Correlation of English Reading Comprehension and Problem

SISTERS OF MARY IMMACULATE SCHOOL
Fr. Domenico Masi Street, Holiday Hills

City of San Pedro, Laguna
Correlation of English Reading Comprehension and Problem-Solving Skills in

Mathematics of Grade 11 Students of Sisters of Mary Immaculate School, San Pedro,
Laguna A.Y 2018-2019
In partial fulfilment of the requirements in Research 3
Authors:
Albino, Chalotte
De Dios, Justin Lean
Marcelo, Karl Rhoy Brianne
Paglinawan, Alyssa Ashley
Palencia, Gabrielle
Parmerola, Paolo
Sasutona, Marienne
Santos, Joanna Quincy
Trompeta, Cleo Jose Fermin
February 6, 2018
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter I: The Problem and Its Setting
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Background of the Study
1.3 Statement of the Problem
1.4 Hypothesis
1.5 Significance of the Study
1.6 Theoretical Framework
1.7 Conceptual Framework
1.8 Scope and Limitations of the Study
1.9 Definition of Terms
Chapter II: Review of Related Literature and Studies
2.1 Foreign Literature
2.2 Local Literature
2.3 Foreign Studies
2.4 Local Studies
2.5 Synthesis
Chapter III: Research Methodology
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Respondents of the Study
3.3 Research Locals
3.4 Instrumentation
3.5 Data Gathering Process
3.6 Statistical Treatment of Data
Chapter IV: Presentation of Analysis & Interpretation of Data
Chapter V: Summary of Findings, Conclusion and Recommendations

5.1 Summary of Findings
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendations
Chapter I: The Problem and Its Setting
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Mathematics is a language, it is a system that is used by mathematicians to be able to
communicate and express mathematical thoughts. It does not only include the skill of numeracy,
it also includes the ability to read with comprehension for a person to completely understand the
mathematical problem. It is the ability to be capable to reason logically for a person to take
rational and systematic steps and process to arrive at a conclusion by also utilizing the
mathematical principles and facts. Mathematics as a language requires a vast understanding of
the context to be able to decipher the variables in the equation. It is part of the process where a
person determines the formula to be used after analyzing the context of the problem.
Most professors teach reading comprehension to students at the start of learning period, it
is one of the most important stages of learning to boost the student's capability to rapidly grasp
the meaning of the text, a one step closer to being a proficient reader. With how professors
employ the knowledge to the students, it must be in-depth. An in-depth way of learning
instruction aids the students to develop strategies and techniques to have proficiency in reading
comprehension. Fluency in reading comprehension is a prerequisite of having an exceptional-
skills in mathematics as it does not only represent numbers and symbols. Mathematics isn't only
represented by the numbers, formulas, abstract symbols and interrelationships, it also contains
language processes which a person could only fathom if fluent in reading comprehension. One
must be able to grasp the text's language to be able to determine and utilize the appropriate
algorithm to solve and make a conclusion out of the mathematical problem.
There are four steps to solve a mathematical problem. The first one is to carefully read
and analyze the problem stated, this step is needed to understand the problem, it is where the
person uses skills in reading comprehension. Second, a person must choose a strategy or
technique to solve the problem, this step is where a person would formulate an equation. Third, a
person would solve the problem and if the algorithm does not work, it would be a trial and error
solution. The last one in the process would be checking the solution and concluding the final
answer. As stated in these steps, it is included that there is a correlation within reading
comprehension to the mathematical problem-solving skills. Due to these circumstances, the
researchers would like to asses whether there is an interconnection or relation between English
Reading Comprehension and Problem-Solving Skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 Students of
Sisters of Mary Immaculate School, San Pedro, Laguna A.Y 2018-2019

1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The researchers find it hard to determine a problem within the school, as they want it to
be relevant and timely more on the students of Sisters of Mary Immaculate School, San Pedro,
Laguna. With a thorough search for a topic, comparison of data may be easier as the researchers
would want it that way. They at first thought of comparing the Senior High School Student’s
Academic Proficiency with their usage of reference books, asking if it is really relevant for the
students. The measurement for it would be difficult and would require a year to accomplish. As a
result, they have thought of comparing the English Proficiency and Problem-Solving Skills in
Mathematics of the Grade 11 Students of Sisters of Mary Immaculate School, San Pedro, Laguna
A.Y 2018-2019.
This research was done to have a better insight about basic connection of English reading
comprehension to the problem-solving skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 Students of Sisters of
Mary Immaculate School, San Pedro, Laguna A.Y 2018-2019. The subjects Reading and
Writing, and Statistics and Probability are part of the core subjects of Grade 11 students, that
makes this research more relevant for the them. This research can help teachers, professors, and
parents to understand the importance of Reading comprehension to the performance of their kids
in problem-solving in mathematics. Reading is the process by which written language is
understood. On the other hand, truly understanding what one is reading is called reading
comprehension and it has several levels of processing text and understanding its meaning, and to
add to what the reader’s knowledge. Previous research has shown that math word problem-
solving performance and reading comprehension skills are both related to overall reasoning
skills. Problem-solving is a fundamental means of developing mathematical knowledge at any
level. It can also be defined as engaging in a task for which the solution method is not known in
advance. Problem solving gives students a context to help them make sense out of the
mathematics they are learning. Problems can be used to introduce new concepts and extend
previously learned knowledge.

1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This study aims to determine the Correlation of English Reading Comprehension and
Problem-Solving Skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 Students of Sisters of Mary Immaculate
School, San Pedro, Laguna A.Y. 2018-2019.
Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions:
I. What is the demographic profile of the students in terms of:
a. Name
b. Age
c. Gender
d. Grade
e. Section
II. What score will the respondents get in pre-test and post-test, both in Statistics and
Probability, and Reading and Writing?
III. Is there a relation between English Reading Comprehension and Problem-Solving
Skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 Students of Sisters of Mary Immaculate School,
San Pedro, Laguna A.Y 2018-2019.

