Division: Batangas Province

School/ District: Lemery Pilot Elementary School/ Lemery

Research Proponent:

Julie Anne C. Frane

I. Title: Utilizing Higher- Order Thinking Skills to Improve the Reading

Comprehension of Grade Six Pupils of Lemery Pilot Elementary School

II. Context and Rationale

The main essence of reading is comprehension- the ability to convert and

decipher written words, or the process of constructing meaning from text. If the

reader does not understand what he has read, it is not reading at all. Reading

without comprehension is pointless. But once he/she was able to understand it, he or

she will easily follow the development of word and later interpret the text.

As learning leaders, we believe that reading comprehension is crucial to the

development of all pupils’ reading skills, especially those who are in the sixth grade

who are exposed to more complex expository texts all subjects. Though only few of

our pupils are slow readers and are lacking fluency, a great number of grade six

pupils of Lemery Pilot Elementary School experience difficulties in comprehending

and understanding the reading text. Through the teacher researcher’ observations

and pupils’ written responses on comprehension worksheets, evidence has been

found that the pupils struggled to derive meaning from the text they have read. This

is also manifested in the various assessment test given to them such as the

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Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) Test and the District-Wide Oral

Reading Test. The researcher also believes that the pupils’ incapacity to

comprehend expository texts greatly affects their performance in the National

Achievement Test for Grade Six. And these facts caused the teacher-researcher’s

great concern as educator.

In line with the above reality, it is imperative as a learning leader to take into

consideration the means to solve the problem and further improve the pupils’

performance in reading comprehension. One that must be taken into account is the

strategy in teaching reading. Although it’s important to ask pupils questions about

what they read, doing so is not the same as teaching them how to comprehend what

they have read. Research supports the fact that varied reading strategies help

heighten pupils’ reading comprehension, vocabulary development, understanding of

grammar, and knowledge of the world. The teacher-researcher intended to improve

reading comprehension by using higher-order thinking skills such as predicting,

making connections, visualizing, inferring, questioning, and summarizing, which is

the most appropriate for the level of reading skills for grade six.

Reading strategies such as higher thinking techniques for questioning,

graphic organizers, and collaborative learning groups were found to increase pupils’

reading comprehension. Helping pupils improve their reading comprehension

beyond knowledge required an understanding of Bloom’s (1956, as cited in Wong &

Wong, 1998) higher thinking skills of comprehension and application, and strategies

to develop them. These skills have been classified into a hierarchy of educational

objectives from less to more complex: knowledge, comprehension, application,

analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Teachers are mandated to integrate and develop

the skills in order to direct pupils’ level of thinking in learning activities. According to

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Bloom, the lowest thinking skill, knowledge, requires pupils to recognize and recall

information. For comprehension in learning, pupils can retell or translate what they

understand in their own words in written or oral form, put information in order,

compare and contrast it, and interpret it.

With this interest, the researcher decided to explore the effectiveness of

higher order thinking skills in developing the thinking skills for improved reading

comprehension of the Grade Six pupils of Lemery Pilot Elementary School.

III. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The findings of the study will rebound to the benefit of the school community

as pupils’ academic performance elevate as their reading comprehension improve

through the utilization of higher-order thinking skills.Moreover, the findings of this

research may prove useful to the following, to wit;

Pupils. Having a clearer view and firsthand experience on the use of higher

order thinking skills, this will further enhance pupil's comprehension level that will

elevate their school performance.

Teachers. This study may heighten their awareness in identifying the

problems encountered by the learners and recognize the learning tasks that are well

developed as well as the least. This may further be a motivating factor to adapt

measures and new strategies for the improvement of instructions in reading.

Parents. The result of this study will serve as bird's eye view of the parent to

know the needs of their children with regards to improving their reading

comprehension.

School Administrator and Supervisors. Results of this investigation may

encourage administrators and supervisors help their teachers upgrade their teaching

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performance in improving reading comprehension through closer supervision and

faculty development and training programs

Department of Education Lemery District. With the use of the results of the

study, any educational upliftment will benefit the municipality of Lemery as it may

improve the quality of working force of the municipality or the quality of life of their

respective constituents.

