Journal of English and Applied Linguistics

Volume 2 Article 9
Issue 1 June

6-2023

Home Involvement and Reading Achievement on Drop Everything

and Read (DEAR) at-Home Activities of Selected Students in a
Technical-Vocational School
Dyan S. Escuadra
Schools Division of Pasig City - Rizal Experimental Station and Pilot School of Cottage Industries/Far
Eastern University-Manila, [email protected]

Joanna Paula A. Francisco

Schools Division of Pasig City - Rizal Experimental Station and Pilot School of Cottage Industries,
[email protected]

Rita P. Rivera
Schools Division of Pasig City - Rizal Experimental Station and Pilot School of Cottage Industries,
[email protected]

Follow this and additional works at: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/jeal

Part of the Language and Literacy Education Commons

Recommended Citation
Escuadra, Dyan S.; Francisco, Joanna Paula A.; and Rivera, Rita P. (2023) "Home Involvement and Reading
Achievement on Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) at-Home Activities of Selected Students in a Technical-
Vocational School," Journal of English and Applied Linguistics: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59588/2961-3094.1046
Available at: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/jeal/vol2/iss1/9

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the DLSU Publications at Animo Repository. It has been
accepted for inclusion in Journal of English and Applied Linguistics by an authorized editor of Animo Repository.
Home Involvement and Reading Achievement on Drop Everything and Read
(DEAR) at-Home Activities of Selected Students in a Technical-Vocational School

Cover Page Footnote

The authors would like to express their gratitude to Dr. Chenee D. Aparicio, the mentor of one of the
authors, for being an inspiration to publish this work.

This article is available in Journal of English and Applied Linguistics: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/jeal/vol2/

iss1/9
 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Home Involvement and Reading Achievement

on Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) At-Home
Activities of Selected Students in a Technical-
Vocational School
Dyan S. Escuadra
Rizal Experimental Station and Pilot School of Cottage Industries, Philippines
Far Eastern University, Manila, Philippines
[email protected]

Joanna Paula A. Francisco and Rita P. Rivera

Rizal Experimental Station and Pilot School of Cottage Industries, Philippines

Abstract: Reading literacy begins at home. Several studies focusing on home involvement showed that the engagement of
parents leads to the improvement of their children’s reading achievement during primary school age. However, the changing
educational and family landscapes in the Philippines pose a considerable shift in family members’ roles in assuming
responsibility regarding learning facilitation at home. This calls for the participation not only of parents but also of siblings,
grandparents, guardians, or other members of the family, who in this paper are tagged as home reading partners (HRPs).
Using a case study design, this study explores the role of home involvement in the reading achievement of 12 selected junior
high school learners in a technical-vocational school during the school year 2021–2022. Findings from the semi-structured
interviews, document analysis, and open-ended survey reveal that the involvement of HRPs influences the students’ reading
achievement and more importantly assists in the development of their reading interest, reading motivation, and attitude
toward reading. This study recommends that school reading programs should be revisited and redesigned from parent-specific
participation to the involvement of all HRPs.

Keywords: DEAR at Home, home involvement, home reading partners (HRPs), reading achievement