1.4 HYPOTHESIS
H o: There is no significant relationship between the English Reading Comprehension and
Problem-Solving Skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 Students of Sisters of Mary
Immaculate School, San Pedro, Laguna A.Y 2018-2019.
H i: There is a significant relationship between the English Reading Comprehension and
Problem-Solving Skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 Students of Sisters of Mary
Immaculate School, San Pedro, Laguna A.Y 2018-2019.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This research is significant since Mathematics is one of the core subjects that most
schools and university use to educate the students. On the other side, reading comprehension
would be the first thing that a student learns to be able to understand the other subjects. It is
where a person decodes the meaning of the text, being able to process and it also improves
naturally when practiced often. The correlation of reading comprehension to the mathematical
problem-solving skills is the student's ability to understand mathematical terms not only when a
number is used, but also when it contains a word problem that a student needs to solve logically.
As a person's reading comprehension develops, it would help to process the information and
formulate the needed solution. When a person does not use reading comprehension to solve
mathematical word problems, it could lead to lack in understanding of the context, on what
process a person should start, what formula to use and what kind of answer the problem was
looking for. Therefore, the focus of this study is on the Correlation of Reading Comprehension to
the Mathematical Problem-Solving Skills of the Grade 11 Students of SMIS AY 2018-2019. In
conclusion, this study will give understanding and importance on the effectiveness, relation and
interdependence of reading comprehension to the mathematical problem-solving skills of the
students.
1. Students
This research will be beneficial to students because this can provide additional knowledge, such
as if enhancing the reading comprehension of a student would help to improve solving skills in
one of the core subjects, mathematics. Furthermore, through this research, students will have an
idea if focusing on both reading comprehension and numeracy would help to improve skills in
solving.
2. Teachers
This study will also have a significant role to teachers because this research will give them an
insight on how do reading comprehension benefit the development of a student's skill in solving
mathematical problems. Moreover, through this research the teachers will be enlightened on how
to utilize and teach students to boost their fluency in reading comprehension.
3. Schools and Universities
The findings of this research will be beneficial to the Sister of Mary Immaculate School and
other schools and universities that teaches Mathematics to students. In different courses,
especially with the courses that implements mathematics as its core subject, it is significant for
the schools to find new ways to improve the student's skills in the said subject. Furthermore, this
will also serve as another source of information on studying the correlation of reading
comprehension to the mathematical problem-solving skills. The results of this study could help
the schools and universities to make a step to teach strategies and techniques to lessen difficulties
in the said subject.
4. Researchers
This study will evaluate and identify in which aspects do the reading comprehension correlates to
the mathematical solving skills. Furthermore, this study will also give the present and future
researchers of this topic a relevant information to serve as guide for completion and success of
the study.
1.6 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Theories of Reading Comprehension
Mental Representations
When reading a text, a mental representation of the text is created by the reader, which describes
how the reader understands the text. Many studies about reading comprehension show, or
support the conclusion, that "multiple levels of representation are involved in making meaning"
(van Oostendorp & Goldman, 1998, p. viii). In particular, the work of Walter Kintsch (e.g., see
Kintsch, 1992, 1998) seems to have had a great influence on research on reading comprehension
(Weaver, Mannes, & Fletcher, 1995). Kintsch (1998) distinguishes between three different
levels, or components, of the mental representation created when reading a text: the surface
component, the text-base, and the situation model. When the words and phrases themselves are
encoded in the mental representation (possibly together with linguistic relations between them),
and not the meaning of the words and phrases, one can talk about a surface component of the
mental representation. The text-base represents the meaning of the text, that is, the semantic
structure of the text, and it "consists of those elements and relations that are directly derived from
the text itself without adding anything that is not explicitly specified in the text" (Kintsch, 1998,
p. 103). Since the text-base consists of the meaning of the text and the same meaning can be
expressed in different ways, a text-base can be created without any memory of the exact words
or phrases from the text. A pure text-base can be "impoverished and often even incoherent"
(Kintsch, 1998, p. 103), and to make more sense of the text, the reader uses prior knowledge to
create a more complete and coherent mental representation. A construction that integrates the
text-base and relevant aspects of the reader's knowledge is called the situation model. Of course,
some prior knowledge is also needed to create a text-base, but this knowledge is of a more
general kind that is needed to "decode" texts in general, while the prior knowledge referred to in
the creation of a situation model is more specific with respect to the content of the text.
Content Literacy
As defined by McKenna and Robinson (1990), content literacy refers to the ability to read,
understand and learn from texts from a specific subject area. They also distinguish between three
components of content literacy: general literacy skills, content-specific literacy skills, and prior
knowledge of content. Both the general and the content-specific literacy skills can be assumed to
refer to some more general type of knowledge that is not dependent on the detailed content of a
specific text. This type of knowledge is primarily used to create a text-base in the mental
representation. The third component, prior knowledge of content, refers to knowledge that is
connected to the content of a specific text, and is thus primarily used to create a situation model
in the mental representation. It is not clear to what extent mathematics in itself creates a need for
content specific literacy skills and how much of reading comprehension in mathematics depends
on more general literacy skills and prior knowledge. However, the symbolic language used in
mathematics seems to be a potential cause for the need of content-specific literacy skills. Also, in
a study by Osterholm (2006), comprehension of one mathematical text not using mathematical
symbols (Le., written in a natural language) mainly depended on the use of more general literacy
skills.
Cognitive Processes
Thinking about one's own reading process it seems clear that a skilled reader usually does not
need to actively think very much to create a mental representation when reading. The use of
syntactic and semantic rules together with the activation of more specific prior knowledge thus
happens quite automatically, on a more unconscious level. In general, different cognitive
processes can be more or less conscious. Perception can refer to highly automatic and
unconscious processes, for example when you see a dog and directly recognize it as a dog; you
are aware of the result of the process (that you see a dog) but no active and conscious thought
processes were needed for this recognition. Problem-solving on the other hand can be said to
deal with active thinking, a more resource demanding process, for example when trying to
remember the name of a person you meet and recognize. Thus, when reading a text without
experiencing any difficulties in understanding what you read, the process has more in common
with perception than with problem solving, in that the process of understanding is mainly
unconscious. This is a situation representative for Kintsch's (1998) concept of comprehension,
which "is located somewhere along that continuum between perception and problem solving"
(Kintsch, 1992, p. 144).
Problem Solving and Reading Comprehension
Problems that need to be solved can arise in different ways, but here focus is on given problems
with a specific question, in particular mathematics problems given in writing. Specific theories
about the problem-solving process sometimes include the reading of the problem text as an
important part (e.g., see P6lya, 1990), which seems natural since one surely needs to start by
reading the given problem text in order to try to understand the problem. Thereby, a mental
representation of the text is created, that is, a mental representation of the problem is created. But
in order not to limit the description of the result of this reading process to that the reader either
has understood the text or not, and what kind of (negative) effects this might have on the solution
process, a more integrated is suggested of (1) reading the problem, (2) understanding the
problem, and (3) solving the problem. It seems quite obvious that deficiencies in literacy skills,
general or content specific, can affect the attempt to solve a given problem, since direct reading
errors (i.e., problems in creating a text-base) increase the risk that the mental representation
contradicts the text. However, the mental representation created in the reading process does not
only serve as background to solving the problem, but the solving process has already started,
since also prior knowledge is activated in the reading process, including more specific types of
prior knowledge that can be suitable for solving the problem, that is, the comprehension of the
problem need not only consist of a pure text-base in the mental representation but also a situation
model can be created. It could even be the case that the problem in principle has been solved
through the reading process (or at least the problem is believed to be solved). In such a case, the
problem is solved using mainly unconscious cognitive processes, that is, the problem is solved
through pure comprehension (Kintsch, 1998) of the problem/situation. Davis (1984, p. 207) gives
an empirical example of this type of solution by comprehension, where an existing mental

