Comprehending Content Area Text: Problem-Solving Experiences of Intermediate Pupils at CENTEX Batangas

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Problem-solving is the very heart of the curriculum. It is an ongoing activity in which we take what we know to discover what we do not know. It involves overcoming obstacles by generating, making predictions or estimations, and arriving at satisfactory solutions.

METHODS

This is descriptive qualitative research which aims to identify the comprehending content area texts on problem-solving experiences of intermediate pupils. The respondents of the study are 33 select pupils and 9 teachers teaching mathematics. The researchers used three data gathering procedures namely, descriptive, survey, and interview. Also, the following data gathering tools namely, checklist, questionnaire, and worksheet were used to attain the objectives of this study. A worksheet was distributed to find out the level of comprehension in understanding problem-solving texts of intermediate pupils.

RESULTS

Many respondents participated in the research conducted. The majority of the respondents need the necessary skills in comprehending content area skills in problem-solving. They have an inadequate understanding of Problem-Solving Processes. They experience difficulty in translating words into equivalent numeric figures and symbols. They learn faster when they work collaboratively with peers.

DISCUSSIONS

The results demonstrate that the majority of the respondents need the necessary skills in comprehending content area skills in problem-solving. The teachers apply different methodologies in teaching solving word-problem. However, they encouraged other teachers to try the interventions to address the difficulty in comprehending content area text in solving word-problem among pupils. Different equivalent words or synonyms for the learners were used to familiarize themselves with using different operations. This is to provide English Language Learners (ELLs) opportunities to learn and practice key vocabulary words. Frequent performance feedback should be given to the learners to improve their learnings.