Copyright © 2023 by De La Salle University

82 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023

Introduction discussion on whether the reading activities at home

should be parent led or child initiated, other researchers
Reading, along with listening, speaking, writing, contend that the quality of interactions during shared
and viewing, is an essential skill that children need book reading at home contributes to the development
to develop informally at home and formally at of children’s reading skills and reading motivation is
schools at an early stage when the critical period of crucial (Baker et al., 1997; Baker et al., 2001). The
brain development happens. The nature of reading latter stressed that affective interactions are essential
instruction children obtain during the early years of in the practice of reading at home, regardless of who
their life could predict the type of readers they are in the assumes the reading responsibility.
time to come. When speaking about the early childhood In the study of Tatel-Suatengco and Florida
stage, the home is the strongest partner of the school (2020), they pointed out that storytelling and reading
and teachers in promoting early literacy development. give opportunities to teach and learn at home. It is
therefore recommended that parents should be oriented
Home Environment and Reading Literacy on strategies that will keep them involved in their
Development children’s education, which will eventually create a
Mwangi (2018) discovered that the “poor reading collaboration of the family, school, and community for
environments and poor reading habits of the family the benefit of the learners (Mayhall-Andrews, 2018).
members” affect learners’ reading achievement. It Working together for the sake of the learners is essential
was recommended that the home should be a place to support their literacy skills development.
that provides children with reading opportunities with
the guidance of the parents, guardians, caretakers, and DEAR as a Literacy Support Initiative
other family members. Sugiarsih (2017) employed Drop Everything
Several studies have been conducted to explore and Read (DEAR) to enhance the reading skills of
the influence of home in varying early literacy skills Indonesian pupils. Pupils were given a chance to select
development contexts. The existing body of knowledge the materials that they want to read and appropriate
tells that home environment is a good predictor of to their level for 15–30 minutes. It serves as a habit-
learning outcomes, especially for children in their forming activity that is designed to improve the
foundation years and students at risk in reading learners’ reading skills and create a reading culture at
(Rasinski & Stevenson, 2005). This is evident in school or at home.
the work of Baker et al. (1997), which shows that The DEAR program is not exclusively implemented
home reading experiences of children influence their in elementary and secondary levels; it also has a
motivation and achievement. Midraj and Midraj place in tertiary schools. Like Sugiarsih (2017),
(2011) found out that reading fluency and accuracy Prasetyaningrum and Ruminar (2020) also stated
are significantly related to the involvement of parents that DEAR as a regular 30-minute reading activity
in their children’s literacy activities at home. This is done for pleasure helps boost the reading habits of
when they are provided with reading resources at home. university students in Indonesia. In a maritime school
in the Philippines, students raised their awareness of
Reading at Home as a Shared Responsibility of the the impact of the DEAR program on their academic
Child and HRPs journey. The students agreed that DEAR, as a program
Johnson (1987) reviewed a video entitled Drop in their academy, improves their communication skills
Everything and Read produced in 1986, which aims and reading habits.
at convincing parents of the importance of reading DEAR, which is sometimes termed as “free
and reading to their children. He pointed out that voluntary reading, independent reading, or sustained
the 28-minute video focused on the role of home in silent reading” (Allred & Cena, 2020), is one of the
developing the reading behavior of children. However, programs of the Department of Education that aims
he argued that the material solely emphasized the to promote learners’ reading and literacy as stipulated
importance of parent reading to a child, missing out in Memorandum Order No. 244, s. 2011. DEAR is
on the significance of children reading to their parents specified in the said policy as a 15- to 20-minute
for practice (Tizard et al., 1982). With the growing daily reading activity with any books or materials that
 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023 83

learners can access at the school. The policy also serves Home led the teacher to encourage the involvement of
as an initiative that supports reading and literacy for home reading partners (HRPs) while the learners were
the youth. It aims to promote reading as a communal doing their reading activities at home.
experience that would avert learners’ engulfment in During the emergency remote teaching, the home
cyberspace or online activities. During the annual reading activities composed of 10 comprehension
celebration of National Reading Month in November, questions were administered in four sessions via
a synchronous reading is scheduled to encourage every Google Forms or Facebook Messenger, whichever
person in the school to read a book. A DEAR corner is was accessible to the learners. The teachers sent
also provided in the school where students can read. the links or copies of the DEAR at Home activities
The intensification of literacy initiatives and through learners’ FB Messenger classroom. The
programs in schools could be associated with teachers downloaded the learners’ responses and finally
the performance of Filipino learners in local and recorded their scores.
international assessments. The result of the 2018 The study seeks to investigate the role HRPs
Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in the reading achievement in the DEAR at Home
showed that the Philippines placed last in reading with activities of 12 junior high school learners in Rizal
a mean score of 340, which was far lower than 450. Experimental Station and Pilot School of Cottage
In 2019, the results of the National Achievement Test Industries (RESPSCI), a technical-vocational school in
taken by learners in Grade 6, Grade 10, and Grade 12 SDO Pasig City for the school year 2021–2022. It aims
leaned toward low proficiency levels (Gonzales, 2019). to bridge the gap between the learners’ problems with
The Schools Division Office of Pasig City supports reading and how their family and other people at home
projects and programs that promote literacy such as can assist them to accomplish their reading activities
Project EXPERT (Exemplary Program for Elevating at home. This study also intends to explore how HRPs
Reading and Its Teaching). This project aims to enhance could aid in establishing a culture of reading at home
the reading skills of learners. In one of the webinars to foster learners’ appreciation for reading.
on Project EXPERT in December 2020, Frederick There is a bulk of literature correlating home
Perez, one of the resource speakers, emphasized the involvement and reading achievement. However,
importance of reading at home by reading aloud and most of them primarily focused on the involvement
reading along with other family members. He also of parents in children’s home-literacy activities. This
recommended giving students and parents the tools paper explores the bigger picture of home involvement,
they need like print and nonprint exposure, which not just parental involvement, but the involvement
includes digital and audiobooks and training for parents of anyone in the home environment in the reading
and the community. activities of the learners.

