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Reading Attitudes, Interests, Habits, and Material Preferences of Junior High School Learners towards the Development of Strategic Intervention Materials

  • Roxanne Elaine J. Concepcion-Rubas
  • 4623-4637
  • Oct 29, 2024
  • Education

Reading Attitudes, Interests, Habits, and Material Preferences of Junior High School Learners towards the Development of Strategic Intervention Materials

Roxanne Elaine J. Concepcion-Rubas

Solano High School, Solano, Nueva Vizcaya

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.803337S

Received: 19 September 2024; Accepted: 21 September 2024; Published: 29 October 2024

ABSTRACT

Focusing on reading attitude, motivation, and preference helps develop higher levels of focus and concentration of student readers. It also forces the readers to organize their thoughts, including issues they may not be familiar with. Reading also plays a significant role in improving student academic performance. However, in 2018 the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) reported that the Philippines ranked last among 79 participating countries in reading. To address this issue, the Department of Education (DepEd) encourages teachers to create more contextualized and engaging supplementary reading materials for students. Thus, the researcher in this mixed-method study aimed to determine the reading attitudes, interests, habits, and material preferences of Junior High School (JHS) learners in a secondary school. Through random sampling, 344 JHS students of Solano High School as respondents participated in this study, and 12 informants were purposively selected for the in-depth interviews following the lens of a narrative inquiry approach. The respondents’ reading interests and habits were determined using frequency count, percentage, distribution, and rank, while their reading attitude was described using the mean. The qualitative data were explored using two analyses: deductive content analysis and thematic analysis. Results revealed that Grades 7, 8, and 9 respondents used digital/online media in their reading literary selection tasks, whereas Grade 10 preferred print media. When the respondents are in school, books were their primary source of reading, while internet websites were used for reading outside of school. Qualitative data revealed that they used digital media such as audio-video and ebook formats when reading a literary piece assigned to them. Four themes emerged from the interview data: accessibility of the reading selection, easy-to-use reading materials, interactive features of the reading materials, and shareability of the reading materials. Findings may have pedagogical implications for all concerned members of the discourse community and stakeholders, such as establishing a state-of-the-art electronic library, developing educational programs to strengthen the library’s roles and functions and revisiting existing policies on school libraries and reading corners, implementing reading awareness campaigns, and designing supplemental reading materials.

Keywords: Reading Attitudes, Interests, Habits, Material Preferences

INTRODUCTION

Reading is a form of communication as well as a source of general information and ideas. As a result, it prepares individuals for academic success and lifelong learning. PISA’s 2018 Assessment and Analytical Framework emphasizes lifelong learning. It defines and describes reading literacy in the PISA 2018 as students’ ability to comprehend, apply, analyze, reflect on, and engage with texts in order to attain goals, develop knowledge and potential, and participate in society.

The Philippines took part for the first time in 2018. The country scored 340 in reading, 353 in mathematics, and 357 in science, which was lower than the 79-country average. Overall, Filipino students received 340 points, which was much lower than the OECD average of 487 points. That is, 80% of Filipino pupils did not achieve the required level of reading competency. This study indicates that one out of every five Filipino students met the minimum competency level (level 2) in total reading literacy. This worldwide performance in recent years is consistent with the results of the Philippine National Achievement Tests (NAT). According to the findings, throughout the previous three years, Grade 6 students’ performance has consistently declined, placing them in the DepEd’s “low mastery” description category. English, Science, and Hekasi are the tested learning areas with low mastery in Region 2 alone, according to the 2018 NAT results of Grade 6 (Department of Education R02, 2021). Furthermore, the region’s analysis of the 2018 Early Language Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Results showed that Key Stage 1 students’ performance fell short of the acceptable MPS. This suggests that in order to improve students’ performance, more intervention programs and activities are desperately needed.

To address the above-mentioned problems in reading, different reading programs were launched by the Department of Education such as 3Bs or Bawat Bata Bumabasa. However, the results of the Solano High School Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) under frustration levels are high and concerning. In 2018-2019, 108 Grade 7 students performed under this level in oral reading and comprehension, 287 performed under this level in silent reading and comprehension, and 402 performed under this level in listening and comprehension. In the 2019-2020 school year, 101 students out of 653 have the same level of oral reading, 284 have the same level of silent reading, and 418 have the same level of listening. Furthermore, for the 2020-2021 school year, 189 out of 586 students are classified as having a frustration level in oral reading. The situation concludes that teachers must take more decisive action to address this growing concern about students reading proficiency.

