RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PHILIPPINE INFORMAL INVENTORY RESULT AND

CLASSROOM PERFORMANCE OF THE GRADE 3 PUPILS OF THE

ISLAND SCHOOLS IN VITALI DISTRICT,

ZAMBOANGA CITY
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Reading is a habit where students learn, gain knowledge and develop new skills (Olivar, 2014).

Understanding the significance of reading and in line with the implementation of the K to 12 Basic

Education Program, the Department of Education (DepEd) implemented “Every Child A Reader Program”

(ECARP) through DepEd Memorandum No.402s.2004 and Administrative Order No. 324. This aims to

teach public elementary pupils with planned training in reading and writing to make them independent

young readers and writers. Moreover, ECARP is also part of the ten-point education agenda of President

Simeon Benigno Aquino III to ensure that the country’s public schools produce well-equipped graduates

who could cope to the different challenges in life. In order to make pupils equipped with reading skills, an

assessment is done to know the reading status of the child. One of the tools being used in knowing the

reading ability of the child is through the use of tool Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI).

The Philippine Informal Inventory (Phil-IRI) is an initiative of the Bureau of Learning Delivery,

Department of Education (DepEd) that directly addresses its thrust to make every Filipino child a reader. It

is anchored on the flagship program of the Department: “Every Child a Reader Program,” which aims to

make every Filipino child a reader and a writer at his/ her grade level.” Thus, the DepEd through the Bureau

of Learning Delivery-Teaching and Learning Division (BLD-TLD) shall continue to administer the Revised

Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) assessment to learners in public elementary schools

nationwide effective School Year 2018-2019 (Do 14, S. 2018 – Policy Guidelines On the Administration of

the Revised Philippine Informal Reading Inventory).

The Phil-IRI used as a classroom-based assessment tool aims to measure and describe the learners’

reading performance in both English and Filipino languages in oral reading, silent reading and listening
comprehension. These three types of assessment aim to determine the learner’s independent, instructional

and frustration levels.

The Phil-IRI data shall also serve as one of the bases in planning, designing/redesigning the reading

instruction of the teachers and the school’s reading programs or activities to improve the overall school’s

reading performance. Pupil under the frustration reading level tends to withdraw himself to read by refusing

it. In the instructional reading level, the pupil can only read when being guided while in the Independent

reading level, the pupil can read alone with ease without the guidance of the teacher. The data from these

measures could also be used to design or adjust classroom, small group or individualized instruction to fit

the student’s needs and abilities.

It is important to note that the Phil-IRI only provides an approximation of the learner’s abilities and

may be used in combination with other reliable tools of assessment. Before teachers can design and provide

appropriate reading instruction for their students, they should be armed with information about their

student’s current reading levels and abilities. This diagnostic approach to describing how children read

embraces inclusionary principles that emphasize the need for education that is learner-centered, responsive

and culturally sensitive.

In the Philippines, the ability to read and write is a priority, so any effort to promote literacy by the

government, organizations, or even private individuals is celebrated. “It is through literacy that one is

empowered to interact in his community and realizes his worth, what he can do and eventually make him

do things that contribute in sustainable development of his society,” said Department of Education’s

(DepEd) Literacy Coordinating Council OIC Dina Ocampo in a speech during the 2014 National Literacy

Conference and Awards.

In the case of our country, we have shown great progress accordingly. Per literacy statistics,

Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) of 2013, 96.5 percent of Filipinos were

literate, which is an improvement from 95.6 percent in 2008. Also, based on a report by the United Nations,

the Philippines has the highest literacy rate at 97.95 percent among Southeast Asian countries such as
Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia. The literacy rate is 98.9 percent among females and 97 percent among

males aged 15-24. Even if the literacy rate showed the country’s improvement from the past years, there is

still a number of children in the Philippines who face literacy challenges especially when it comes to reading.

The remaining gap has reflected that there must be more work to be done to address this issue.

Given the effort of teachers to eradicate non-readers and improving literacy, a lot of problems,

questions, concerns and issues arise and have come up with this study. One of the Problems is in line with

improving the classroom performance of the Grade 3 pupils of the Island Schools in Vitali District. This

study aims to find out if pupils’ performance in the classroom has something to do with the reading level

result that is being reflected during the conduct of the Phi-IRI. Also with the use of the Phil-IRI result, this

study aims to determine its’ relationship with the performance of the pupils in the classroom.

Statement of the Problem

It aims to determine the relationship between the Phil-IRI result and the classroom performance of

the selected Grade 3 pupils of the Island Schools in Vitali district. It specifically sought to answer the

following:

1.) What is the Reading level of the selected Grade 3 pupils of the school?

2.) Is there a significant relationship between the Phil-IRI result of the pupils and their classroom

performance?

3.) Is there a significant difference between the Phil-IRI result of the pupils and their classroom

performance?

Significance of the Study

The result of this study will be of great benefit to the following:

DepEd Officials. The results will provide the DepEd officials knowledge on what contributes to the

performance of the pupils in the classroom. Also the result of this study may serve as a mind-opener that

would help them think of future actions regarding the performance of the pupils and over-all reading
performance as well, specifically ideas about the future programs or projects to be implemented regarding

school matters.

Teachers. The given results of this study will give the teachers knowledge on what is beneficial for

them, what contributes to the performance of the pupils in the classroom and give them the importance of

literacy specifically of reading in the classroom.

Parents. Like the teachers, the parents too will understand the importance of helping their child

read. The given findings will help them realize what future actions to be done to help their children in school.

Pupils. The results will provide the pupils knowledge on what will help them achieve best classroom

performance in school. It will help them realize the importance of reading habits.

Future Researchers. The given data may eventually help the future researchers in doing their study

that is in connection with the said title.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study is focused on the relationship between the Phil-IRI result of the pupils and their classroom

performance. This study is mainly focused on the teachers who are handling Grade 3 pupils who undergo

Phil-IRI Assessment in the 6 Island Schools in Vitali District, Zamboanga City, namely: Limaong

Elementary School; Tigui Elementary School; Matarling Elementary School; Tumitus Elementary School;

Malanta Elementary School; Matiti Elementary School, and; Sibuktok Elementary School.
https://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog/literacy-daily/2015/08/06/literacy-in-the-philippines-the-stories-

behind-the-numbers