CHAPTER II

Review of Related Literature

Learning reading is one of the most critical parts of an individual that needs
to be developed. Learning reading begins at an early stage of the child which may
come during the 3- 4 years of age. This is the time that children have started
developing their awareness on printed page.
To transfer learning effectively, one must possess strategies or approaches
that will work out especially in teaching reading. Some strategies or approaches
widely used are the phonics and the Marungko approach.
Phonics is a method for reading and writing the English language by
developing the learners phonemic awareness- the ability to hear, identify, and
manipulate phonemes- in order to teach the correspondence between these sounds
and spelling patterns ( graphemes ) that represent them.
Beginning reading instruction tends to assume that children understand basic
language terms such as word, sound, and letters (Fox, B.C., 1976).
Phonics instruction teaches letter- sound associations and how to use these
associations to read words. When provided systematically, phonics instruction helps
children learn to read more effectively than those non- systematic instructions
without phonics. Phonics benefits reading, spelling, and comprehensions in many
readers. And affects persist even after instruction ends. Specifically, phonics helps
younger students at risk for reading disabilities and older students with reading
disability (Ehri, L.C., Nues, S.R., S.A., and Willows, D.M., 2001).
It is important to take a balanced approach to phonics instruction, teaching
children letter-sound association as well as the letter- sequences and rhymes, and
helping children to use patterns from words that they already know to decipher new
words (Goswani, 1999).
On the other hand, the Marungko approach in reading is a technique by which
instead of the usual arrangement (order) of letters, it starts with m, s, a, I, and so
forth. The alphabets are rather pronounced than read.
Marungko approach is similar to synthetic or inductive phonics which teaches
the phonemes (sounds) associated with the graphemes (letters) at the rate of six
sounds per week. The sounds are taught in isolation then blended together (e.i.
synthesized), all through the word. Children are taught to pronounce each phoneme
in a word, then to form them to blend the phonemes together to form the word (e.g.

/s/-/a/-/t/; sat). Sounds are taught in all position of the words, but the emphasis is
on all- through- the long word segmenting and blending.
Marungko and synthetic phonics develops phonemic awareness along with
the corresponding letters or letters shape. Synthetic phonics teaches phonics at
the level of the individual phoneme from the onset, not syllables, and not onset and
rhyme.
Marungko and synthetic phonics involves the children rehearsing the writing
of letter shapes alongside learning the letters sound correspondence. Synthetic
phonics introduces irregular words and more tricky words slowly and systematically
after a thorough introduction of the transparent alphabet code. It also involved a
heavy emphasis on hearing the sounds all- through- the word for spelling and not on
the emphasis on look, cover, write, and check.
Synthetic phonics is generally taught before children are introduced to books
or reading. It involves teaching small groups of letters very rapidly, and children are
shown how letters sounds can be co- articulated to pronounce unfamiliar words.
In a U. K. version of synthetic phonics, e.i. Hickeys Multi Sensory Language
Course (Augur and Briggs, 1992 ), the first blocked of letter- sound is [s, a, t, I, p,
n]which make up more three letter words than any other six letters.
In synthetic phonics, teachers put accuracy before speed. Fluency (i.e. speed,
accuracy, expression, and comprehension) will come with time, but the child
understanding of the relationship between letters and the sounds are the all
important first step. In other words, children are taught steps which are
straightforward and actual work before being taught with the complications and
variations of pronunciation and spelling of the full alphabetic code.

Despite of phonics predisposition, the National Reading Panel

concluded that phonics instruction produces the biggest impact on the
growth in reading when it begins in kindergarten or first grade before
children have learned to read independently and it failed to exert a
significant impact on the reading performance of low- achieving readers in
second to sixth grades (NRP, 2000). The NRP noted also that it is important
to emphasize that systematic phonics instruction should be integrated with
other reading instruction to create a balanced reading program. Phonics
should not become the dominant component in a reading program, neither in
amount of time devoted for it nor in the significance attached (NRP, 2000 p.
2-97).
Educational psychologist Gerald Coles point that phonics has been
harmful because it falsely hold out the promise of a simple magic bullet
solution to the literacy failure of millions of children, especially those who are

poor, while at the same time discouraging social policy attention to forces
both in and out of the schools that influence literacy outcomes (NRP, 2000,
p. 17).