On the other hand, it is noted that individuals’ reading practices, motivation, attitudes towards reading, and an awareness of how effective reading strategies play a prominent role in reading (PISA, 2018). The printed and digital materials preferences among the learners today will significantly influence their reading proficiencies. Thus, in this study, along with reading attitudes, interests, and habits, the researcher also identified the material preferences of the Junior High School learners in Solano High School. The results served as baseline data to determine the desired format of the learners in terms of their preferred reading materials in coming up with strategic intervention reading materials. This study hoped to contribute to the enhancement of the reading proficiency of the learners and will lead to the change of reading level in Phil-IRI and improvement of mean scores in National Achievement Test and International Assessments like PISA.

METHODOLOGY

This study employed a mixed-method design. The descriptive method, for the quantitative part, was used to determine the respondents’ reading attitudes, interests, habits, and material preferences. Respondents were provided with a survey questionnaire to complete. Accordingly, for the qualitative part, a narrative inquiry approach, through a focus group interview was used. The informants were requested to tell or narrate stories related to their reading material preferences, specifically, the format they prefer when reading literary selections. They were interviewed 2-3 times depending on the responses to the questions asked.

The study was conducted in Solano High School, Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. The school is located at A. Luna St. of Barangay Quirino among the officially enrolled Grade 7-10 learners of Solano High School for the school year 2019-2020. The sample size was identified using Slovin’s formula with a 5% margin error. Then, the proportionate random sampling was used to statistically set the sample size for each grade level. Finally, the researcher identified the sample from each final sampling stratum through the lottery method. Hence, out of 2,474 learners, 344 were taken as a sample population. The informants for the focus group interview were purposively chosen based on their responses to the open-ended questions, specifically, question no. 5 of the Material Preferences Questionnaire. As a result, there were 12 people in the focus group interview. Therefore, three interviewees from each grade level participated in the focus group interview.

The researcher utilized four survey questionnaires namely: Reading Attitude Survey Questionnaire is in the form of a five-point Likert scale to determine the reading attitudes of the respondents regarding the literary texts they read in the classroom. This is a revised questionnaire from McKenna et al.’s (2012) Survey of Adolescent Reading Attitudes. SARA is a group measure that identifies students’ attitudes toward reading. It consists of 18 items, and each item presents a brief, simple statement about reading in a rating-scale format; Reading Interests and Habits Survey Questionnaire is used to determine the respondents’ reading interests, habits, and material preferences. The questionnaire is a revised form of the Student Reading Interests and Habits Questionnaire developed by Paul Molyneux and Pam Macintyre (2012). The reading interest covers the respondent’s preference in terms of reading materials read in and outside school, type of literature, and genre preference. Whereas, for reading habits, it covers the time spent reading literary selections in and outside school; usage and frequency of going to the library; reasons for spent reading literary selections in and outside school; reasons for not reading literary selections; favorite time to read; and method used to better understand the literary selection; Reading Material Preferences Survey Questionnaire is used to determine the material preferences of the respondents. This covers the sources used in reading in and outside school, device, and format preference in reading assigned literary selections. It is also used to select the participants for the focus group interview. The questionnaire is a revised for of the Reading Preferences Survey Questionnaire of Komala Dwi Syaputri and Kuntum Trilestari (2017); and Interview Prompts which are varied among the participants based on the conversation of the interviewer and interviewee. All interviewees allowed the interviewer to record the conversation. After the interviews are conducted, data acquired by voice records are transformed into written documents for the research.

The modified instruments were assessed and validated by three experts in the field to ensure their effectiveness for administration and obtained a rating of 4.89, or very highly valid.

To establish the results of this study, the following quantitative data analysis tools were used: This study utilized the following quantitative data analysis tools:

  1. Frequency and Percentage Distribution. These statistical tools are utilized to present the respondents’ reading interests in terms of type of literature preference. It is also used to found out the reading habits in terms of time spent reading in and outside school, usage and frequency of going to the library. Likewise, with the material preferences such as the sources used in reading in and outside school, device preference, and format preference.
  2. This statistical tool is used to identify the respondents’ reading interests in terms of reading materials read outside and in school and genre preference for fiction and non-fiction. It is also used to found out the respondents’ reading habits in terms of their reasons for reading literary selections in and outside school, reasons for not reading, favorite time to read, and method used to better understand reading selections. Further, it is used to determine the reading material preferences of the respondents under their format preference in reading. Accordingly, the rank was awarded in ascending order. The item with the least sum has the highest level of preference wherein the respondents were tasked to rate the level of preferences from the given scale with 1 as the most preferred and the highest scale as the least preferred.
  3. This statistical tool was used to determine the reading attitude of the respondents.

