BBI 5201

RESEARCH METHODS in ENGLISH STUDIES

SEMESTER 2 2013/2014
(YM TENKU MAZWANA BINTI T.MANSOR)
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
(30%)

NAME
: NORIZAH BINTI ABDUL BARI
MATRIC NO.: GS 38948

Abstract
The Inclusive Programme was initiated in 1987 by the Ministry of Education
Malaysia. This is a program specially set as a goal for learners who receive Special
Education and are seen to be progressing at par with normal learners. In
emphasising the needs of learners with different learning disabilities (LD), there is
also Remedial Classes for learners who are diagnosed with the weaknesses in
literacy (Bahasa Melayu) and numeracy (Mathematics). This quantitative study will
focus on learners who fall in neither one of these two groups but are struggling in
learning as they are learners with LD but do not receive any treatments. Thus, they
have to cope with the learning processes alongside their peers in the normal
classrooms receiving regular education and left behind further and further. They are
learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) who have learning disability in
reading and comprehension. In this study, it will be the main focus to identify the
strategies practised and the effectiveness in teaching reading comprehension in a
Year 2 class. Most importantly, it will examine the extent of how far the ESL teachers
go beyond the study guide to aid these learners with necessary remedial. A survey
will be conducted for this purpose and a reading programme will be experimented as
a remedy to secure the learners with LD
Keywords: reading comprehension, learning disability, reading strategies, remedial
Introduction:
The ultimate goal of reading is always the comprehension of what is read.
Comprehension takes place in all different stages of reading. Infants, for instance,
show some understandings upon looking at a reading material when they
demonstrate the ability to recognize a book cover or even when they pretend to be
reading. Occasionally, they give their comments on characters in stories read to
them. At three to four or until they attend pre-school, they may show some
understandings through the recognition of letters when they are able to recognise
alphabets or repeat after words or rhymes read to them. The stages move on to the
following levels, determined by the stage(s) of formal learning received.

It is evident to express that, naturally, one is able to develop the reading and
comprehension skills in him. What differs for each individual is the level of
achievement in ones skills in reading and comprehending what is read. The
differences will be obvious in a classroom setting, and it is often reflected by a childs
speed of reading or the number of errors made when reading a text. The success
rate is such that the reading will be reasonably fast, meaning will be clear and
interest is maintained (Merret, 1994). Concurrently, there will be some who find
themselves struggling to read the same text given, those who might find it hard to
even finish reading the text, far more to comprehend. Many with learning disabilities
have difficulties with both expressive and receptive language. Similarly, they will
have significant reading problems. Many lack phonemic awareness, the awareness
that words are made up of individual speech sounds, each of which is represented
by one or more letters (Mastropieri and Scruggs, 2004). Problems in reading will
lead to difficulties in comprehension (receptive) and writing (expressive).

Statement of Problem

Children with learning disabilities (LD) are of limited intellectual ability or

perhaps whose achievement in learning is far lower than their peers in the same
class (Chua and Koh, 1992). In the government aided schools in Malaysia, a large
number of these children are ESL learners with learning disabilities, always regarded
as slow learners (SL), are in inclusive classrooms as they are not diagnosed to
receive Special Education. Remedial classes are offered to children in Year 1 Year
3 who have learning disabilities or slow learners but however, the remedial focuses
on Bahasa Melayu (as the first language) and Mathematics.

There is no standard curriculum designed by The Ministry of Education

Malaysia and the Curriculum Development Centre for the slow learners. Thus,
these children follow the same lessons as well as sitting for the same tests, or any
assessments and eventually will risk being left very far behind. Children who are
learners of English as A Second Language (ESL) need to be guided and aided to the
mastery of the reading skill in ESL in order to help them cope with the others in

receiving and expressing themselves using ESL as it is indeed the language they will
use widely in multi disciplines after their entire school life.

Previous research on the difficulties that learners with learning disability

encounter in reading comprehension focused on teachers familiarity with and use of
reading comprehension strategies. Results indicate that teachers identify content
area textbooks as teaching materials most often used (Carol S.Sundheim, 2005). It
is expected that the implementation of a variety of reading comprehension strategies
and the willingness of teachers to go beyond the study guide in teaching of reading
comprehension would serve as remedy to help learners with LD with reading and
comprehension.

