HOME LITERACY ENVIRONMENT AND READING COMPREHENSION OF

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

A Thesis Presented to
The Thesis Committee, Department of Teacher Education
UM Tagum College, Tagum City

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Bachelor of Secondary Education
Major in English

Joel G. Agorde
Geovan Triztan G. Aunzo
Roland Jay D. Efhan

October 2024
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INTRODUCTION

Reading comprehension is defined as an individual's ability to interpret

a word and generate meaning from the text they are reading (Caraig &

Quimbo 2). In today’s world, reading comprehension is a significant skill that

influences academic success, particularly for the upper secondary level

(Bruggink et. al. 3). In the latest result of the Program for International

Student Assessment (PISA) in 2022, the Philippines remained to have poor

performance in reading comprehension, with only 24% of Filipino students

achieving a level 2 reading proficiency, evidently below the global average of

74% set by the Organization for Cooperation and Development (OECD). The

PISA 2022 result showed that Filipino students only scored 347 in reading,

creating a huge lag behind the 542 highest score of Singapore, putting the

Philippines at 75th place among 81 participating countries in reading

comprehension (Thornton).

Moreover, reading comprehension refers to the individual’s ability to

understand written text and plays a significant role in ensuring academic

success, mostly in the English Language Education of Senior High School

students (ISRG JAHSS Volume II Issue II). Internationally, reading

comprehension is important in ensuring an individual’s academic, social, and

economic success. In fact, the United Nations Education, Scientific, and

Cultural Organization stated that having the skill to comprehend text

empowers and liberates individuals. Attaining reading comprehension

diminishes poverty by cultivating people’s lives, increasing workforce

participation, strengthening health, and promoting sustainable development

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(UNESCO). Unfortunately, the 2021 report of the United Nations indicated

that there are 584 million children around the world who lack basic reading

comprehension, showing a 20% increase in 2021 (UNESCO). Additionally,

based on the report of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency

Fund, there are only 33% of 10-year-old children around the world who

possess the necessary skill in understanding a basic text, while the rest of the

children are considered poor performers in comprehending simple stories

(UNICEF). Meanwhile, the problem of reading comprehension is also present

in the Philippines, with a statistic showing that 9 out of 10 Filipino learners

aged 10-years-old demonstrate poor performance in understanding simple

text, even before the pandemic (PBEd).

Locally, in the province of Davao del Norte, a study on grade 6

students in Carmen District found that only a few learners can demonstrate

simple reading comprehension, while the majority of the grade 6 students

significantly struggled to demonstrate basic reading proficiency (Conception &

Melchor 176). These data from global, national, and local scales call for an

urgent study that strongly determines the factors that affect the learners’

reading comprehension. A study that understands the factors affecting the

learners’ reading comprehension will help to develop the performance of the

learners in reading, ensuring not just their academic but also their social and

economic success. (Dong et al., 486).

Meanwhile, the home literacy environment (HLE) is considered a

significant factor that influences the students’ reading comprehension (Kim &

Yim). According to Nicklas et al, home literacy environment refers to the

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learners’ interaction with family members and different reading resources that

influence their reading development and comprehension (Nicklas). The home

literacy environment encompasses the learners’ home language, parental

involvement, and the availability of reading materials that significantly foster

and develop the literacy skills of students. A meta-analysis study showed that

students’ home literacy environment (HLE) significantly influences their

reading comprehension, with data showing that the students who

demonstrated a high home literacy environment also showed high

performance in reading comprehension, with an overall effect size of point

thirty (.30), which means that there is a positive correlation between the

children’s reading comprehension and home literacy environment (Dong et

al.).

Additionally, the study of Barluado et al. also found that home literacy

environment (HLE), particularly parental involvement, belief, and existence of

reading materials have positive contributions towards reading comprehension

among students. These findings presented the importance of the home

literacy environment (HLE) on the development of students’ reading

comprehension, reflecting the importance of fostering a rich literacy

environment for the reading growth and development of the students

(Barluado et al).

This study is primarily grounded in Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural

Learning Theory, which states that people’s social and cultural contact have a

significant influence on their learning process, particularly in developing

literary skills such as reading. Vygotsky’s theory also states that learners
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acquire knowledge and skills within the “Zone of Proximal Development”

(ZPD) with the help of the “More Knowledgeable Others”, which is the

parents, in the case of reading comprehension (Vygotsky). This is supported

by the study of Barluado et al, which found that better home literacy

environments like the involvement of parents and reading activities play an

important role in developing the reading comprehension of learners (Barluado

et al.).

