English language proficiency of students in relation to reading comprehension

English language proficiency of students in relation to reading comprehension
Corresponding email: [email protected]

A B S T R A C T

This research sought to assess students’ proficiency in the English language and examine how it correlates with their ability to comprehend written texts. To assess the English language proficiency of 86 junior Liberal Arts students, the study utilized a researcher-developed survey questionnaire comprising ten items for each of the four core skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The questionnaire’s validity was affirmed with a mean score of 4.27. Additionally, a reliability test using Cronbach’s Alpha yielded a high-reliability index of 0.94, ensuring the consistency of the measurements. The second part of the questionnaire, adapted from Vibal (2017), assessed students’ reading comprehension levels with 25 items. The mean was used to measure these levels, while the relationship between the two variables was analyzed using the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient. The study revealed that junior Liberal Arts students exhibited high levels of English language proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, with means of 3.70, 3.72, 3.72, and 3.61, respectively, and an overall mean of 3.69. However, their reading comprehension level was moderate, with a mean of 13.91, suggesting a disparity between their proficiency and comprehension skills. The analysis revealed a significant correlation between students’ English language proficiency and their reading comprehension levels. This suggests that enhancing English language proficiency could improve reading comprehension skills, underlining the importance of integrated language learning approaches and targeted interventions to address areas of weakness.

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Instrumental popular music and students’ reading comprehension: Basis for proposed reading remediation program

Ana Marie C. Diaz, Jasmin S. Villanueva
Department of Education, Philippines
Pampanga State Agricultural University, Philippines
Corresponding Email: [email protected]

A B S T R A C T
The potential of music to aid reading performance has been the subject of research for many years. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of five music genres (Jazz, Pop, RNB, Rap, and Classical) on the reading comprehension of grade 9 junior high school students in the division of Angeles City. In line with this, the study conducted quasi-experimental pretest and posttest for students (N=40) within the span of 2 weeks. The pretest of each genre was taken without playing popular instrumental music in the background while the posttest was taken while the subjects listened to popular instrumental music. Outcomes of the pretest indicate that students reading comprehension scores obtained a mean that ranged from 5.450 to 5.825. These results barely made the cut to the instructional reading comprehension level that, according to the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (PHIL IRI) scale ranges from 5 to 7 points, in a ten-item test indicating a need for reading remediation. Results of the study showed a highly significant difference between pretest and post-test scores for the genres of Jazz Pop and Classical where all three genres obtained a p-value of 0.000 which was lower than the set alpha of 0.01 level of significance. Hence, a reading remediation program utilizing Jazz, Pop, and Classical music as a reading supplement has the potential to aid struggling readers. Therefore, based on the outcomes of this study, the researcher designed a proposed reading remediation program utilizing the three genres (Jazz, Pop, and Classical).

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Bilingualism: Its influence on the reading comprehension of college students

Adybier M. Lobaton
Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology, Philippines
Corresponding Email: [email protected]

A B S T R A C T
Reading plays a great role in the lives of people. It provides them access to the world of ideas and an instrument for obtaining knowledge in various subject disciplines. It is a needed tool that one must possess so that s/he will not be deprived of a wonderful medium of learning. However, numerous factors impede one from acquiring reading skills. One of the most controversial issues on these factors is the language problem, which in the Philippines has evolved into an issue of national importance. Questions on the reading problem or language problem arise and it has continued to be the subject of national debate. This study was conducted utilizing the use of two languages (English and Filipino) in order to determine their significant influence on the reading comprehension of college students. A true-experimental method of research was used and it revealed: a) language of instruction does not affect significantly the achievement in reading comprehension of the subjects, b) results of the pre-test and post-test of both experimental and control groups consistently showed that the English and Filipino instructed-experimental and control group performed well in their reading achievement.

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