The reading attitude was interpreted based on the attitude level description below:

Mean Score Range Qualitative Description
4.50-5.00 Strongly Agree Highly Positive
3.50-4.49 Agree Positive
2.50-3.49 Fairly Agree Neutral
1.50-2.49 Disagree Negative
1.00-1.49 Strongly Disagree Highly Negative

For the qualitative part, two analyses were used:

  1. For question no. 1. simple word analysis, specifically, deductive content analysis, was utilized because there was already an initial set of categories that could serve as possible answers for the set of questions (Cresswell 2014, as cited by Magday, 2020).
  2. For the rest of the questions, the researcher employed thematic analysis. According to Creswell (2014), as cited by Magday and Pramoolsook (2021), thematic analysis is a qualitative data analysis method that includes reading transcripts from in-depth interviews or focus groups; and identifying patterns in meaning across the data to derive themes. Moreover, the researcher followed the six steps in facilitating the analysis method as suggested by Braun and Clarke (2006, as cited in Magday, 2020), which are: 1. Become familiar with the data; 2. Generate initial codes; 3. Search for themes; 4. Review themes; 5. Define themes; and 6. Write up.

To ensure the reliability of the coding process, the voice records acquired by the conversations were coded by three language teachers (Crookes, 1986 cited in Magday, 2020). Thus, their codes were compared to the researcher’s coded records. In their investigation, the inter-raters unanimously agreed that the coded records demonstrated a high level of reliability which is 95%.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Reading Attitudes

Table 2 shows the reading attitudes of Grades 7-10 learners.

Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10
Mean QD Mean QD Mean QD Mean QD
1 I will enjoy reading a literary selection using online sources during class hours. 3.42 Neutral 3.40 Neutral 3.40 Neutral 3.62 Positive
2 I will enjoy reading a literary selection using a textbook during class hours. 3.54 Positive 3.27 Neutral 3.71 Positive 3.73 Positive
3 I read a literary selection in printed form (book, magazine, comic books, etc) in my free time even when it is not required by the teacher. 3.89 Positive 3.78 Positive 4.16 Positive 4.20 Positive
4 I read a literary selection in printed form (book, magazine, comic books, etc) in my free time when it is required by the teacher. 4.06 Positive 3.98 Positive 4.12 Positive 3.91 Positive
5 I read a literary selection in social media (facebook, twitter, instagram) in my free time even when it is not required by the teacher. 3.61 Positive 3.44 Neutral 3.95 Positive 3.97 Positive
6 I search for a digital version of the literary selection read in class in order to understand the selection better. 4.20 Positive 4.08 Positive 3.94 Positive 3.82 Positive
7 I like it when the teacher asked to look for information online about a literary reading selection read in class. 3.88 Positive 3.74 Positive 3.91 Positive 3.78 Positive
8 I like it when the teacher asked to look for information in the library about a literary selection read in class. 3.54 Positive 3.79 Positive 4.01 Positive 3.70 Positive
9 I talk with friends about a literary selection I read in class in my free time. 3.09 Neutral 2.83 Neutral 4.01 Positive 3.59 Positive
10 I text or chat my friends about the literary selection I read in class. 3.05 Neutral 3.53 Agree 3.31 Neutral 3.13 Neutral
11 I enjoy when the teacher gives activities to be done online about the reading selection read in class. 3.86 Positive 4.05 Agree 4.22 Agree 3.61 Agree
12 I enjoy when the teacher gives activities in class about the reading selection read. 3.27 Neutral 3.64 Agree 4.08 Agree 3.81 Agree

In Table 2, statement 6 received the highest mean of 4 .20 for the reading attitude of grade 7 respondents. Statement no. 6 received the highest mean rating of 4.08 from Grade 8 respondents, while statement no. 9 received the lowest rating of 2.83. The findings on the highest rated attitude of Grade 8 learners are favorable, as are the findings on the reading attitude of the Grade 7 level. Statement 11 had the highest mean score of 4.22 from Grade 9 respondents.

The respondents’ attitude on reading a literary selection in printed form (book, magazine, comic books) in their free time when required by the teacher is interesting to note since older respondents preferred printed format.

