1. DepEd Philippines.

*             Correspondence: maryann.lebosada@deped.gov.ph

Keywords: design, development, evaluation, reading assessment tool

1. INTRODUCTION

Reading is an activity where the reader can collect information from what they read. Reading is an activity that could increase language ability [1]. By reading, students could get more knowledge and various information, which was obtained from books, articles, newspapers, magazines, and others. Because reading is a window to the world. Harmer stated that reading is one of the important skills which have to be learned by the students to master English. Reading is a process of understanding written text. In the reading process, students are required to be good readers so that the text in reading is easy to understand. An author [2] stated that reading is a complex process; it involves much more than adding word meaning together. Reading involved not only understanding ideas but also recognizing the relationships and structures among ideas. Reading is the most important component in the learning process and social interaction. Because, [3] stated that first, reading is an indispensable communication tool in a civilized society. Second, in the reading materials produced in any period time in history most influenced by social background. Third, developments, that throughout for recorded history of reading has led to two very different poles. By reading, students can expand their vocabulary, can improve memory, improve focus for the better, encourage imagination and creativity, increase insight and knowledge, and others. Reading is a crucial language skill that students need to master. It involves communication through written text or symbols. Reading functions as a two-way interaction between the writer and the reader. It is an act of interpreting and comprehending text. Therefore, reading serves as a communication method that connects writers with readers through the process of understanding symbols. An author [4] asserts that the fundamental objective of reading is to comprehend the content being read. An author [5] describes reading comprehension as a deliberate, active, and interactive process that takes place before, during, and after reading a specific text. It involves the construction of meaning from the text. Through reading comprehension, students gain the ability to grasp the message conveyed by the text [6]. Context clues are hints embedded within a sentence, paragraph, or passage that help readers decipher the meanings of new or unfamiliar words. An author [7], as referenced by [8], mention that students who learned specific types of context clues could effectively use contextual analysis to determine the meanings of unknown words. Janet Elder identifies five common types of context clues: Definition or Synonym Clues, Contrast Clues, Example Clues, General Sense of the Sentence, and Clues from Another Sentence. Reading is a habit where students learn, gain knowledge, and develop new skills [9]. Understanding the significance of Reading and in line with the implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program, the Department of Education (DepEd) implemented the “Every Child A Reader Program” (ECARP) through DepEd Memorandum No.402. s.2004 and Administrative Order No. 324. This aims to teach public elementary pupils with planned Reading and to write to make them independent young readers and writers. Learning a foreign language involves acquiring four types of skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. An author [10] believed that Reading is the most important of all. Without a doubt, Reading is known as the most prominent academic skill for university students in any academic or higher learning [11]. According to reading specialists, Reading is not actually a skill but a process that consists of many different skills. During the past decades, reading comprehension strategies were on the increase. These strategies were defined as cognitive and metacognitive actions that a learner uses when trying to go through a text [12]. Promoting independent reading comprehension skills for students with diverse abilities is a major concern of teachers [13]. Although reading comprehension is an essential part of exams, students usually do not receive any instruction on the reading skills necessary to read some complicated texts in their educational life. As [14] reported, one of the common beliefs about reading comprehension is using reading strategies and adequate knowledge of grammar and how they can help learner’s understanding of the text to a great degree, and there is no need to know too much vocabulary. One of these strategies is the context clues and the effects that they may have on reading comprehension in learners.  While in the Philippine setting, a need to know the meaning of unfamiliar words found in the text will help the readers understand what he/she is reading. With these, since some teachers had no focus in teaching vocabulary using context clues, most of our learner’s lag in comprehension skills. It was found out during the conduct of the Group Screening Test (GST) of the Phil-IRI that our school had a greater number of pupils who were not able to reach the required number of correct responses of 14 points out of 20 comprehension questions. This speaks that most of them had fewer comprehension skills. These pupils will undergo series of oral reading tests to identify their reading level. They are the readers below their grade level. On the other hand, good readers distribute their attention unequally, in which they pay more attention to some of the text more than others [15]. As [16] believed that a contextual guessing strategy is a useful tool in learning and teaching reading comprehension. Native speakers of a language infer the meaning of unknown words from the context. Thus, second language learners can infer from the context while reading. Clues have an important role in dealing with reading comprehension, and they are the important factors for comprehending a text broadly and learning new words specifically. They are significant since there is a small chance of learning a new word from a context. Further, [17] stipulated that context clues have a powerful effect on students’ comprehension of words and sentences. Knowledge and skill of using words in different contexts play an important role in the comprehension of new concepts, ideas, and principles. Reading comprehension is a crucial skill that allows students to comprehend and interpret written text accurately. It involves not only understanding individual words but also how they work together to convey meaning. Contextual clues are useful tools that readers can use to understand the meaning of words in context. Studies have shown that effectively using contextual clues can significantly improve reading comprehension. Hence, it is vital to develop and implement efficient reading assessment tools that focus on the use of contextual clues to enhance reading comprehension. The purpose of this is to discuss the development, design, and evaluation of a reading assessment tool that focuses on contextual clues for Grade 7 students. The assessment tool evaluated students’ ability to use contextual clues to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words in a text. This report will provide an overview of research on reading comprehension and the use of contextual clues, the development and design of the assessment tool, and its evaluation to determine its effectiveness in enhancing reading comprehension. This study is beneficial to educators, reading specialists, and researchers interested in improving students’ reading comprehension skills. The findings of the study provided valuable insights into the development and design of efficient reading assessment tools that focus on the use of contextual clues to improve reading comprehension.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

