IMPROVING THE READING SKILLS OF GRADE 2

PUPILS OF SAMAT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN

ENGLISH USING PROJECT REWRITE

PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL

2023
Volume: 7
Pages: 72-76
Document ID: 2022PEMJ519
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7607631
Manuscript Accepted: 2023-5-2
Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 72-76, Document ID: PEMJ519, doi:10.5281/zenodo.7607631, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Improving the Reading Skills of Grade 2 Pupils of Samat Elementary School in

English Using Project Rewrite
Edelweza F. Palad*
For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.
Abstract
The challenges brought by the current pandemic crisis greatly affect learning acquisition among children. With
the limitations posed by modular distance learning, learners in remote communities succumb to limited reading
and writing skills development. Hence, Samat Elementary School tried to address these limitations through a
responsive and contextualized learning intervention project. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the
effectiveness of “Project ReWrite: Improving Reading and Writing Skills,” on the reading abilities of Samat ES
pupils in the second grade. The project utilized a quasi- experimental research technique analyzing the
comparison of the pre-and post-test results in a reading comprehension test. Project ReWrite is implemented
after getting the pre-test results to contextually address the needs of the identified learners. After its
implementation, a post-test was carried out to analyze its effectiveness. The mean and dependent t-test is used
for the statistical analysis. The results demonstrate a significant difference in reading level following the
implementation of the intervention project, the result of the Phil-IRI pre-test that was administered a month after
classes began. The significant difference in the reading skill indicated that the percentage of independent level
increased from 13% to 20%, frustration level increased from 0% to 20%, and non-readers decreased from 74%
to 47%. Therefore, findings show the increase in the overall reading and writing performance of the students
after the implementation of the project. Based on the significant difference analysis, the crafted intervention plan
is effective in terms of helping the students raise their reading skills.

Keywords: rewrite, intervention project, reading, writing

Introduction State.; The State shall assign the highest budgetary

priority to education and ensure that teaching will
attract and retain its rightful share of the best available
Reading is a basic skill that a student must possess. It talents through adequate remuneration and other
serves as the foundation that will help the student means of job satisfaction and fulfillment.
achieve his dreams. Since reading serves as the
foundation, utmost importance must be given to this It is observed in this provision how the government
foundation and assure that during the early grade level provides support in order to give excellent and quality
of every student they have a profound and sound education to its people. The government strives to
foundation. improve its education system to educate its people.
(Const. (1973), art. XIV, § 5)
The Philippine constitution shows how the
government values education. It says that:
The Department of Education launched a program that
“The State shall protect and promote the right of all
aims to make every student a reader and a writer. The
citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take
program is titled “Every Child is a Reader”. The
appropriate steps to make such education accessible to
Department of Education uses this program to ensure
all. (Const. (1973), art. XIV, § 1)”
that every student knows how to read and write
It also highlights the rights given to a teacher to plan regardless of their grade level. The program equips the
and conduct on their own to improve the learning of school with the tool and knowledge to make this goal a
the students. It says that: The State shall take into reality. Although the program achieved profound
account regional and sectoral needs and conditions and success, there are still students that struggles to keep
shall encourage local planning in the development of up and are still unable to read and write proficiently.
educational policies and programs.; Academic freedom
shall be enjoyed in all institutions of higher learning.; On June 8, 2020, the Department of Education
Every citizen has a right to select a profession or announced that the face-to-face classes will be
course of study, subject to fair, reasonable, and replaced by the new mode of learning based on the
equitable admission and academic requirements.; The Basic Education-Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP).
State shall enhance the right of teachers to professional And now that the mode of learning is switched to
advancement. Non-teaching academic and non- distance learning from the traditional face-to-face
academic personnel shall enjoy the protection of the learning, students might let go of their reading and
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Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 72-76, Document ID: PEMJ519, doi:10.5281/zenodo.7607631, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