Reading Interests

Table 3. Reading materials read outside school

Reading materials read outside school Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank
1. Comics 273 2 246 1 324 4 256 2 1099 2
2. Journals 367 3 366 5 376 5 371 6 1480 5
3. Magazines 421 5 434 6 404 6 388 7 1647 6
4.Newspapers 425 6 466 7 454 7 427 8 1772 7
5. Novels 475 7 327 4 312 3 261 3 1375 4
6.Pocketbooks 393 4 297 3 275 2 291 4 1256 3
7. Wattpad Books 228 1 278 2 270 1 218 1 994 1

Table 3 reveals that Grade 7, 9, and 10 learners are interested in reading Wattpad books while Grade 8 learners choose comics. Hence, the overall results showed that Wattpad books ranked first among reading materials read outside of school.

Wattpad, as the obtained result on the respondents’ preferred reading material outside of school, demonstrates that this material is, in fact, a popular reading platform among learners today. Interestingly, the said ebook application was mentioned during the interview with one of the participants, where the researcher made a complementary question regarding the stories read from ebooks.

“I usually read in Wattpad, and I’ve already tried PDF lang (sic)…

(Informant 8B)

“Ebooks can be downloaded from the internet or applications…”

(Informant 9A)

The results indicated that most respondents prefer Wattpad, teachers should consider Fadillah and Amin’s (2022) recommendation to use Wattpad media to improve students’ reading ability.

Table 4. Reading materials read in school

Reading materials read in school Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank
1. Comics 281 1 284 2 309 3 278 3 1152 1
2. Journals 353 2 266 1 306 2 268 1 1193 2
3. Magazines 418 6 371 6 431 7 351 6 1571 6
4. Newspapers 452 7 398 7 407 6 421 7 1678 7
5. Novels 401 5 382 5 349 5 276 2 1408 5
6. Pocketbooks 391 3 357 4 322 4 328 5 1398 4
7. Wattpad Books 393 4 348 3 296 1 294 4 1331 3

As for the reading materials read in school, Grade 7 learners are interested in reading comic books (281), Grade 8 learners prefer journals (266) together with the, Grade 10 (268), while Grade 9 learners read Wattpad books (296). Overall, comic books came in first place among school reading materials.

Teachers can use this outcome as a basis to develop materials that adhere to this format. According to Habbidin and Nasir’s study (2022), the comic is a potential tool to support a better learning environment. The comic has been used for educational purposes and has proven to strengthen and support students’ literacy skills, discuss complex vocabularies, and help promote required literacy skills. Because of these benefits, comics format can be recommended to be used as a material by teachers in other subject areas like Mathematics and Science in discussing the concepts of their lesson. This will ignite the interest of the learners to read the material and help in the comprehension of the concept that is being taught.

Table 5. Type of literature preference

Type of Literature Preference Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
F % f % f % f % f %
1. Fiction 35 37.63 26 30.23 22 25.58 19 24.05 102 29.65
2. Non-Fiction 15 16.13 12 13.96 26 30.23 7 8.86 60 17.44
3. Both 43 46.24 48 55.81 38 44.19 53 67.09 182 52.91
4. Others 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 93 100 86 100 86 100 79 100 344 100

In terms of the literary genres that respondents prefer to read, 182 out of 344 (52.91 percent) preferred both fiction and nonfiction. Specifically, Grade 7 (46.24%), Grade 8 (55.81%), Grade 9 (44.19%), and Grade 10 (67.09%) chose both fiction and nonfiction as their category preference.

This result demonstrates that all respondents lean toward both categories. This finding refutes previous results found in literature, such as Vakkari and Serola’s (2012, as cited in Loan & Shah, 2017) survey results, where most of their participants read fiction. Also, Walia and Sinha’s (2014, as cited in Loan & Shah, 2017) findings that the most preferred type of literature is fiction over nonfiction.

Table 6a. Genre preference (fiction)

Genre Preference Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank
1. Adventure 302 1 368 2 365 1 396 2 1431 1
2. Crime & Detective Stories 648 8 547 7 550 8 462 5 2207 7
3. Fan fiction 740 10 609 10 557 9 554 10 2460 10
4. Fantasy 453 2 332 1 438 3 379 1 1602 2
5. Historical Fiction 582 5 548 8 487 5 467 7 2084 5
6. Horror Stories 616 6 524 5 537 7 489 8 2166 6
7.Humorous Stories 672 9 593 9 662 11 583 11 2510 11
8. Mystery 530 3 469 3 524 6 433 3 1956 3
9. Romance 562 4 497 4 425 2 494 9 1978 4
10.Science Fiction 635 7 623 11 624 10 467 6 2349 9
11. Teen Fiction 728 11 544 6 480 4 456 4 2208 8

Grades 7 and 9 learners prefer the Adventure genre, while Grades 8 and 10 are inclined toward the Fantasy genre.