The reading assessment tool consists of two practice tasks and an assessment section. The first practice task involves choosing the correct meaning of underlined words in context, while the second practice task requires the students to fill in the blanks with the correct words based on the given key. The assessment section consists of eight items in which the students are asked to provide synonyms for underlined words. The reading assessment tool was developed following the following steps: Identify the learning outcome: The goal is for students to understand how to find clues in the context to understand the meaning of new or complex words. Identify the learning content: The content includes understanding the types of context clues, recognizing words with multiple meanings, and knowing when to use a dictionary instead of relying on context clues. Develop the practice tasks and assessment items: The two practice tasks and the eight assessment items were developed based on the identified learning content. Review and refine the assessment tool: The assessment tool was reviewed by subject matter experts and teachers to ensure its alignment with the learning outcome and content.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The descriptive method of study with the survey questionnaire, as its main data-gathering instrument, was used. The study developed a questionnaire checklist for the evaluation of each part of the developed reading assessment tool. It was evaluated by thirty (30) students and fifteen (15) English Teachers from San Roque National High School in the Division of Antipolo City. This study was undertaken during the 3rd semester. The statistical tools used to treat the data were the weighted mean and t-test.

Table 01: Distribution of Students and Reading Teacher Respondents

The group includes students from Grade 7 in San Roque National High School and the identification of the other group of respondent’s teachers of English is those teachers who are currently teaching the English subject. The developed reading assessment tool was evaluated based on its parts: overview, learning objectives, learning content, practice task, and assessment [18]. Each criterion has sub-characteristics which were rated according to the general guideline for each category. The developed reading assessment tool was evaluated using the Likert Scale presented below [19].

Table 02: The ranges and equivalents of the scale used in this study are the following: Scale, Range and Verbal Interpretation

The statistical tools employed in the treatment of the data were the following: Frequency and Percentage were utilized to determine the number and percentage of respondents. Weighted Mean was used to find out the evaluations of the two groups of respondents of the developed reading assessment tool.

Table 03: Summary of Teacher Respondents’ Evaluations on the Developed Reading Assessment Tool in English

It is therefore quite evident that the developed reading assessment tool in English has aspects that are moderately acceptable based on the English teachers as evidenced by the overall weighted mean of 4.35. The table clearly shows that they all moderately Agreed in all aspects and indicators.

Table 04: Performance of Students on the Pretest and Posttest Scores in Reading Assessment Tool on Context Clues for Grade 7

It implied that the reading assessment tool on context clues improved the level of performance of Grade 7 students who directly utilized the materials.

Table 05: Significant Difference in the Performance of Grade 7 Students Based on the Pretest and Posttest Scores

It is revealed in the table that the computed t value of 16.81 is greater than the critical t value of 2.05, thus the statistical decision is to reject the null hypothesis. Therefore, there is enough evidence at 0.05 level of significance and 29 degrees of freedom to conclude that there is a significant difference in the pretest and posttest mean scores of the participants from the Grade 7 students who conducted the reading assessment tool [20]. The statement is justified in which after using the reading assessment tool, 13 very satisfactory and 13 outstanding students were produced. It reinforces that using a reading assessment tool has greatly improved the level of performance of Grade 7 learners in Reading.

4. CONCLUSION

This study emphasizes the significance of reading comprehension for students and highlights the need for effective reading assessment tools that focus on utilizing contextual clues to enhance reading comprehension. To address this need, the researchers designed, developed, and evaluated a reading assessment tool specifically for Grade 7 students. The tool consists of two practice tasks and an assessment section that evaluates students’ ability to use contextual clues to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words in a text. The development of the assessment tool involved several key steps, including identifying the learning outcome and content, creating practice tasks and assessment items, and refining the tool with the help of subject matter experts and teachers. This collaborative approach ensured that the tool was both effective and relevant to the needs of students and educators. To evaluate the effectiveness of the reading assessment tool, the researchers gathered feedback from 30 students and 15 English teachers from San Roque National High School. The evaluation was conducted using a survey questionnaire with a Likert scale, which allowed participants to provide their opinions on various aspects of the tool, including its overview, learning objectives, learning content, practice tasks, and assessment. The evaluation of the reading assessment tool provides valuable insights into its effectiveness and identifies areas for improvement. By gathering feedback from both students and teachers, the researchers can refine the tool to better meet the needs of educators and students, ultimately enhancing reading comprehension skills and promoting academic success. The study highlights the importance of developing and implementing effective reading assessment tools that focus on contextual clues, and the findings have implications for teaching practices and educational policy. The evaluation showed that the developed reading assessment tool was moderately acceptable and effective in enhancing students’ reading comprehension skills. It is therefore quite evident that the developed reading assessment tool in English has aspects that are moderately acceptable based on the English teachers as evidenced by the overall weighted mean of 4.35. it clearly shows that they all Moderately Agreed in all aspects and indicators. Reading assessment tool on context clues improved the level of performance of Grade 7 students who directly utilized the materials. It reinforces that using a reading assessment tool has greatly improved the level of performance of Grade 7 learners in Reading. Therefore, there is enough evidence at 0.05 level of significance and 29 degrees of freedom to conclude that there is a significant difference in the pretest and posttest mean scores of the participants from the Grade 7 students who conducted the reading assessment tool. The statement is justified in which after using the reading assessment tool, 13 very satisfactory and 13 outstanding students were produced. The study is useful for educators, reading specialists, and researchers who are interested in improving students’ reading comprehension skills. It provides valuable insights into the development and design of efficient reading assessment tools that focus on the use of contextual clues to improve reading comprehension.

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