EFFECTS OF POOR READING COMPREHENSION TO GRADE 7
STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
A Research Paper
Presented to Mary Jane D. Cabiluna
A Faculty of the English Department of
Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School
Macopa Street, Basak Pardo, Cebu City
Presented by
Michael Angelou A. Castro
Crystal Mae Q. Abella
Kristela Cassandra Miranda
Grade 10- Alpha
S.Y. 2023-2024
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
As Alex, a first-year high school student, entered the world of academics, it has been
quite challenging for him. Despite having a genuine desire for learning, Alex struggles with
poor reading comprehension skills. The journey from middle school to high school has
brought complex texts and challenging subject matter. Figuring out complex texts, it is
difficult for him to understand important ideas. This struggle not only hinders academic
progress but also impacts performance in class discussions and assignments. For Alex, his
first year of high school presents a big challenge managing academic performance by getting
through the challenge of poor reading comprehension.
On a survey conducted by Ricket, et. al (2015) about Students Facing Academic
Problems, studies show that almost 80 percent of children with learning disabilities have their
educational problem in the area of reading. The reading problems of all these students have a
substantial impact on their ability to master other subjects in school. Poor reading
comprehension appears to affect performance in all other academic subjects as well as the
students’ class participation. (Feagons, 2017; Hallahan, Kauffman & Lloyd, 2015)
In December 2019, Malacañang said that the "poor reading comprehension of Filipino
students is a reality". In a 2018 global survey called Program International Assessment
(PISA), among 600,000 students worldwide, a Filipino student around the age of 15 got a
rating of 340 points in reading comprehension, lower than the average of 487 points.
Consequently, in the said study, the Philippines ranked last among 79 countries. According to
an article titled, "Filipino Students' Reading Abilities: A Note on the Challenges and Potential
Areas for Improvement", the researchers stated that students experience difficulties in reading
comprehension because their focus and attention are destructed by cellphones and social
media. They spend more time using cellphones rather than reading. (Idulog, et. al, 2023)
In Cebu City, at least 76 percent of students still have a low reading comprehension.
DepEd Central Visayas says that building the reading comprehension of learners was a big
challenge during the pandemic lockdown. About 5,000 first year students began their first
day inside Guadalupe National High school in Cebu City with reading exercises, after two
years of the nationwide lockdown. In the article entitled, "Binisaya Instruction: Facing the
MTB-MLE challenges Head-on”, Eslit (2017) cited that minority language students gained
literacy in their first language experienced with higher academic achievement compared to
students who learned in a second or third language. The article further supports the learning
of first language as the key to the acquisition of second and third languages. A need for good
foundation in the first language is essential to establish a good step in learning a second or
even third language. This can be interrelated with reading comprehension, since reading
requires a strong foundation of the language that is necessary for comprehension.
The main purpose of this study is to determine the effects of Poor Reading
comprehension to Grade 7 Students. With this in mind, it will help them enhance their
academic performance, thinking skills, overall cognitive development and will positively
impact their confidence and motivation, laying a foundation for lifelong learning.
Theoretical and / or Conceptual Framework
Poor Reading Comprehension
Schema Theory
Schema-stored knowledge
in the mind
Types of Schemas
Person Social Self Event
Specific individuals Behavior in social situation Knowledge of oneself Behavior in certain events
Process in Schema
Change
Assimilation Accommodation
Incorporating new information with pre-existing Changing forming new schemas due to
schemas experiences
Resistant to change.
Effects
Poor academic performance
Low self-esteem
Low critical thinking skills
Weak communication skills
Limited vocabulary development
Figure 1: Schema Theory by Frederic Bartlett (1932)
This study is anchored on the theory entitled, "Schema Theory" promulgated by
Frederic Bartlett (1932). According to this theory, a person's mind has schemas, which are the
storage for one's knowledge. Schemas fall into four types, namely, Person Schemas, Social
Schemas, Self-Schemas, Event Schemas. All of these contribute in the process of schema
change. The theory explains the two schema changes: Assimilation and Accommodation. In
Assimilation, new information is incorporated into pre-existing schemas while in
accommodation, existing schemas might be formed as a person learns new information and
has new experiences. If one's mind resist this change, it will negatively affect the person or
the student. The student will have poor academic performance, low self-esteem, low critical
thinking skills, weak communication skills, and limited vocabulary development.