representation of a similar problem was activated, and the person "had done this unconsciously,
but had been able to reconstruct some of the process by determined introspection afterwards."
Thus, this is not only a theoretical possibility, and it has also been shown that these types of
unconscious comprehension processes can be used to explain behavior in such situations as
action planning (Mannes & Kintsch, 1991) and decision making (Kitajima & Polson, 1995).
Perhaps some observed student behavior when solving problems also can be explained by
assuming that the student is relying mostly on these types of comprehension processes when
trying to solve the problem, for example, when Lithner (2000, p. 165) reports that "focusing on
what is familiar and remembered at a superficial level is dominant over reasoning based on
mathematical properties of the components involved." To generate the answer to the posed
question in a given problem can be seen as a natural goal of the situation, and in order to reach
that goal one needs to regulate one's behavior, that is, self-regulating processes are active. The
given question can thus play a very important role also in the creation of the mental
representation in the reading process since it can influence what kind of prior knowledge is
activated, that is, the self-regulation seems to start already in the reading process. It has also been
shown that self-regulating processes (which usually are considered as metacognitive processes)
can operate at an unconscious level (Fitzsimons & Bargh, 2004). Therefore, it could be of
particular interest to examine how variations of questions in problem texts can influence the
comprehension and solution of a problem.
1.7 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT
I. Demographic Profile I. Respondents’

I. Quantitative/Descriptive
a. Name knowledge level in
Research
b. Age Reading and Writing,
II. Questionnaire: Pre-test and
c. Gender and Statistics and
Post-test
d. Grade Probability
III. Statistical Treatment
e. Section II. Significant Relationship
a. Percentage
II. Respondents’ knowledge level between the reading
b. Weighted Mean
in Reading and Writing, and comprehension and
c. Pearson R problem-solving skills in
Statistics and Probability
mathematics
FEEDBACK
The INPUT Box shows the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of name, age,
gender, grade and section, and respondents’ knowledge level in Reading and Writing, and
Statistics and Probability.
The PROCESS box indicates the methodology used; the research design, (quantitative
and descriptive method), the research instrument (questionnaire), and the statistical treatment
done to the data gathered: Percentage, Weighed Mean, and Pearson R.
The OUTPUT box contains the expected outcomes of the respondents’ knowledge level
in Reading and Writing, and Statistics and Probability, as well as the significant relationship
between the reading comprehension and problem-solving skills ion mathematics.

The FEEDBACK box provides the completion of the conceptual cycle. It serves as a
buffer to enable to assess the instruments and methods used, that could make future research with
the subject matter designed better than this paper could achieve.
1.8 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This study will focus on determining the relation between English Reading
Comprehension and Problem-solving skills in Mathematics for the grade 11 students of Sisters of
Mary Immaculate School. The researchers will formulate a survey regarding two core subjects of
the grade 11 students. It will contain questions about Statistics and Probability for Math, then
Reading and Writing for English. The coverage of the survey will be the topics of the Grade 11
students for the 4th quarter. Each question that will be used on the survey will be reviewed to
make sure the results will be as accurate as possible.
1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS
1. Correlate - have a mutual relationship or connection, in which one thing affects or depends on
another.
2. Reading Comprehension - is the ability to process text, understand its meaning, and to
integrate with what the reader already knows
3. Problem-Solving - the process of finding solutions to difficult or complex issues.
4. Mathematics - the abstract science of number, quantity, and space. Mathematics may be
studied in its own right (pure mathematics), or as it is applied to other disciplines such as physics
and engineering (applied mathematics).
5. Mathematicians - an expert in or student of mathematics.
6. Numeracy - the ability to understand and work with numbers.
7. Rational - based on or in accordance with reason or logic.
8. Systematic - done or acting according to a fixed plan or system; methodical.
9. Beneficial - favorable or advantageous; resulting in good.
10. Prerequisite - a thing that is required as a prior condition for something else to happen or
exist.
11. Context - the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in
terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed; the parts of something written or spoken
that immediately precede and follow a word or passage and clarify its meaning.
12. Decipher - convert (a text written in code, or a coded signal) into normal language.
13. Grasp - get mental hold of; comprehend fully.
14. Proficient Reader - is more complex and requires higher level skills in fluency, handling
multisyllable words, comprehension, vocabulary, and skills such as the ability to extract
necessary information.
15. Employ - make use of.
16. In-depth - comprehensive and thorough.

