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Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Background of the Study

Writing is not for turning out cookie-cutter essays in AP Lit & Comp. It’s

not for texting friends, keeping diaries, or even for getting a better SAT score.

Writing is important because it’s used extensively in higher education and in the

workplace. If students don’t know how to express themselves in writing, they

won’t be able to communicate well with professors, employers, peers, or just

about anyone else (Walsh, 2010)

In the global setting, an article by Friess (2003) in USA Today stated The

National Commission conducted federal writing tests to students. On the writing

tests, only one of four students ranked as "proficient." Colleges and corporate

leaders complain about the poor writing they see. About 17% of college freshmen

require remedial writing classes: College officials say writing tops the list of the

$1 billion a year they spend on remedial courses.

In the national setting, Masangya and Lozada (2009) researched

relationship between the language exposure and errors in English Essays of

High School students in Southern Luzon which states that there is much to be

regarded with the writing skills of secondary learners. The error that were

acquired by the respondents on their essays show how this writing skill at times

maybe overlooked. The results manifested that as language learners expose

themselves on other mediums of language (media, literature and technology) and

active participation from teachers, parents as well as peers will help them in

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sentence formation and standard structure thus lessening errors on their written

works.

In the local setting, according to the research study of Casas, Deguito,

Geraldino, and Gomez (2005) found that the level of writing skills of male and

female grade six pupils of Bago elementary school was below average. This

means that pupils have problems in their writing skills.

Free voluntary reading and writing skills are developed through the habit

of continuous reading. Writing is a very important tool in studying. For this

reason, the researchers are encouraged to conduct a study that will determine

the extent of free voluntary reading and writing skills of 3 rd year English major

students.

Statement of the Problem

The study is conducted in order to find out the relationship between free

voluntary reading and writing skills of 3rd year English students in the College of

Teacher Education, University of Mindanao. Specifically, it sought answers to the

following questions:

1. What is the extent of free voluntary reading of 3rd year English majors in

the College of Teacher Education, University of Mindanao in terms of:

1.1Silent reading,

1.2 Reading out loud?

2. What is the extent of writing skills of 3 rd year English majors in the

College of Teacher Education, University of Mindanao in terms of:

2.1Content,

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2.2Organization,

2.3Vocabulary, and

2.4Language?

3. Is there a significant relationship between free voluntary reading and

writing skills in the College of Teacher Education, University of Mindanao?

Hypothesis of the Study

The study will test the null hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance which

states that there is no significant relationship between free voluntary reading and

writing skills of the 3rd year English major students in the College of Teacher

Education, University of Mindanao.

Review of Related Literature

Readings and other pertinent information are presented in this section.

This is to establish a clear framework of the concepts and principles of the

variables under study.

Free Voluntary Reading

Knulst and Kraaykamp (2000) using data that was initially collected in the

1950’s have one of the older definitions of free voluntary reading. In their

retroactive review of forty years of free voluntary reading data, free voluntary

reading is a proportion of the amount of time that is spent reading, as a part of

the amount of time daily devoted to free voluntary activities outside of work or

school. (30) Knulst and Kraaykamp (2000) were concerned with teens over the

age of 12 and all ages of adults, so their definition applies to both adult and teen

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readers and is the only one to be so comprehensive in terms of age. In terms of

reading materials, books, magazines and newspapers only were considered part

of the total reading count.

In support Moyer (2005) and Moyer (2007) uses the term free voluntary

reading as inclusive of fiction reading, pleasure reading and recreational reading.

As this work was done with adults and all the research used in the literature

review was exclusive to adult readers, issues to relate to school promoted free

voluntary reading were never addressed. Free voluntary reading was assumed

to be any reading (usually fiction) done outside of work, or any reading activities

pursued as a hobby.

In addition, Moyer states that it is important to clearly define free voluntary

reading in terms of both teen and adult readers. He defines free voluntary

reading as the following: the reading or listening to any texts, in the reader has

some element of control over text choice, and are read as part of as an enjoyable

free voluntary time activity.