THE PROBLEM
Statement of the Problem
The purpose of the study is to determine the EFFECTS OF POOR READING
COMPREHENSION TO GRADE 7 STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. This
study will be conducted at Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School, within the
academic school year 2023-2024.
Specifically, the study attempts to answer the following questions:
1. Why do Grade 7 students have poor reading comprehension?
2. How does poor reading comprehension affect the Grade 7 students’ academic
performance?
3. How can they improve their poor reading comprehension in order to have a good academic
performance?
Significance of the Study
Learning how to read is easy but understanding what has been read is a common
problem for students nowadays. This study aimed to provide a valuable information on how
poor reading comprehension affects the academic performance of a Grade 7 student. The
outcome of this study will be beneficial especially to the following:
Students. In reading this study, students will learn the effects of having a poor reading
comprehension and will also learn the ways to improve it. This will motivate them not only to
practice their reading skill but also to practice understanding what they are reading.
Parents. Parents will gain insights into the challenges their children are facing with reading
comprehension. This awareness enables them to support their children’s learning, providing
support and encouragement to improve comprehension skills.
Teachers. In reading this study, the school administrator will focus on finding ways to
improve the students’ reading comprehension to have efficient learners.
Future Researchers. Future researchers will serve this study as their basis for their own study,
as they will be aware of the effects of poor reading comprehension to Grade 7 students.
Definition of Terms
In every research study, there are always terms that need to be defined for a clear
understanding of the research problem. These are the following terms found in the research
title and Statement of the Problem that have to be defined conceptually and operationally:
Academic Performance – is the measurement of student achievement across various
academic subjects. In this study, it is the result of the efforts exerted by the students
represented by their grades per subject and is one of the independent variables.
Effects – refers to the alteration, consequences, or outcomes produced by a specific cause,
action, or event. In this study, it refers to the outcome of Poor Reading Comprehension and
also one of the dependent variables.
Grade 7 Students – students who are in the seventh grade of their Junior High School
Education, under 12-13 years old. In this study, they are the respondents, the ones involved in
the problem, and also one of the dependent variables.
Improve – to enhance the quality, precision, or effectiveness of something, typically by
refining processes, increasing efficiency, or incorporating constructive feedback, with the
ultimate goal of achieving superior results or performance. In this study, it is the making of
the students’ reading comprehension better and is part of the third sub-problem.
Poor Reading Comprehension – refers to students’ skill in understanding the meaning behind
words, phrases, and other texts. This is the problem that students are engaged in and one of
the independent variables.
Reasons – are the underlying justifications or explanations that support a decision, action,
belief, or phenomenon, often noted in logical evidence, or personal motivations, contributing
to a comprehensive understanding of cause and effect. In this study, they are the causes a
student has Poor Reading Comprehension and is part of the first sub-problem.
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
This chapter presents the existing published literatures and studies that are relevant to
the present study: The Effects of Poor Reading Comprehension to Grade 7 students’
Academic performance.
Related Literature
This section presents the existing published literatures that relate to the present study.
As stated by Paul Nowak (2021) in an online magazine taken from Iris Reading
entitled, “What are the causes of Poor Reading comprehension (& How to Fix them)”, having
a learning disorder like ADHD and dyslexia can result in a poor reading comprehension.
Since ADHD and dyslexia can lower the attention span, the student will most likely get bored
halfway into reading the material. Also, students that have limited vocabulary will focus
more on decoding the meaning of the words instead of understanding the text. This will slow
down their reading speed and will hinder the development of their reading comprehension.
