Developing The Language And Reading Competence Of The First Year CBEA Students At The Cagayan State University Andrews Campus

Abstract - The emphasis of this study is to find ways on how to assist students in improving their language skills and reading comprehension as well. The focus will be both in language and reading. This would help the students ascertain and apply the rules in the target language and be able to utilize them with ease and enjoyment. Reading is the process of identifying and understanding the meaning of characters and words in written or printed material. Reading for comprehension and study skills are emphasized for many different purposes. The developed skills information and attitudes are necessary for proper adjustment to the community and the society Chall 2009. Basically the subjects taught in the lower level like reading writing and spelling would prepare the learners in a more challenging stage like reading for learning and earning. The difficulty of learners to attack challenging reading material would be eliminated once they develop skills in reading. The techniques used in the class would not be an overnight solution to the problem but it would serve as a stepping stone for the students to enjoy reading not only for learning but for pleasure and enjoyment .On the other hand as students are guided to do reading with adeptness they shall be reinforcing some basic rules in the language. In so doing I am positive of a successful outcome. I have noted all the difficulties of my students every time we had speaking activities. One of the most difficult activities they encountered was the time they have to interview their classmates and be able to introduce at least five members of the class. I instructed them to use the target language as they mill around. To my dismay they have taken pens and paper and silently go around whispering to one another writing the names of their classmates and some pieces of information about them. They admitted that they asked information using their native tongue. I also gathered their test results in reading which served as my basis of designing helpful exercises for them to develop the skill. Ive started giving easy exercises that progressed to difficult types. I have integrated grammar recalls in all the reading comprehension tests that I designed. From my analysis of the test result students performed well in the literal level of comprehension but had failed to do excellent responses from interpretative to analytical level. I did daily observations on my students activities that motivated me to do item analyze one of their major examinations. Before I gave back their test paper I tabulated the correct responses they have taken from all the test items. I have treated the result of the different tests using the total percentage to ascertain the level of students learning. In the Philippines the passing mark of a student is 75. The CBEA students in sections A to E are the first five sections who were grouped as homogenous sections in terms of general averages ranging mostly from 85 above and some were the high school graduates who emerged with distinctive honors. Though they have shown a good rating in the grammar test it is not a remarkable rate to say they have established a good grasp at the target language. The low ratings in the comprehension tests manifested that the students reading skill has not been excellently developed. It is at this juncture that I recommend that students must undergo extensive reading program with integrated vocabulary and grammar reviews if the teachers aim for an outstanding result. The teachers and students must pay attention to any new words encountered by using the dictionary or thesaurus. It is also helpful to study word parts and learn how to find the meaning of a word from the context. It is further suggested that teachers in the language program should find suitable materials for students to suit their needs.