Free voluntary reading is usually done for enjoyment, but that does not

mean that free voluntary reading does not include learning as a purpose. For

many readers the information they learn while free voluntary reading is an

important outcome of free voluntary reading (Moyer 2007, Ross, 2000). Other

free voluntary readers enjoy reading informational materials such as hobby

magazines or newspapers, or the many types of narrative nonfiction. Free

voluntary reading always includes the option to learn from the reading materials.

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More recently, Hughes-Hassell and Rodge (2007) in their study of urban

adolescents, define free voluntary reading as: “the reading students choose to do

on their own, as opposed to reading that is assigned to them. Also referred to as

leisure reading, spare time reading, recreational reading, independent reading,

reading outside of school, and self-selected reading, leisure reading involves

personal choice, choosing what one wants to read, and reading widely from a

variety of sources—not just books.”

Hughes-Hassell and Rodge have the most comprehensive definition as

they count anything in which students are reading text, whether on a printed

page or on a screen. Their counts of leisure reading are the most

comprehensive as they include all the leisure time literacy activities in which 21 st

century teenagers regularly engage. Again their definition is limited to in school

teen readers, but could easily be expanded to college age students and/or

working adults.

Silent Reading. One reasonable definition of fluency in silent reading is

the ability to read with sustained attention and concentration, ease and comfort,

at adequate reading rates (for various grade levels) and with good understanding

stated by Taylor, S. (2002). One is then led to ask what factors permit sustained

attention and ease and comfort in reading.

Silent reading comes with sustained silent reading. Bryan, Fawson, and

Reutzel (2003) state that sustained silent reading is a period of uninterrupted

silent reading. Many schools use SSR in place of other reading programs to

promote reading. They added that this sustained silent reading (SSR) is a form of

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school-based recreational reading, or free voluntary reading, where students

read silently in a designated time period every day in school. An underlying

assumption of SSR is that students learn to read by reading constantly.

Successful models of SSR typically allow students to select their own books and

require neither testing for comprehension nor book reports. Schools have

implemented SSR under a variety of names, such as "Drop Everything and Read

(DEAR)" or "Free Uninterrupted Reading (FUR)".

The National Reading Panel report notes that silent reading is widely

believed to improve reading achievement. Stephen Krashen, educator and

outspoken advocate for SSR, believes that children need to practice reading

more to become better readers and improve their overall literacy. He asserts that

“only one method of improving reading ability really works: engaging in a great

deal of interesting, comprehensible reading” (Krashen, 2009). While the report

mentions that hundreds of correlational studies show that reading more improves

reading skills, the NRP Panel warns that correlation is not causation; in other

words, while students who read more frequently are better readers, perhaps

better readers simply choose to read more.

Reading out loud. Sample (2011) defined reading out loud or reading

aloud as pedagogically and historically aligned with the realm of culture in which

it is legitimate to read texts aloud—the realm of the sacred, the rite of the

scripture, the ritual of someone we presume to be intellectually and spiritually

superior exulting and professing before the masses. Which explains why we

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deem it acceptable for ourselves to read passages aloud in class, so long as it is

done in a tremulous, dramatic voice

A simple activity that has the effect of arousing student interest in a

particular book or author is oral reading by the teacher (or by students who have

rehearsed ahead of time what they will read). Primary grade teachers seem to be

most prone to engage in this activity, but teachers at intermediate, middle, and

secondary levels have employed this approach effectively. Students of all ages

seem to enjoy listening to a skilful presentation of good literature. By choosing

carefully what to share, a teacher can expose children of various reading abilities

to literature they might not select on their own. Through discussion and

explanation, student attention can be focused on the subtleties of

characterization, plot development, use of language, and so forth.

Teachers who regularly read aloud attest to the power of this activity for

creating interest in a book. Even students who do not read much on their own

often ask if they have a book when the teacher is finished sharing it with the

class. Other books by the same author or on the same topic can also be

introduced to a class while the teacher is sharing a particular book.

Some schools have parent volunteers share a favourite book over the

span of several weeks or a month. This approach introduces variety into the

read-aloud program, demonstrates that nonteachers enjoy reading too, and

creates opportunity for the parent of a reluctant reader to demonstrate the value

he places on reading. If the teacher still wants to read aloud during this period,

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children can be given a choice as to which group they will join, the teacher’s or

the parent’s.