Theoretical Framework

Teaching and learning to read is anchored on the theory of constructivism of

Jean Piaget and Social Constructivism of Lev Vygotsky.
Constructivism is a new approach in education that claims humans are able
to understand the information they have constructed by themselves. According to
constructivist theories, learning is a social advancement that involves languages,
real world situations, and interactions and collaborations among others. The
learners are considered to be the central in the learning process. Learning is
affected by our prejudices, experiences, the time in which we live, and both physical
and mental maturity.
Piagets constructivism explains the learning process by schemes (the
organization of information on how things work), assimilation, (the placing of new
information into schemes), and accommodation (transforming existing schemes or
creating new ones).
Piagets developmental theory of learning and constructivism are based on
discovery. According to his constructivist theory, in order to provide an ideal
learning environment, children should be allowed to construct knowledge that is
meaningful for them.
Furthermore, Vygotskys constructivism believes that learning and
development is a collaborative activity and that children are cognitively developed
in the context of socialization and education. For learning to occur, the child first
makes contact with the social environment on an interpersonal level and then
internalizes this experience.
As emphasized in Piagets and Vygotskys constructivism, creating ones own
concept and making knowledge is ones property, this requires that school learning
takes place in a meaningful context, alongside the learning that occurs in the real
world.

Conceptual Framework

One of the theories that exist in teaching reading is the theory of

constructivism proposed by Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. This theory claims that
humans are better able to understand the information they have constructed by
themselves.
According to constructivist theory, a child learns most when he is involved
and exposed to language, real world situations, and interaction and collaboration
among learners.
In constructivist setting where constructivism is applied, teachers are only
facilitators and guides who plans, organizes, guides, and provides directions to the
learners who is accountable for his own learning. Constructivism transforms todays
classroom into a knowledge construction site where information is absorbed and
knowledge is built by the learners.
In connections to phonics and Marungko approach which is the focus of this
study, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky view on learning can be applied by allowing
learners to organize how things work, place the new learned information to the
previously learned information and transform existing information to create new
ones. In the phonics method of reading, students learn from easier to more complex
things. Students learn from recognizing phonemes sounding them out, and blending
them to create new words.

Using Marungko in
teaching learning
to read

Improved child
reading ability.

Fig.1 is the Dependent and Independent Variables of the Study

Operational Definition of Terms

The following are terms being used in the study;

Approach- refers to strategies used to teach reading effectively; these are the
Marungko or the Phonics approach.
Marungko approach- refers to the method of teaching to read which
introduces the sounds (phoneme) to letters (graphemes) association in order to
pronounce the word. The letters are being sounded out rather than read.
Phonics approach- refers to the method of teaching to read which introduces
the letter- sound association and used this association to read words.

Chapter III

Methodology

This chapter describes the methods and procedures used in the study. It
describes the research design, the participants and locale of the study, the sources
of data, the procedures utilized in gathering data, and the analysis of data.

Research Design

This study followed the descriptive research design using the comparative
approach. This type of design will involve description, analysis, and interpretation of
the response and the performance of the respondents. It will focus on the more
effective approach in teaching reading- Marungko vs. Phonics.

Participants and Locale of the Study

The respondents of the study are the Pre-Elementary students of Sta. Fe - Sto.
Nino Elementary School. The researchers personally get the population of the
respondents in their 2013-2014 record. There are twenty two students being used.

Sources of Data

The research used both primary and secondary data. The primary data ill be
obtained from the result of direct evaluation of the respondents. A class
demonstration and direct evaluation will be conducted.
Secondary data were from books, internet sources, related studies, and other
references.

Sampling Design

Since it is difficult to determine the sample size, the researcher will cover the
entire population of the Pre-Elementary students of Sta. Fe- Sto. Nio Elementary
School for the school year 2013- 2014 which is 22 students.

Research Instrument

For this study, a class demonstration accompanied by direct evaluation was

used in collecting the primary data.

Data Collection Procedures

The researchers sent a letter to the Principal of Sta. Fe- Sto. Nio Elementary
School to seek an approval to conduct class demonstration and direct evaluation
among the Pre-Elementary students.

Data Analysis

Data analysis followed after the evaluation phase has been conducted. All
answers were treated statistically using the weighed arithmetic mean or rank, the
highest point will show the effectiveness of the approach used in teaching and
learning to read.