MSU GenSan Graduate Education Research Journal

MSU GenSan Graduate Education Research Journal

Volume 1 August 2015 ISSN 2467-5385

The Oral Reading Fluency

and the Reading Comprehension Level
of the Grade7 Students of Bula National
School of Fisheries
LOUIE MARK G. GARVIDA
DR. LETICIA E. CABANG
louiemarkgarvida@gmail.com / louie_garvida@yahoo.com
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8439-307X
Department of Education/ Bula National School of Fisheries/ Cluster 3/
Division of General Santos City/ South Cotabato/
Region XII/ Philippines

ABSTRACT
This study attempted to identify the oral reading fluency and the reading
comprehension level of the Grade 7 students of Bula National School of Fisheries.
The population of 150 Grade 7 students who were divided evenly according to
gender and according to their reading levels were the respondents. This study
utilized a passage and a set of comprehension questions in the Phil-IRI and the
Running Record. The following statistical tools employed in the study were
frequency, mean percentage, t-test for independent samples and Pearson r. Based
on the data, the Grade 7 students are Slow Readers and read words accurately
at Instructional Level. The study also revealed that the reading comprehension
level of these students is under Instructional Level. The t-test results showed
that male students are reading slowly compared to the female. However, t-test
presented that accuracy across gender does not differ significantly. Hence, the
male and female students do not differ significantly on their comprehension

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level. Correlation results showed that oral reading fluency in terms of speed
and accuracy are significantly related to the reading comprehension level of the
students. This study concluded that there is a positive correlation between the
oral reading fluency and the reading comprehension level of the students.
KEYWORDS
Oral Reading Fluency, Speed, Accuracy, Reading Comprehension,
Comprehension Level, Grade 7 Students, Running Record, Speed, Accuracy,
Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI)
INTRODUCTION
Clearly defining reading provides an important perspective for evaluating
approaches to teaching reading (Robertson, 2013). Most educators would agree
that the major purpose of reading should be the construction of meaning -comprehending and actively responding to what is read. Readingis a basic life
skill.It is a cornerstone for a childs success in school, and, indeed, throughout
life. Without the ability to read well, opportunities for personal fulfillment and
job success inevitably will be lost (Blanton, 2002).
By some means, oral reading provides a window to understand the
integration of skills that the child uses to read. Children who read orally with
accuracy do better in the assessment of reading, their attitudes towards reading
are more positive and they are more likely to read with pleasure (Hammond,
2000). Taking this into consideration, the whole reading process in one piece
is a complex cognitive procedure which allows an individual to understand and
perform a task comprehensively.
Thus, to help reduce the degree of poor performances in school, it is really
essential to determine the reading abilities of the learners, specifically in oral
reading. This in particular includes correct speed and accuracy, hence, taking also
into considerations their abilities to understand the text being presented to them.
Taking these ideas, the researcher conducted the study in Bula National School
of Fisheries.

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MSU GenSan Graduate Education Research Journal

FRAMEWORK
The conceptual framework of the study contained various concepts,
assumptions and observations on the variables included on the present study.
Earlier local researchers, Bacaling (2013) in particular, have found in their studies
that reading comprehension is significantly related to the reading fluency of the
students.
Furthermore, oral reading fluency and reading comprehension are identified
as components in effectively gaining meaning from text. A reciprocal relationship
exists between the two that allows one to comprehend more thoroughly as one
reads more fluently (Talada, 2007). Magno (2012) also cited that in some way
the reading rate of an individual affects comprehension. It is quoted as the bridge
from passive reading to active reading - from letters and word to characters and
contexts.
On the other hand, Sucgang (2013) came out with statement that distinction
of the gender of the students show significant difference on the levels of the
vocabulary and comprehension.
This study is built on a concept which shows relationships between oral reading
fluency and reading comprehension, in which is an intervening variable. The oral
reading fluency, assessed in terms of reading speed and accuracy, the independent
variable, postulated to have relationship with the reading comprehension level of
the Grade 7 students, classified as Independent, Instructional, and Frustration
levels. Gender was the intervening variable that may cause significant difference
between the oral reading fluency and comprehension levels among the Grade 7
students.
OBJECTIVES
1. To describe the oral reading fluency of the Grade 7 students of Bula
National School of Fisheries in speed and accuracy;
2. To compare in oral reading fluency level by gender in speed and accuracy;
3. To determine the reading comprehension level of the Grade 7 Students;
4. To compare the reading comprehension level of the Grade 7 male and
female students; and
5. To relate oral fluency level and reading comprehension level in English of
the Grade 7 Students.