The cited literature is relevant to the proposed study since it tackles the causes of
having poor reading comprehension, which is the first sub-problem of the study. The
literature has a wider scope in terms of the person involved, for it talks about youth in
general, while the proposed study focuses on a specific group of youth, which is the Grade 7
students. Also, the site of the reviewed literature is in the United States of America, whereas
the site of the proposed study is in Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School. Both
the cited literature and proposed study focus on the same research problem, which are the
causes of poor reading comprehension.
Some students with poor reading comprehension have trouble learning to read and
pronounce words but grasping the meaning of the text is their main dilemma. According to
Logsdon (2023), on her article taken from Very Well Family entitled, “What is Reading
Comprehension?”, kids that have a poor reading comprehension disorder will most likely
experience challenges in word recognition, difficulties in understanding the main ideas in
reading passages, troubles in reading aloud, and problems in remembering significant details.
These effects will later affect their academic performance and their well-being, especially
their mental health.
The reviewed literature relates to the second sub-problem of the proposed study for it
tackles on the impacts of having a poor reading comprehension. Though in the proposed
study, the researchers used the word “effects” instead of “impact”. With regards to the
persons involved, this literature uses the general term, teens, whereas in the proposed study, it
focuses on the Grade 7 students. Also, the site of the cited literature is in The United States of
America, while the site of the proposed study is in Don Vicente Rama Memorial National
High School. The cited literature and proposed study are focusing on the same research
problem, which is the effects of poor reading comprehension.
In an article by Maria Kampen (2022) taken from Prodigy Game entitled “11 Proven
Tips to Improve Reading Comprehension Skills for Students”, she gave some tips to pass
along to students to help them improve their poor reading comprehension skills as a student.
These are: Tip 1: Build in existing knowledge. This will help students draw inferences and
make connections between the text and the things they already know. Tip 2: Identify and
summarize key ideas. Summarizing a text can help students pull out main points and absorb
more information. Tip 3: Use online resources. It helps students engage to different interests
as they practice their reading comprehension. Tip 4: Use visual aids. To help students build a
picture in their minds of what they are reading, use visual aids and visualization techniques.
Tip 5: Develop vocabulary skills. Vocabulary teaching strategies can help students build the
tools to understand new words on their own. Tip 6: Implement thinking strategies. Ask
questions that will make the students think about the deeper meaning in a text and help them
use critical thinking skills as they look for key points. Tip 7: Create question and answer
scenarios. Questioning students on different aspects of the text helps them examine it with
fresh eyes and find new ways of interpreting it. Tip 8: Encourage reciprocal teaching. It gives
students four strategies for reading comprehension, namely, Predicting, Questioning,
Clarifying, and Summarizing Tip 9: Use summarizing techniques. Summarizing techniques
help students learn how to find and bring together key ideas. Tip 10: Ask students to make
predictions. It does not only build the students’ reading comprehension, but it also
encourages them to engage with the material critically and teaches them to build solid, text-
bared arguments. Tip 11: Try making inferences. Inferences help students draw conclusions
between the text and their prior knowledge.
This cited literature is relevant to the proposed study for it discusses how students
should improve their poor reading comprehension skills. The persons involved in the cited
literature use the general term, students, whereas in the proposed study, it specifically selects
50 Grade 7 students. The site of the reviewed literature is in the United States of America,
while the site of the proposed study is in Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School.
Both the cited literature and proposed study focus on the same research problem, which are
the ways to improve poor reading comprehension.
Related Studies
This section presents the studies relevant to the proposed study.
In the journal BrainFacts.org, a research study entitled "What is Performance
Anxiety?" published by Sian Beilock (2018), he stated that the study explores the causes and
potential solutions for performance anxiety. Then, the researchers obtained their data from an
in-depth interview with the participants, who were high school students experiencing
performance anxiety at the University of California. Based on the students’ responses,
findings show that performance anxiety occurs due to three remarkable factors, including the
anticipation of stressful events, the desire to perform well, and concerns about one’s ability to
meet expectations.