Although the practice of reading aloud to older children is less well-

researched, a few studies have shown that the benefits of reading aloud to

middle school students are also significant. Among the benefits are increases in

students' accessibility to texts, motivation, engagement in learning, positive

attitudes toward reading, background knowledge in content areas, and fluency.

(Ariail and Albright, 2006).

Furthermore, Ivey & Broaddus (2001) explored motivation in their study of

middle school students and found that teacher read-alouds were one of the most

important factors in motivating them to read. Reading aloud can also lead to

increases in motivation for students who do choose to read. Lesesne (2001), for

example, noted that teacher read-alouds, in addition to motivating aliterate

students to read, can also introduce avid readers to a world of books they might

not otherwise find on their own.

According to the Primary Education Oasis (2009), reading aloud with

explicit instruction gets children reading for meaning. An interactive read aloud is

a powerful tool that is helping kids learn to read. When you consider a framework

for best literacy methods within a classroom, daily read alouds from a variety of

genres should be a foundational teaching practice.

As cited by Lane and Wright (2007), to ensure that reading aloud does not

get lost in the press for higher student achievement, teachers must maximize the

effectiveness of their read-aloud activities. To make read-alouds as effective as

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possible, Teale (2003) suggested that teachers consider (a) the amount of read-

aloud time, (b) the choice of text for read aloud activities, (c) the method of

reading aloud, and (d) the fit of the read-aloud in the curriculum.

Lane and Wright added that read-aloud activities should be integrated

throughout the curriculum. Teachers should match read-aloud texts to curriculum

goals and consider how the book fits into the unit being studied. Developing

connections across books makes learning more connected and meaningful.

Teachers can extend the read-aloud experience beyond the book itself through

activities, discussions, and projects. Finally, using research-based methods of

reading aloud should increase the likelihood that read aloud activities will achieve

the desired results.

Elbow (2010) also stated in his writings that reading aloud intensifies our

own experience of our own words by increasing our bodily experience them: we

get to feel them with our mouths and hear them in our ears and indeed

experience them in our bodies--not just see with the eye and understand with the

mind. Multiple channels of perception give us a much richer and stronger

experience of language. When we revise, we come at our words from the

outside, but reading aloud takes that outside perspective and puts it inside us.

In summary, free voluntary reading is considerably of emergent attention

in awakening the writing skills of students. The said literature established its link

to some patterns in the forms of: silent reading and reading out loud.

Cali and Bowen (2003) state he best way to teach students about style is

to have them listen. Listening to good writing read aloud will help students

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develop an ear for different styles. The best writers have a distinctive style that

readers can most appreciate when they hear it aloud rather than reading it

silently. As students develop their ear for different styles, they can compare the

styles of different authors in the same genre, examine how writers change their

styles for different audiences, and consider which styles are most effective for

different audiences, genres, and contexts. Read-alouds of picturebooks, poetry,

and plays help students develop an ear for language that they can transfer to

their writing.

They added that when you read aloud in class, have students think of the

reading as a performance. Many an ear for language has been deadened by that

dreaded classroom affliction — round-robin reading. The worst way to teach

students about style is to have them read aloud with no rehearsal. A writer’s style

is lost when students stumble and stutter over unfamiliar words. Instead, reading

aloud should include activities such as reader’s theater, choral reading of

refrains, and echo reading that give students the opportunity to rehearse the

writer’s style and cadence before reading to an audience. Reading aloud for an

audiencealso helps students become aware of the effect of word choice,

sentence structure, and voice on that audience.

Writing Skills

Chin (2002) (as cited by Tarzo, J, 2006) cited that because writing is a

complex challenging activity for many students, teachers should focus on the

grammatical concepts that are essential for the clear communication of meaning.

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Based on the research of Kellog (2008), writing skills typically develop

over a course of more than two decades as a child matures and learns the craft

of composition through late adolescence and into early adulthood. The novice

writer progresses from a stage of knowledge-telling to a stage of knowledge

transforming characteristic of adult writers. Professional writers advance further

to an expert stage of knowledge-crafting in which representations of the author's

planned content, the text itself, and the prospective reader's interpretation of the

text are routinely manipulated in working memory. Knowledge-transforming, and

especially knowledge-crafting, arguably occur only when sufficient executive

attention is available to provide a high degree of cognitive control over the

maintenance of multiple representations of the text as well as planning

conceptual content, generating text, and reviewing content and text. Because

executive attention is limited in capacity, such control depends on reducing the

working memory demands of these writing processes through maturation and

learning. It is suggested that students might best learn writing skills through

cognitive apprenticeship training programs that emphasize deliberate practice.

