Effects of Guided Reading in Improving Reading Skills

of Identified Struggling Readers

in Grade 5 Section 5 Class

Shirley P. Sison
Sucat Elementary School
Sucat, Muntinlupa City

Abstract

This study was conducted at Sucat Elementary School

involving three pupils from Grade 5 Section 5 class. The study
sought to find out whether conducting a regular guided reading will
help the identified struggling readers become independent and
skilled in constructing meaning from and make sense of the
printed page. The readers were identified through the Phil-IRI Pre-
Test conducted at the start of the school year. Two of the pupils
were given alternate regular session of guided readings where
their progresses were monitored while the other pupil was given
an unmonitored reading lesson at home.

Results of the Phil-IRI Post Test indicate that there is a

substantial improvement in oral reading printed words when it
comes to conducting regular guided reading to struggling readers.
However, it did not guarantee that they become independent and
skilled in reading.
 Effects of Guided Reading in Improving Reading Skills

of Identified Struggling Readers

in Grade 5 Section 5 Class

Introduction

Readers must be fluent in recognizing words, and their vocabulary and

knowledge need to expand, as does their ability to think critically and broadly in

order to read, understand, and learn from the texts. (Chall, J.S. and Jacobs, V.A.

2003). In every class, there appears a number of students who are slow and

weak readers which in this research will be referred to as “struggling” readers.

Sucat Elementary School, like many other schools, has slow, weak and

non-readers. Slow and weak readers are those pupils who can read by syllables

and have difficulty in comprehension. Non-readers refer to those pupils who can

read only the print symbols and do not comprehend. These pupils were identified

in the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) test results conducted a

month after the beginning of school year.

This action research was conducted to determine the effects of guided

reading in improving reading skills. The study sought to find out whether

conducting a regular guided reading will help the identified struggling readers

become independent and skilled in constructing meaning from and make sense

of the printed page.

The study was conducted on selected pupils from the Grade 5 Section 5

class under the advisory of the researcher. It consisted of three struggling

readers as identified in the Phil-IRI test result.

Method

Guided readings were regularly done and took place between August and

December 2015 to both pupils who served as the experimental subjects.

Alternate sessions with each subject lasted at about 15 to 20 minutes long where

notes were taken down especially of the words they have difficulty reading.

Before each session, the subjects were required to read a list of Dolch words and

after reading the selection, they were asked to answer comprehension questions

to check on their understanding of what they have read. The list of words read

with difficulty and the results of the comprehension tests were recorded,

analysed, and studied. The control subject consisted of another struggling reader

whose parent was informed of his reading difficulty and who volunteered to

conduct a regular reading lesson at home. There is no monitoring done of the

subject’s reading progress.

The three subjects were tested during the scheduled Philippine Individual

Reading Inventory Post Test conducted in January 2016. The tests consisted of

two reading tests, one for oral reading where oral reading ability was tested and

the miscues were recorded, and the subjects were required to answer seven (7)

comprehension questions orally.

The other test is for silent reading, which is a timed reading that tested the

subjects’ reading speed as well as comprehension skill. They are also required to

answer eight (8) comprehension questions in multiple choice format.

These tests were used to measure reading levels such as frustration,

instructional, and independent.

Findings

In the Phil-IRI Pre-Test, all subjects obtained a frustration level score for

comprehension in both oral and silent reading tests. All subjects are slow readers

and the number of miscues in the oral test is numerous.

While in the Post Test, there is a significant reduction in the number of

miscues for all subjects. However, there is not much improvement in their

comprehension skills.

Result of the Phil-IRI Tests

Word Recognition Comprehension

Subject (No. of Miscues)
Pre-Test Post Test Pre-Test Post Test
1 (Experimental) 7 2 Frustration Frustration

2 (Experimental) 15 9 Frustration Frustration

3 (Control) 14 7 Frustration Frustration

Conclusions

Results of this study indicate that there is a substantial improvement in

oral reading printed words when it comes to conducting regular guided reading to

struggling readers. However, it does not guarantee them to become independent

and skilled in constructing meaning from and make sense of the printed page.
Insights

The results of this study just proved that reading skills are best developed

when a person has a love and interest for reading. A child will eagerly read only

when s/he finds that reading gives him/her pleasure.

Hopefully, this finding will help textbook publishers and authors include

meaningful, interesting, and child-friendly selections in reading materials. And for

reading teachers, that they may not get tired of searching for texts that will arouse

their students’ interest and stir their curiosity to seek the beauty and genuine

pleasure that reading brings. It is only then that they will read on their own.