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METHODOLOGY
The study used the descriptive-correlation method. It described the oral
reading fluency level and the reading comprehension level of the Grade 7 students
of Bula National School of Fisheries.
Oral reading fluency level was described as to the reading speed and word
accuracy. Reading speed was defined as the words read per minute (wpm). Hence,
word accuracy was determined by computing the words correct per minute
(wcpm). The reading comprehension level of the students was assessed based on
the number of comprehension questions they correctly answered after reading a
passage. The questions after the paragraph were arranged according to the four
comprehension levels, namely: literal, interpretive, critical and applied questions.
The study determined the reading level of the Grade 7 students in oral
reading fluency and their reading comprehension level. This study also tested
if there was a significant relationship between the oral reading fluency and the
reading comprehension of the Grade 7 students at 0.05 level of significance. In
addition, the study tested if there was a significant difference on the oral reading
fluency between the male and female students. It also further tested if there was
a significant difference on the reading comprehension level of the Grade 7 males
and females.
This research was conducted in Bula National School of Fisheries, a technicalvocational school located in the southern part of General Santos City Division,
Cluster 3, particularly in Zone 7, Barangay Bula. This school was one of the pilot
schools in the Strengthened Technical-Vocational Education Program (STVEP)
of the Department of Education. It had an estimated total population of 1, 300
enrolled in the school year 2014-2015.
The respondents of the study were the Grade 7 students of Bula National
School of Fisheries. From the 340 total populations enrolled for school year 20142015 in Grade 7, 150 students were sampled randomly using equal sampling
sizes of 75 males and 75 females. Of the 75 students in each gender category,
25 are Independent readers, 25 are Instructional readers and 25 are Frustration
readers. The reading levels were based on the Phil-IRI pretest results, school year
2014-2015.
The researcher used a text passage in the Phil-IRI, secondary oral English
edition. This passage, composed of 158 words, was used to gauge the oral reading
fluency of the Grade 7 students, both male and female, on speed and accuracy.
In addition, the Running Record was used to record the reading miscues while
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reading orally the passage and at the same time taking note of the last word read
after one minute. To identify the reading comprehension level of the students,
the comprehension questions after the oral passage, arranged according to the
four (4) comprehension levels, were answered by the students. This was assessed
by the number of questions correctly answered divided by the total number of
questions. Then, the scores were interpreted using the benchmark stipulated in
the Phil-IRI manual.
The researcher initially secured permissions from the schools division
superintendent and the school head of Bula National School of Fisheries
to conduct the study for school year 2014-2015. Upon their approvals, the
researcher got the results of the pretest reading inventory on comprehension
levels of the Grade 7students from the schools reading coordinator. This was used
to identify the equal distribution of number of respondents according to gender;
male and female; and according to the reading levels; specifically independent,
instructional and frustration readers.
At the scheduled date, the sampled respondents were called individually
according to their reading levels, independent readers, followed by instructional
readers then the frustration readers. The respondents were first prompted with an
introduction from the researcher and followed by a brief orientation. The speechcomputer laboratory was used as a testing room which was free from destruction
and unnecessary noise.
Each student was provided with a copy of the text passage. The researcher was
also holding a copy of the same text passage written and presented in a running
record format. The researcher had every respondent read once the passage
silently to identify some troublesome words. Then, the researcher instructed the
respondent to read orally the passage for the second time. The reading speed and
word accuracy were noted for each respondent using the Running Record.
While the respondent read the text passage from his/her copy, the researcher,
in his own copy of the text, that is, the Running Record, indicated the
corresponding marks/ symbols on the words where the respondent committed
miscues. These errors were identified later by the researcher as either counted or
uncounted miscues. The counted miscues were the scorable miscues which were
used to compute the accuracy rate of the students. Afterwards, the researcher
computed the individual speed (word per minute) and accuracy rate (word
correct per minute) of the respondents.
The t-test for the independent samples was used to test whether there is a
significant difference in the oral reading fluency and the reading comprehension
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levels of the Grade 7 students across gender. Pearson r was used to compute
the relationship of the oral reading fluency to the reading comprehension of the
Grade 7 students.
RESULTS
As shown in the Table 1, 111 or 74% of the Grade 7 students can read 140
words and below per minute. This means that 7 out of 10 students are considered
Slow Readers. This is followed by 39 students or 26% whose reading speed is 141
to 169 words per minute (wpm), hence, they are considered as Average Readers.
No student read 170 and above words per minute. This implies that no student
is a fast reader. The over-all mean in reading speed is 118.5 words per minute
and this indicates that generally, the Grade 7 students were Slow Readers. This
is manifested also in the work of Casocot (2003) where most of her respondents
showed poor performance in reading, particularly in speed. This indicates that
the students are reading the words in the passage in a slow phase-manner which
makes them finish the whole text passage in a longer time.
Table 1: Oral reading fluency of the grade 7 students in terms of speed and
accuracy
Oral Reading
Fluency

