Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Learning to read is probably one of the most important skills that children obtain.

Children need to learn to read so they can learn about different subjects and be able to function

well in society. Unfortunately, every-day in the United States, 3,000 students drop out of school

and they are mostly poor readers. According to the Alliance for Excellent Education (2003), one

significant risk factor for dropping out of school is reading achievement level. Students with

below grade level reading skills are two times as likely to drop out of school as those who can

read on or above grade level. Roughly, 85% of children diagnosed with learning difficulties have

a primary problem with reading and related language skills (LD Online). Reading is a

fundamental skill needed to be successful in life. Unfortunately children with reading disabilities

experience a lot of frustration while learning to read. Often, the obstacles that students face are

too difficult to overcome and some never learn to be proficient readers. Without proper

facilitation some individuals never manage to overcome the barriers that stop them from learning

to read. The specific cause of reading disabilities is unknown. However, some recent studies

imply that structural and/or functional brain problems may cause individuals with reading

disorders to identify and sequence phonemes less efficiently and they have a more difficult time

making associations within the context of what they read than do normally progressing readers

(PBS Parents Online). If this neurobiological difference exists, there may be future medical

treatments discovered for reading disabilities. As of now, most specialists agree that the best

strategy for reading difficulties is early intervention.

In the Philippines according to Aracelo ( 1994) as cited by Panerio [1] reported that “85%

of the things that people do involve reading”. Individuals read street signs, advertisements,

menus in restaurants and recipes from cook books, dosage of medicine and others. Moreover,

reading is the foundation of academic success and life learning. One article from Philippine Star

[2] states that: “The undeniable fact remains that majority of Filipino students do not possess the

ability and motivation to read. In 2007, the Department of Education reported that 70 percent or
our learners are incapable of reading within the expected level. This is the situation of reading

achievement intensifies in the Philippines as evaluated by Scholastic Inc., the world’s largest

publisher and distributor of children’s book”. Due to the fast evolving world and changing

technology it cannot be denied that sometimes reading is taken for granted. Former DepEd Sec.

Abad deplored the poor performance of the pupils’ assessment test and said that, the low scores

in English, Mathematics and Science can be attributed to pupils’ lack of ability in basic reading

and comprehension. In addition, he said that one of the major problems in reading is the poor

reading comprehension, which leads to poor understanding of printed symbols Reading and

reading comprehension are interrelated skills. In order for students to be able to comprehend

what they are reading, they have to develop comprehension skills in reading. By itself, the

concept of reading comprehension is vast in breadth and depth. Comprehension is the ultimate

outcome of having read. It is the most important ongoing activity of reading. These statements

show bearing to the study insofar as the ultimate objective of the developed reading primer is

towards the development of reading comprehension by integrating the other reading skills to

ensure permanency in learning.

Dyslexia is a reading disability that can affect those who otherwise demonstrate the

intelligence, motivation, and education to develop into good readers (Lyon, Shaywitz, &

Shaywitz, 2003). It affects 80 percent of people identified as “learning disabled,” and is believed

to affect an estimated 5 to 17 percent of Americans (Shaywitz, 2003). Dyslexia is genetic: 25 to

50 percent of those with a dyslexic parent also have the disorder (Scarborough, 1984). According

to Shaywitz (2003), dyslexia affects boys and girls equally, but boys tend to be identified more

frequently as having the disorder due to their more disruptive behavior in the classroom.

However, this conclusion has recently been disputed by the research of Dr. Michael Rutter at

King's College in London, which found dyslexia to be present in 18 to 22 percent of boys and

only 8 to 13 percent of girls (Tanner, 2004).

Reading is one of the macro skills that should be taught and developed among learners.

It is a basic tool to learn and the jumping board for all other leanings. It facilitates one’s ability to

reason out, think critically, discriminate, judge what has been read and solve analytical problems.

But why has reading become a major problem in many schools today. it is a must that every

school should have a reading program. It is because the students read but could hardly

comprehended in not at all. This statement is hardly debatable and even if anyone would agree
with the view that the problem of reading is more than one that can be solved in, the classroom

alone, is always the good place to start. The importance of the reading program is to enhance the

reading skills of the students, reduce the number of strugglers, help students build their interest

in reading and encourage them to read and love books.