Therefore, it is of vital importance that a study is conducted to determine the

effective strategies practised by teachers as a remedy to help young children, Year 1
Year 3 learners of ESL, to be able to master the reading and comprehension skills.
This will help them succeed in an inclusive classroom, alongside their peers, without
difficulties in learning.

Purpose of Study

The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine the effectiveness of the

reading comprehension strategies practised in an ESL classroom of Year 2 in a
government aided primary school especially for learners with learning disabilities
(LD) who neither receive Special Education nor Remedial Classes. Through this
study, I am going to analyse how far do teachers provide instructions beyond the
use of study guide to assist students with (LD) in their text selection, pre-,while,
and post-reading activities. There will be issues I expect to solve - to identify if
teachers provide remedial programmes for learners with LD and if there should be
ESL remedial classes from Year 1 Year 3 to enable learners with LD to be in an
inclusive classroom from Year 4 and their entire primary school life?

Literature Review
Every child is a unique individual and this is indeed a true assumption one can
make towards a child with special needs. It is important to believe that every child
has his right to receive education in accordance to the policies and principles of the
Education Ministry as stated in the Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, regardless of
the differences between individuals.
In education, a childs performance is often measured from his abilities in
learning to his academic performance. Thus, education offers colourful experiences
to every learner. School experiences are important to psychological adjustment
(Valas, 2001). Abilities in learning set more colours to the school life of a child.
Children as learners differ according to their abilities in learning and intelligences.
Therefore, they are grouped under particular categories to enable education to take
place successfully. There are two main categories of learners, normal and disabled.
The disabled learners are ones with different types of learning disability and
diagnosed to receive Special Education. They are also learners with special needs
as they differ physically, intellectually and emotionally (Mohd. Najib, 2000)
However, there is another group of learners who are at risk. They are normal
children who receive regular education because they are not diagnosed to receive
Special Education. In the policy of education in Malaysia a child with special needs in
learning but is able to manage himself independently does not require Special
Education nor a special curriculum, and is believed to be able to compete with other
normal children in inclusive classrooms (Mohd Najib, 2000). Unfortunately, these
children are not able to follow the same pace as other normal children as the cope
up in a slower speed. It should be anticipated that they would be the ones left far
behind, even far from their peers who have qualified to receive Inclusive Education
after treated with Special Education.
For these children who are learners of English as a Second Language (ESL),
they are in a more risky note. This is because a child who has learning disability but
does not receive Special Education, there is another room for improvement and that

is the Remedial Classes Programme. However, in primary government aided

schools in Malaysia, only a child, aged 7-9 (Year 1 3), who is not able to read in
the first language(Bahasa Melayu) or who does not master numeracy (Mathematics)
is eligible to receive the remedial.
It is therefore, in this study, ESL learners with LD are given a focus in order to
help them with reading comprehension. They are learners who cannot be labelled as
those who should receive a remedial because they are able to read and count but
they have difficulty reading in ESL. And with this difficulty, they will encounter the
most complex difficulty and it is reading and comprehension. A previous study stated
that comprehension is a complex process as it more than a reproduction of an
authors words or a recalling of information for it involves inferential and evaluative
thinking skills (Sundheim, 2005). Learners with LD always encounter deficits in basic
literacy skills, and approximately 80% of them experience significant problem
learning to read. Thus, they also experience ineffective learning strategies (Gersten,
Fuchs, Williams & Baker, 2001).
Since these learners are not illiterate as they are able to read in the first
language, strategies could be developed to aid them to read in ESL if given remedy
in terms of effective reading strategies and guide by the ESL teachers who clearly
need to provide the necessary instructions in a range of reading comprehension
strategies to ensure success for every learner with LD (Sundheim, 2005)

Methods
In order to determine the most appropriate design(s) for this study, I would
first and foremost look at the basic purpose and rationale of my research. The
designs chosen should then lead us towards achieving the main aim which is to
investigate how far ESL teachers go beyond the study guide in teaching
reading and comprehension to assist ESL learners with learning disabilities
(LD) in an ESL classroom of Year 2. I will also examine the strategies practised in
reading comprehension lessons and how the learners with LD in the classroom are

guided alongside the other learners. Thus, a survey research and an experimental
design should be the most appropriate.