In like manner, Ayop et al.’s (2013) study revealed that the most preferred materials among graduating high school students of Liceo De Cagayan University were adventure fiction books. One possible factor for this preference is the emergence of young adult literature turned into movies like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson. The characteristics of an Adventure fiction, such as the main character going on a quest or journey and experiencing extreme conditions, has plenty of action, and involvement of elements of mystery, dystopia, or fantasy, can hook readers’ interests from any grade level to read this kind of genre.

Table 6b. Genre preference (Non-fiction)

Genre Preference Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank
1. Autobiographies 434 5 455 7 452 5 380 6 1721 7
2. Biographies 396 3 452 6 397 4 359 5 1604 4
3. Fashion and Beauty 466 6 399 5 453 6 337 4 1655 5
4. Fitness and Health 357 1 314 2 313 3 322 3 1306 2
5. Love and Relationship 501 8 273 1 286 1 306 2 1366 3
6. Money and Finance 480 7 481 8 456 7 406 7 1823 8
7. Parenthood 417 4 384 4 461 8 453 8 1715 6
8. Religion 377 2 329 3 296 2 281 1 1283 1

To sum up, Religion ranked first, followed by fitness and health, love and relationship, biographies, fashion and beauty, parenthood, autobiographies, and finally, money and finance.

According to Husain and Munshi’s (2011) study, Religion is also one of the top five student preferences. This genre as the primary preference could be due to the influence of our culture as a Christian country. Respondents are also exposed to various materials that explain their various religious beliefs, which may result from their interest in reading this type of genre.

Reading Habits

Table 7. Time spent reading in school

No. of Hours Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
f % f % f % f % f %
1. 1-2 hours 63 67.74 68 79.07 61 70.93 61 77.22 253 73.55
2. 3-4 hours 26 27.96 8 9.30 17 19.77 12 15.19 63 18.31
3. 5 hours and above 4 4.3 4 4.65 5 5.81 4 5.06 17 4.94
4. Never 0 0 6 6.98 3 3.49 2 2.53 11 3.20
Total 93 100 86 100 86 100 79 100 344 100

253 out of 344 respondents (73.55 percent) read for 1-2 hours per day.

The same finding was found in Haliru et al.’s (2015) report, where most of their respondents also spent 1-2 hours reading. This result implies that most students limit their reading time in school to no more than two hours.

Table 8. Time spent reading outside school

No. of Hours Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
f % f % f % f % f %
1. 1-2 hours 47 50.54 46 53.49 49 56.98 46 58.23 188 54.66
2. 3-4 hours 36 38.71 21 24.42 24 27.90 21 26.58 102 29.65
3. 5 hours and above 10 10.75 16 18.60 11 12.79 11 13.92 48 13.95
4. Never 0 0 3 3.49 2 2.33 1 1.27 6 1.74
Total 93 100 86 100 86 100 79 100 344 100

Most respondents (54.66%) read for 1-2 hours.

This finding is consistent with Chairanissa and Wirza (2019), who discovered that most students only read for 1-2 hours per day, with some reading for less than an hour. This is similar with the respondents’ number of hours spent reading in school. This result could imply that their average reading hours, whether inside or outside of school, are 1-2 hours.

Table 9. Usage and frequency of going in the library

Usage of Library Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
f % f % f % f % f %
1. Yes 23 24.73 52 60.47 24 27.91 19 24.05 118 34.30
2. No 70 75.27 34 39.53 62 72.09 60 75.95 226 65.70
Total 93 100 86 100 86 100 79 100 344 100
Frequency of Going in the Library Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
f % f % f % f % %
1. Always 3 13.04 5 9.62 4 16.67 1 5.26 13 11.02
2. Frequently 3 13.04 38 73.08 5 20.83 4 21.05 50 42.37
3. Sometimes 13 56.53 8 15.38 8 33.33 10 52.64 39 33.05
4. When told to do so 4 17.39 1 1.92 7 29.17 4 21.05 16 13.56
Total 23 100 52 100 24 100 19 100 118 100

This result showed that Grade 8 students are frequent visitors to the school library. Thus, 50 out of 118 (42.37 percent) of those who regularly visit the library to read literary selections.

According to Anyaegbu (2016), students’ reading habits can be influenced by the lack of a functional library. Based on the respondents’ responses in his study, their school library’s lack of reading materials impacts their reading habits. Furthermore, the lack of a well-equipped school library and a teacher-librarian make it difficult for students to utilize the library fully. This situation could also be why the respondents did not use the school library.

