Factors affecting the reading comprehension of the
Grade 12- STEM |1-6| students
at PHINMA- Araullo University, Main Campus
An Undergraduate Thesis
Presented to
The Faculty of
ARAULLO UNIVERSITY-PHINMA
Cabanatuan City
BY:
Lagdamin, Earl Josh M.
Guillermo, Precious Mae
Gomez, Gelsey Mae T.
Aquino, Jomar S.
San Pedro, Mike Angelo C.
Enriquez, Mikka Gabriel
Aquino, Rowena S.
Alberto, Jaylord Ivan A.
Villaflor, James Ryan
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION:
Reading is a cognitive process of understanding a written
linguistic message, inherent to reading is comprehension which is
the ability to understand the meaning or importance of something
(or the knowledge acquired as a result). Therefore, reading
comprehension is the ability to process a text, understand its
meaning, and to integrate with what the reader already knows.
The evaluation of student’s factors affecting their reading
comprehension has been a significant feature of the work of the
research community. This study is a review of current knowledge
about factors affecting the reading comprehension. The importance
of this study is to help the students to know the factors that
can affect their reading comprehension as a person that is
increasingly a matter of concern for today’s generation.
Reading comprehension in the Philippines today ranks as the
lowest among 79 countries according to a global conducted by The
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) whom
tested around 600, 000; 15-year-old students in 79 countries
through the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment
(PISA). “PISA” results showed that Philippines have an average
reading score of 340, lowest among the countries surveyed. It is
also below the OECD average of 487 (ARCILLA, 2019).
The significance of this study is to find the factors that
affects the reading comprehension of the respondents that affects
their academic performance. Somehow, the reading comprehension
of the students affects their performance in school. Factor is a
circumstance, fact, or influence that contributes to a result or
outcome.
There are different factors that affect the reading
comprehension of students including vocabulary, Reading anxiety,
and Gender/sex.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
Local Literature
GENDER/SEX
According to Salehi Lari and Rezaneja (2014), the most
important reader variable that affects the reading comprehension
is gender. Males and females have different perspective about
reading. This difference is also evident in reading
comprehension. Gender can affect the way they think. Males are
much active in extra-curricular activities that lessen their time
to practice reading. Females are less active and have ample time
to read and to make it as a habit.
Gender can affect the way they think. Males are much active in
extra-curricular activities that lessen their time to practice
reading. Females are less active and have ample time to read and
to make it as a habit.
Vocabulary
according to research conducted by the U.S. National
Institutes for Child Health and Development (2017), there is
one overriding reason above all others that is the root
cause of the unacceptably high percentage of individuals who
struggle as readers. These individuals have not been taught
scientifically-based reading instruction with a
comprehensive and systematic phonics component. According to
their findings, struggling readers have difficulty
identifying, discriminating, and isolating sounds—
foundational skills for fluent reading.
Former DepEd Sec. Abad deplored the poor performance of the
pupils’ assessment test and said that, the low scores in
English, Mathematics and Science can be attributed to
pupils’ lack of ability in basic reading and comprehension.
In addition, he said that one of the major problems in
reading is the poor reading comprehension, which leads to
poor understanding of printed symbols.
This proves that Vocabulary affects the comprehension skills
of the readers because in the research study of the previous
researchers it is stated that readers are having a hard time
who are not been taught scientifically-based reading
instruction with a comprehensive and systematic phonics
component
Reading Anxiety
According to Iszh Severino (2013), having anxiety and other
psychiatric is consider a distraction to comprehend what you
are reading.
This proves that anxiety is significantly connected to
reading comprehension. It is stated that if the reader has a
normal level of anxiety then the performance of the students
should be good, but it also stated that the higher the
anxiety will result in low comprehension skill of the
student.
[ CITATION AsY18 \l 1033 ]
Foreign Literature
VOCABULARY
According to the result and findings of Mubashir Iqbal
(2015), Students are not able to supply the meanings (in English
language) of difficult words asked from them. Even not a single
student can give the meaning of the words in English language.
The reason behind these facts comes to know on investigating that
students are not taught word-meanings from English to English.
The way of teaching is very affective in learning vocabulary.
Nergis (2013) stated that deepness of vocabulary knowledge,
syntactic consciousness, and metacognitive recognition is some of
the important factors that can affect reading comprehension
skill.
According to Cain and Oakhill (2011), reading influences
vocabulary development; however, when students do not read
fluently or regularly, their vocabulary skills are impacted.
Additionally, Caccamise and Snyder (2005) reported that
vocabulary knowledge positively affects reading comprehension and
academic performance
Vocabulary plays a major role in comprehending text because if
the reader doesn’t understand the word, he/she is reading it they
will not know what the text is trying to convey.
READING ANXIETY
According to Vazalwar (2011), the anxiety affected he
development of reading comprehension negatively. It is inferred
that anxiety is related negatively but significantly with reading
comprehension in learners. The normal level of anxiety should
have a positive impact on reading comprehension. The higher
anxiety in girls signifying low comprehension and lower anxiety
in boys signifying high comprehension was a reason of the gender
impact that affected reading comprehension.