The number of years of education that a student has gone through is no

indication of his ability to write. Many university students write incomprehensibly.

These “novice” writes adopt different strategies as opposed to expert writers.

Research provides a profile of novice writers to help us understand how they

approach the writing task and how we could help them overcome the problem.

Novice writers do not have the propensity to plan paragraphs and essays as a

whole formally or informally (Jose, 2002)

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Writing is one of the communication skills of man that is more exciting than

speaking, listening and reading. Good writing skills are essential for effective

communication. Learning to write well takes time and practice. According to

Salazar (As cited by Labarda 2002) writing is presume to be an outcome of a

careful thought and deliberate planning. Therefore one needs to learn and

practice careful writing processes. Basic skills in grammar, usage, and

mechanics must be taken into account.

Likewise, La Pensee (2005) (as cited by Tarzo, 2006) cited that writing is

an expanded communication and gave direction to public and economic life,

individual and culture to be preserved, since it provides records of events.

Inspired writing (literature) fires the imagination, taking the individual reader into

the realms of the intellect and the power of thought.

In like manner, Burke (2004) emphasizes the important role of writing in

our professional and personal life. He further explained that writing is an

interactive process by nature since it evolves out of the symbolic interplay

between writer, text, classroom tasks, and awareness of audience, purpose and

intentionally is reinforced. While planning a written piece, the writer is constrained

to consider the audience and to adopt a reader oriented approach, so as to

achieve a persuasive, emotive of objective function.

Moreover, Hanses (2002) (as cited by Tarzo, 2006) pointed out that writing

skills can be a ticket to better college grades and greater academic achievement.

Writing skills are important and can help you achieve academic mastery. Base on

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survey, majority of instructors said that writing skills are critical to academic

success.

Myles (2002) on the other hand emphasize that academic writing requires

conscious effort and much practice in composing, developing, and analysing

ideas. Students’ writing in the second language are faced with social and

cognitive challenges related to second language acquisition.

Content. Good development paragraph must have ample content.

Content consists of the specific examples from the work which you cite in support

of your thesis sentence and of the topic sentence of each paragraph. Never have

fewer than two very good examples in a paragraph, usually you will need to have

more than two examples in order to persuade the reader that the assertions

made in the thesis statement and in the topic sentence are accurate and can be

supported by persuasive evidence. If one cites but one example or two weak

ones, the reader will not be persuaded (Lander, 2001)

Mayer (2001) stated that information that comprises the paragraphs

should always have a relationship to this controlling idea. In other words, the

paragraphs should remind the reader, at every possible point, that there is a

recumbent relationship between the controlling idea and the information in each

paragraph. He further reported that the controlling idea functions like a seed

through which the paper and ideas will grow. The whole process is an organic

one – a natural progression from a seed to a full-blown paper where are direct,

familial relationship between all of the ideas in the paper. Moreover, were the

students have decided what the controlling idea will be, then they should choose

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information that will help to support and perpetuate that idea throughout the

entire paper. That information takes the form of the sentences that comprises

each paragraph of the paper.

Good content depends on more than the number of examples one cite.

The examples must be fully developed so that the paragraph won’t read like a list

or an outline. Remember the readers. One should assume that they have read

the work on which one is writing, but one should not assume that they have read

the work recently. It is important, therefore, to develop the examples with enough

detail so that the readers can recall them. One should also include enough of the

context so that the readers can remember roughly where the incident or speech

to which one is referring occurs. Quoting a key word, phrase, or larger element is

an effective way to achieve good substance (Gutternaugh, 2001)

Writing is a complex process that draws on the students’ knowledge of the

topic, ability to anticipate what readers will need, ability to logically organize

information, skill at finding the right words, ability to evaluate students’ efforts and

perseverance to keep working (McArthur, 2007).

