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ABSTRACT
This study aims to determine the effectiveness of Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) in improving the fifth grade pupils' skills in grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Using pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental research design, the investigation involved two groups of students: the control group exposed to the regular English reading classes and the experimental group exposed to CALLA for twenty sessions. Results revealed that there was no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test performances of the control group in grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. This suggests the regular English reading classes did not significantly improve the students' skills. On the contrary, there was a significant increase in the post-test performance of the experimental group, which means that CALLA was an effective approach in improving students' skills in grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Moreover, when the two groups' post-test performances were compared, a significant difference was found in favor of the experimental group. This signifies that CALLA was more effective than the regular teaching approach used in their English reading class. In light of the findings, the study forwards valuable recommendations.
Keywords: Cognitive Academic Language Learning, Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension
INTRODUCTION:
Developing English language skills, particularly reading and its associated skills, is undeniably difficult at times especially to second language learners in the Philippines. One instance to prove this was the result of the National Achievement Test (NAT) in 2012, which showed that Grade 3 students got a Mean Percentage Score of 54.42% in English Reading Comprehension (George Lucas Educational Foundation, 2015). The data suggest that young Filipino learners find it difficult to understand English texts. Thus, in the Philippines, teaching English, particularly developing vocabulary, grammar and reading comprehension among young learners, is a great challenge among elementary teachers.
The previous data implies that improving English instruction must be a priority. In that issue, various studies have addressed problems of low performance in grammar, limited vocabulary, and poor reading comprehension (Nejad & Mahmoodi-Shahrebabaki, 2015); (Taheri, 2014). However, research on the solutions to these problems seem to receive less attention as well. Without doubt, teachers have to carry the burden of looking for effective strategies to alleviate problems in students' performance in English. This issue actually calls for further research to identify effective teaching approach...