RATIONALE OF THE STUDY

Play is a very important part of a child's life. A child learns to make sense of the

world around them through play. Moyles states that play offer the best learning

experience and remains a priority in early childhood education. Children also learn by

playing with peers. Play allows children to express themselves and learn how to work

with peers. Through play, children develop social and cognitive skills, mature

emotionally and gain the self- confidence they need to try new activities and experience

new concepts. As children explore their world, they form and reform new ideas in their

minds. The more actively involved children are in their world, the more knowledge they

will gain.

Indeed, children learn best when they can act on the environment and construct

knowledge for themselves. Play helps children weave together all the elements of life as

they experience it. Activity time for play can provide an effective learning experience for

children and help them gain knowledge. Children will express themselves more

naturally, easily and spontaneously through a fun-based activity called play. Play was

Piaget's idea to explain how children learn through action.

Play is also important for healthy brain development. Research shows that plays

help develop brain development by stimulating the brain through the formation of nerve

cells. Studies have discovered that rats raised in a stimulating environment have bigger

brains and are able to find their way through mazes more quickly. It is likely that human

brains respond to play and exploration in similar ways.

is important to healthy brain development. It is through play that children engage and

interact in the world around them. Sustained attention improves also during play. Play

engages the child actively, so the child can learn by doing, manipulating and moving. In

the simple act of play, children discover new ideas. Some of the basic concepts are

derived through play. Vygotsky as a theorist strongly explained that through play,

children learn skills for how to control their bodies, develop communication and thinking

skills and learn how to relate to others in a social environment. Language is a social

concept that develop through social interaction. A child's intellectual development is

crucial to that language development. Play paves children opportunities to learn

language from the peers and practice what they have learned in different scenarios. By

interacting with peers and their environment, a child develops language skills.

Vygotsky's theory of language suggests that children acquire knowledge as a result of

engaging in social experiences. Given appropriate help from adults, a child learns how

to carry out a task alone and successfully. Vygotsky refers to what children can do on

their own as their level of development or the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).

Their full development during this ZPD depends upon interaction the child has while

taking advantage of adult assistance. Vygotsky suggests that the social nature of

language learning emphasizing the environment within which a child is raised.

Dewey also believed that play could be used to reconstruct the experiences

children are involved in school (Spodek & Saracho, 2003). Play is a subconscious

activity that helps an individual develop both mentally and socially. It should be separate

from work as play helps a child to grow into a working world. As children become adults,
they no longer "play" but seek amusement from their occupation. This childhood activity

of play prepares them to become healthy working adults. Learning through play is the

best foundation for success in formal school. Play has the potential to provide children

with a highly engaging and meaningful context for learning essential literacy concepts

and skills. The need for formative years is to prepare children with literacy skills that will

increase the likelihood of later success in reading. Wardle stated that lots of play at an

early age enables children to develop the wide integrated foundation required for future

academic success. In fact, play develop skills that are necessary for children to learn to

read and write. Children can express their own thinking better as they experience

language development through play. Studies reveal that a link between play and the

development of children's language skills indicates that those children who score higher

on a test of symbolic play have better language skills in both receptive and expressive

language. Phonics instruction indeed is a way of teaching reading that stresses the

acquisition of letter-sound correspondences and their use in reading and spelling.

Effective curriculum should include developmentally appropriate instruction in literacy

skills and teaching strategies. The need to integrate play in middle childhood curriculum

have been supported by National Association for the Education of Young Children

(NAEYC). NAEYC is an organization focused on improving middle childhood education

programs and services well as development of young children. Therefore, fourth

graders should be taught through play-based activities. Reading is essential to success

in life. However, many teachers themselves lack the knowledge and skills needed to

provide high-quality education to young children and teach them how to read. Without

this particular knowledge of better teaching approach, determining what is best for
children is difficult and perhaps impossible. Additionally, Ulutas and Aksoy point out that

program of learning with play significantly improved pro- social behavior.

To learn more about these problems, the researchers began an action research by

identifying the issues and challenges from classroom experience that occurred in the

respective school. It is the reflective process that helps teachers to examine aspects of

teaching and learning and take action to change and improve them. The researchers

covered that fourth grade teachers were often unable to identify and implement the

most effective teaching and learning strategies that will improve students' reading skills.

An activities-based learning approach has fallen into neglect. Teachers use the

traditional approach and solely teach from books instead of using books as a basis.

Indeed, teachers do not create activities that support actual book information to make it

more interesting. The play-based word activities that will be involved in this study are

the following: Crossword, Bag of Emojis, Word search, 4 pics 1 word and Scrabble.

The objectives of this research is to determine whether play-based word activities

can help improve the reading skills of Grade IV pupils in Maslog Elementary School.