Survey Design
Prior to this cross-sectional survey design, we need to run through the curriculum
specifications of reading comprehension skills of Year 2. This is to familiarise me, as
the researcher, with the methods suggested by the study guide. The purposes of the
survey are

to determine the existing strategies practised in the classroom to teach

reading comprehension

to identify if teachers encounter and are aware of learners with LD; and

to examine how far teachers go beyond the study guide to provide remedial
for these learners.

to identify the types of texts used in reading comprehension activities

Experimental design
This research will also involve experimental situations as to examine the
effectiveness of reading strategies practised in the ESL classroom. In order to
identify the extent of necessary remedial to aid learners with LD in reading
comprehension, there will be a need of pre- and post-tests. Thus, the quasiexperimental approach will be the option. And the pre-test will examine the learners:

understanding of non-linear texts and how they respond to the questions that
follow; orally and in written

understanding of linear texts and how they respond to the questions that
follow

causes of weaknesses in reading comprehension in ESL- as they are not

disabled in Mathematics or Bahasa Melayu to be grouped in the Remedial
Classes program (the study will examine the types of weakness of the
learners in their second language acquisition- vocabulary, sentence
structures, or their reading readiness)

Sampling Procedure

This study mainly focuses on the ESL learners with LD and with the purpose
of helping them in reading comprehension. The subject will be the Year 2 ESL
learners who might have been regarded as slow learners but not diagnosed to
receive Special Education; nor are in the Remedial Classes. These learners are in
inclusive classrooms alongside the other ESL learners to whom reading
comprehension might not be a difficulty. A corrective measure will be able to help
these learners with LD from being left further behind upon reaching Phase 2. There
would be 15 20 Year 2 ESL learners, grouped from the lowest 20 from the scores
of the pre-test given.
Since this research comprises a mixed-design approach, there will be two
major groups of participants:
a) For the survey, the main participants will be the English Language Teachers
of Phase 1 (Year 1 Year 3) of Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Klana,
Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. Besides, the Remedial Class teacher (Guru
Pemulihan Khas) will also be included to complete the questionnaire for the
survey. The ESL teachers responses will enable us to identify the general
practices of the teaching of reading and comprehension for Year 1 Year 3 in
the school.
Why should I include the Remedial Class teacher? The practice in
government aided schools is that Remedial Classes (Kelas Pemulihan Khas)
are offered to learners diagnosed to have learning difficulties- disability in
literacy and numeracy- the focus is only for two subjects; Bahasa Melayu (the
first language) and Mathematics. Learners who do not need to be in the
classes are assumed able to read. Upon completing the questionnaire, the
Remedial Class teacher will give me the leads to what the weaknesses and
possible causes of the weaknesses are among the learners in the classes.
However, prior to conducting the survey through mailed questionnaire,
there will be a pilot test run. The participants will be the ESL teachers of
Phase 1 of and the Remedial Class teacher of SK King George V,
Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. This is to get the feedback as well as

constructive comments on the instrument before it is sent to the targeted

samples of the study

b)

The experiment, on the other hand, will have the ESL learners as the
participants. The control group will be the Year 2 pupils of the school. A pretest will be run on reading and comprehension tasks based on both linear and
non-linear texts. The test will involve learners oral, listening, reading, and
writing skills. The tests will be given to all Year 2 pupils with the exception of
pupils who are in the existing Remedial Classes and also learners diagnosed
with LD and receive Special Education.

Data Collection
The rationale of this survey is that the responses obtained will give a clearer
picture of the principles applied in teaching learners with LD reading and
comprehension. Teachers who go beyond their study guide to assist these students
would apply certain principles. First, there would be varied practices used for
learners to feel secure as going too fast, perhaps to have the syllabus covered
according to the study guide, produces nothing but confusion which will drift learners
further and further. Second, I would be able to see how ESL teachers make
teaching-learning experiences as personal as possible for the learners. A lesson
would be very effective if the teacher uses the learners names as characters in a
story, for instance. It is also helpful if the teacher uses her learners familiar words
and phrases or their first- hand experience in the beginning reading material.
Through ESL teachers responses, I can also see if the teacher tries to have each
learning experience grow out of the learners need; ideally the reading experiences
of learners with LD should grow out of some activities which they are very much
interested in. Another principle to be applied is that how the teacher lets the learners
with LD take as much initiative as possible in their own learning, allowing freedom of
choice which would become more important as the learners grow older.
For the other sample, the learners, a pre-test will be conducted to help
measure the effectiveness of the practised strategies of reading comprehension. The