writing skills and allow them to diminish. After seeing the findings of her study, she has
recommended to other teachers that they should also
The 2nd Grade teacher of Samat Elementary School implement similar intervention plans. It can be
observed a sudden drop of proficiency in reading from observed how effective and powerful an intervention
her students during the on-going pandemic. With that, plan is. The intervention plan, Project ReWrite, also
she conceptualized an intervention plan titled “Project aims to have these kinds of results. Gonzalez-
ReWrite: Improving Reading and Writing Skills”, an Valenzuela and Martin-Ruiz (2017) discovered that if
intervention plan suited to needs of the students that you want to improve or recover the reading skills of
will allow them to improve their reading skills. The students that, implementing an intervention plan is an
intervention plan was successful and was able to raise effective strategy. This is supported by Capellini et al.
the reading skills of the students during that school (2015).
year. And now that the mode of learning is distance
learning, the intervention plan was revised to adapt to Also, Students who are at risk, improved their
the new mode of learning. phonology after going through a reading intervention
plan. The students also improved their capacity to read
The intervention plan includes phonetics, reading basic basic words. These are according to Silva and Crenitte
wor ds, reading basic sent ences, r eading (2016). This is a goal of Project ReWrite. According to
comprehension. This study is timely and is expected to Archer and Hughes (2011), A teacher must help their
produce results that will benefit the students of Samat students to have a good learning environment to ensure
Elementary School. productive and efficient learning. Since the mode of
learning is now distance learning, the intervention
Research Questions
plan, Project ReWrite, was revised to accommodate
the mode of learning. Intervention plans are an
The study focuses on the strategies used in the
effective way to generally improve skills related to
intervention plan, Project ReWrite, that aims to
reading.
improve the reading skills of the 2nd-grade students of
Samat Elementary School during the school year Improving reading skills
2021-2022. The study sought to answer the following;
Being able to read proficiently is essential, especially
1. What are the reading skills of the students before the
if one wants to achieve a higher level of education.
implementation of Project ReWrite in terms of the pre-
This is supported by Coyne et al. (2011), their study, it
test Phil-IRI result?
showed that teaching students how to read with
2. What are the reading skills of the students after the
comprehension is one of the most important duties
implementation of Project ReWrite in terms of the
teachers should complete.
post-test Phil-IRI result?
According to the study conducted by Bagolong and
Literature Review Usop (2021), they discussed the importance of having
proficient reading skills. They said that the process of
studying and learning depends on the student’s ability
Intervention Plans to Improve the reading skills of to read. If a student’s reading level falls down to the
students frustration level, it shows low reading comprehension
which in turn the student will struggle to learn.
Olivarez (2019) conducted a study to determine how Foorman (2014) said that reading skills are one of the
effective the intervention plan that she has bases that determine whether a student will be
implemented in Magallanes Elementary School in successful in the academic field. The ability to read
terms of the reading skills of the students. According properly is one of the most important skill a student
to the study conducted by Olivarez (2019) she has must poses, that is why teachers must take it upon
determined that the reading skills of the students themselves to make sure that their students have the
improved after implementing her intervention plan. It ability to read properly.
is stated in her research that the following increased;
independent readers from 28% became 41%, According to Yonson (2014) that through reading, our
instructional level from 26% became 30%. While the knowledge and our memorization skills can expand.
percentage of the following decreased; frustration level Terrado (2014) introduced the idea that reading is the
from 27% became 22%, non-readers from 19% ability to know and understand symbols that make up
became 7%. words and sentences. This ability can be used by

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Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 72-76, Document ID: PEMJ519, doi:10.5281/zenodo.7607631, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

students to further enhance their knowledge. In the Participants/Respondents

studies conducted by Foorman, Yonson, and Terrado
that reading is really important, especially to students. The researcher used total population sampling, with
They showed how reading is a really powerful tool the population being the grade 2 advisory class of
that can help student sharpen and expand their Samat Elementary School. The respondents of this
knowledge and use it really well in the academic field. study are the population of Grade 2 of Samat
Elementary School. Samat Elementary School has one
Factors that Affect Students in their Learning (1) grade 2 class and is composed of 15 students, 8
males and 7 females.
A study conducted by Drajeaa and O’Sullivan (2014)
showed the relation between the monthly income of Instruments of the Study
the student’s parents to their capacity in learning.
Poverty is a barrier that stops students from pursuing To determine the level of the reading skills of the
education. In 2020, data indicates that 16.6% of the students before and after the implementation of the
population of the Philippines, or about 17.6 million intervention plan, the researcher used Phil-IRI
people, live under the poverty line. By that number (Philippines Informal Reading Inventory).
alone, poverty can play a role in the education and
learning of students that live in poverty. This is Procedure
supported by the study conducted by Inoncencio
(2017), his study showed that students cannot focus in The researcher used reading materials and worksheets
their studies because their school allowance is not to improve the reading skills of the 2nd-grade students.
enough or they don’t have any allowance at all, which The learning materials are made to focus the
in turn distract them in their studies. In relation to following; proper phonetics, reading basic words,
poverty, children might be forced to work at an early reading basic sentences, and reading with
comprehension. Then measured the results of the pre-
age, to help their parents or just to survive, and put
test and post-test of PHIL-IRI after the implementation
their education on hold.
of Project ReWrite.
Now that the mode of learning is moved to distance
learning these are factors that affect learning; speed of Results
internet connection, not enough printed modules or
learning materials, no certainty whether the students
will adapt to the new learning and learn the contents The researcher used statistical measures and tools in
within their learning materials, and incomplete tools. summarizing, presenting, analyzing and interpreting
These are some factors that affect learning, the the data gathered. The data will be manually tabulated
researcher only used the factors that apply in the by the researcher using tools within Microsoft word.
location of the study and are timely.
The Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI),
a project of the Bureau of Learning Delivery of the
Methodology Department of Education (DepEd), provided the
results for the before and after results for the study.
The Phil-IRI is a test that measures how proficient
The study employed quasi-experimental methods of elementary school students are in reading. It is the first
research. For the researcher to accomplish the verified tool designed to measure students' reading
objectives, the quasi-experimental research design will comprehension abilities. Through stories and passages,
be used to determine and analyze the data encountered the student's word recognition, comprehension, and
by the researcher. The data gathered will be analyzed reading speed are all quantitatively evaluated
using percentage, mean, and dependent t-test A quasi- informally.
experiment is a form of research design that aims to
establish a cause-and-effect link. The key difference To determine the significance difference of the pre-test
between this and a real experiment is that the groups and post-test results of the students. The researcher
are not assigned at random. This is frequently the case will use the dependent t-test, it compares the means of
in medical and psychological research where there are two measurements taken from the same individual,
a limited number of participants due to challenges object, or related units.
associated with subject randomization, and limited
sample size (Gopalan et al., 2020)

