ABSTRACT
The main thrust of this study was to develop and validate a mobile reading application in English 7. The mobile reading application was named Ant Reader. This study utilized the Design and Development Research Design and a cyclical Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluation (ADDIE) model in developing the mobile reading application. The respondents of the study who acted as validators were composed of twenty-one (21) validators. Six (6) experts validated the mobile reading application which includes the EPS of English in SDO Calamba City, three (3) Master Teachers in English, one (1) School Head who is a former English Teacher, and one (1) school based LRMDS Coordinator. Moreover, 30 students were selected to participate as student respondents to the study. The researcher used an adopted questionnaire for validity and acceptability for the gathering of data.
The study was able to develop a mobile reading application using the ADDIE model. The designed mobile reading application was user-friendly and can be utilized offline. The findings of the content validity of the mobile reading application showed that Ant Reader was Highly Valid in terms of its objectives, concepts, topics, directions, exercises, and reflection. Moreover, it was revealed that the level of acceptability of the mobile reading application in terms of functionality, accuracy, suitability, usability, and efficiency was Very Acceptable. The result of the pretest showed that most of the students did not meet the expectations set by the Department of Education. Meanwhile, the result of the posttest shows that students improved. After the utilization of the students of the mobile reading application, most of the students got outstanding and very satisfactory remarks in their post-tests. The findings using the t-test for dependent means revealed that there was a significant difference in the pretest and posttest result of the students. It implies that the mobile reading application in English can be an effective instructional material.
INTRODUCTION
Reading is a meaningful undertaking that enables a person to improve academically, develop self-exploration, and emerge good values. When a person understands the thoughts transcending the pages of reading material, reading comprehension truly transpires. The gift and privilege of reading and understanding open a sea of opportunities for a person to develop his or her maximum potential. But the challenges and gaps in literacy continue to hinder the aspirations of young dreamers to attain their ambitions.
According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2020), more and more children around the world were failing in reading and comprehension. And it was expected to get worse because of the crisis present in the world. UNESCO stated that four out of 10 children worldwide were unable to master reading and only one out of nine students achieved the minimum reading proficiency in poor countries. This clearly showed that there was a global disparity in the reading skills of the students and immediate action must be taken.
Moreover, the data presented by UNESCO showed that the number of children who lacked basic reading abilities was declining even before the pandemic. Instead of 460 million learners who were expected to have reading challenges in 2020, the number will be 584 million. The increase of more than 20% wiped out two decades of the world’s educational advances.
In the Philippine setting, the report of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF, 2020) stated that three out of 20 Filipino learners, or less than 15% of the students in the Philippines can read simple texts in the distance learning due to the closure of the schools caused by the pandemic. The report of UNICEF concluded that there was learning poverty.
Reading and comprehension were two of the important aspects of education that were left behind. Reading inventory alone becomes a very difficult task. And it was even harder to provide reading remediation and intervention. According to the study conducted by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA, 2018), Filipino high school students scored lower in reading and mathematics than most of the participants in countries in PISA 2018. It was revealed in their report that only 19% of the Filipino learners were identified under level 2 in reading proficiency. These students can identify the topic sentence, looking for information explicitly, and reflecting on the purpose of the author in the text. Almost no student attained level five and six reading proficiency.
The Schools Division of Calamba City launched Project DREAM as part of the Division Basic Education-Learning Recovery and Continuity Plan for SY 2022-2023. Project DREAM stands for 𝐃evelop and implement long term and catch-up plans to accelerate learning; 𝐑eintegrate learners’ safe return to the school system; 𝐄stablish support system for teachers and learners through community and stakeholders’ collaboration; 𝐀ssess literacy and numeracy levels and the overall situation of learners, especially the marginalized; and 𝐌odify learning package focused on fundamental skills towards resiliency. The result of the GAP Assessment reveals that there is a need for schools to strengthen the literacy and numeracy skills of the students.
The recent studies conducted on reading (UNESCO, 2020; UNICEF 2020) show that there was a need for educational institutions, school administrators, and teachers to provide immediate and appropriate reading interventions and programs to uplift the current reading abilities of the students. The education sectors continuously adhere to the changes brought by digitization, industrialization, and modernization. The technological advances in education should be maximized so that the reading abilities of the students will improve to be able to adapt to the changes in society.
The mobile reading application in English 7 was based on the Curriculum Guide and the Most Essential Learning Competencies mandated by the Department of Education. The Curriculum Guide in English 7 aims students to demonstrate understanding on the Philippine Literature and Philippine culture. Thus, the selected reading selections highlights appreciation on the Philippine Literature. Moreover, the competencies relevant to reading comprehension in the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) served as basis in the objectives of the reading application.
According to the SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods (2017), the students today were labeled as digital natives, the millennial generation, and iGeneration (iGen). They were the learners who are comfortable with using gadgets and the internet in their study, work, and engagement on social media sites.
The results of the studies on reading skills and comprehension indicate the need for educational institutions to design and provide reading innovations that are accessible in distance learning. Moreover, the mobile reading application that was developed and validated in this study may also be used during face-to-face classes. This will also cater to the interest of the iGen or digital natives.
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