Situating DEAR at Home in the School Setting Significance of the Study

During in-person classes, DEAR is usually
Through this investigation, a reading nation will be
conducted in the classroom where the teacher assists
established as the development of reading habits will
the learners in accomplishing their reading activity.
be intensified by the involvement of all HRPs. The
The reading materials may be provided by the
findings of this research are helpful to policymakers
teacher or brought by the learners. Moreover, the
as they will serve as a guide in designing a reading
assessment of the reading activity may be in the form
program that will engage not only the parents but also
of comprehension test questions or a journal.
other family members who assume the responsibility
The Covid-19 pandemic posed a challenge as to
of HRPs. The school can intensify its relationship with
how teachers could continue implementing the DEAR
the families, guardians, and caretakers in supporting the
program. It is recalled that classes for two school
learners, particularly the struggling readers in reading.
years were held remotely or virtually, depending on
Teachers, too, will have further knowledge on the type
the alternative delivery mode the school adopted to
of reading activities that can be given to learners at
make learning happen. Consequently, DEAR, which
home with strengthened collaboration between the
is usually conducted at school where teachers facilitate
school, teachers, and HRPs. Through the findings of
the reading activity, became DEAR at Home. DEAR at
84 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023

the study, the HRPs can recognize and appreciate the Specifically, it seeks to answer the following
importance of establishing a home environment that questions:
promotes a reading culture. 1. What is the reading achievement of
the participants in the DEAR at Home
Theoretical Underpinnings activities?
The interaction hypothesis theory by Long in 2. How does home involvement affect the
1983 posited that “negotiation of meaning through reading achievement of the selected
interaction can facilitate the process of language learners?
learning” (Ghaemi & Salehi, 2014). Similarly, 3. How involved are the HRPs in the learners’
Vygotsky also theorized that social interaction plays a DEAR at Home activities?
significant role in cognitive development. Vygotsky’s
social development theory emphasizes that the Research Design
environment greatly influences how children think as The study utilized a qualitative design to have an in-
well as what they think. This implies that the interaction depth understanding of the role of home involvement in
between the children and their parents or caretaker the reading achievement of junior high school students.
during reading or study time at home is fundamental It specifically focused on the case study design,
to facilitating reading skills development. Through which Teegavarapu et al. (2008) specified as a design
interaction with other people at home, children are used when the researcher is interested in analyzing a
provided with the opportunity to ask them about the phenomenon, generating hypotheses, and validating a
difficult words that they encounter in a text, leading process. This design is deemed to be appropriate in the
them to a deeper understanding of the text. present study as the researchers wanted to determine
Epstein’s theory of parental involvement emphasized how the involvement of HRPs affects the students’
the importance of collaboration between school, home, reading achievement in their DEAR at Home activities.
and community for better academic achievement of
students (Smithson, n.d.). It involves six types of Participants
involvement, namely, parenting, communication, The participants of the study were 12 students from
volunteerism, home learning, decision-making, and Grade 7 to Grade 10, purposively selected based on
working in partnership with the community. The who assisted them in their assigned reading activities at
theory presupposed that part of parenting is to establish home. Using the Messenger classroom, the researchers
a home environment that can support learning. created a poll for the class they handle in Grades 7 to 10
Communication line between parents and teachers to to find out who their HRPs are. Then, the researchers
check learners’ progress at school and at home is also coordinated with one Grade 7 English teacher for the
essential. Parents need voluntary participation in school selection of the three participants in the grade level
activities and programs. Providing training for parents to complete the 12 students who were included in the
to help their children while learning at home is implied study.
in this theory. Involving parents in making decisions at Furthermore, the researchers also considered
school is recommended. Lastly, collaborating with the involving the HRPs of the 12 students to find out about
community means that the school needs to strengthen their involvement in the DEAR at Home activities.
its relationship or establish links with stakeholders to The researchers included the six junior high school
gain more support for its programs and activities for teachers in the study to obtain some of their insights
the learners. on engaging the HRPs in the school reading activities
and programs.
Statement of the Problem
Data Collection
The study explores how home involvement affects
the reading achievement in the DEAR at Home The researchers sought informed consent from
activities of 12 junior high school learners in Rizal all the participants before the study. Four empirical
Experimental Station and Pilot School of Cottage materials were used to collect data from the participants,
Industries (RESPSCI) in Maybunga, Pasig City, for which include semi-structured interviews for parents
the school year 2021–2022.
 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023 85