Organization. According to Cali and Bowen (2003), organization, simply

put, is the logical progression and completeness of ideas in a text. Instruction in

organization focuses on two areas: text structures specific to the particular genre

and the cohesive elements that tie clauses, sentences, and paragraphs together

into a cohesive whole.

They added that text structures are the framework of a text’s beginning,

middle, and end. Different narrative and expository genres have different

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purposes and different audiences, and so they require different text structures.

Beginnings and endings help link the text into a coherent whole. If narrative and

expository structures are the framework, cohesive elements such as transition

words are the glue that holds these structural elements together. Transition

words show the relationship between different sentences and ideas. Poor writers

tend to loosely connect their sentences with and and then. Good writers use

transition words that show causal and logical relationships between words,

sentences and paragraphs, such as because and after.

Bearre (2012) also defined organization as Text how a text is organized to

help readers follow and understand the information presented. This was second

motioned by Nordquist (2012) which states that organization in composition, is

the arrangement of ideas, incidents, evidence, or details in a perceptible order in

a paragraph or essay.

Another definition was given by the WritingFix (2011). According to the

said organization, organization is the structure of writing. Just as a house has an

entrance, an exit, hallways that connect, and a sensible layout, so too does a

piece of good writing. Blueprints are drawn before a house is built; writing should

be “blue-printed” too! Furthermore it stated that it can be broken down into

multiple smaller writing skills that--when working together--make-up the bigger

trait.

They also stated many sub-skills under the said indicator. Sub-skills such

as high-quality leads, hooks, introductions, writing frames – both creative and

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formulaic, pre-planning for pacing in a piece of writing, transitions, writing better

conclusions, and creating satisfying titles.

McMahon and Warrick (2005) also stated that organization is the internal

structure of a piece of writing, the thread of central meaning, the pattern and

sequence, so long as it fits the central idea. Organizational structure can be

based on comparison-contrast, deductive logic, point-by-point analysis,

development of a central theme, chronological history of an event, or any of a

dozen other identifiable patterns. When the organization is strong, the piece

begins meaningfully and creates in the writer a sense of anticipation that is,

ultimately, systematically fulfilled. Events proceed logically; information is given to

the reader in the right doses at the right times so that the reader never loses

interest. Connections are strong, which is another way of saying that bridges

from one idea to the next hold up. The piece closes with a sense of resolution,

tying up loose ends, bringing things to a satisfying closure, answering important

questions while still leaving the reader something to think about.

Vocabulary. According to Time4Writing (2011) vocabulary is that can

power up good writing. Furthermore, speakers use spoken and written words

every single day to communicate ideas, thoughts, and emotions to those around

us. Sometimes they communicate successfully, and sometimes they’re not quite

so successful. However, a good vocabulary can help us say what we mean.

The site added when we’re faced with a writing assignment, a good

vocabulary is an indispensable (very important or necessary) tool. If we have

several synonyms (words with similar meanings) in our repertoire (“toolbox”),

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we’ll be able to choose the best word for the job. Avoid vague words like “stuff” or

“things” when you write. These words do not give the reader a good sense of

your meaning. Also, use strong verbs that give the reader good information. We

should also work on building vocabulary so that we can choose the stronger,

more descriptive words in our writing.

A strong vocabulary is essential to good reading and, because reading

and writing are so closely related, essential to writing (Brynildssen, 2000).

However, according to Kurtus (2003) a good vocabulary does not mean you

know many long or difficult words. Instead, it means that you know how to

express yourself so that the reader will understand your material. Sometimes it is

necessary to use industry-specific jargon, but you still must make sure everyone

understands what you are writing. It is worthwhile to constantly work at improving

your knowledge of words.

Lindstormberg (2006) gives a list of suggestions for effective vocabulary

practice based on research results regarding remembering new vocabulary:

Research shows that vocabulary is closely linked to academic success.

First, meaningful context helps recalling vocabulary and collocation. The

context should not be a long paragraph, but rather a sentence that can easily be

memorized. Then, having an accurate idea of meaning of the new word or

phrase is important; therefore, if translation into students’ native language is

necessary to secure that, it should be applied. Creating visual images helps

(pictures, realia, mime, etc. can be used) as well as formation of mental links with

other words.