Furthermore, this study is also supported by Kenneth Goodman’s

Psycholinguistic Guessing Games Theory, which highlights that reading

comprehension is not just a mere deciphering of symbols but rather a process

of making meaning that also involves predictions in understanding a text, with

the use of the learners’ prior knowledge and context clues. This theory

underscores the importance of fostering and enriching the home literacy

environment (HLE) of the learners by providing support and supplementary

materials that improve their reading comprehension skills (Goodman).

Despite the numerous published studies related to home literacy

environment (HLE) and its influence on the learners’ reading comprehension,

like the study of Relyea et al., which emphasized the home literacy

environment’s influence on the reading comprehension skills of elementary

students in the USA (Relyea et al.), and alongside the study of Hamilton et al.,

which also found significant influence between the learners’ home literacy and

their vocabulary development and reading comprehension (Hamilton et al

2384), there remains a clear gap that needs to be addressed, such as the

influence of home literacy environment on the reading comprehension skills of

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senior high school students, particularly in a third world or developing

countries like the Philippines.

This gap is important to address since reading comprehension is focal

for senior high school students as they transition to tertiary education

(Hamilton et. al., 2395). By addressing this gap, this research is composed to

develop new knowledge by providing additional information on how the home

literacy environment (HLE) significantly contributes to the reading

comprehension development of learners, particularly, senior high school

students.

This study aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development

Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education, which aims to ensure that everyone should

have access to inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong

learning opportunities (UNICEF). By exploring how the Home Literacy

Environment (HLE) influences the learners’ reading comprehension among

senior high school students, this research will help by contributing to the

development and enhancement of the educational outcomes for new literacy

– a crucial key for the foundation of future learning. Korucu et al. stated that

the home literacy environment (HLE) involves several factors such as the

physical and psychological components within the learners' household that

foster the growth of their skills, particularly in reading (Korocu et al).

The significance of studying the home literacy environment (HLE) and

its influence on reading comprehension lies in the opportunity to provide an

understanding of the factors that influence reading comprehension at the

upper secondary level. By uncovering the factors that affect students’ reading
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comprehension, this study helps educators and policymakers in developing

and creating initiatives, and interventions that improve the overall quality of

education as well as enhance the performances of learners, particularly senior

high school students who must possess necessary comprehension skills as

they transition to higher education (Hamilton et al 2395). Furthermore, this

study contributes to society's goal by providing information that solves reading

comprehension problems, and enriches students' chances to achieve not only

academic but also social success, regardless of their background or age,

making education inclusive and equitable, where everyone can reach their full

potential.

This study will seek to determine the significant connection between

the home literacy environment (HLE) and senior high school students’ reading

comprehension. It aims to answer the following questions: first, assess the

level of home literacy environment of senior high school students. Second,

determine the reading comprehension of senior high school students in terms

of literal comprehension, which refers to the ability of the learners to

understand and recall pieces of information; interpretive comprehension,

which includes inferring meaning from the text provided; critical

comprehension, which requires evaluating and analyzing data; and lastly,

integrative comprehension, which encompasses creating information from

multiple sources. Third, discover the significant relationship between the

home literacy environment and the reading comprehension of senior high

school students. The study’s hypothesis will be tested at the 0.05 significance

level, stating that there is no significant relationship between the home literacy

environment and reading comprehension among senior high school students.

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METHOD

Research Respondents

The respondents of this study are students from the Senior High

School Department of UM Tagum College, 83 Grade 11 students and 82

Grade 12 students for a total of 165 participants. The study will occur at UM

Tagum College, the largest non-sectarian institution in Tagum City, Davao del

Norte. The respondents will be selected through stratified random sampling to

ensure that all respondents are equally represented in the study; it is deemed

appropriate based on its capacity to capture a balanced perspective on the

literacy environment across different year levels. Stratified random sampling is

a method in which researchers divide the population into strata depending on

their characteristics and educational background (Stratified Random

Sampling). The inclusion criteria for this study are as follows: a) respondents

must be officially enrolled in the Senior High School program of UM Tagum

College, b) respondents must be regularly exposed to a home literacy

environment, and c) respondents must voluntarily agree to participate in the

study.

Research Instrument/Material
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The instrument for the independent variable is an adapted 67-item

questionnaire from Development of a Home Literacy Environment for Tamil-

speaking Kindergarten Children (Buvaneswari & Padakannaya). The

questionnaire will have a 5-point response scale ranging from 1 to 5, with one

(5) indicating “Always” and one (1) indicating “Never”. The questionnaire will

contain 67 items in which the respondents’ data will be used in the distribution

of respondents.

For the analysis and interpretation of the data collected, the range

means the description and interpretation of the level Home Literacy

Environment factor as the parameters below are adapted.

