Reading Games: Its Effect to the Reading Proficiency of Pupils of Maharlika Integrated School

Abstract

Today’s classroom instruction is faced with various issues and one of them is the emerging problem on reading. This is proven by the growing number of frustrated readers based on the results of the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (PHIL-IRI). If not given early intervention, they might be left behind their developing peers. This alarms the researcher to venture on the use of reading games to find out its effect in improving the reading proficiency of the struggling readers.

This study used the descriptive correlational design. The subjects of the study were forty (40) frustrated readers of Maharlika Integrated School for the school year 2025-2026.

The Grade Six pupils section Jacinto of Maharlika Integrated School were the subjects of the study. There was a total of forty (40) Grade Six pupils properly chosen from fifty-two (52) pupils, total population of Grade Six, Section Jacinto. These fifty-two (52) pupils were advisees of the researcher himself. Out of 52 pupils, 40 of them were identified as frustrated readers because they can read without comprehension based on the result of the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-Iri) personally conducted by the researcher.

The study made use of the Modified Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) of Silver Burdett and Ginn (1989) adopted from the study of Angkad (2015). It is composed 0f six passages marked as level 1 up to level 6. Each passage is divided into two. The first part is for the oral reading and the second part is for the silent reading. Each part is followed by comprehension questions. Levels 1, 2, and 3 have six comprehension questions for the silent reading. Level 4 has eight comprehension questions for the oral reading and another eight questions for the silent reading. Levels 5, and 6 have ten comprehension questions for oral reading and another ten questions for the silent reading.

The data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, and t-test using SPSS.

Findings of this study revealed that the functional reading level of the grade VI pupils in word recognition is in the instructional level while comprehension is in the frustration level as shown in the mean score of 3.25 in word recognition and a mean of 57.12 in comprehension; the reading grade levels of the frustrated readers are grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 in word recognition and grades  1, 2, 3 and 4 in comprehension before the reading games are introduced but  after the reading games are introduced the reading grade levels of the frustrated readers in word recognition are grades 4, 5, and 6 and comprehension are grades 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. As indicated by the sig value of 0.000 in word recognition and 0.000 in comprehension, the study revealed that there is a significant difference in the pupils’ grade level in word recognition and comprehension before and after the reading games are introduced.

The findings of the study conclude that reading games are effective in improving the reading proficiency of the frustrated readers both in word recognition and comprehension.

The study, on the other hand, recommended the following: Elementary  teachers  teaching English  should  administer reading diagnosis at the onset of the school year to discern the reading grade level of their pupils; Elementary teachers teaching  English  should  give  attention  to pupils with reading difficulty by recommending them for remedial reading instruction; The   remedial  reading  teachers  should  utilize  the  reading  games  in teaching frustrated readers for meaningful reading instruction that would spare the learners from boredom; The   principal    and   the   English   chairperson    should   provide   the materials needed by the remedial reading teacher to address the instructional needs of the frustrated readers; and Remedial  reading  teacher  should  utilize  the  output of the study for a longer period to further validate the results of the study.