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Students tend to remember the language items they need to perform a

task, especially a task that is interesting and meaningful; they best remember

vocabulary that they have not only read, but also heard, spoken and written. This

kind of integrated skills approach is applied in using haiku poems in practising

vocabulary.

The effective vocabulary instruction can make a difference to a life of a

pupil. UNICEF (2002) introduced the strategies in teaching vocabulary as follows:

1) Mix and match. This strategy helps the learner think the word phrase that

could match to the word or word phrase he or she is holding. The matching of

word meaning will be based on the command of the teacher. 2) Same and

different. The teacher in this strategy will provide words in column. The learner

will put a check if the pair of word is the same and x if the pair of word is different

in meaning. 3) Visual Mnemonics. The strategy will let the learner mark some

visual mnemonics tot eh words to help them recall words and meaning. 4) Magic

Square. This strategy lets the learners fill-up magic square by writing inside the

square the information needed.

The national reading panel (as cited by Blachowicz C. And Fisher P, 2004)

pointed out that teaching vocabulary is not a hard sell. One of the longest, most

clearly articulated lines of research in literary education describes the strong

connection between readers’ vocabulary knowledge and their reading

comprehension.

Beimiller (2001) (as cited by Blachowicz and Fisher, 2004), a young

student’s reading vocabulary usually runs about 2 years behind his or her oral

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vocabulary. Therefore, the school curriculum should expose students rich oral

language experiences, give students scaffold opportunities to use and get

feedback on language, and engage students in word exploration.

Baldwin and Schatz as quoted by Blachowicz and Fisher (2004) explained

that learning words from context is an important part of vocabulary development,

but it also points out that one should not expect contextual to adequately

familiarize students with word meanings.

Language. As cited by Driscoll and Brizee (2010), when writing, it is very

important to use language that fits your audience and matches purpose.

Inappropriate language uses can damage your credibility, undermine your

argument, or alienate your audience. They cover some of the major issues with

appropriate language use: levels of language formality, deceitful language and

Euphemisms, slang and idiomatic expressions; using group-specific jargon; and

biased/stereotypical language.

To summarize everything, the related literature or studies identified free

voluntary reading or leisure reading as an indicating agent in the writing skills of a

student. As what Stephen Krashen (2004) imposed, free voluntary reading has

effects on reading fluency, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar,

spelling, and writing for children internationally, when compared to traditional

skill-based instruction. His review provides compelling evidence that significant

time set aside on reading for pleasure is essential for leaps and bounds in the

language development process for ELL

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Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

This study is anchored on the viewpoint of Krashen, S. (2004) (as cited by

Himmele, P. and Himmele, W. 2009) that free voluntary reading has effects on

reading fluency, reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, spelling, and

writing for children internationally, when compared to traditional skill-based

instruction. His review provides compelling evidence that significant time set

aside on reading for pleasure is essential for leaps and bounds in the language

development process for ELL.

Figure 1 shows the conceptual framework of the study. The dependent

variable is free voluntary reading which has two indicators such as silent reading

and reading out loud (Moyer, 2009). As cited by Lee and Vanpatten (1989), the

dependent variable is writing skills which have four indicators such as Content

(information conveyed), Organization, Vocabulary, and Language.

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Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework Showing the Variables of the Study

Free voluntary reading

Silent Reading

Reading out loud

Writing Skills

Content (information conveyed)

Organization

Vocabulary

Language

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Significance of the Study

The results of the study could be beneficial to the following:

Administrators. The result of this study may guide the administrators in

implementing appropriate programs that will encourage language learners to be

motivated in leisure reading and writing the English language.

Teachers. The results will guide them in designing instructional activities

that boosts writing skills of the students to engage in the learning process.

English Majors. The English majors will become motivated in reading

books, articles, or journals in their free time for them to develop their writing skills

needed for their future profession.

In essence, the findings can be of valuable benefit to those people who

are interested in probing motivation as an indicator in communicating

competently.

Definition of Terms

For clarity and understanding of the terms used in this study, the following

terms are defined operationally:

Free Voluntary Reading. In this study, the term refers to the extent of free

voluntary reading of the respondents in terms of silent reading and reading out

loud.