Table 10. Reasons for reading literary selections in school

Reasons Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank
1. Enjoyment 291 3 230 2 179 1 214 2 914 2
2. Need for Information 252 2 219 1 235 2 191 1 897 1
3. Recommendation from Teacher 324 4 316 5 333 5 302 5 1275 5
4. Relaxation 340 5 271 4 251 3 239 3 1101 4
5. School Requirement 243 1 254 3 292 4 239 4 1028 3

In general, the primary reason for respondents reading literary selections in school is the desire for information (897). It was followed by enjoyment (914), a school requirement (1028), relaxation (1101), and a teacher recommendation (1275).

The overall reason for reading in school is consistent with the findings of the 2012 Readership Survey, which found that 45 percent of young adults read for information or knowledge. On this account, this motive in mind is to be considered during the discussion of reading selection presented in class. Moreover, it corroborates one of the reasons for reading cited in Lee’s (2006, as cited in Kavi et al., 2015) statement that reading has therapeutic value because it allows readers to gather information and create knowledge.

Table 11. Reasons for reading outside school

Reasons Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank
1. A teacher

required it

423 4 344 3 309 2 355 5 1431 2
2. It has a digital version offline 308 1 530 8 513 8 472 8 1823 8
3. It has won an award 467 6 373 4 385 5 367 6 1592 6
4. It has a digital version online 413 2 470 7 467 7 432 7 1782 7
5. It is by an author whose books I read 408 3 302 1 295 1 300 2 1305 1
6.I just happened to see or hear about it in class 446 5 354 5 398 6 329 4 1527 3
7. I just happened to see or hear about it in class and I was curious about it 595 8 329 2 358 3 269 1 1551 4
8. My friend(s) suggest(s) it from social media platforms 486 7 394 6 371 4 319 3 1570 5

Looking at the overall result, the primary reason respondents read outside of school is that the selection is by an author whose books they have previously read.

This result implies that the author’s writing style can influence the readership of the students. One factor could be their inclination to Wattpad since this source appeared as their top preference for reading material read outside school. Wattpad as a reading platform has seen consistent success for both authors and readers (Contreras, 2015). This platform can be an avenue where readers can read different types and genres of literature.

Table 12. Reasons for not reading literary selections

Reasons Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank
1. I am not confident in reading 411 4 409 5 400 5 383 5 1603 5
2. I am too tired 373 3 345 3 290 3 301 3 1309 3
3. I am too slow in reading 482 6 487 6 526 8 473 7 1968 7
4. It bores me 358 1 350 4 332 4 307 4 1347 4
5. I cannot read well 556 8 510 7 513 7 495 8 2074 8
6. I cannot hold my concentration while reading 430 5 263 1 280 1 197 1 1170 1
7. I don’t really enjoy reading 494 7 441 6 464 6 424 6 1823 6
8. The time is not enough 366 2 291 2 289 2 258 2 1204 2

Regarding the primary reason for not reading literary selections, teachers face a quandary when maintaining the learner’s attention. According to some psychologists, the average attention span of students is 10 to 15 minutes. With all that technology offers, it will be difficult for them to focus on reading when their other senses are busy multi-tasking with digital tasks like browsing the internet, listening to music, and even typing a reply to a chat message. Thus, this is a challenge for teachers to sustain learners’ attention during reading class. It is then necessary to set SMART guidelines when using digital tools or to access the internet when asking learners to work online on their reading tasks.

Table 13. Favorite time to read literary selections

Time Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank
1. After school 321 1 285 1 309 2 291 3 1206 1
2. Before falling sleep 377 2 298 2 353 4 279 1 1307 3
3. During the midmorning 534 8 444 6 494 7 423 8 1895 8
4. During school hours 482 7 487 7 412 5 405 5 1786 6
5. In the evening 415 3 302 3 269 1 279 2 1265 2
6. In the morning before school 426 4 489 8 497 8 414 6 1826 7
7. Lunchtime 437 5 401 5 424 6 423 7 1685 5
8. Whenever I can 449 6 387 4 327 3 336 4 1499 4

In this finding, a difference between the time for reading has been shown among the lower grade levels from higher grade levels. Hence, teachers can give recommendations to learners on what type and genre of literature they can read during this hour.