The purpose of this research are to identify the best way to teach children to read and

help teachers to improve their teaching approach and make the learning process more

engaging.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In exploring and researching this topic, there has been one continuous thread

that is underlying the theoretical framework for the study being undertaken by the

researcher. According to (Western Governor's University) Experiential learning theory

focuses on the idea that the best way to learn things is by actually having experiences.

Those experiences then stick out in mind and help retain information and remember

facts. In John Dewey's experiential learning theory, everything occurs within a social

environment. Knowledge is socially constructed and based on experiences. This

knowledge should be organized in real-life experiences that provide a context for the

information. It is a learning by doing. There is a lot of research to determine that

experiential learning is one of the best way for young children to learn literacy, as it is

pointed out by (Pyle, Poliszczuk, & Danniels, 2018). Teachers agree that play is highest

form of learning and it is important for the social and emotional development of children,

and it can be used to improve literacy knowledge. Research has shown that there is a

direct correlation in schools performing better in numeracy, literacy, and other cognitive

outcomes if they are used play-based activities in a classroom (Pyle et al., 2018). This

does not mean that free play will allow children to learn literacy on their own, it means

that a balanced approach between guided, scaffolded play and directed instruction will

allow for larger literacy progress to be made. Moreover ( Institute for Experential

Learning ) Experiential Learning Theory is a powerful foundational approach to all forms

of learning, development and change. Experiential learning describes the ideal process
of learning, invites you to understand yourself as a learner, and empowers you to take

charge of your own learning and development.The way you learn is the way you

approach life in general. It is also the way you solve problems, make decisions, and

meet life’s challenges. Learning occurs in any setting and continues throughout your

life. The experiential learning process supports performance improvement, learning and

development. Furthermore, (Washington State University) Experiential Learning Theory

has served a central role in various studies that use the theory as a theoretical

framework to investigate its effectiveness in the learning process. For example, Lai et

al. (2007) used ELT as a framework to investigate the contribution of technology in

experiential learning. They considered the possibility of using technology to provide and

support experiential learning. Their results indicate that using technology while going

through the four-stage process (explained below) helped students to improve their

knowledge; emphasizing the importance of experience gives students a chance to act

and reflect on their actions. Lastly, (Future Learn Category ) Experiential learning is the

idea that experiences are generated through our ongoing interactions and engagement

with the world around us, and learning is an inevitable product of experience. This

theory of learning is different from cognitive and behavioral learning theories as it takes

a more holistic approach. It considers the role that all of our experiences play in our

learning, including our emotions, cognition and environmental factors. The experiential

learning theory advocates for deep learning rather than surface learning. Deep learning,

involves learning about something using a number of different methods, from reading

and experimenting to role-playing and discussing. These methods help students to truly
understand what they’re learning by having them applying and discussing theories

rather than just memorizing them.

Social Development Theory (Gowriensw.com.au)Vygotsky's social development

theory asserts that a child's cognitive development and learning ability can be guided

and mediated by their social interactions. His theory (also called Vygotsky's

Sociocultural theory) states that learning is a crucially social process as opposed to an

independent journey of discovery. In addition,( Simply Psychology ) Vygotsky’s

sociocultural theory views human development as a socially mediated process in which

children acquire cultural values, beliefs, and problem-solving strategies through

collaborative dialogues with more knowledgeable members of society. Vygotsky’s

theory comprises concepts such as culture-specific tools, private speech, and the Zone

of Proximal Development. Vygotsky’s theories stress the fundamental role of social

interaction in the development of cognition (Vygotsky, 1978), as he believed strongly

that community plays a central role in the process of “making meaning.” Vygotsky’s

theory focuses on the role of culture in the development of mental abilities e.g. speech

and reasoning in children. They show the meaning they attach to objects, events and

experiences. They provide the child with what to think (the knowledge) and how to think

(the processes, the tools to think with). Vygotsky proposed that children are born with

elementary mental abilities such as memory and perception and that higher mental

functions develop from these through the influence of social interactions. Vygotsky

stated that language has two functions. Inner speech is used for mental reasoning and

external speech is used to converse with others. Moreover, ( Esteemjourney ) Vygotsky

believed that cognitive development was founded on social interaction. According to

product of collaboration. Leo Vygotsky primarily explains that socialization affects the

learning process in an individual. It tries to explain consciousness or awareness as the

result of socialization. This means that when we talk to our peers or adults, we talk to

them for the sake of communication. Finally, ( Reed Hepler, Jade Mazarin) Social

development is the process through which children learn about their society and the

proper ways to act within it. It is a process through which behaviors, perspectives, and

attitudes are learned. For example, consider a child watching their sibling attempting to

put a screw in a wall. The sibling cannot do it alone, so they ask a parent for help. With

the parent's assistance, the sibling is able to affix the object to the wall. Thus, the

observing child learns that while they are not able to screw things in by themselves,

they can do it with assistance. The process of social development does not stop after

childhood. In fact, it occurs continuously through all stages of life. Social development is

made further complex as individuals learn that certain behaviors are expected in some

circumstances or settings, but not allowed or possible in others. For this reason, social

development is extremely important to study and understand, in order to successfully

navigate social situations.