17. Vast - to a very great extent; immensely.
18. Abstract - relies on logic rather than on observation as its standard of truth, yet employs
observation, simulation, and even experimentation as means of discovering truth.
19. Interrelationships - the way in which each of two or more things is related to the other or
others.
20. Fluent - smoothly graceful and easy.
21. Algorithm - a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving
operations, especially by a computer.
22. Interconnection - a mutual connection between two or more things.
23. Decode - convert (a coded message) into intelligible language.
24. Enlightened - having or showing a rational, modern, and well-informed outlook.
25. Utilize - make practical and effective use of.
26. Impoverished - deprived of strength or vitality.
27. Incoherent - expressed in an incomprehensible or confusing way; unclear.

Chapter II: Review of Related Literature and Studies
2.1 Foreign Literature
Hudoyo and Surawidjaja (1997) reveal that to complete mathematical word problems can
be done by (1) reading and re-reading the question or the item, trying to understand word by
word and sentence by sentence; (2) identifying what is known about the problem; (3) identifying
what to do; (4) neglecting anything irrelevant with the problem; (5) adding no unnecessary things
that make the problem different from the one being faced. The above points correspond to the
idea of Soedjadi (2000) stating that in general, to complete mathematical questions can be
through the following stages: (1) reading each question or each item carefully and trying to catch
the meaning of every sentence; (2) separating and mentioning what is known the item, what is
demanded and asked for the item, the mechanism to deal with the item; (3) creating
mathematical models of the item; (4) completing the models in accordance with the rules of
Mathematics so that answers can be obtained from the models; and (5) returning the answers to
the original answers.
Goddard, Sweetland and Hoy (2000) examined the importance of a school climate
characterized by high levels of academic emphasis. Students were motivated by the respect they
got from other students and teachers when they succeeded, and teachers accepted responsibility
for student achievement and did not let temporary setbacks unduly frustrate them (Goddard,
Sweetland & Hoy, 2000). They studied 45 elementary schools and established that their research
sustained their theoretical ideas that in a school atmosphere, in which teachers set reasonable
goals and believe in their students’ abilities to achieve, students worked hard to succeed and
respected those who did the same, and the learning environment was, in essence, orderly and
serious.
The articles by Petersen, Glover & Ronning (1980); Fuentes (1998); Goddard, Sweetland
& Hoy (2000); Blessman & Myszczak (2001); Goularte (2003); Jonassen (2003); Fuchs,
Seethaler, Powell, Fuchs, Hamlett & Fletcher (2008); and Yan, Wiles & Yu-Ying (2008) all
discussed research on learning strategies for students. These strategies ranged from mathematics
vocabulary work, which we did a lot of during this research, to using a tutor for many hours a
week. It did not seem to matter how old or how recent the article, but a lot of the strategies for
improving reading and comprehension of mathematical text were very similar to strategies in the
world of reading, with each adding its own little twist. Some strategies required the students
writing the vocabulary words, studying them out of the textbook, or some used vocabulary cards.
Blessman and Myszczak (2001) did an action research project on a program for
improving student comprehension of mathematical vocabulary. Blessman and Myszczak talked
about various strategies that could be used to improve comprehension in mathematics like math
journals, math dictionaries, children’s literature and graphic organizers. Math anxiety was an
intricacy they found with several students in one of their surveys, and they talked about various
reasons for the anxiety. Students thought of math as punishment. Their parents did not like math
or felt it was just a source of stress. Unlike Fuentes, (1998), who just listed various methods that
could be used, Blessman and Myszczak (2001) tried various methods with students and showed
tables and graphs of student improvement. Many students today even tended to have a negative
attitude toward math (Blessman & Myszczak, 2001). Most of the time, their excuse was that it
was too difficult.
According to Fuentes (1998), good solvers make use of operational webs they construct
in their mind while forming meaning and thus they can relate the events in the problem text and
follow the flow of events throughly. It was seen in studies conducted by Prakitipong and
Nakamura (2006), Wijaya et al. (2014), Kroll and Miller (1993), Tertemiz (1994) that
comprehension levels of students with higher problem-solving success is high, but there isn’t a
big difference between students with high and low problem-solving success in terms of
possessing the basic skills of mathematics.