Curriculum Planners. The findings of this study may assists the planners in

the proper selection of methods, techniques, and strategies that need to be

reinforced.

Community.The result of this study may benefit the community in as much

they know that the teachers of their children are equipped with the necessary tools

and competence in teaching them.

Researcher Himself. This may serve as inspiration in teaching his pupils

above and beyond his capacity.

Future Researcher. The information and insights that will be gained from this

study may serve as guide for other researcher in framing their conceptual framework

and design and at the same time encourage them to conduct lateral studies within

their area of preferences.

IV. RELATED LITERATURE

Comprehension, a complex cognitive process, is central to acquiring a new

linguistic system. Input must be decoded in some comprehensible fashion for second

language acquisition to occur. In the case of a foreign language reading

comprehension, the reader uses previous knowledge to construct and integrate

meaning from text. During reading, there is simultaneous cognitive processing

involving pattern recognition, letter identification, lexical access, concept activation,

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syntactic analysis, propositional encoding, sentence comprehension, activation of

prior knowledge, information storage, and comprehension monitoring. According to

connectionist models (e.g., Koda, 2005, 2007; Nassaji, 2002.

in Diana Pulido and David Z. Hambrick) the generic knowledge structures, or

background knowledge, that are accessed during reading are largely determined by

the quality of the text base that the learner constructs. Text base quality is affected

by the individual’s text processing efficiency (i.e., ability in lower-level processes,

such as word recognition and syntactic parsing) and working memory.

Gillet and Temple in Juniari (2003:9) stated that reading comprehension is a

search for meaning, actively using our word knowledge and the text to understand

new things we read. We need knowledge of the world to understand new things,

need to be familiar with various text structure encountered and need to be active in

seeking meaning to rise up from the passage.

Simanjutak (1998), as citied in Raharja (2004:9), agreed on reading as a

cognitive process of making interaction with print and monitoring comprehension to

establish meaning which involves the process of identification (the ability of the

reader to identify or determine what the text says) and the process of interpretation

(the readers’ activity to make sense or to draw out the meaning of the reading text

they read).

Reading comprehension is process of understanding written text or

information presented by the author and affected by many factors. Those are factors

within the readers, factor within the written message, and factors within the reading

environment (Pearson Johnson, in Gipe (1991:156).

Comprehension processes and second language acquisition processes,

although somewhat overlapping, are also distinct. For example, comprehension

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involves constructing a mental representation from the propositional content for the

purpose of understanding the message. However, in order for a linguistic system to

be developed through comprehension activities, additional input processing must

occur. Such processing entails making form-meaning connections from the input, or

focusing attention on new forms and associating them with their functions or

referents.

Strategies to develop comprehension and application in this study were

activating pupils’ background knowledge, having them make predictions, complete

graphic organizers, and answer questions. These strategies were suggested in the

literature and by knowledgeable others, and related to personal interest. Activating

background knowledge for learning involves helping English learners make

“connections between their own knowledge and experiences and the new

information being taught” (Rumelhart, 1994, as cited in Echevarría, Vogt, & Short,

2008, p. 23). These connections can be made with motivating and relevant

materials for pupils (Echevarría et al., 2008). Cummins (2009) affirms that activating

and building prior knowledge helps ESL (English as a Second Language) pupils

learn content, and suggests strategies such as brainstorming or discussion, using

both visuals and graphic organizers. Moreover, visuals in the form of pictorial

contextual organizers “depicting action from the beginning of the story” has

improved English pupils’ reading comprehension in French at the college level

(Omaggio, 1993, p. 144). In addition, combining visuals with questions has

facilitated comprehension for EFL college pupils in Brazil (Raglieber, Johnson, &

Yarbrough, 1988, as cited in Omaggio, 1993).