Frequency

Speed (Words Per Minute)

170 and above
141-169

140 and below

39

111

90-96%

89% and below

Description

0%

Fast Reader

26%
74%

Average Reader
Slow Reader

Over-all Mean Speed: 118.5wpm ( Slow reader)

Accuracy ( Word Correct Per Minute)

97-100%

Percentage

41

97

12

27.3%

64.7%
8%

Independent

Instructional
Frustration

Over-all Mean in Accuracy: 95.2 %( Instructional Level)

With regards to reading accuracy, majority of the Grade 7 students, 97 or

64.7% of them got the percentage scores of 90 to 96%. This is considered as
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Instructional Level. There were 41 or 27.3% whose word accuracy is in the

Independent Level. Only 12 or 8% are reading at the Frustration Level, which
means that these students are reading 12 words per minute. The over-all mean
for accuracy is 95.2% and this indicates that the Grade 7 students generally
belong to Instructional Level in reading accuracy. This was shown in the study
of Trinidad (2011), where students found difficulty in reading the passage orally.
One reason he cited was that students used too much of their processing capacity
to read individual words.
This indicates that the students could make improvement in reading a passage
orally with instructional guidance. This level had been denoted by the Phil-IRI as
teaching level because the materials to be read are challenging and quite difficult.
Though there are still miscues committed upon reading, however, the students
oral reading was rhythmical with the use of a more conversational tone.
Table 2: Difference in the oral reading fluency of male and female grade 7
students
Groups

Speed
Male

Female

Accuracy
Male

Female

Mean

t-value

p-value

Remarks

113.2

2.91

.004

Significant Difference

95.0

.328

.744

No Significant
Difference

124.8

95.4

The results of the t-test showed that male students can read on the average
of 113.2 words per minute while female students can read an average of 124.8
words per minute. Using the t-test for the independent samples, the t-value is
2.91 and the p-value is .004. Since p<.05, then there is a significant difference in
the reading speed of the male and female students. Specifically, female students
read faster than the male students. This specifies that the male students are
reading slowly compared to those of the female students. It was also mentioned
by Gunning (2002) the rate at which a student reads can provide insight into
his or her fluency, hence, slow reading can be a sign that decoding is taking an
excessive amount of time, or the student may be reading word by word
On the other hand, the Grade 7 male students read 95 words per minute and
the female students read 95.4 words per minute. Using t-test for independent
samples, the t-value is 0.328 and the p-value is 7.44. Since p>.05, then there is
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no significant difference in the reading accuracy between males and females. This
means that both male and female students are reading at Instructional level in
word accuracy.
Table 3: Reading comprehension level of the grade 7 students
Reading Comprehension

Frequency

Percentage

Reading Level

90-100%
76-89%
75 and below

50
50
50

33.3%
33.3%
33.3%

Independent
Instructional
Frustration

Mean Comprehension: 84.8%

(Instructional Level)

This table shows that 50 students or 33.3% got scores of 90 to 100%.

These students are considered Independent Comprehension Level. Another 50
students or 33.3% got a score of 76 to 89% which is described as Instructional
Comprehension Level. The remaining 50 students or 33.3%, however, got scores
of 75% and below which is considered as Frustration Comprehension Level. The
results show that there are equal number and percentage of Grade 7 students
whose comprehension level is at Independent, Instructional and Frustration. The
over-all mean for comprehension is 84.8%. This implies that the reading level of
the Grade 7 students is generally under Instructional Level.
These results were also manifested in the work of Diaz (2004) who concluded
that the reading skills, particularly in comprehension, of the students in high
school were just fair. This denotes that the students are putting too much effort
in reading the passage orally which interfered their ability to comprehend what
was read.
Table 4: Difference in the reading comprehension level of male and female
grade 7 students
Groups
Male