and students, document analysis, and an open-ended analyzing qualitative data by O’Connor and Gibson
survey questionnaire for teachers. (2003). First, the researchers organized the data by
The interview is the most useful means to collect reviewing the responses of the participants in the
qualitative data as it helps the researcher to explore, interview and identified essential and nonessential
describe, and understand a phenomenon. In the study, responses. Then, they found and organized ideas and
the computer-mediated interview was used to obtain concepts by looking into the emerging themes and
insights from the learners and HRPs since the study repeated words or groups of words from the responses.
was conducted during the emergency remote teaching Next, they identified the overarching themes from the
due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The researchers set a responses by putting similar ideas together and grouped
schedule for each interview via Zoom and Google them corresponding to themes.
Meet. The interview guide for HRPs contained seven
questions that were formulated to explore how they Trustworthiness
perceive reading, how they persuade the learners to To ensure the trustworthiness of the qualitative
read, and how frequently they involve themselves data, the researchers ensured the credibility of the data.
in the learners’ DEAR at Home activities. Another Credibility was established using triangulation and peer
interview guide for learners was composed of eight debriefing. Triangulation is the use of various methods
questions revolving around reading—their perception, or sources of data to further understand a phenomenon.
motivation, and the degree of involvement they receive The data obtained from the interview and other
from their HRPs. The interview guides for the learners empirical materials were triangulated to validate the
and the HRPs were validated by two experts in the findings of this research. The researchers supported the
field of English. The researchers incorporated the findings with related literature. Peer debriefing, another
given suggestions of the validators in the instruments. technique used in establishing the trustworthiness of
The data obtained from the interviews were audio and the data, is done by inviting colleagues or peers who
video recorded. will check whether the data were correctly transcribed,
Document analysis requires the examination and coded, and interpreted. Through this technique, the
interpretation of data to obtain meaning, understanding, researchers’ biases were restricted, and the core of the
and empirical data (Bowen, 2009). Document analysis interpretations was clarified (Lincoln & Guba, 1985).
was done by looking into the scores of the 12 learners in
their DEAR at Home activities. The researchers asked Ethical Practices
permission from the head of the English department to
allow access to the records of the participants’ scores The researchers ensured that the participants were
and other DEAR at Home-related activities that the notified about the purpose of the research as well as
students submitted to their English teachers. The its benefits and possible risks when they opted to
students’ scores in the 10-item comprehension check participate in the study. Participation was voluntary,
questions regarding reading at home activities became and the target participants were forced when they
the basis of the learners’ reading achievement. chose to withdraw their participation in the study. The
Furthermore, the open-ended survey questionnaire researchers prepared the informed consent before the
for teachers consisted of three queries that tackled conduct of the study and provided a copy to the target
the reading activities they provide and the strategies interviewees. Any information or data shared by them
they employ to motivate learners to read as well as were treated with confidentiality. Anonymity was
their views on involving the HRPs in school reading considered since no names of the participants were
activities and programs. The open-ended survey revealed in any part of the paper.
questionnaire was given through Google Forms.
The responses of the teachers were downloaded and Results and Discussion
prepared for data analysis.
This part reports the findings obtained from
multiple empirical data on how the involvement of
Data Analysis HRPs affects the reading achievement of junior high
The researchers were guided by the five steps in school students.
86 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023