2.2 Local Literature
The deteriorating performance of Filipino students in the national and international
mathematics tests for the last decade has become a major challenge to Philippine education. The
Department of Education attributed this problem to students’ poor reading comprehension.
Previous studies showed varied findings on the association between variables in reading and
mathematics. The present study utilized the six elements of reading comprehension skills to
determine their relationship to students’ performance in mathematics. A total of 666 students
belonging to the randomly selected first year classes from 18 public and private high schools
were taken as sample. A correlation research design was used and a competency-based
achievement tests in reading comprehension and mathematics were the research instruments.
Students in private schools performed better in reading comprehension skills and mathematics
than their counterparts. While reading comprehension skills were insignificantly correlated to
private school students’ mathematics performance, the case is different in public schools wherein
three skills namely understanding vocabulary in context, getting main idea, and making inference
surfaced to have connection with mathematics. The overall students’ reading comprehension
skills were not significantly correlated to mathematics performance. Hence, the poor
mathematics performance could be explained by other factors not related to reading
comprehension skills.
The Mathematical Problem-Solving test was constructed to measure the problem-solving
ability of the students. There were 25 items included in the test that covers high school lessons in
mathematics. The coverage of the test included fractions, factoring, simple algebraic equations,
and various word problems. These contents were based on the learning competencies of the
Department of Education in the Philippines. The items were only limited in measuring
identifying, computing, analysing, creating and evaluating cognitive skills based on the revised
Bloom’s taxonomy (see Pohl, 2000). The items were reviewed by a professor in mathematics in
a University and a high school teacher teaching mathematics. The mathematical problem solving
test was revised based on the review. It was pre-tested among high school students in a private
high school to determine the length of time needed by students in answering the entire test. The
test had an internal consistency of .84 based on the KR #20. The overall mean of the test
performance of the participants in the pilot test was 16.23 with a standard deviation of standard
deviation of 5.45. This showed that scores of 17 to 25 were high in problem solving and a score
of 15 and below were below average. A standard deviation of 5.45 meant that the individual
scores are dispersed. The difficulty of an item was based on the percentage of people who
answered it correctly. The index discrimination revealed that there were no marginal items as
well as bad items; however, 84% of the items were very good, 2% were good items and 2% were
reasonably good items. It was also found out that there were no difficult items presented,
although 72% of the items were average and 28% were easy.
2.3 Foreign Studies
Reading is an activity or cognitive process that seeks to find a variety of information in
writing or text. Reading can also be regarded as the activity of the complex by moving or using
most of the action is fragmentary, includes the reader should use the definition of delusion,
observing, and remembering are connected with the scheme reader. Furthermore, reading is the
activity or process of applying various skills to cultivate reading text to understand the content of
the readings. Therefore, reading can be said as the activity of obtaining information or message
delivered by the author in writing. In this case, reading means understanding the reading text,
both in literal, interpretive, critical, and creative (Dalman, 2013) Reading, in reality, is a complex
involving a lot of things, not just recite the words, but also involves visual, think,
psycholinguistics and metacognitive. As the visual process, reading is the process of translating
written symbols (letters) into spoken words. As a process of thinking, reading activities include
word recognition, comprehension literal, interpretation, critical reading, and creative
understanding. Word recognition can be reading words using dictionaries (Crawley and
Mountain, 1995). When a reader is reading a text, he participates in a conversation with the text
writer through his cognitive activity. The reader, on the other hand, needs to apply appropriate
reading strategies that are vital in order to comprehend a text successfully (Zare, 2012; May,
2001; Walker, 2000). Alexander & Jetton (2000) argue that the reader when reading reveals
cognitive effort through certain procedural strategy, aims, have attempted, intentional, important,
and facilitative; in other words, the reader should use intentional and deliberate strategy to adjust
and improve learning and understanding. Questions in the form of sentences are certain items in
Mathematics presented in the form of language in sentences of daily life (Hudoyo, 1998). Such
questions, in general, contain mathematical concept such as multiplication, addition, reduction,
and division. Therefore, in order to complete questions in sentences, students need to converse
them into figures. It means students are dealing with two processes, i.e. the process of
understanding series of sentences and the process of converting the sentences into figures. The
conversion of series of sentences into figures requires a skill of understanding texts which is
more known as reading for comprehension. The conversion will run smoothly when the students
understand the text they are reading well and understand the concept of Mathematics such as
multiplication, addition, reduction, and division. These two components are closely related to
each other in order to understand and complete the word problems. Students must understand the
language of mathematics if they want to successfully learn mathematics (Moschkovich, 2012).
The word problems are an important aspect of mathematics and the process of mathematical
thinking. However, in daily work, students have difficulties solving word problems because to
solve the word problems require skills.
They are easy to do basic mathematical operations, such as addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division. The students skilfully identify the unit of measurement, and perform
calculation tasks with numbers and equations.
However, when working on word problems, many students try hard to do it and always
failed. In some cases, students attempt to solve word problems and be able to identify some of
the elements of the problem, but cannot complete all the necessary operations (Vula &
Kurshumlia, 2015). The ability to understand the language of mathematical word problems is
related to the ability to read for comprehension because both require the ability to comprehend a
text. If the students are unable to comprehend the text, it means they will not be able to tell what
the text is about; moreover, to complete the question items related to the text as described in the
mathematical word problems. According to Pearson & Hamm (2003), understanding word
problems is same as understanding the text of the other types because both the text have the
equation of elements, but arranged differently. "Understanding the paragraph is the same as
problem-solving in mathematics because both of them consist of selecting the right elements in
the situation and put them together in the right relationship, and also with the right amount, the
balance or the influence or power of each".