Writing Skills. In this study, it refers to the extent of writing skills of the

respondents in terms of content, organization, vocabulary, and language.

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Chapter 2

METHOD

This chapter deals with a discussion on research steps and procedures

employed by the researchers in this study. These include the research design,

research subjects, research instruments, data gathering procedure and the

statistical treatment of the data.

Research Design

This study will make use of the descriptive correlation method of research.

According to Price and Oswald (2008) Correlational research tests for statistical

relationships between variables.  The researcher begins with the idea that there

might be a relationship between two variables.  The relationship of interest could

be either a D relationship or an R relationship, so this might involve making a bar

graph and computing d or making a line graph or scatter plot and computing r.   It

probably also involves null hypothesis testing to see if the observed relationship

is statistically significant. Hence, it will be appropriate in determining the influence

of free voluntary reading to the writing skills of 3rd year English Majors.

Research Subjects

The respondents of this study will be the 3rd year English Major enrolled in

the University of Mindanao during the 1st term, 1st semester of SY 2012-2013.

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Quota sampling method will be used in valuing 40 English majors from the

College of Teachers Education.

Table 1

Number of Respondents per Gender

Gender Frequency Percentage

Male 20 50%

Female 20 50%

Total 40 100%

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Research Instruments

The major tool that will be used in the data gathering process will be the

survey questionnaire designed by the researchers and a writing activity with an

adopted evaluation criteria by Lee and Vanpatten (1989) to elicit information

regarding the variables that will be utilized in the survey. The questionnaires

have two parts. Part I is a survey questionnaire which deals with free voluntary

reading affecting writing skills with the following indicators: reading out loud and

silent reading. There were five questions for each indicator. Part II is a writing

activity which deals with the writing skills of 3 rd year English majors with the

following indicators: content, vocabulary, writing, and language. Subsequently, an

adopted rubric by Lee and Vanpatten will be used in assessing the said activity..

The following rating scale will be used in the interpretation of the

responses of the English majors in the free voluntary reading.

Range of Means Verbal Description Interpretation

4.20 - 5.00 Very High This indicates that the free voluntary reading of the students is far high above the expected level.

3.40 - 4.19 High This indicates that the free voluntary reading of the students is above the expected level.

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2.60 -3.39 Moderate This indicates that the free voluntary reading of the students is just within the expected level.

1.80 – 2.59 Low This indicates that the free voluntary reading of the students is below the expected level.

1.00 – 1.79 Very Low This indicates that the free voluntary reading of the students is far below the expected level.

The Likert scale will be used in interpreting the data on free voluntary

reading of English majors. Appendix A shows the questionnaire of the

independent variable which is the free voluntary reading. On the other hand, in

interpreting the results of the dependent variable which is the writing skill the

following rating scale will be used:

Range of Scores Verbal Description Interpretation

81 - 100 Very High This indicates that the writing skills of the students are far high above the expected level.

61 - 80 High This indicates that the writing skills of the students are above the expected level.

41 - 60 Average This indicates that the writing skills of the students are just within the expected level.

21 - 40 Low Average This indicates that the writing skills of the students are below the expected level.

0 - 20 Poor This indicates that the writing skills of the students are far below the expected level.

27

A rating scale will be used in interpreting the data on writing skills of

English majors. Appendix B shows the questionnaire of the dependent variable

which is the writing skills.

Data Gathering Procedure

The following were the steps followed in the gathering data:

1. Seeking permission to conduct the study. The researchers

sought permission from the Dean of the College of Teachers Education to

conduct the study.

2. Administration and distribution of the questionnaires. After the

approval, the study will be commenced. Questionnaires will be personally

administered to the respondents by the researchers.

3. Retrieval of the questionnaires. The data were then retrieved,

collected, tallied, tabulated, analyzed and interpreted confidentially and

accordingly through the aid of the statistician.

Statistical Treatment of the Data

The statistical tools used to answer the sub-problems of the study were

the following:

Mean. This tool was used to determine the level of motivation and

communicative competence of the respondents in answer to sub-problems 1

and 2.

Pearson Product-Moment Correlation. This tool was used to determine

the significant relationship between motivation and communicative

competence in answer to sub-problem 3.