Learners’ Reading Achievement in the DEAR at reading at home (Kanyongo et al., 2006), parents’
Home Activities educational attainment, and a variety of reading
The findings show that HRPs’ involvement does materials at home (Anglum et al., 1990).
not always result in high reading achievement among Table 1 shows the reading achievement of the
the learners. This is supported by the claim of Baker et students in their DEAR at Home activities. From
al. (2001), which states that parent–child interactions the table, it can be noted that most of the learners
during shared book reading contribute positively to accomplished the four reading tasks but there were
their understanding of the text but do not create an two who were not able to complete the activities
impact on their reading achievement. as in the case of Student 7 and Student 12. Despite
There are identified factors that affect reading the involvement of the HRPs in the DEAR at Home
achievement including poor reading environments and activities of the learners, there are those who still got
family members’ poor reading habits (Mwangi, 2018), low scores in the four reading activities.

Table 1. Learners’ Reading Achievement in the DEAR at Home Activities

No. of Accomplished
Home Reading
Grade Level Total Score DEAR at Home
Partner
Activities

Case 1 Grade 7 Sister 15 4

Case 2 Grade 7 Parents 21 4
Case 3 Grade 7 Aunt 31 4
Case 4 Grade 8 Uncle 33 4
Case 5 Grade 8 Sister 30 4
Case 6 Grade 8 Parents 31 4
Case 7 Grade 9 Mother 24 4
Case 8 Grade 9 Mother 30 4
Case 9 Grade 9 Sister 32 4
Case 10 Grade 10 Parents 28 4
Case 11 Grade 10 Mother/Sister 33 4
Case 12 Grade 10 Sister 21 3

The findings of this study show that students’ access preferred by the participants as they are more inclined
to reading materials at home is still limited. This is to read sci-fi books, fantasy books, manga series,
supported by the findings of Anglum et al. (1990) and documentaries, which are not readily available
as they identified the variety of reading materials at in their homes. In this case, students go online and
home as a predictor of reading achievement. This access relevant websites to read these materials. While
is also manifested in the statement of Student 7: “I reading online, students can easily look for the meaning
don’t have a lot of books, but I read the stories from of words they are not familiar with as evident in the
my Wattpad.” The reading materials that are usually answer of Student 1: “I often use my phone when I want
available at the learners’ homes include children’s to read.” Parents also allow their children to use the
books, textbooks, dictionaries, the bible, mythology, internet resources to give their children an opportunity
magazines, and Wattpad. However, these are not to understand the text that they read as evident in the
 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023 87

