ABSTRACT
This qualitative study aimed at determining the use of annotation strategies for reading comprehension skills as groundwork for contextualized school reading program.
The results of the study showed that the annotation strategies used by the teachers were highlighting, underlining, and using post-it pads. Teachers used annotation strategies for reading comprehension to help learners understand the text, develop vocabulary, and integrate lessons to the reading text. The challenges experienced by teachers in using annotation strategies were: time-consuming, use is limited to textbooks and printed copies only, highlighter pen mark gets through the back page, online annotation tools and software less accessible. Teachers manage annotation strategies by refraining from using dark-colored highlighter, showing examples, including legend of markings and asking help from IT experts. A contextualized reading program was formulated as a result of the study.
Keywords: Annotation Strategy, Reading Comprehension
INTRODUCTION
Annotation skill among readers is a much talked-about strategy that aids comprehension and absorption of facts, information, and insights that the reader gets from expository texts. It is believed to be a special skill that the reader employs to improve and grasp fully the meaning of what is read. Furthermore, students can become more active and engaged readers by marking texts as they read, yet many are unaware of the significance of annotation or do not know how or what to note.
According to Muthia Ariansyah (2013) teachers should be adept at using annotation notes, like putting shapes such as triangles, circles, and asterisks on difficult and confusing words, or underlining or double lining, and many others for supporting details, facts, and other important details. Most significantly, a glossary about these annotations should be put at the end of the text or at the back of the notebook for reference.
Unfortunately, most teachers tend to neglect teaching this skill to their learners for some reasons, or perhaps they must have thought that this skill is not necessary at all. Hence, reading comprehension skills of learners are greatly affected.
To make teaching and learning possible even for those who live in remote places in the country, the Department of Education has looked for different ways to solve the problem, that is why different learning alternatives have been introduced. Several Programs have been innovated by the Department of Education to improve comprehension, like Every Child a Reader Program (ECARP), Drop Everything and Read (DEAR), No Learners Left Behind, and the Remedial Reading Program. However, these programs have not been able to achieve goal of making a community of readers who would love reading with full comprehension of the reading materials.
Despite such efforts, learning was not certain. When face-to-face modality resumed, learners were noted to have lagged behind. Some were not even interested in learning. There were even more non-readers. The reading comprehension level of learners was also at its lowest.
Comprehension skill is one of the most important skills a learner should acquire because reading without comprehending is like chewing food without actually swallowing it but spitting it after. Without comprehension, the teaching-learning process would be a failure.
As an English teacher for nine years, the researcher has observed that many teachers in the field use annotation notes as a strategy for expository texts or for checking and giving feedback to learners’ written outputs.
This is the reason why the researcher would like to find out the importance of using annotation strategies for reading comprehension so that a proper reading program can be proposed.
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