pre-test will be sat by the whole enrolment of Year 2 in the school giving an
exception to learners who receive Remedial Classes (Kelas Pemulihan Khas) and
those under the Special Education. The pre-test should include tests on the learners
combined skills of comprehending linear and non-linear materials. They will be
tested on word recognition through word and picture clues. Vocabulary will be tested
through riddles. The main skills tested are reading and writing.
The questionnaire used has one great advantage. I can foresee a high
response rate as it is able to get the samples responding actively. The questionnaire
does not comprise items that are unfamiliar or complicated to the teachers. Almost
each item is on what they practise in teaching every day and responding towards the
questionnaire is not time consuming and does not require deep thinking. There
would also be a high validity that I can foresee as the survey goes step by step in
identifying teachers strategies, that when analysing the data, I would be able to see
clearly the extent to which teachers explore, in going beyond the study guide to help
their learners with LD.
The pre-test, on the other hand, would enable me to extract my sample group
from the whole population who will sit for the test. This will be determined by the
scores as I would be able to see the learners weaknesses in the basic skills of
reading. The following step then will be reading experiments as remedial for the
sample group. There will be varied reading comprehension activities, and there will
also be a record of the achievement to see their progress. There should be some
learners, if not all, who show improvements each time. This will enable us to prove
the validity and reliability of the experimental measures and thus corroborating the
more effective reading comprehension strategies as remedial for the learners with
LD.
The responses of the learners in the per-test would show the validity of the
teachers responses in the questionnaire. However, it would be best to analyse or
perhaps to skim through the teachers responses prior to the pre-test to identify if the
items to be tested are coherent if there should be any need for modification.
However, the drawback is that it would be time consuming and, I as the researcher,
would not be able to see the true picture of how the show is run all this while, and
how disabled the learners are. Therefore, the survey and experiment should be
carried out concurrently.

The next move then would focus on guiding learners with LD through remedial
activities. Validating the findings would be through authentic work products so that I
would be able to get a reliable record of achievements throughout the study and to
see their comprehension skills in the post-test at the end of the study. The items
from the pre-test may be included in the post-test as a section in the test. The
authentic work products would range from activities adapted from a program I would
like to recommend, that is the K5 reading programme (www.kidslearning
station.com) to the activities from the Year 2 English Language textbook used.
The strategies taken should meet these criteria:

beginning with a simple consistent sound-letter association and limiting

the reading material to words,

introducing common clusters or patterns,

teaching alternate pronunciation to acquaint learners with irregularities

and to sharpen their perception.

As soon as the children who know the consonants have learnt one vowel soundletter association, they will have the key for unlocking many words. This would be a
gateway for the learners to dictionary use, alphabet association, rhyme recital and
the list goes on and on to widen their ability to read which in the end will bring in to
them the comprehension skills.
As for the questionnaire, it will be an adaptation from a previous study. The
actual instrument will be used in the pilot test and adaptation and reconstruction of
items as where and when necessary will be based on the feedback received from
the sample group of the pilot test run.

Expected Implications
For the experimental design, there are possible threats to validity, and safety
measures should be taken so as not to affect the data analysis as it may influence
inferences of the researcher. These threats are both internal and external. First,
there could be diffusion of treatment where participants in the control and
experimental groups communicate with each other. The communication may
influence how both groups score on the outcomes. The researcher, in response to
this possible threat, may keep the two groups as distant as possible during the
experiment such as forming an ESL remedial class. Second, there could also be
resentful demoralisation whereby the benefits of the treatment are only received
by the experimental group while the control group receives nothing. Always bear in
mind that the learners are Year 2 children who will not be able to see the actual
purpose of the study as they are not able to discriminate themselves in terms of
learning ability, especially among the non- disabled. Here, it is important for the
researcher to try to provide benefits to both groups. The control group may be given
the same activities after the experimental group has accomplished their tasks or
giving the control group some other activities seemingly as interesting as what the
other group is carrying out. Third, an external threat is equally possible. The
researcher cannot generalise her findings based on the characteristics of the
setting of participants in an experiment. Hence, the researcher needs also to conduct
additional experiments in new settings to see if the same results occur as in the
initial setting. Thus, to ensure high possible rate of success of this study, it is vital to
investigate the possible threat(s) right from the beginning so that validity and
reliability are assured. In this study of combined designs, the validity and reliability
may not hold compared to the previous study done. It will be important to reestablish this especially during data analysis.

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