ABSTRACT
The descriptive-qualitative study determined the home visitation implementation and challenges encountered by Grade II to Grade VI class advisers of Inaca Elementary School. The research methodology employed in the study was descriptive method utilizing in-depth interviews. The study adopted a qualitative research design using phenomenology. It was found out that through home visitation, the implementation of reading intervention provided opportunity for learners and teachers to meet and talk, monitored current situation, supported facilities for conducive environment, gained partnership, and helped learners. Challenges encountered by the teachers in the implementation of reading intervention through home visitation program were accessibility of houses, weather condition, availability of parents, and lack of time. Based on the results of the in-depth interview, teachers’ ways of managing the challenges were teacher-parent partnership, school support, and proper time management. Results served as the bases in designing a reading intervention program.
Keywords: Home Visitation, Implementation, Challenges, Reading Enhancement Program
INTRODUCTION
The cultivation of reading skills is of paramount importance as it establishes a foundational element empowering individuals to effectively navigate and engage in the demands and obligations of contemporary society, such as assuming responsibilities in daily activities.
The practice reading serves to foster critical thinking by providing learners with the capacity to envision, infer, predict, deduce, and form judgments, among other cognitive abilities.
Moreover, the ability to read significantly influences learners’ academic performance, as many cognitive activities within the classroom necessitate proficient reading and thinking skills.
Additionally, reading facilitates the exploration of new knowledge, with exposure to books, magazines, and online articles offering insights into the latest advancements and discoveries across various fields (Anonat, 2011).
Before expressing reactions to specific article or text, learners are required to engage in reading, and the composition of comprehensive, detailed, and in-depth paragraphs similarly relies on fundamental skill. Thus, the aptitude for reading is a fundamental prerequisite for learners to acquire understanding.
Reading intervention program is crafted to support struggling readers who are operating below the proficiency level, aiming to provide supplementary instruction that helps them attain the requisite reading skills for their grade level. Likewise, it encompasses a range of activities and strategies designed to assist struggling readers in developing their reading proficiency.
Optimal reading intervention programs are those grounded in research and tailored to address the specific needs of individual learners. These will vary depending on the unique demographics of the classroom and school.
It has been months since the school year has started. Because of the result of the pre-test given by each adviser in every grade level, the faculty of the said school, Inaca Elementary School, Cabatuan, Iloilo decided to initiate an intervention program through home visitation. With the implementation, mutual understanding was developed among teachers who were conducting home visitation, learners, and their parents as well.
During trying times, home visitation is a very important method of the teachers and learners to bridge the gaps between school and home. It helps establish a strong, and positive communication among learners, teachers, and parents. The positive approach and effective communication can influence and develop learners’ capabilities and their reading literacy.
Modesty aside, home visitation is used by many schools as a mechanism and way to build relationships with teachers who influence learners’ reading literacy.
Through conducting home visitation learners and teachers will be more acquainted with each other and teachers will have the chance to know deeply the needs and different learning styles of every learner.
In a study conducted by Stetson et al. (2012), results showed that 75% of educators established connections through home visits and by enhancing learners’ behavior in the classroom.
Conducting home visitation to integrate the teaching of reading requires a lot of preparation and involvement in the implementation of the activity. Challenges are also encountered by teachers who are doing the home visitation and reading intervention, respectively. Parents, on the other hand, provide learning areas in their respective houses during the reading intervention.
It is for these reasons that the researcher conducted a study on the implementation of reading intervention through home visitation to provide insights into optimizing home visitation strategies for effective reading intervention program.
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