Range of Means Descriptive Interpretation

Equivalent

4.20 - 5.00 Always This means that Home

Literacy Environment is
very much observed.
3.40 - 4.19 Often This means that Home
Literacy Environment is
observed.
2.60 - 3.39 Sometimes This means that Home
Literacy Environment is
moderately observed.
1.80 - 2.59 Rarely This means that Home
Literacy Environment is
rarely observed.
1.00 - 1.79 Never This means that Home
Literacy is not
observed.

For the dependent variable, the questionnaire is a multiple-choice

questionnaire adapted from the book ‘Wholistic Reading: A Module for

College Students’ (Castigador). The questionnaire will have 4 categories,

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mainly literal comprehension, interpretive comprehension, critical

comprehension, and integrative comprehension. To obtain an accurate

measurement of the results, all respondents’ scores will be consolidated to

tally the total mean score, which measures the students’ level of reading

comprehension. The following parameters will be adapted based on DepEd

Order No. 31, series of 2012, and No. 8, series of 2015.

Range of Means Level of Interpretation

Proficiency

18-20 Excellent The students at this level

demonstrate an ability to
comprehend and analyze
complex text.

16-17 Good The students at this level met

the reading comprehension
standards and could consistently
understand and analyze text with
moderate complexity.

14-15 Average The students at this level show

adequate reading
comprehension but may struggle
with more complex text and
would require support for
complex analysis.

12-13 Below Average The students at this level have

difficulty understanding basic
texts and may require significant
support to grasp core reading
comprehension concepts.

less than 12 Poor The students at this level fail to

meet the basic reading
comprehension skills, struggling
to find understanding even the
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simple texts without substantial

assistance.

The questionnaire will be administered with the assistance of the

faculty of the Senior High School Department of UM Tagum College to ensure

consistency in data collection. Respondents will be given a clear direction on

how to complete the questionnaire, and researchers will be present to answer

any questions raised during the process of data collection. The data collected

will be used to measure the correlation between the home literacy

environment and reading comprehension of Senior High School Students of

UM Tagum College, and what factors in home literacy environment heavily

influence their reading comprehension.

Research Design/Procedure

The research instrument that will be utilized in this study is a survey

checklist test for the independent variable, with a one-dimensional Likert scale

with a five-point scale. The instrument that will be used for the collection of

data for the dependent variable is a multiple-choice questionnaire.

This study will employ a quantitative research design, using an adapted

questionnaire to measure the home literacy environment and level of reading

comprehension of senior high school students. The design allowed

examination on how a home literacy environment could influence reading

comprehension without manipulating the condition of the environment. The

collection of data will be done under a controlled environment where

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participants will complete the questionnaire under the supervision of the

researchers.

The researchers will utilize a descriptive-correlational design, which is

appropriate for examining the relationship between home literacy environment

and reading comprehension among the senior high school students. This

design would enable the researchers to assess if there is a significant

association between the presence of a home literacy environment and the

level of reading comprehension gathered from the students. Correlation

research design is a quantitative research design that seeks to measure the

direction and strength of the relationship, it also focuses on identifying

associations and patterns between two or more variables (Creswell, J.W. &

Creswell, J.D.).

The data gathering will start with the acquisition of pertinent

authorization and permission to conduct from the administration and securing

an informed consent to conduct research from all respondents. The

researchers will then distribute the questionnaire on the given schedule for

data gathering ensuring that all respondents will accomplish the questionnaire

in a consistent condition. The researchers will be present at the conduct of the

data gathering to answer any questions raised and to ensure that the

respondents will properly follow the instructions provided. Once the

questionnaires are complete, researchers will compile and store the

questionnaire for data entry that would be submitted to the research

statistician for analysis.

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The statistical tools that will be used for data analysis in this study are

Mean and Pearson’s correlation (r). The mean will be used to assess the level

of home literacy environment and reading comprehension among senior high

school students. Moreover, the utilization of Pearson’s (r) will be utilized to

determine the significance of the relationship between the home literacy

environment and reading comprehension in senior high school students.

In conducting the research, the researchers will demonstrate proper

ethics and adhere to ethical considerations to avoid discrepancies. During

data gathering, the researchers will make sure to interact with the participants

with respect, and consideration to their privacy and confidentiality. The

researchers will also make sure to ask for the respondents' consent before

proceeding to the gathering of the data.

Additionally, the researchers will also provide clear information about

the research’s purpose to the respondents before and during the process of

data gathering to ensure the respondents’ understanding. Furthermore,

methods and procedures that will be used in conducting this study will be

fairly and clearly disclosed to the respondents. Lastly, the researchers will

make sure to protect the information disclosed by the respondents and will

respect confidentiality.
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