The cited study is relevant to the proposed study in a way that it tackles the causes of
performance anxiety. As to the participants, the cited study mentioned high school students as
respondents, while in the proposed study, the respondents are Grade 9 students. Also, the site
of the reviewed study is in California, whereas the site of the proposed study is in Don
Vicente Rama Memorial National High School. The cited study has the same research
problem as the proposed study since both studies focus on the causes of performance anxiety
in high school students.
Based on the research study entitled, “Effects of Reading Difficulties on Academic
Performance Among Three Students in Public Secondary Schools, Kiambu, Kenya” and
published by Wanjiku Karanja (2015), he stated that poor reading comprehension affects
academic performances. Teacher’s response on the extent to which they agree with various
statement about effects of reading difficulties (comprehension errors) on academic
performance, was done using a Likert scale from 1-5 where; 1-Strongly Disagree; 2-
Disagree; 3-Neither agree nor disagree; 4-Agree; 5-Strongly Agree. Ninety percent of the
teachers strongly agreed that reading difficulties appeared to affect performances in all other
subjects. The study found that majority of the teachers of English from the sampled schools
agreed that poor reading skills affects academic performance in all the examinable subjects.
The cited study is relevant to the proposed study for it focuses on Reading
Comprehension. Both studies have different individuals, since the cited study focuses on
Secondary High School students, while the proposed study specifies the Grade 7 students.
Also, the cited study was conducted in Kenya, while the proposed study is at Don Vicente
Rama Memorial National High School. The cited study has the same research problem with
the proposed study for both studies focus on the Effects of Poor Reading Comprehension to
Secondary High School Students.
In a research study entitles, “Problems in Reading Comprehension” published in 2019
by Janeth Holgado, she explored to determine the problems encountered in reading
comprehension as perceived by the Grade 11 students of Makiling Integrated School. She
used a quantitative method through standard survey form to gather the needed data in the
study. A total of 30 out of 240 Grade 11 students in Makiling Integrated School were used as
respondents in this study. Based on the results, it reveals that the problem lies primarily on
the language used. The students lack familiarity with the functions of words and
comprehending the text because they cannot decode the meaning of the text. Furthermore,
because of poor vocabulary development, students were unable to get the meaning of the text
despite the context clues used followed by the poor background knowledge in the English
language.
This cited study is partially relevant to the proposed study since it tackles about
reading comprehension. However, the study does not have the same research problem since
the cited study only highlights the cause on why students are having a problem of reading
comprehension, while the proposed study prioritized on the effects of poor reading
comprehension to the academic performance of students. As to the participants, the cited
study targets the Grade 11 students in Makiling Integrated School, whereas the proposed
study concentrates more on Grade7 students in Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High
School.
Overall Summary of the Review
The cited literatures and studies are relevant to the present study because all of them
tackles about Poor Reading Comprehension. They just differ in the specific aspects like in the
literature, one source focuses on the Causes of Poor Reading Comprehension of students,
another source discusses the Effects of Poor Reading Comprehension, the third source deals
with the Ways to Improve Poor Reading Comprehension, while in the present study, it
focuses on the Effects of Poor Reading Comprehension to Academic Performances of Grade
7 Students. When it comes to the persons involved and the locale, the cited literatures made
mention of the general term ‘students’ but no specific pales were identified, while the present
study focuses on a specific grade level and a school. On the part of the cited studies, still it
tackles about Poor Reading Comprehension, but it varies on the targeted individuals and
problems. One study talks about the factors, impacts, and solutions of poor reading
comprehension to students, another study tackles the effects of reading difficulties on
academic performance, and the third study points out the problems in reading comprehension.
The individuals involved, the place of the study, and the time frame in the cited studies are
varied in comparison to the present study. Since the present study specifically selected the
Grade 7 students of Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School year 2023-2024 to
be the respondents of the research problem on the effects of Poor Reading Comprehension to
their Academic Performance, it is more original and specific.
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURE
This chapter presents the method and processes that were used to gather data
regarding the present study.