EXPERIENTIAL SOCIAL
LEARNING THEORY DEVELOPMENT
THEORY
(JOHN DEWEY)
(LEV VYGOTSKY)

READING SKILLS

ACTION PLAN
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The study aimed to identify whether play-based word activities can be an intervention

to improve reading skills of Grade IV-pupils of Maslog Elementary School for the S.Y.

2022-2023. Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1. What are the characteristics of the respondents based on the following factors:

1.1 Name;

1.2 Age

1.3 Gender, and

1.4 Section

2. What is the effectiveness of play-based word activities as an intervention to improve

reading skills among Grade IV pupils in Maslog Elementary School?

2.1 How do play-based word activities differ from traditional methods of teaching

reading skills?

2.2 What are the potential benefits and limitations of using play-based word

activities in improving reading skills among Grade IV pupils?

activities as an intervention to improve reading skills among Grade IV pupils in Maslog

Elementary School?

3. How do play-based word activities impact the motivation and engagement of Grade

IV pupils in Maslog Elementary Schools towards learning to read?

3.1 What are the factors that influence the motivation and engagement of Grade

IV pupils towards reading?

3.2 How do play-based word activities affect the attitudes of Grade IV pupils

towards reading?

3.3 What are the potential long-term effects of play-based word activities on the

motivation and engagement of Grade IV pupils towards reading?

The study will determine the Play-Based Word Activities: An Intervention to Improve the

Reading Comprehension of Grade IV pupils in Maslog Elementary School in the S.Y:

2022-2023. The main purpose of this study is to have a contribution that will be useful

for the pupils to enhance their reading skills with the aid of play-based word activities.

Teachers

Teachers will be aware with these strategies that they can utilize in the classroom

through our research study. This study will help me find the most effective methods to

teaching reading in order for the students to achieve their maximum potential

Pupils

The pupils were the center of the study. This is beneficial to the pupils because they

will have the guidance of the teacher, our proposed manipulative objects that will be

placed in a resource center will be helpful for them, to cater their needs and to

overcome their skills needed. To give experience and new challenges as an effort to

develop their reading skills. It is further expected that this study would encourage

educators to develop a reading program that would be relevant to the need of the young

children today.
Administrators

To the administrators, it’s their duty to ensure that there should be regular professional

development opportunities available to their teaching staff. To ensure pupils success in

reading skills, we rely on administrators to pass on their knowledge and effective

advocates for the benefit, not only their students but also in the school community.

Parents

Parents have long been considered critical to the development of their children’s

reading skills. Parents who read with their children can help get them interested in

reading at an early age and help model good reading habits. Parents also have other

important role to play in supporting their children’s reading development skills. Parents

can now rely in this research’s findings as their source on reading instruction and use

their understanding if the identifying other tools to help their children develop better

reading skills.
SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

The study aims to investigate the effectiveness of play-based word activities as an

intervention to improve the reading skills of Grade IV pupils in Maslog Elementary

School. The study will involve the use of various play-based activities, such as

Crossword, Bag of Emojis, Word search, 4 pics 1 word and Scrabble that incorporate

movement and sensory experiences. The study will be conducted in Maslog Elementary

School, and the participants will be selected from Grade IV students who are identified

as struggling readers. The study will be limited to Grade IV students in Maslog

Elementary School, and the results may not applicable to other levels or schools. It will

only focus on the use of play-based word activities as an intervention, and other factors

that may affect reading skills, such as home environment and socioeconomic status, will

not be included.
DEFINITION OF TERMS:

In order to avoid vagueness, the following literary terms are hereby defined as

used in the study:

4 Pics 1 Word- a game wherein each level displays four pictures linked by one word -

the player's aim is to work out what the word is, from a set of letters given below the

pictures.

Bags of Emojis- a guessing game wherein you need to guess the word through the

flashed emojis in the bag.

Crossword- a puzzle consisting of a grid of squares and blanks into which words

crossing vertically and horizontally are written according to clues.

Improve - develop or increase in mental capacity by education or experience.

Intervention - is often used to describe a short-term, focused teaching program with

specific intended outcomes aimed at individuals or small groups of pupils with particular

needs.

Play-Based Word Activities – is an open-ended play for children.

interpret and decode written language and texts.

Scrabble- a board game in which players use lettered tiles to create words in a

crossword fashion.

Wordsearch- a word game that consists of the letters of words placed in a grid, which

usually has a rectangular or square shape. The objective of this puzzle is to find and

mark all the words hidden inside the box.