Table 14. Methods used to better understand reading selections

Method Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank
1. I ask question/s from the teacher 254 1 239 1 344 3 387 7 1224 2
2. I look for similar selection in my preferred format 347 3 365 5 367 5 358 5 1437 4
3. I look for story analysis online 353 6 368 6 357 4 273 3 1351 3
4. I look for summary online 483 7 408 7 332 2 261 2 1484 6
5. I re-read the story on my own 352 5 282 2 247 1 206 1 1087 1
6. I re-read the story together with my friends 349 4 347 3 378 6 379 6 1453 5
7. I seek help from someone who understood the story 316 2 357 4 387 7 328 4 1388 4

Interestingly, there is a difference between the method used by lower grade levels (Grade 7 and 8) and higher-grade levels (Grade 9 and 10) to understand the literary selection better than they have read in class. For Grades 7 and 8, they ask questions from the teacher. This action highlights a distinct characteristic of young adolescents: being inquisitive. They are gradually acquiring the ability to think abstractly and are no longer limited to “concrete” experiences from which to conclude; Thus, they ask questions that help put information into concepts that reflect their opinion. Whereas, Grades 9 and 10 need for independence is shown in their choice to re-read the literary selection on their own. It is often essential for Grade 10 students to see that their autonomy and emerging independence are respected. They need a measure of control over what happens to them. This characteristic is evident when they take control over their learning in their own, comfortable way.

Reading Material Preferences

Table 15. Summary of sources used in reading in school

Sources Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
f % f % f % f % f %
1. Books 85 91.4 80 93.02 65 75.58 54 68.35 284 82.56
2. Ebooks 7 7.53 2 2.33 9 10.47 4 5.07 22 6.40
3. Internet Websites 1 1.07 4 4.65 12 13.95 21 26.58 38 11.04
4. Others 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 93 100 86 100 86 100 79 100 344 100

According to the findings, books are still the most commonly used source of reading in schools because these are materials used by teachers to aid classroom instruction. This result is similar to Kusumawardani et al.’s (2022) findings that physical books are preferred as a more effective medium for academic learning. Furthermore, the findings agree that textbooks are typically the material available to students daily (Mullis et al., 2012).

Table 16. Summary of sources used in reading outside school

Sources Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
f % f % f % f % f %
1. Books 18 19.35 24 27.91 23 26.8 15 18. 73 21.22
2. Ebooks 23 24.73 8 9.30 35 39.5 7 8.86 73 21.22
3. Internet Websites 50 53.76 40 46.51 28 33.7 57 72.15 175 50.87
4. Others 2 2.16 14 16.28 0 0 7 8.86 23 6.69
Total 93 100 86 100 86 100 79 100 344 100

To sum up the results, 73 (21.22%) of the 344 respondents used books, 73 used ebooks, and 38 (11.04%) used internet websites.

It is discovered that the respondents’ primary source of reading outside of school is internet websites. It is possible to conclude that the influx of digital tools made available by internet websites is a factor. This finding is supported by Liu’s (as cited in Harafsheh & Pandian, 2016) study, which found that most people, particularly adolescents, are spending significantly more time reading electronic resources. It also concurred with Ihmeideh’s (2014) statement that internet reading has become popular among students. Forms of electronic books are among the most popular reading sites that are frequently accessed. The latter claim was shown in the result found among the responses of Grade 9 learners.

Table 17. Device Preference

Device Preference Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
F % f % f % f % f %
1. Desktop Computer 19 20.43 10 11.63 12 13.95 1 1.27 42 12.21
2. Laptop 14 15.05 18 20.93 16 18.6 10 12.66 58 16.86
3. Smartphone 60 64.52 51 59.30 58 67.45 59 74.68 228 66.28
4. Tablet 0 0 7 8.14 0 0 9 11.39 16 4.65
Total 93 100 86 100 86 100 79 100 344 100

Overall, most respondents (66.28%) prefer to read a literary selection online using a smartphone device. This outcome is consistent with the 2017 National Book Development Board Readership Survey findings, which found that an Android smartphone was one of the top three popular reading gadgets among young people. Aside from that, the features of a smartphone, such as a user availability, a strong battery, a touch screen, and millions of downloadable applications (GodwinJones, 2011), may have influenced the respondent’s choice. Moreover, smartphones can be used to learn offline and online, particularly when reading a selection. According to Liu and Huang (2016), mobile phones may have influenced new reading habits and styles characterized by more browsing and selective reading.

Table 18. Summary of format preference in reading

Format Preference Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
f % f % f % f % f %
1.Digital/Online 31 33.33 22 25.58 35 40.7 20 25.32 108 31.4
2. Printed 28 30.11 25 29.07 20 23.26 8 10.13 81 23.55
3. Both 34 36.56 39 45.35 31 36.04 51 64.55 155 45.05
4. Others 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 93 100 86 100 86 100 79 100 344 100

Most respondents (45.05 percent) prefer digital/online and printed formats when reading a literary selection. This finding implies that learners have access to a wide variety of choices in terms of reading.