statement of HRP 12 saying “When there’s a word he involvement always results in notable effects on
doesn’t know, I make him research what it means….” the reading achievement of the learners. The data
In this matter, the virtual space serves as the students’ rather showed that the impact of the involvement of
“reading corner.” HRPs vary depending on the learners’ home reading
As helpful as the online platform is for the students, environment, motivation, attitude, and interest.
White and Dewitz (1996) reported that the more literacy Students’ reading achievement is affected by their
materials available at home, the more possible it is for relationship with their family, as Teacher 4 opined, “I
learners to achieve a higher proficiency level. Hence, think that the involvement of any adult family member
it is important that parents provide their children with is important because the learners will feel that they
print materials that they can read at home. are not alone in their reading journey.” Teacher 6 also
On the availability of reading materials at home, stated, “They are more comfortable with them, that’s
HRP 1 shared the different materials her children are why they learn more.”
using at home saying “To my little children, fairy tales While Student 11, whose parent and sibling were
and books with lessons learned. To my eldest, Sci-Fi both involved in the DEAR at Home activities, got a
and I also encourage him to read about history and high score, it can be noticed that Student 3, Student 9,
stories about God.” HRP 10 said, “At home, I have and Student 4, who were under the care of their aunt,
textbooks that I used in high school, dictionaries, and sister, and uncle, respectively, also scored high. These
Bible stories, those stories that we read in a church.” data support the claim of Kanyongo et al. (2006) that
She shared that they have textbooks, dictionaries, a family members’ involvement in the learners’ activities
bible, and stories that they read in their church. HRP contributes to their reading achievement. Clark and
9 shared that they have educational books, stories, and Picton (2012) reported that children receiving family
books that contain important information at home. support in reading are possibly reading above their
Another factor may be linked to the literacy expected level more than those who do not receive
practices that shape the learners’ study or reading encouragement.
habits at home. Learners and HRPs alike admit that Furthermore, the findings also reveal that aside
they don’t set a reading/study time at home. When from the parents, who are stereotypically known as
Student 1 was asked if his family has study or reading the first teachers of children, siblings also serve as
time at home, he answered, “None.” Student 12 replied, major reading guides of most of the participants. When
“Sometimes.” When asked about how frequently they asked about the family member who helps her most
assist the learners, HRP 1 said, “Because we have a in her reading assignments, Student 1 answered, “My
store, sometimes two to three times a week. There older brother and older sister.” When parents are not
are also weeks that I don’t help them at all,” while at home to guide the learners, siblings were shown to
HRP 6 shared, “Once a week it’s because I’m not be more involved in the reading assignments of the
always at home and I can’t focus on teaching him, learners. Student 9 shared that “My sisters assist me all
but I know myself that he can do it, even if I can only the time because my parents are working.” In addition
teach him once,” while HRP 7 answered, “three times to assisting the respondents in their reading activities,
a week because I have two babies to take care of.” siblings also have an important role in encouraging
The activities of the family members as well as their the respondents to read to gain more knowledge. As
inclinations and nature of work can also be factors said by the sibling of Student 12, “I always tell them to
affecting the extent of home involvement in their have a habit of reading because it gives knowledge.”
learners’ academic-related activities. Student 9 also articulated, “My sisters assist me all the
time because my parents are working.”
How Home Involvement Affects the Learners’ Motivation is a vital factor in assisting learners
Reading Achievement with reading comprehension (Ahmadi, 2017). In
Reading at home has a positive influence on the addition, it will lead to increased performance in
achievement of learners in school as it helps develop learning a language. What motivates learners to read
vocabulary skills and increases one’s confidence is intrinsically and extrinsically considered. Student 8
(Kanyongo et al., 2006). The findings of the study reported, “I like reading, when I read books, I learned
contradict the researchers’ expectation that HRPs’ something and it improves my reading skills,” and
88 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023