Method
Quantitative – Descriptive method was used in the study to determine the Effects of
Poor Reading Comprehension to Grade 7 Students’ Academic Performance. The process was
done by giving sets of questions through an approved survey questionnaire which is related to
the study.
Environment/Locale
The study was conducted in Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School
located at Macopa Street, Basak Pardo, Cebu City which is the first national high school in
the South of Cebu City. It was opened on June 7, 1993 and acquired its name as Cebu City
Don Carlos A. Gothong Memorial National High School – Basak Extension through DECS
Order No. 5, Series of 1989. This was made possible through the joint effort of the then
Department of Education, Culture and Sports now Dep-Ed, Division of Cebu City headed by
Dolores P. Abellanosa and Cebu City Government with Hon. Alvin B. Garcia as Mayor. The
first principal was Dr. Mathilde R. Mayonila. The school started with 300 first year students
with 50 students per section.
The school become independent with national funding last October 9, 1993. The
following year, in1994, the school acquired its new name, Basak National High School.
Through Sangguniang Panlungsod resolution in 2004, Basak National High School was
converted into Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School. This school’s namesake
was the representative of Cebu’s 3rd district instrumental as the author and sponsor of the bill
of creating the City of Cebu and was enacted into a law as Commonwealth Act No. 58 by the
Philippine Congress on October 20, 1936. He is also known as the “Father of the Cebu City
Charter”.
The school mainly serves the entire portion of Basak-San Nicolas and Basak-Pardo. It
also serves the nearer barangays around it like Mambaling, Punta Princesa, Tisa, Kinasang-an
Pardo, and Quiot. It aims to produce learners who do ordinary things extraordinarily well to
achieve a culture of excellence.
At present, the school is being headed by Mrs. Evelyn R. Pielago – Principal IV and
assisted by Mrs. Mary Christine Abas – Head Teacher III (2 nd shift) and Mr. Noel Nacorda –
Head Teacher II (1st shift). The school is a fast-growing community of students and one of the
biggest public schools in the South of Cebu City. It has an active Supreme Student
Government and student organizations which facilitate and mediate school activities. The
latter also assists the school officials, faculty, and staff in all events within the school.
Currently, there are eleven buildings in the entire School Vicinity, eight of which are
used by the Junior High School students and three of which are used by the Senior High
School students. The researchers conducted the study to Grade 7 Science Class Alpha
students occupying building 9 room 5, 2 nd floor, Grade 7 Science Class Beta occupying
building 9 room 4, 2nd floor, Grade 7 Cheerful occupying building 9 room 4, 3 rd floor, and
Grade 7 Faithful occupying building 9 room 1, 3rd floor.
Participants
The researchers randomly selected fifty (50) Grade 7 Students to be respondents of
the study with the age range of 13-14 years old. Out of the fifty (50), twenty-nine (29) were
females and twenty-one (21) were males. Sixteen (16) students were from Grade 7 Science
Class Alpha, eleven (11) from Grade 7 Science Class Beta, ten (10) from Grade 7 Cheerful,
and thirteen (13) from Grade 7 Faithful. The respondents were given 2-3 minutes to answer
the survey questionnaire. From the six hundred seventy-eight (678) Grade 7 students in Don
Vicente Rama Memorial National High School, year 2023-2024, only 7.37 percent (7.37%)
of the total population was surveyed.
Sampling Technique
The study used the Random Sampling Technique in conducting the survey because
the researchers selected a group of students randomly and at the convenient time of the
respondents. The researchers fairly divided the number of Grade 7 students.
Instrument
To gather data in determining the effects of poor reading comprehension on the
academic performance of Grade 7 students, a survey questionnaire was formulated by the
researchers. It is divided into three sections. Section A used the Dichotomous and
Contingency Questions which determine if the respondents have Poor Reading
Comprehension or not and the reasons behind their Poor Reading Comprehension or the
reasons behind their good reading comprehension. Section B used the Rank Order Scaled
Question wherein the respondents ranked the Given Effects of Poor Reading Comprehension
on their Academic Performance from 1-5, 1 being the highest and 5 being the lowest. Section
C used the Likert type scale in which the respondents checked the column that best fits their
response to the given statements regarding the Ways of Grade 7 Students to Overcome Poor
Reading Comprehension to improve their Academic Performance.