28

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Appendix A

Questionnaire onThe Extent of Free Voluntary Reading

of 3rd year English Majors

Dear Respondents,

The undersigned are undergraduate students of the University of

Mindanao conducting a research study on “The extent of free voluntary reading

and writing skills of 3rd year English Majors.” The main purpose of the study is to

determine the extent of free voluntary reading and writing skills of students,

particularly 3rd year English majors in the College of Teacher Education,

University of Mindanao.

As a 3rd year English Major of University of Mindanao, you are one of the

chosen respondents where in your reaction to the questions provided in this

questionnaire will serve as relevant for the study.

The researchers can assure you that all your answers would be treated

with utmost confidentiality.

Truly yours,

Bryan Ephraem E. Miguel

Alvin L. Robles

I. Respondent’s Profile

a. Name:

b. Gender:

33

Part I. Free Voluntary Reading

Instruction: This is not a test. Hence, there is no right or wrong answer. Read each statement below and then rate them according to your opinion. Please indicate your answer by putting a check mark under the appropriate column of your choice which correspond the implementation of objectives based on the scale described below that best describes the way you feel about the statement.

5 – Always

4 – Often

3 – Sometimes

2 – Seldom

1 –Never

I. Reading out loud 5 4 3 2 1

1. How often do you read aloud?

2. I read reading materials out loud in a place thatI can hear myself

3. I understand a text by reading it out loud

4. I gain inspiration in writing from reading a text out loud

5. I can spend a minimal time reading a text when I read it out loud

II. Silent Reading

1. How often do you read silently?

2. I read reading materials silently in a place thatso silent

3. I understand a text by reading it silently

4. I gain inspiration in writing from reading a text silently

5. I can spend a minimal time reading a text when I read it silently

34

Appendix B

Questionnaire and Evaluation Criteria onThe Extent of Writing Skills of

3rd year English Majors

Name: Gender:

II. Writing Skills

Instruction: This is a timed test. Do exactly as directed. The teacher will state a random topic. Write an essay about this topic with a minimum of 300 words. You are given an hour to do the essay. And an adopted evaluation criteria will be used in evaluating the composition:

Evaluation Criteria for Composition

Content (Information Conveyed) Points

Minimal information; information lacks substance (is

superficial); inappropriate or irrelevant information; or not

enough information to evaluate

Limited information; ideas present but not developed; lack

of supporting detail or evidence

Adequate information; some development of ideas; some

ideas lack supporting detail or evidence

Very complete information; no more can be said;

thorough; relevant; on target

Organization

Series of separate sentences with no transitions;

disconnected ideas; no apparent order to the content; or

not enough to evaluate

35

Limited order to the content; lacks of logical sequencing;

ineffective ordering; very choppy; disjointed

An apparent order to the content is intended; somewhat

choppy; loosely organized but main points do stand out

although sequencing of ideas is not complete

Logically and effectively ordered; main points and details

are connected; fluent; not choppy whatsoever

Vocabulary

Inadequate; repetitive; incorrect use or nonuse of words

studied; literal translations; abundance of invented words;

or not enough to evaluate

Erroneous word use or choice leads to confused or

obscured meaning; some literal translations and invented

words; limited use of words studied

Adequate but not impressive; some erroneous words

usage or choice; but meaning is not confused or

obscured; some use of words studied

Broad; impressive; precise; and effective word use and

choice; extensive use of words studied

Language

One or more errors in use and form of the grammar

presented in lesson; frequent errors in subject/ verb

agreement; non-Spanish sentence structure; erroneous

use of language makes the work mostly

incomprehensible; no evidence of having edited the work

of language; or not enough to evaluate

No errors in grammar presented in lesson; some errors in

the subject/verb agreement; some errors in adjective/noun

agreement; erroneous use of language often impedes

comprehensibility; work was poorly edited for language

36

No errors in the grammar presented in lesson; occasional

errors in the subject/verb or adjective/noun agreement;

erroneous use of language does not impede

comprehensibility; some editing for language evident but

not complete

No errors in the grammar presented in lesson; very few

errors in subject/verb or adjective/noun agreement; work

was well edited for language

Adopted from: Lee, J. & VanPatten, B. (2003).Making

communicative language teaching happen.New York: The

McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.