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Psych Educ, 2023, 7: 72-76, Document ID: PEMJ519, doi:10.5281/zenodo.7607631, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Table 1. Reading Level of Grades 2 pupils before the Table 4. Dependent t-test of the pre-test and post-test
Implementation of Project ReWrite: Improving results of frustration level.
Reading and Writing Skills

According to the data, there is a significant difference

This table shows the result of the pre-test using Phil- between the result of the pre-test and post-test in
IRI conducted a month after the opening of classes. It frustration level.
can be seen that 11 or 74% of the respondents are non-
readers, 0 or 0% under frustration level, 2 or 13% Table 5. Dependent t-test of the pre-test and post-test
under instructional level, and 2 or 13% under results of instructional level
independent level.

Table 2. Reading Level of Grades 2 pupils before the

Implementation of Project ReWrite: Improving
Reading and Writing Skills

According to the data, there is no significant difference

between the result of the pre-test and post-test in
instructional level.

Table 6. Dependent t-test of the pre-test and post-test

Table 2 shows the result of the posttest using Phil-IRI. results of independent level
It indicates that there are 3 pupils or 20% under
frustration level, 2 or 13% under instructional level, 3
or 20% under independent level, and 7 or 47% are
nonreaders.

Table 3. Significant Difference on the Reading Level of

Grades 2 Pupils Before and After the Implementation
According to the data, there is a significant difference
of Project ReWrite: Improving Reading and Writing
between the result of the pre-test and post-test in
Skills. independent level.

Table 7. Dependent t-test of the pre-test and post-test

results of non-readers

Table 3 shows the significant difference in the reading According to the data, there is a significant difference
level indicated that the percentage of independent level between the result of the pre-test and post-test in
increased from 13% to 20%, instructional level independent level.
remained the same, while the frustration level
increased from 0% to 20%, and non-reader decreased
from 74% to 47%.

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Research Article

Discussion References

Archer, A. L., & Hughes, C. A. (2010). Explicit instruction:

Generally, given all of the data, the intervention plan Effective and efficient teaching. Guilford Publications.
did its job. Looking at the difference between the
Bagolong, N. A., & Usop, A. M. (2021). Reading Skills of
frustration level, instructional level, the independent
Elementary Pupils as Basis for an Intervention Plan: The Case of
level, and non-readers it can be said that the Don E. Sero Elementary School, Philippines. JPAIR Institutional
intervention plan is a massive success. Research Journal, 16(1), 1-1.

Drajeaa, A. J., & O'Sullivan, C. (2014). The Influence of Parental

According to table 1, the majority of the students of
Education and Family Income on Children's Education in Rural
the grade 2 students of Samat Elementary School is at Uganda. Global Education Review, 1(3).
the frustration level. There are 11 students who are at
the non-readers, 0 in the frustration level, 2 in the González-Valenzuela, M. J., & Martín-Ruiz, I. (2017). Effects on
reading of an early intervention program for children at risk of
instructional level, and 2 who are in the independent
learning difficulties. Remedial and Special Education, 38(2), 67-75.'
level.
Harris, A. D., et al. (2006). The use and interpretation of quasi-
And table 2 shows the data after the implementation of experimental studies in medical informatics. Journal of the
the intervention plan and it shows that there are only 7 American Medical Informatics Association, 13(1), 16-23.
students from 11 non-readers students, 3 in frustration
Olivarez, D. (2019). Improving the Oral Reading Level in English of
level, and 2 in the instructional level of reading, and 3 Grades I-VI Pupils of Magallanes Elementary School through the
in the independent level and it is observed that there is Implementation of Reading In-Tandem using Explicit Instruction
a significant between the results of the table 1 and Strategy
table 2 and it is supported by the dependent t-test result
Silva, N. S. M., & Crenitte, P. A. P. (2016, September). Performance
of table 4, 5, 6 and 7
of children at risk for reading difficulties submitted to an
intervention program. In CoDAS (Vol. 28, pp. 517-525). Sociedade
Brasileira de Fonoaudiologia.
Conclusion
Simmons, D. C., et al. (2011). Effects of supplemental reading
interventions in authentic contexts: A comparison of
Before Project ReWrite: Improving Reading and kindergarteners' response. Exceptional Children, 77(2), 207-228.
Writing Skills went into effect, the majority of
respondents belonged to the frustrated category. Affiliations and Corresponding Information
Following the adoption of Project ReWrite: Improving
Reading and Writing Skills, the reading proficiency of Edelweza F. Palad
Grade 2 students increased. The large difference Samat Elementary School,
between the Grades 2 students' pre- and post-test Department of Education, Philippines
scores demonstrates the success of Project ReWrite:
Improving Reading and Writing Skills as a remedial
reading program.

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