2.4 Local Studies
Mathematics education in the Philippines is one of the priority concerns of the Department of
Education (DepEd). The dismal state of mathematics achievement of high school students was
evident in the results of international, national and regional mathematics tests. For instance, the
performance of Filipino students in the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science
Study (TIMSS) in which the Filipino second year high school students ranked 41st in math out of
46 participants, stuck at the bottom while struggling at a passing level locally [1]. Students’
performance in the National Achievement Test (NAT) was even more discouraging [2]. Some
one million fourth year students’ NAT in 2003-2005 had only ten percent mastery in
mathematics [3]. Students’ NAT for four succeeding years (2006-2009) in both elementary and
secondary levels registered below mastery level of 75 percent. Unfortunately, the international
and national trend of Filipino students' poor performance is also reflected in both regional and
local levels. This corroborates with Barton, Heidema and Jordan’s [4] view that mathematics,
along with science content area texts, are identified as the most difficult to understand by
elementary graders and high school students. Proof of the low performance was apparent based
on 2006 NAT results wherein Region XII sank 2nd from the bottom among the 16 regions after
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). More seriously, Cotabato City Division for
the last three school years (2006- 2008) was placed at the bottom among nine (9) divisions in
Region XII, with Mean Percentage Score (MPS) in English and Mathematics of below 50
percent. Likewise, private school students obtained similar performance of "below average" in
the achievement tests conducted by Notre Dame Educational Association (NDEA) exclusively
among its member-schools in Regions XII and ARMM [5]. Recently, the result of 2010 Regional
Achievement Test given to second year students in both public and private schools in Cotabato
City showed that they performed low mastery level with MPS ratings of 45.16% in mathematics.
Hence, the alarming performance of the Filipino students in mathematics locally, nationally and
internationally necessitates urgent decisions and actions from all education sectors. Looking
particularly into the NAT results, DepEd singled out low reading competence as a primary factor
for the failure of public-school students in mathematics [3]. Along this line, appropriate
measures were undertaken to improve students’ performance in English and mathematics.
Some of these measures included implementing various reading programs of the DepEd,
training of mathematics teachers, and strengthening the use of English language as a primary
medium of instruction in all public institutions of learning at the secondary level [6]. Despite all
these government efforts to improve the quality of mathematics performance as well as reading
skills, the problem on these two areas still persist. With this problematic condition, reading
cannot be taken for granted if mathematics performance needs to be enhanced. Snow, Burns, and
Griffin [7] point out that reading particularly in the early years of schooling paves way to
achievement in other content areas like mathematics. Reading is regarded as an indispensable
part of mathematics and “mathematical knowledge”. Learning to love and value mathematics
language requires a good foundation in reading [8], [9]. Fuentes [9] maintains that mathematics
and reading go together, i.e. improving mathematics achievement necessitates enhancing
students’ reading. For him, it is also vital to recognize that young learners develop reading and
mathematics skills at different rates. Barton, et al. [4] stress that reading mathematics alone does
not only involve comprehension of texts but also entails “special reading skills” which are not
adopted in other subject areas. Thus, students are expected to possess an ability to decode and
understand “scientific and mathematical signs, symbols and graphics”, read mathematics texts
arranged differently, and “interpret information” given in an unusual manner (p. 25). Fuentes [9]
adds that mathematics deals with natural thought and language processes as well. As cited by
Roe and Taube [10], Niss and Højgaard Jensen describe mathematical knowledge with eight
competencies which includes competence of communication, i.e., the capacity to interpret and
comprehend mathematical texts. In so doing, it illustrates that reading and reading
comprehension could be more clearly incorporated in mathematics instruction, learning and
examinations [8], [9]. The dramatic change on the theories of learning from behavioral to holistic
approach in the turn of 20th century has also changed the thinking about reading comprehension
from merely a static activity in the past into a dynamic process where readers create meaning
from the written text [11]. This reader-text interaction describes how reading comprehension
takes place which provides impact to new learning situation such as understanding mathematics.
When considering reading as a factor identified to have bearing on students’ performance in
mathematics achievement test [9], it is important to take a look at how both areas are related.
Since reading was established as a tool in learning other fields including mathematics [12], [13],
various researches have been undertaken to examine the relationship of the two especially on the
aspect of comprehension which is a critical skill to perform understanding of mathematical
process [14]. Success in reading is seen as a significant measure achievement in mathematics.
Previous studies reveal the existence of close relationship between mathematics performance and
reading skills [15], reading ability and performance on mathematics items assessing higher level
cognitive skills [16], language and test performance on mathematics word problems [17], and
early reading skills and changes in mathematics [18]. The connection between language skills
and mathematics has been supported by early developmental theory [19], [20], illustrating that
language skills are believed to develop number concepts to have an association to numerical
skills [19] although this link is affected by difficulty of learning language and mathematics.
2.5 Synthesis
One of the primary objectives of education is to create individuals who can read
instructions in their daily lives, make decisions about issues requiring social participation, read
media and are able to overcome potential problems to be encountered in future (Karataş &
Güven, 2003; Özsoy & Kuruyer, 2012). In line with this objective, problem solving and reading
comprehension instructions given during the education process should attach priority to
imparting these skills to students and further developing them. Problem solving refers to the
elimination of a problem through the use of required information and operations in cognitive
processes (reasoning) (Altun, 1995). Reading comprehension, on the other hand, refers to the
construction of meaning by the reader from context through the use of textual cues (Akyol, 2010;
Duffy, 2009). Therefore, like problem solving, reading comprehension relies on the reader’s
recognition and perception of symbols in written language, grammar, cognitive skills and real-
life experiences. The most important requirement for problem solving and reading
comprehension is the transfer of solutions to different situations. Just as problem solving requires
more than performing operations with numbers, using four main operations and symbols, reading
comprehension requires more than word recognition and the accurate vocalization of words.
Problem solving and reading comprehension essentially work together in order to reach a goal
and do so by utilizing different resources for this purpose. In this regard, reading comprehension
skills and problem -solving skills are closely interrelated (Fuentes, 1998; Jordan, Hanich &
Kaplan, 2003; Vilenius‐Tuohimaa, Aunola & Nurmi, 2008). Solving a problem requires
establishing a link between inputs and anticipated outcomes. Reading assigns meaning to a text
by determining a suitable goal and method. No problem or text is self-expressive (Akyol, 2005).
Therefore, an individual’s eagerness, their interest, setting a goal and use of strategy are of great
importance for problem solving and reading comprehension skills. Evaluation of students’
problem-solving skills and reading comprehension skills is as important as the teaching of these
skills (Karataş, 2002; Pearson & Hamm, 2005). An individual need to activate his/her
information about the use of problem solving and reading comprehension skills and effect a
transfer of information between these skills. For the evaluation of whether such a transfer takes
place, these two skills must be observed together, while for the development of problem solving
and reading comprehension skills, they need to be observed and evaluated in the long-run.
Problems, including the comprehension of a text, bring about many difficulties for
elementary school students due to the complexity of problem-solving processes. Problems stated
within the context of a story seem to be more complex and difficult for students than problems
not embedded in a text (Mayer, Lewis & Hegarty, 1992; Nathan, Long & Alibali, 2002). It is
reported that when compared to similar problems stated with numbers, students are 30% less
successful in solving problems that include a story (Carpenter, Corbitt, Kepner, Lindquist &
Reys, 1980). Even when they know how to solve problems that does not include a story, when
they are presented with these problems embedded within a story, solving them can be more
challenging, because solving problems that include a story requires the use of various cognitive
processes in an integrated manner. For children that do not have an adequate knowledge base or
have limited memory capacity, these tasks can be much more challenging (Jitendra, Griffin,
DeatlineBuchman & Sczesniak, 2007). When solving problems that include a story, students are
required to understand the language of the problem and the concrete information presented in the
problem, to properly conceptualize the problem in his/her mind based on the information given
within the problem, to design and follow a plan and to make the calculations required by the
solution process of the problem (Desoete, Roeyers & De Clercq, 2003). In short, solving
narration problems is closely associated with understanding the relationships involved in the text
and the goal stated in the problem. The results of a set of studies conducted on narration
problems that included addition and subtraction operations revealed that rather than the syntax of
the text, meaning or mathematic structure was viewed to be more important (Carpenter, Hiebert
& Moser, 1983). Similar research findings have shown that the problems experienced by
students regarding narration problems are related to an accurate comprehension of the text, rather
than numbers or operations (Gökkurt & Soylu, 2013). An examination of the literature reveals
that two primary courses have been followed by research dealing with difficulties in narration
problems. In one of these, research focuses on the difficulty level of solutions, based on the
characteristics of problems. The problematic characteristics examined in these studies are the
number of words in the text of the problem, the existence of statements pointing out the
operations to be followed in the solution of the problem, as well as the magnitude of the numbers
used in the problem (Briars & Larkin, 1984). The second course of research primarily focuses on
the cognitive processes required for the solution of the problem (Dellarosa, 1986; Kintsch &
Greeno, 1985).
In this regard, it is argued that the difficulty of a problem should be explored based on the
interaction between the characteristics of the problem and the cognitive capacity of the student.
Within the context of this interactive approach, four focal points are proposed for receiving
primary focus (Dellarosa, Weimer & Kintsch, 1985): 1. Comprehension of the problem text a)
Comprehension of words b) Comprehension of the meaning of each sentence 2. Comprehension
of the problem statement a) Activation of the word knowledge related to the problem statement
b) Activation of the knowledge related to mathematical terms and relationships c) Use of the
information compiled from item (1) above 3. Selection of a solution strategy based on item (2)
above 4. Accurate implementation of the selected strategy Finding the correct solution to a
problem does not necessarily mean that the student has the necessary problem-solving skills.
Though some students may have found the correct answers, they may have followed the wrong
approach to a solution; other students might develop the correct solution strategies but
nonetheless reach the wrong solution due to simple calculation errors (Soylu & Soylu, 2006).
This also holds true for reading comprehension. Correct pronunciation of the text and providing
the correct answers to reading comprehension questions does not necessarily mean the
possession of the reading comprehension skill by the student. Some students, though
pronouncing text accurately and giving the correct answers to reading comprehension questions,
may do this by chance and by making guesses without necessarily comprehending the text
(Dufy, 2009). Therefore, while evaluating problem solving and reading comprehension skills,
individual differences should be taken into consideration