In line with the findings, Nagaraja and Manalan (2016) also discovered in their study of Grade 9 and 10 respondents that they prefer to read in both print and digital format. This result shows that learners seek a digital format for the stories they read in addition to the printed format. Furthermore, this finding reveals that learners consume information presented in print or digital form.

Table 19. Format preferences in reading an assigned literary selection

Format Preference Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank Sum Rank
1. Audio 394 6 323 4 362 6 334 6 1413 6
2. Audio-video 272 1 301 3 321 4 270 3 1164 2
3. Ebook 304 2 220 1 205 1 248 2 977 1
4. Graphic 388 4 340 6 296 3 319 5 1340 5
5. Printed 311 3 336 5 284 2 190 1 1121 3
6. Video 391 5 284 2 338 5 299 4 1312 4

In conclusion, the ebook format (977) is preferred when reading a literary selection assigned to them. The audio-video format (1164) came in second, followed by the printed format (1121), video format (1312), graphic format (1340), and finally, the audio format (1413).

In line with the overall result, the findings corroborated the NBDB readership survey, which revealed that many children and young adults read these two digital formats—ebooks and audiobooks. Aside from that, respondents spend most of their monthly time reading ebooks. According to Reid (2016), ebooks contain engaging features that assist students in improving their reading comprehension, and it has a more significant impact on assisting students’ reading comprehension. These factors could be why respondents prefer this format when reading selections because these features can help them understand the literary selection better than they are reading.

Table 20. Format preferences of informants in reading an assigned literary selection

Format Preference Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Overall
Sum Sum Sum Sum Sum
1. Audio 0 0 0 0 0
2. Audio-video 3 0 0 0 3
3. Ebook 0 3 3 3 9
4. Graphic 0 0 0 0 0
5. Printed 0 0 0 0 0
6. Video 0 0 0 0 0

Table 21 reveals that most Grade 7 informants chose audio-video format in reading an assigned literary selection, while all three informants from Grade 8, 9, and 10 levels preferred ebook format. The focus group interview showed an interesting preference among the Grade 7 respondents, the audio-video presentation. One of the informants mentioned that audio-video presentations could help them visualize the scenes in the story through narration and dialogues.

I like it when there is an audio-video presentation of the story because of the variety of audios most especially in the narration and dialogues of the characters so that we can imagine the interaction between them.”

(Informant 7A)

For the overall result, nine chose ebook as their format preference in reading an assigned literary selection among the twelve informants, while three informants preferred audio-video format. The data above showed that learners accept ebooks as a format reference for a reading material that they can use when reading a literary selection. The inclination of the majority of the respondents can be explained by Reid’s (2016) discovery that ebooks offer appealing aspects that help students enhance their reading comprehension and have a better influence on boosting students’ reading comprehension. In addition, the author mentioned that ebooks contain attractive features that appeal to learners.

With the findings above, one cannot deny the influence of using ebooks as reading materials both inside and outside the classroom. It is important to note then that teachers can utilize this media as a material for their reading class, provided that it contains the features that the learners prefer.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the results of the study, books are still the primary source of reading for the respondents when they are in school, while internet websites are used for reading outside of school. The respondents preferred both fiction and non-fiction types of literature. In terms of literary fiction selections, adventure is preferred, whereas, for non-fiction, religion is favored by the respondents. Respondents spent a few hours reading selections in and outside school. When reading literary selections, after school is their most preferred time. The respondents’ desire for information is the primary reason for reading literary selections in school while the author’s influence is the main reason respondents read outside of school. They did not use the library when reading literary selections; however, those visiting the bookroom do so regularly. The respondents’ inability to concentrate is why students did read literary selections. To better understand the reading selections, the respondents re-read the story independently. Digital media such as the audio-video and ebook formats is utilized by Junior HS learners when reading a literary selection assigned to them. Supplementarily, the accessibility of the reading selection, convenience in using the reading material, interactive features, and shareability of the reading material are considered by the learners when using the reading materials. Audio-video and ebook formats of stories read by the Junior HS learners were crafted based on the findings of their reading attitudes, interests, habits, and material preferences. This study, therefore, suggests, that concerned officials may consider establishing a state-of-the-art electronic library, if not in every school, but at least in every district where learners can access unlimited reading materials.

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