Data Gathering Procedure
The researchers made a survey questionnaire which underwent many corrections and
revisions until it was approved by the research adviser. After the approval, the instrument was
encoded, photocopied in fifty (50) copies, and distributed to the randomly selected
respondents. They were given 2-3 minutes to answer the survey questionnaire which directly
relates to the study’s objective. After the allotted time ended, the researchers retrieved the
fifty (50) distributed survey questionnaire copies for them to tally the responses and analyze
it. However, the researchers encountered a problem; some questionnaires were answered
incorrectly, but the researchers gave them back to the respondents who answered them to
correct them, and the problem was solved.
CHAPTER IV
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF
DATA
This chapter provides the graphical and tabular presentation of the data gathered, its
analysis and interpretation on the Effects of Poor Reading Comprehension to Grade 7
Students’ Academic Performance.
Figure 2
Percentage of Respondents’ Having Poor Reading Comprehension or Not
15
Yes
35 No
Figure 2 shows that out of fifty (50) respondents, 30% of them considered themselves
as poor readers while 70% do not. This means that the majority of the respondents are not
poor readers.
TABLE 1
Reasons of Respondents Having Poor Reading Comprehension
Indicators Number of Responses Percentage
1. Lacking in concentration 7 46.67%
2.Taking too much time to 2 13.33%
understand
3. Having limited vocabulary 2 13.33%
4. Difficulty understanding 2 13.33%
the text
5. Having word confusion 2 13.33%
Total 15 100%
Table 1 shows that indicator 1 got the highest percentage of 46.67% while indicators
2, 3, 4, and 5 got the lowest of 13.33%. This reveals that seven (7) respondents who answered
Yes have poor reading comprehension due to lack in concentration.
TABLE 1.1
Reasons of Respondents’ Not Having Poor Reading Comprehension
Indicators Number of Responses Percentage
1. Having a background 4 11.43%
knowledge
2. Knowing how to visualize 9 25.71%
a text
3. Having a wide range of 19 54.30%
vocabulary
4. Being interested to read 3 8.60%
5. Having an efficient 0 0%
reading strategy
Total 35 100%
Table 1.1 shows that indicator 3 got the highest percentage of 54.30% while indicator
5 got the lowest percentage of 0%. This reveals that the 19 respondents who answered No do
not have poor reading comprehension due to having a wide range of vocabulary.
TABLE 2
Effects of Poor Reading Comprehension to Respondents’ Academic
Performance
Indicators Number of Responses Rank
1. Poor academic 195 5
performance
2. Low self-esteem 106 1
3. Low critical thinking 126 2
4. Weak communication skills 147 3
5. Limited vocabulary 172 4
development
Table 3 shows that indicator 2 ranks 1st with 106 number of responses while indicator
1 ranks 5th with 195 number of responses. This reveals that the primary effect of poor
reading comprehension to the academic performance of the respondents is low self-esteem.
TABLE 3
Ways of Respondents in improving their Poor Reading Comprehension
Indicators Weighted Mean Interpretation Rank
1. Students should 4.48 SA 1
use context clues
2. Students should 4.60 SA 1
practice active
reading which
involved answering
guide questions
3. Students should 4.22 SA 1
read regularly
4. Students should 4.40 SA 1
summarize what they
read
5. Students should 3.56 A 2
discuss the text with
a friend
6. Students should 4.35 SA 2
have a reading
strategy in reading
text, such as SQ3R
Average Weighted 4.26 SA 1
Mean
Range:
4.21 – 5.00 Strongly Agree 1
3.41 – 4.20 Agree 2
2.61 – 3.40 Neutral 3
1.81 – 2.60 Strongly Disagree 4
Table 3 shows that indicator 2 got the highest weighted mean of 4.60 while indicator
5 got the lowest weighted mean of 3.56. The average weighted mean is 4.26 which is
interpreted as “Strongly Agree”. This means that the best way for respondents to improve
their reading comprehension is by practicing active reading which involves answering guide
questions as strongly agreed by them.
