ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This action research aimed to determine the effectiveness of Project BEAR in enhancing the reading skills of Grade I pupils.
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This research is a quasi-experimental study. It is composed of an experimental group from three sections. This study was conducted in Dolores Central School, School Year 2022-2023. A simple random sampling method of research is used. The research sample is composed of Grade I pupils from three sections. The total number of respondents was one hundred eleven (111) Grade 1 pupils.
As depicted by this study, a total of one hundred eleven (111) pupils in Grade I, includes the reading assessment from August – October 2022 to May – July 2023. To address the reading skills of the pupils in Grade I, the researcher created this Project BEAR that includes intervention materials. The materials, which the researcher created herself, include face expressions for vowels and body gestures for syllables (see Figure 1).
The strategy involved in this project is the presentation of visual aids and demonstration. This visual aid can arouse the interest of learners and help the teachers to explain the concepts easily (Dalali et al., 2022). It is used in the classroom to encourage pupils’ learning process (Shabiralyani et al., 2015). On the other hand, the use of teachers' demonstrations significantly improves students’ understanding and reading skills (Yusnan et al., 2022; Basheer et al., 2017). These two strategies will be employed in this project to also improve the mental imagery of the Grade I pupils as this is associated with reading performance (Suggate & Lenhard, 2022).
FINDINGS: Based on the observation of the researcher, the BEAR project is pivotal in terms of teaching Grade 1 pupils how to read. When the Grade 1 pupils reached Quarter 4, there is a higher improvement shown that it is one of the factors that contribute to the sudden rise of fast readers.
ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study had proven the effectiveness of the Project BEAR in enhancing the reading skills of Grade I pupils.
KEYWORDS: body mevements, reading skills, active readers
INTRODUCTION
This action research intends to address the reading skills of Grade I pupils in Dolores Central School. According to the studies of Ludewig et al. (2022), claimed that COVID-19 pandemic caused a substantial decline in reading achievement a report shows that about a third of children in the youngest grades are missing reading benchmarks, up significantly from before the pandemic (Goldstein, 2022). The reason for conducting this study is to increase the literacy skills of Grade I pupils through Project BEAR (Body Movements Encourage Active Readers). Thus, the researcher developed this project containing an intervention material to address the reading skills of the Grade I pupils. The materials were personally made by the researcher which contain the facial expression for the vowels and body movements for the syllables. The results were used in action planning by utilizing the project, if found effective, it can be implemented to other grade levels and schools to address the reading skills of the pupils.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The strategy involved in this project is the presentation of visual aids and demonstration. This visual aid can arouse the interest of learners and help the teachers to explain the concepts easily (Dalali et al., 2022). It is used in the classroom to encourage pupils’ learning process (Shabiralyani et al., 2015). On the other hand, the use of teachers' demonstrations significantly improves students’ understanding and reading skills (Yusnan et al., 2022; Basheer et al., 2017). These two strategies will be employed in this project to also improve the mental imagery of the Grade I pupils as this is associated with reading performance (Suggate & Lenhard, 2022).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The researcher introduced the project through a LAC session to address the findings of the reading assessment. Afterwards, the researcher taught the Grade I teachers how to utilize the instructional material. A plan was made to implement the project among the targeted Grade I pupils. The specific activities include schedule of Grade I teachers to demonstrate the instructional material to the Grade I pupils; one-week implementation to every room to master the family A to U; there will be a reading session which will be done every morning; and fast readers can also assist the slow and nonreader pupils.
In the analysis of data, the study used the percentage frequency to determine the total number of Grade 1 pupils while on the other hand, the mean, and standard deviation was used to determine the results of the reading progress of the Grade 1 pupils.
CONCLUSION
Based on the observation of the researcher, the BEAR project is pivotal in terms of teaching Grade 1 pupils how to read. When the Grade 1 pupils reached Quarter 4, there is a higher improvement shown that it is one of the factors that contribute to the sudden rise of fast readers.
The materials, which the researcher created herself, include face expressions for vowels and body gestures for syllables (see Figure 1). The strategy involved in this project is the presentation of visual aids and demonstration. This visual aid can arouse the interest of learners and help the teachers to explain the concepts easily (Dalali et al., 2022).