieved on March 11, 2017 from Education World. file:///C:/Users/gandy327/Desktop/OWN%20RESEARCH/engl_teach_read_view_comprehension.pdf Alvarez, M. (1989). Schema Activation, Construction, and Application. Retrieved on March 11 from EEhttps://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9213/schema.htm