EFFECTIVENESS OF HIGHLIGHTING POINTERS IN READING COMPREHENSIVE

TESTS OF THE STUDENTS AT OUR LADY OF FATIMA UNIVERSITY

A Research Proposal

Presented to

Faculty of Psychology Department

Our Lady of Fatima University

In partial fulfillment of the

Requirements for

Experimental Psychology

Alvarado, Ma. Krish Ann

Cea, Patrick V.

Gripalda, John Irish C.

Pangilinan, Tracy Anne C.

Santiago, Kim Sophia

BSPSY 2A2-3

(2020)
 CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

This chapter provides an overview of the study and its background. This comprises the reasons
why the particular problem is being presented, the previous researches about similar topics, the
importance of the study, as well as the operational terms used throughout the research.

Introduction

Learning how to read is a basic information every student must learn in the early years of
their life, but reading itself is not the only thing that matters but also the readers understanding of
what they’ve read about. Reading without learning is just plain reading. Simple errors of what you
have read can have a major impact in what you want to know and understand. A word is useless if
you don’t know what it truly means. Anyone can read but not anyone can be a good one.
Comprehension is the reason for reading. Good readers are purposeful and active, they have skills
to absorb and analyze what they have read and make sense of it.

One of the creative strategies that good readers specifically the students use in their
studying is highlighting the important information in their readings using a colored highlighting
pen. According to Dr. Robert Gerard a researcher and one of the pioneers of research about colors
and learning, suggest that different kind of colors has specific wavelength that affect our body and
brain in many different ways. The color green for example according to an article entitled “The
Psychology of Color: How Do Colors Influence Learning?” published by shiftelearning.com,
green is an excellent color for long term concentration and clarity making it a good choice
ambience palette in stressful places.

According to an article published by Philstar in 2019, Philippines ranks the lowest score
among of 79 countries in reading comprehension in the 2018 Programme for International Student
Assessment (PISA). The lack of reading proficiency among youth is a major reflection of what
this study aims about. The researchers’ goal is to understand and create effective ways to help
students be more efficient in reading and make future contributions to the field of learning.
Background of the Study

The researchers seek for effective ways in studying that may help not only the students but
also the educators and future readers. What is reading comprehension all about? It is the ability to
process encoded texts understand its meaning and to incorporate what the reader already know.
Reading comprehension has been present since the early times of a student’s life, reading and
understanding the vocabulary itself is there but still there is a lack of comprehension in the overall
text.

Objective of the Study

The main objective of the study is to determine if whether there is an effectiveness in

highlighting important details in a text using highlighting marker with a single specific color which
will be the color green.

Statement of the Problem

The study entitled “Effectiveness of Highlighting Pointers in Reading Comprehensive

Tests of the Students at Our Lady of Fatima University” aims to determine the level of
effectiveness of highlighted reading comprehension tests to students’ reading comprehension.

1. What is the demographic profile of the students in terms of:

1.1 Age
1.2 Gender
1.3 Course and Year level
2. Is there a significant relationship between normal reading comprehension test and the
students’ reading comprehension when they are grouped into their demographic profile?
3. Is there a significant relationship between highlighted reading comprehension test and the
students’ reading comprehension when they are grouped into their demographic profile?
4. Is there a significant difference between normal reading comprehension test scores and
highlighted reading comprehension test scores?
Hypothesis

Ho: There is no significant relationship between normal reading comprehension test and the
students’ reading comprehension when they are grouped into their demographic profile

Ho: There is no significant relationship between highlighted reading comprehension test and the
students’ reading comprehension when they are grouped into their demographic profile

Ho: There is no significant difference between normal reading comprehension test scores and
highlighted reading comprehension test scores

Scopes and Delimitations

This study will focus on knowing the capabilities of the random students from Our Lady
of Fatima University, Quezon City Branch who will represent the population of this study. This
study would be done through the utilization of two different materials to the students. One will
compose of plain reading comprehension test and the other one is highlighted using a green colored
highlighter. The experiment will be conducted in the morning, 8:00am to 11:00am only. This aims
to know the effectiveness of using colored highlighter when it comes to learning what they have
read

Significance of the Study

The main rationale of this study is to determine whether there is an effectiveness in

highlighting important details in a sample reading context using highlighting marker with a single
specific color which will be the color green, and contrastingly the reading materials without any
highlights of a marker in it.

The findings or result of the study would be beneficial to future studies to expand on this research
could include obtaining sample from colleges and working professionals whether the highlighted
reading materials will be more effective than normal reading materials without any highlight.
Definition of Terms

Highlighter pen- a tool used by readers when emphasizing specific text in their readings

- It is one of the apparatus that the researchers will use in the experiment and also
one of the independent variable or the cause factor

Reading Comprehension- ability to understand what the reader have read

- It is the dependent variable of the study or the affected factor