Chapter III: Research Methodology
3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN
A Quantitative Research is sometimes referred to as true science, and use traditional
mathematical and statistical means to measure results conclusively. They are most commonly
used by physical scientists, although social sciences, education and economics have been known
to use this type of research. Quantitative experiments all use a standard format, with a few minor
inter-disciplinary differences, of generating a hypothesis to be proved or disproved. This
hypothesis must be provable by mathematical and statistical means, and is the basis around
which the whole experiment is designed. Randomization of any study groups is essential, and
a control group should be included, wherever possible. A sound quantitative design should
only manipulate one variable at a time, or statistical analysis becomes cumbersome and open to
question. Quantitative experiments are useful for testing the results gained by a series of
qualitative experiments, leading to a final answer, and a narrowing down of possible directions
for follow up research to take.
Quantitative research design is an excellent way of finalizing results and proving or
disproving a hypothesis. The structure has not changed for centuries, so is standard across many
scientific fields and disciplines. After statistical analysis of the results, a comprehensive answer
is reached, and the results can be legitimately discussed and published. Quantitative experiments
also filter out external factors, if properly designed, and so the results gained can be seen as real
and unbiased.
In order to see the general picture of the Effects of Social Networking Sites to the
Selected Junior High School Students of Sisters of Mary Immaculate School, San Pedro, Laguna
S.Y. 2017-2018 to their English Communication Skills, the descriptive quantitative survey
method was used.