Mean Comprehension
Score

t-value

p-value

Remarks

84.5
85.1

.266

.791

No Significant
Difference

Female

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The results of the t-test show that the mean comprehension level of the male
students is 84.5 and the mean comprehension level of the female students is
85.1. The t-value is 0.266 and the p-value is 0.791. Since p>.05, then there is
no significant difference in the comprehension level across gender. Both Grade 7
male and female students have a comprehension level at the Instructional level.
This implies that the performance of the students, both male and female, in oral
reading comprehension does not vary.
This implies that the performance of the students, both male and female, in
oral reading comprehension does not vary. This was also exhibited in the work
of Trinidad (2011) where the reading comprehension level of her respondents
indicated no significant difference in terms of gender. In the same way, the
present study identified that there was no significant difference across gender in
oral reading comprehension.
Table 5: Relationship between oral reading fluency and the reading comprehension
level of grade 7 students
Variables
Oral Reading Fluency

1. Speed
2.

Accuracy

Reading Comprehension Level

Correlation Coefficient (r)

p- value

Remarks

.199
.188

.015
.021

Significant
Significant

The results of the correlation shows that the reading comprehension level of
the Grade 7 students is significantly influenced by their oral reading fluency both
in speed (r=.199, p=0.15) and accuracy (r=.188, p=.021). Their relationships are
significant since the obtained p-values are less than .05 (p<.05).
This means that students have a tendency to understand better what they
are reading when their reading speed is average and when they read accurately
the words in the reading material. This is also specified by Talada (2007) that
oral reading fluency and reading comprehension were known as components in
efficiently acquiring the meaning from text. As one reads more fluently, ones skill
to grasp the meaning of the passage orally read also progresses. Therefore, when
one automatically recognizes words one is able to comprehend text more fully.

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CONCLUSIONS
Based on the following results, this showed that the oral reading fluency
of the Grade 7 students is slow in terms of speed but reads word accurately at
Instructional Level. There is also a significant difference, in terms of gender, on
the oral reading fluency, particularly in speed, of the Grade 7 students. Moreover,
the female students read faster than the male students. However, the male and
female students are both reading at Instructional level in word accuracy.
The reading comprehension level of the Grade 7 students of Bula National
School of Fisheries falls under Instructional Level. The results also show that
there was no significant difference in the reading comprehension level of the
Grade 7 students in terms gender. Both sexes are reading at the Instructional
Level. Lastly, Oral reading fluency of the Grade 7 students, in terms of speed
and accuracy is positively correlated to the reading comprehension. The faster
and more accurate students read words, the better or the higher is their reading
comprehension level and vice versa.
REFERENCES
Bacaling, K. (2013). Oral fluency and comprehension level of grade 8 students in
pablo Valencia national high school. (Unpublished masters thesis), Mindanao
State University- General Santos City
Blanton. J.B. (2002). Reading definitions. Retrieved on July 20, 2014 from http://
lrs. ed. uiuc. edu/ students/ jblanton/ read /readingdef.html
Casoscot, D. N. (2003). The oral reading proficiency in english of grade iii pupils
and its correlation to the reading comprehension proficiency in the content areas.
(Unpublished masters thesis), Mindanao State University- General Santos
City
Diaz, R. S. (2004). Oral and silent reading performance of fourth year high school
students as influenced by their study habits. (Unpublished masters thesis),
Mindanao State University- General Santos City

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Gunning, T. V. (2002). Assessing and correcting reading and wiriting difficulties.

2nd Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon
Magno, N. L. J. (2011). The oral reading fluency level and the reading comprehension
in english of grade 4 pupils of kalyong elementary school. (Unpublished masters
thesis), Mindanao State University- General Santos City
Robertson, J. (2013).Reading. Retrieved on July 20, 2014 from http:// asls. Arts
.gla. ac. uk/ Robertson2013. Html
Sucgang, J.M. (2013). Vocabulary and comprehension levels of grade 8 students in
palkan national high school. (Unpublished masters thesis), Mindanao State
University- General Santos City
Talada, J. A. (2007). The relationship between oral reading fluency and
comprehension. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation) Liberty University,
Lynchburg. United States of America
Trinidad, D. V. (2011). The reading comprehension level and the national
achievement test performance in english of grade 6 pupils of tupi south district.
(Unpublished masters thesis), Mindanao State University- General Santos
City

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