Limitations
Upon making the study, the researchers encountered difficulties in gathering data
about the problem since the citations should be withing 10 years range for it to be considered
recent. In the making of the survey questionnaire, the researchers met many corrections and
did revisions for it to be approved by the research adviser. In the process of doing the survey,
some respondents did not thoroughly read the instructions and understand the questions that
led them to answer the survey incorrectly. To overcome these problems, first, the researchers
guided the respondents in answering the survey questionnaire. Second, they monitored the
respondents to see if they really were following correctly the instructions given by being
there in person as they answered to avoid confusion in the process. Third, the researchers
noticed that there were mistakes in the answers, so, they did the resurvey. Lastly, the
researchers were supposed to survey seventy percent (70%) of the total population, which is
four hundred seventy-five (475) students out of six hundred seventy-eight (678) students.
However, due to lack of financial fundings and limited time, the research adviser suggests to
only survey fifty (50) students or 7.37 percent (7.37%) of the total population.
CHAPTER V
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION, AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter contains the summary of findings undertaken, conclusion drawn, and
recommendations made as an outgrowth of the study Effects of Poor Reading Comprehension
to the Academic Performance of Grade 7 Students.
Summary of Findings
This study was conducted for the purpose of determining the Effects of Poor Reading
Comprehension to the Academic Performance of Grade 7 Students in Don Vicente Rama
Memorial National High School. It specifically answered the following sub-problems: the
factors responsible for Grade 7 Students having Poor Reading Comprehension, the effects of
Poor Reading Comprehension to the Academic Performance of Grade 7 Students, and the
ways of Grade 7 Students in improving their academic performance. The quantitative-
descriptive method was utilized, and the random and convenience sampling technique was
used to gather data from the randomly selected fifty (50) respondents who have Poor Reading
Comprehension using the self-made survey questionnaire as the instrument. The inquiry was
conducted during the school year 2023-2024.
Based on the gathered results, there are findings:
1. Out of the fifty (50) respondents, fifteen (15) identified themselves as poor readers
because they lack concentration compromising 30% while the remaining thirty-five (35)
do not identified themselves as poor readers because they have a wide range of
vocabulary compromising 70%.
2. According to the respondents, having poor reading comprehension does affect the
academic performance and they are as followed: Having a low self-esteem which is rank
1, having low critical thinking which is in rank 2, and having weak communication skills
which is in rank 3.
3. The most common reason of the respondents for having difficulty in reading is that they
lack concentration with a total percentage of 46.67%. With that, the most common way
to improve their reading comprehension as students is practice active reading which
involves answering guide questions.
Conclusion
Based on the presented data, the researchers concluded that poor readers lack
concentration and has negative impact on students’ academic performance and to their way
of communicating to other people that lead them to have a low self-esteem, low critical
thinking, and weak communication skills. To prevent this from happening, having a reading
strategy is important, also practice active reading, using context clues and read regularly
helps a student to improve their reading comprehension.
Recommendations
With the given conclusion, the researchers recommend that:
Students Who Have Poor Reading Comprehension. They should read books or other reading
materials in their free time instead of always playing on their gadgets.
Family. If parents notice that their child is having a hard time reading, they should encourage
him/her to read books that challenge their reading abilities.
Teachers. They should guide students with poor reading comprehension and provide proper
discipline by helping them understand and comprehend difficult words.
School. They should initiate programs that would help the students learn to read difficult
words and develop good reading comprehension.
Another topic which is relevant to the present study is the Barriers to the Reading
Comprehension of Public Junior High School Students.
