Master Thesis

Deficiency in reading comprehension has hecome a critical nationalproblem; workplace illiteracy costs hundreds of billions of pesos in corporateretraining, industrial accidents, and reduced competitiveness. Truly, reading serves as an indispensable function of society and a tool tolearning. It is a vital,skill in today's complex society. The ability to read has always been regarded the key to effectivelearning. Access to various areas of knowledge is made possible through reading.Likewise,retardation in reading greatly results in deprivation of the medium ortool of learning and access to various areas of knowledge. In the teachinglearning process, low or poor pupils' academic achievement is oftentimesattributed to reading deficiencies or disabilities. The above concepts recognize that reading proficiency is closely relatedand/or a determinant of school success or failure in life. In the words of Barley(1970),the most important responsibility of the elementary school is to developchildren's love for learning and to teach the skills that facilitate learning. Amongthese skills is reading, for reading is the key to the past as well as to the present. Specifically,the importance of reading in the life of a school child is.immeasurablc. An individual is helpless in school if he or she does not know how to read. He or She feels emotionally distress and suffers humiliation for he/she can't cope wiith abled children and other requirements.