An action research that addresses reading difficulties of students was declared winner at the 4th MIMAROPA Regional Research Summit.
Looc National High School teacher, Florence Legaspi-Calawod represented Romblon with her study, Fluency-Oriented Reading and Scaffolding or FLORS: A Classroom-based Intervention for Students Reading Fluency and Comprehension. She bagged 1st place in the said category and was also awarded as the best research presenter over a hundred teacher-researchers from region IV-B.
Calawod explained that FLORS intervention focuses on teaching reading through deep reading, teacher modelling and proper scaffolding. These aimed at providing solutions to the problems encountered by students in understanding complex readings as they progress from one grade level to the next.
The modelling part uses a teacher-recorded reading of a passage that students listen to and read along for a couple of times until they become more acquainted with the structure of the text. Scaffolding, on the other hand, is provided both by the teacher and the students themselves until each of them becomes more confident in reading alone.
When asked about her inspiration for pursuing the study, she raised her personal observations and experiences in teaching.
She said that Grade 10 students are supposed to do expository reading and writing. However, results of the Program for International Student’s Assessment (PISA) last year and the yearly National Achievement Test revealed that Grade 10 students hardly recognize and understand words. She further emphasized that due to the lack of tools and strategies in conducting a reading intervention, these issues are usually taken for granted.
She believed that this issue calls for a systematic school reading program that will regularly address both fluency and comprehension and FLORS intervention was an initial step to address it.
“As a teacher, the entire research gave me a sense of fulfilment when I could see my students who once displayed indifference towards reading have shown noticeable improvement and interest,” Calawod ended.
Meanwhile, Looc NHS Principal III Bella Galve took pride in this award on behalf of Looc National High School. “This will motivate teachers to be proactive and find feasible solutions to problems that remain unresolved within the classroom setting,” she said.
Galve then encouraged teachers to engage in research to further address the students’ needs.
This year, the regional research summit was streamed live on Facebook from November 10-11. The virtual awarding ceremony then followed last November 17, 2020.