3.2 RESPONDENTS OF THE STUDY
In this research study, the researchers have decided to follow one of the types of
data on how to collect information: the primary data. It will help gather and organize data
that will assist in coming up with a valid conclusion. The respondents/sample population
are those students of Sisters of Mary Immaculate School (SMIS) that are in the High
School Department. As they are the Grade 11 students, their age ranges from 16 to 18 so it
fits the need for them to be in Senior High School. Through primary data, the researchers
will be able to have valid information and can help attain strong evidence regarding
concerns in the study. Using questionnaires like survey can help the researchers gain
information from the respondents. As they are only thirty-three, the researchers have
decided to survey a hundred percent of their population.
3.3 RESEARCH LOCALE

Since the respondents for this study are the students of Sisters of Mary Immaculate
School, the location of the respondents is the school formerly mentioned. The researchers chose
these students as the sample since they would not need to go to another school to conduct their
survey. They would give an examination, pre-test and post-test, to these students that will allow
them, the researchers, to find answers concerning the Correlation of English Reading
Comprehension and Problem-Solving Skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 students of Sisters of
Mary Immaculate School.
3.5 DATA GATHERING PROCESS

To ensure the accuracy of the information obtained for the conduction of this study, the
researchers will administer a survey to grade 11 student-respondents, which will occur twice; one
for pre-test and another for the post test. Pretest will be held to determine the preliminary and/or
basic background knowledge about the topic whereas the post test is done to measure the
progress that took place. and then the data acquired would then be processed through tallying and
recording to sub-consequently bring this research to a conclusion.
3.4 Instrumentation
3.6 Statistical Treatment of Data

For the data analysis, the following statistical measures were used:
1. Percentage - was used to determine the distribution demographic profile of the students
of Sisters of Mary Immaculate School, San Pedro, Laguna S.Y 2018-2019, categorized
by age, sex, year level and section.
Formula:
P = f/N x 100
Wherein:
P – Percentage
F - Frequency
N – Total no. of respondents
2. Weighted Mean - used to determine the nature and frequency distribution of the scores
of the students of Sisters of Mary Immaculate School, San Pedro, Laguna S.Y 2018-
2019.
Formula:
∑f (x)
×=
N
Wherein:
X = weighted mean
∑ f ( x) = summation of frequency and weighted value
N=¿total number of respondents

3. Pearson-r (Pearson product – moment correlation coefficient) – is a measure of the
correlation (linear independence) between two variables X and Y, giving a value between
+1 and -1 inclusive. It is widely used in the science as a measure of the strength of linear
independence between two variables. The formula was:
r xy =n ∑ xy −¿ ¿ ¿
Where:
r xy= correlation
X = first variable
Y = second variable
∑x = summation of x
∑y = summation of y
n = number of respondents
Correlation Scale:
± 1.00 = Perfect positive/perfect negative correlation
± 0.80 to ± 0.99 = High positive/high negative correlation
± 0.60 to ± 0.79 = Moderate high positive/moderately high negative correlation
± 0.40 to ± 0.59 = Moderate correlation
± 0.20 to ± 0.39 = Low positive/ Low negative correlation
± 0.01 to ± 0.19 = Slight/Negligible Correlation
1.0 = No Correlation

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SISTERS OF MARY IMMACULATE SCHOOL

Fr. Domenico Masi Street, Holiday Hills

Correlation of English Reading Comprehension and Problem-Solving Skills in

In partial fulfilment of the requirements in Research 3

Chapter I: The Problem and Its Setting

1.2 Background of the Study

1.3 Statement of the Problem

1.5 Significance of the Study

1.6 Theoretical Framework

1.7 Conceptual Framework

1.8 Scope and Limitations of the Study

1.9 Definition of Terms

Chapter II: Review of Related Literature and Studies

2.1 Foreign Literature

2.2 Local Literature

2.3 Foreign Studies

2.4 Local Studies

3.1 Research Design

3.2 Respondents of the Study

3.3 Research Locals

3.5 Data Gathering Process

3.6 Statistical Treatment of Data

Chapter IV: Presentation of Analysis & Interpretation of Data

Chapter V: Summary of Findings, Conclusion and Recommendations

Mathematics is a language, it is a system that is used by mathematicians to be able to

mathematical principles and facts. Mathematics as a language requires a vast understanding of

comprehension. Fluency in reading comprehension is a prerequisite of having an exceptional-

algorithm to solve and make a conclusion out of the mathematical problem.

comprehension to the mathematical problem-solving skills. Due to these circumstances, the

Reading Comprehension and Problem-Solving Skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 Students of

Sisters of Mary Immaculate School, San Pedro, Laguna A.Y 2018-2019

comprehension to the problem-solving skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 Students of Sisters of

in problem-solving in mathematics. Reading is the process by which written language is

skills. Problem-solving is a fundamental means of developing mathematical knowledge at any

previously learned knowledge.

Problem-Solving Skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 Students of Sisters of Mary Immaculate

School, San Pedro, Laguna A.Y. 2018-2019.

Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions:

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

Probability, and Reading and Writing?

III. Is there a relation between English Reading Comprehension and Problem-Solving

Skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 Students of Sisters of Mary Immaculate School,

San Pedro, Laguna A.Y 2018-2019.

H o: There is no significant relationship between the English Reading Comprehension and

Problem-Solving Skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 Students of Sisters of Mary

Immaculate School, San Pedro, Laguna A.Y 2018-2019.

H i: There is a significant relationship between the English Reading Comprehension and

Problem-Solving Skills in Mathematics of Grade 11 Students of Sisters of Mary

Immaculate School, San Pedro, Laguna A.Y 2018-2019.

the Mathematical Problem-Solving Skills of the Grade 11 Students of SMIS AY 2018-2019. In

interdependence of reading comprehension to the mathematical problem-solving skills of the

to utilize and teach students to boost their fluency in reading comprehension.

3. Schools and Universities

in the said subject.

1.6 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

happens quite automatically, on a more unconscious level. In general, different cognitive

unconscious. This is a situation representative for Kintsch's (1998) concept of comprehension,

(Kintsch, 1992, p. 144).

Problem Solving and Reading Comprehension

an empirical example of this type of solution by comprehension, where an existing mental