ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to find out the teachers’ reading strategies during Catch-up Fridays as bases for policy recommendations in the school district of Oton during the school year 2023-2024. The study used the phenomenological approach under qualitative research. The participants of the study were the 35 selected kindergarten to grade 6 teachers taken purposively. The instrument in gathering data was a researcher-made interview guide. Permits were obtained to allow the researcher to conduct the study. Based on the results of the study, the teachers’ reading strategies used during Catch-up Fridays were game-based strategy, guided reading, and individual, paired, and group reading. These reading strategies were implemented through assessing students’ reading levels, providing them suitable activities and materials, and creating routines and giving them instructions. On the other hand, the challenges encountered by teachers in the implementation of Catch-up Fridays were time constraints, preparation of instructional materials, and learners’ attention spans. They cope with these challenges through commitment and collaboration.
Keywords: Teachers’ Teaching Strategies, Catch-up Fridays, Policy Recommendations
INTRODUCTION
One of the most significant foundations for a child to develop is reading. It can be considered as a lifelong skill for individuals wherever or whenever they could be in any part of the world. Reading was once branded as an adaptive ability via accident or as long as learners are ready to welcome reading, however this is not the scenario anymore in the actual classroom set-up. Nowadays, teaching reading becomes a challenge to every teacher since reading does not start at the comfort of the home but instead only at school. This can be a consequential challenge for every teacher to overcome in the field.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is fully adhered to delivering high-quality, up-to-date, all-encompassing, and adaptable education to all. In this MATATAG Education Agenda, commitment is outlined with the goal of developing skilled individuals who are well-prepared for employment and are proactive, responsible individuals equipped with substantial competencies and effective skills that lead to constant learning (DepEd Memorandum No. 54, series of 2023). Recently, DepEd undertakings offer avenues to improve students' academic performance, focusing on addressing challenges such as low reading proficiency levels as indicated by national and international extensive assessments.
The 2022 PISA results placed the Philippines in the lowest rankings, achieving a score of 24.00% in Science, scoring 23.00% in English (Reading) and garnering 16.00% in Mathematics. These scores suggest that in these core subjects, students have only reached basic proficiency levels. It is worth noting that the reading score is at 23.00% which extremely need to improve the reading and comprehension skills of all learners.
The "Catch-up Fridays" project, initiated by the Department of Education (DepEd), is in line with these priorities. The national implementation of this initiative began on January 12, 2024, encompassing both primary and secondary schools as well as community learning centers (CLCs). "Drop Everything and Read" (DEAR) activity is observed every Friday throughout the entire academic year, aiming to promote a culture of reading and learning. This program focuses on two sub-programs known as enrichment and intervention. A series of activities are prepared and conducted every Friday of the week to address the learning gaps. Moreover, Catch-up Fridays can be a source for gathering valuable feedback from field implementers regarding the program's guidelines.
In addition, gathering students' perspectives on implementing the project provides an opportunity to ensure the program’s progress and importance in meeting educational goals. (DepEd Memorandum No. 001, series of 2024).
In the Philippines, the government is prioritizing the improvement of literacy by investing in efforts and finances to teach people how to read and write. Teachers are required to employ diverse, appropriate, and efficient approaches and tactics to enhance the teaching of reading skills. Every student's reading-related issue should be carefully addressed, and relevant strategies should be put in place for their implementation.
The Department of Education (DepEd) formulated multiple reading programs to lessen the number of non-readers and slow-reader nationwide. Subsequent trainings, seminars and orientations were also conducted to teachers to adapt and practice different reading strategies and approaches that could help every non-reader and slow reader to learn how to decode, read, and comprehend well.
In the District of Oton, it has empirically observed that teachers utilized numerous reading strategies that suit to their learners’ interest and needs during Catch-up Fridays. While this program has been running for more than two months, there has been a dearth of studies conducted and published in its relevance. Despite there are news features published by the Philippine Information Agency and the Philippine News Agency—both owned by the Philippine government, no official or formal study regarding the teachers’ reading strategies during Catch-up Fridays is available at hand.
Thus, the purpose of the study was to determine the reading strategies used by the teachers during Catch-up Fridays, the challenges they encountered, and their coping mechanism in its implementation. Furthermore, to enhance the teachers’ reading strategies during the implementation of the Catch-up Fridays, the study sought to formulate policy recommendation that can be utilized in improving students’ reading abilities and addressing learning gaps.
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