According to Çeliktürk & Yamaç, (2015), reading anxiety also
affects cognitive processes and causes distraction and prevents
to be focused on the material being read. This causes the
interruption of understanding process and thus the reading
activity is avoided.
Mohammadpur and Ghafournia (2015), students who had higher scores
in reading comprehension tests tended to have lower levels of
reading anxiety, and vice versa.
Reading anxiety has a big impact on comprehending text, the
study’s states that a high reading anxiety causes low
comprehension skill.
Gender/sex
school achievement studies consistently demonstrate higher levels
of reading achievement and intrinsic reading motivation in female
students than males. Because reading is a fundamental
prerequisite for academic success and participation in society
(Connor et al., 2011.
(Haladyna & Rodriguez, 2013 ). Because girls are more likely to
possess the productive language skills necessary to cope with CR
items, this specific requirement is assumed to impede boys from
fully demonstrating their reading competence.
National Center for Education Statistics, (2011)—have revealed
significant reading achievement gaps between boys and girls,
demonstrating a slight advantage for younger girls.
Gender/sex has a major effect on reading, this study's shows that
Gender/sex affects the comprehension of the person , it is
stating that girls are better at comprehending text or decoding
text than bots
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The factors that researchers found can affect the students’
comprehension while reading. This study seeks to know what the
different factors that affect the student comprehension. In this
study, it includes students’ profile: age and gender, which will
be used in assessing the reading comprehension of the students.
The following factors affecting the reading comprehension of the
students: vocabulary, reading anxiety and background
knowledge.The respondents of this study are the Grade 12- STEM |
1-6| students of PHINMA- Araullo University Main Campus.
Figure 1
Research Paradigm
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE DEPENDENT
VARIABLE
1. Profile of the
respondents:
1.1 Age
1.2 Sex
1.3 Reading Materials available
at home
1.4Parents educational Level of reading
attainment
1.4.1 Father's educational
comprehension
attainment
1.4.2 Mother's educational
attainment
2. The following factors
affecting the reading
comprehension of the
students:
2.1 Reading anxiety
2.2 Gender/sex
2.3 Vocabulary
DEFINITION OF TERMS
The following terms are defined operationally:
Comprehension- is an ability that the respondents use to
understand what they are decoding.
Factors affecting comprehension – factors affecting comprehension
refers to the bad and good factors that might affect the
respondents’ comprehension skills.
Respondents - Grade 12-STEM students of PHINMA-Araullo University
Main Campus.
Age – the age of the respondents
Sex – The gender/sex of the respondent
Reading materials available at home - the learning/reading
materials that the respondent can use/read at home
Parents educational attainment – the educational attainment of
the parents of the respondents
Reading anxiety – a factor that affects the reading comprehension
of the respondents
Sex (as a factor)– is also a factor that affects the
comprehension ability of the respondents
Vocabulary – also a factor that affects the reading comprehension
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This study seeks to find the factors affecting the reading
comprehension of the respondents which affects their
academic performance. Specifically, it seeks to answer the
following questions:
1)How may the profile of the respondents be described in
terms of:
1.1 Age
1.2 Sex
1.3 Reading Materials available at home
1.4Parents educational attainment
1.4.1 Father's educational attainment
1.4.2 Mother's educational attainment
2) What is the level of Reading comprehension of the
respondent?
3)How may the factors of the reading comprehension of the
students be describe in terms of:
3.1 Vocabulary
3.2 Reading anxiety
3.3 gender/sex
4) Is there a significant relationship between the profile
of the respondents and the level of reading comprehension of
the respondents
5)Is there a significant relationship between the profile of
the respondents and the factors of reading comprehension
6)Is there a significant relationship between the level of
reading comprehension of the respondent and the factors of
reading comprehension
Hypotheses of the study
1. There is no significant relationship between the profile of the
respondents and the level of reading comprehension of the respondents.
2. There is no significant relationship between the profile of the
respondents and the level of reading comprehension of the respondents.
3. There is a significant relationship between the level of reading
comprehension of the respondents and the factors of reading
comprehension.
Significance of the Study
This study will help to address the factors that affect
their reading comprehension ability and its effect on their
academic performance. The result of the study will be relevant to
the following:
Researchers- this study will help the researchers also to
improve their comprehension ability when the factors are found.
Parents- this study will help them know and understand the
factors affecting the reading comprehension of the students and
its effect on their academic performance.
Teachers- it may help the teacher to create new method or
strategies in teaching that will help the students in improving
their reading comprehension.
School administrator- it will help the school administrator
as a basis they can use to take action of this problem.
Future Researchers- it will serve as the guide to future
researcher to improve this study or to create new study out of
this research.
Students- This study will help them know the factors that
can affect their comprehension ability.
Scope and Delimitation
This study focuses on the reading comprehension of the Grade
12-STEM |1 to 6| students of PHINMA–Araullo University Main
Campus in Mahalika Highway, Brgy. Bitas, 3100 Cabanatuan City,
Nueva Ecija this year SY: 2020-2021. The respondents of this
study were all students of PHINMA- Araullo University Main
Campus. The descriptive method of research was employed using
questionnaire as the major source data.