Questioning as a strategy can develop different levels of thinking skills for

deeper learning (Marzano, Pickering & Pollock, 2001) and help pupils to prepare for

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reading and to understand while reading (Hendricks, et al., 1996). Questioning can

be facilitated with the Directed Reading-Thinking Activities Approach (DRTA)

described by Haggard (1985, as cited in Hendricks et al., 1996) whereby the

teacher reads a text with pupils, stops at intervals, and asks questions. Pupils

discuss their answers in a whole-class activity in order to have a better

understanding of what they are reading1 . A Question-Answer Relationship (QAR)

technique proposed by Raphael (1984, as cited in Hendricks et al., 1996) has been

linked to improved pupils’ reading comprehension after reading (Sorrell, 1990, as

cited in Kelty, 1999; Spivey, 2000). Kelty (1999) explains four types of questions

that differ in how their answers are related to the material. ‘Right there’ or literal

questions have answers stated directly in the reading, and help pupils to focus on

knowledge by finding and recalling information. ‘Think and search’ or

comprehension questions also have their answers in the text, but require inference

as pupils have to search for information in various parts of the reading and describe,

compare, organize and explain ideas. ‘Author and you’ and ‘on your own’ questions

require pupils to respond and look within themselves to find the answers. The

former relates pupils’ prior knowledge and inferences from the text, while the latter

is related to pupils’ life experiences. With these 1 DRTA is also known as shared

reading according to the Curriculum and Standards produced by the Department for

Education and Skills in the United Kingdom (2005). questions, pupils apply what

they read to their lives before and after reading.

Researchers have also found that graphic organizers help students store

information into long-term memory and give them a visual image of the story (Teele,

2004). The teacher researchers introduced and modeled a graphic organizer that

was used with each comprehension strategy. After each strategy was modeled and

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practiced in a whole class setting, the students practiced in small groups and

independently. The teacher researchers modeled the use of journaling to record the

comprehension strategies that were used and how it helped give meaning to the text.

Research shows students improve comprehension when they analyze which

strategy they are using and how it helps bring meaning to the text. One tool to

accomplish this task is journal writing (Block, Gambrell, & Presseley, 2002).

Following the teacher modeling, the students independently used the journal to

record the comprehensionstrategy they used, and how it helped give meaning to the

text. These interventions were implemented during the period of June 2016 through

March 2017.

V. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The main problem of this study is to find out the significance of higher order

thinking skills to the comprehension level of the Grade six pupils of LPES.

Specifically, the study sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the level of comprehension of Grade Six pupils based on the Phil-IRI

result?

2. How can the quality of teaching and learning process of reading be improved

through Higher-Order Thinking Skills?

3. How is the pupils’ response in learning reading using Higher-Order Thinking

Skills activity?

4. What is the proposed intervention that could be developed to improve the

comprehension skills of grade six pupils?

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VI. SCOPE AND LIMITATION

The general focus of the study was on improving reading comprehension

through the use of higher order thinking skills of the Grade Six pupils in Lemery Pilot

Elementary School. The study covers the use of Phil-IRI assessment result of the

school year 2016- 2017. In the classroom the teacher-researcher also developed

and implemented the higher order thinking skills strategy among others through the

think-aloud process and graphic organizers. This was followed using these

strategies through whole class, small group, and independent practice. Further

formative and summative data is collected as the strategy unfolds, and the analysis

of the data provides feedback about the effectiveness of the change in practice.

VII. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents research design used, the subject of the study, the

data gathering instrument, data gathering procedure and statistical treatment data.

The respondents of the study were the grade six pupils from Lemery Pilot

Elementary School during the S.Y. 2016 -2017.

Reading comprehension difficulties were documented through data obtained

from standardized tests, text- and teacher-made comprehension assessments, and

interviews/surveys. The teacher-researchers record their observations and findings,

draw conclusions that will shape future practice.

The Pre-test of the Phil-IRI will be used to measure the pupils’ word

recognition and comprehension level. To determine their progress, the Post-test to

be given on February 2017 will be utilized.

Lesson plans containing higher-order thinking skills activities were prepared

aimed to improve the reading comprehension skills of the grade six pupils enrolled

in the school.

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VIII. FINDINGS

The Philippine Informal Reading Inventory was used to gauge the reading

level of the grade six population for the school year 2016- 2017. It was administered

at the first week of the start of the classes. The researcher has found out that

almost 70% of the grade six population are reading below average level. Only 3%

are considered Independent or proficient. This is revealed in their PHIL-IRI Oral

Reading Pre-Test.

90%

80% 77%
72%
68%
70%

60%

50% Male
40% Female
29% TOTAL
30% 25%
21%
20%

10% 3% 3%
2%
0%
FRUSTRATION INSTRUCTIONAL INDEPENDENT

Figure 1. The Reading Level of Grade Six Pupils of Lemery Pilot Elementary
School in the PHIL-IRI Oral Reading Pre- Test

So as with the result of the PHIL_IRI Silent Reading Test which alarmed the

researcher. It revealed that almost 70% of the grade six are considered at risk when

it comes to their comprehension. 25% are under the Instructional Level and only

3% are considered as Independent readers.

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90%

80% 77%
72%
68%
70%

60%

50% Male
40% Female
29% TOTAL
30% 25%
21%
20%

10%
2% 3% 3%
0%
FRUSTRATION INSTRUCTIONAL INDEPENDENT

Figure2. The Reading Level of Grade Six Pupils of Lemery Pilot Elementary School
in the PHIL-IRI Silent Reading Pre- Test.

With the alarming result of the Phil-IRI Test, the researcher gathered the other

teachers who teach English subject in grade six. She explained the effectiveness of

the higher- order thinking skills in enhancing the reading comprehension of the

pupils. Tests were given to the grade six pupils to measure the effectiveness of the

reading skills. They used standardized lesson plans in English which utilized the

different higher- order thinking skill activities such as prediciting, visualizing, using

graphic organizers, and summarizing. They gave pre- assessment Reading Tests

wherein pupils were not taught yet of the HOTS activities. The result, as seen on

Figure 3, showed that 35% of the pupils answered correctly in predicting outcomes.

Twenty-five percent of the respondents were able to answer correctly with the use

of graphic organizers. In visualizing, 48% of the grade six pupils showed positive

result. 28% and 46% of the pupils answered correctly in summarizing and self-

questioning skills respectively.

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48% 46%
50%

40% 35%
28%
30% 23%

20%

10%

0%
PREDICTING USE OF GRAPHIC VISUALIZING SUMMARIZING QUESTIONING
ORGANIZERS

Figure 3. Percentage of the Correct Responses in the Reading Test Without the
Use of HOTS among Grade Six respondents

The next figure shows the percentage of the correct responses in the

evaluation done by the teachers after being taught of the higher-order thinking skills

in Reading Comprehension. It revealed a great difference from the assessment

given to them. It shows that 68% of the respondents were able to answer the

predicting outcome items correctly. On the other hand, 77% were able to use

graphic organizers effectively. The use of visualization helped 83% of the pupils in

answering the questions correctly. Meanwhile, 71% were able to answer

summarizing sheets correctly. A total of 82% of the grade six pupils answered

questions in self- questioning techniques. This only proves the effectiveness of the

use of the higher- order thinking skills activities among the grade six pupils.

100% 83% 82%

60%

40%

20%

0%
PREDICTING USE OF GRAPHIC VISUALIZING SUMMARIZING QUESTIONING
ORGANIZERS

Figure 4. Percentage of the Correct Responses in the Reading Test With the Use
of HOTS among Grade Six respondents

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The findings of this study revealed that the use of different higher order

thinking skill activities like making predictions, completing graphic organizers,

vusualizing, summarizing, and questioning led students to be motivated to read and

understand better. Implementing these reading skills is effective in improving the

reading comprehension.

IX. RECOMMENDATION

“The goal of all readers should be to understand what they read” (Teele,

2004, p. 92). The teacher researcher recommends the continuation of teacher

modeling, the use of the teacher think-aloud process and the higher- order thinking

skills activities such as prediciting, summarizing, questioning, and use of graphic

organizers, and student practice of the reading comprehension strategies. It is also

the intention of the teacher researcher to share their research results and their

knowledge of the comprehension strategies with the administration and other

teachers in their school. At this note, the researcher also proposes a

comprehensive School Reading Program to be utilized to be of help to the pupils

who have difficulty in the reading comprehension process.

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