Student 4 reported, “I like reading because you can to my two young children. As for (…) I let him read
also learn a lot from it.” Family, relatives, and friends alone.” When students feel that they can accomplish
also encourage them to read. Student 10 shared, “I the reading activities independently, they do not
was inspired on how she (the aunt) speaks and define ask for the help of their parents or anyone at home.
unfamiliar words for me. She told me that she gained Student 1 shared, “(…) I like it more when I’m reading
that knowledge from reading.” It can be reflected independently, without the help of anyone.”
that learners who see that their home environment At home, any family member can guide the students
inculcates reading as part of their family culture will and ensure that they accomplish the assigned reading
also be motivated to read. activities. As reflected on the statement of the HRP
There are various ways on motivating students to 3, “When they have reading activities like this, I allot
read at home. Parents usually tell bedtime stories as one time to focus on assisting them. Because sometimes,
reading activity for their children. They also encourage of course, we know how children are nowadays.
the learners to do their reading activities independently Sometimes they would feel sleepy, lazy to read. That’s
during the night. One parent said, “When I have free why I focus on them.” HRP 9 also stated, “Scheduling
time, I join them and read (like storytelling).” HRP 12 her reading time every day for at least 30 minutes,
also said, “I remember when I was still a student, my provide them reading materials, and make them realize
mother also took time to assist me in reading even if that reading is a good habit and not forcing them,
she was just sitting right next to me as long as she sees because when a child is learning without being forced,
me reading.” When reading at home becomes part of they can easily improve themselves.” Prasetyaningrum
the family’s literacy practices, children would be able and Ruminar (2020) reported that having DEAR for
to develop their motivation to read. at least 30 minutes a day boosted the students’ habits
Teachers, too, employ various strategies to promote of reading for pleasure.
reading at home like giving incentives, such as plus In general, there is no specific reading time at
points or extra credits. Teacher 1 and Teacher 6 home. Parents and siblings usually read in their free
shared that they give extra points when their students time. This is reflected in the reading log of the learners.
accomplish their assigned home reading tasks.” Often, they do their reading activities with their reading
Siblings also have their way of encouraging the guides in the evening or during their siesta in the
students to read by giving rewards such as snacks. afternoon. They spend at least 20 minutes to 1 hour
According to the sibling of Student 12, “What I do is a day to help the learners in their reading activities
just give them a reward. I tell them, I will give snacks as manifested in the answer of HRP 2 when she said,
after you read this particular text.” “When I really have time, Ma’am. Suppose it’s Sunday,
I make them read for 1 or 2 hours straight, Ma’am,
The Extent of HRPs’ Involvement in the Learners’ the Bible stories and then their school lessons so that
DEAR at Home Activities they don’t get too hooked to online games.” Through
The presence of parents, siblings, and other family this effort, the sister prevents her younger brother from
members has a positive impact on developing the playing online games, especially on weekends. HRP 10
students’ love for reading, which in turn helps in the shared, “If there’s time, I read stories to my two young
formation of their reading habits in the long term. children.” She explained that when she has available
Students usually consult with them first about the time, she reads stories to her children. Since working
meaning and word pronunciation. This is demonstrated parents barely have time to read with their children,
in the statement of Student 11—“She explains if there it is important to come up with a strategy to augment
is a word that I can’t understand”—and Student 12— this need as Limbrick et al. (1992) showed that the
“When I don’t know how to pronounce the word, I also longer time spent reading positively affects reading
ask my sister to help me know the right pronunciation achievement.
of the word.” The level of HRPs’ involvement differs from one
It is also important to note that the home is learner to another. When asked if they seek their
usually the first place where students are trained to be parents’ help when they read at home, Student 10
independent readers. As one of the parents shared, “I answered, “Rarely, when I encounter unfamiliar words
guide them in reading. When I have time, I read stories and I don’t have any data to use to browse for its
 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023 89

definition,” and Student 11 stated, “My mother always of reading, also to guide them about proper sourcing
reminding me if there is an activity that I haven’t done. of which materials are reliable and how to spot wrong
Usually, my sister helps me with my reading activities. information.” Recognizing home involvement in
She helps me every day and giving time to me about reading as something that will help develop reading
1 hour on helping if there is a word that is unfamiliar habits and build skills of students is a good point to
to me.” When asked how frequently she assists the emphasize among HRPs to promote literacy at the
learner in the home reading activities, HRP 5 said, home level.
“Every day especially during school days,” while HRP In the changing mode of learning brought by the
6 answered, “Once a week it’s because I’m not always current situation, it is important to strengthen home
at home and I can’t focus on teaching him, but I know involvement on the students’ reading activities. As HRP
myself that he can do it, even if I can only teach him 2 highlighted, “First of all, nowadays, we are more like
once.” The establishment of a reading nation may start second teachers to them which is also for their own
with molding families as reading assets. good. Because if we don’t teach them, they won’t have
The involvement of HRPs in learners’ reading the drive or motivation to study.” She conveyed the
activities is valuable as they inspire and motivate significance of engaging themselves amidst distance
them to read. As shared by Student 11, “They’re very learning. Teacher 5 acknowledged that “Parents’
helpful to me because they are always giving time if guidance is a big help in our current situation.”
I have a question in my activities.” Correspondingly, In strengthening the involvement of parents,
Teacher 1 shared, “It gives the learners encouragement guardians, siblings, and caretakers, proper orientation
to progress”; Teacher 2 believed, “Learners will be about the goal and their role in the school reading
inspired with their parents.” Children are encouraged activities and programs is necessary. One way of
to read when parents and other HRPs allot reading time encouraging them to be actively involved in such
with their children at home (Morni & Sahari, 2013). programs is to capacitate them as HRPs and recognize
Their presence and guidance while reading is also their efforts. As suggested by Teacher 1, “Give them
crucial for students to better understand what they read. recognition at the end of the school year and I guess
HRP 2 pointed out that it is important that everyone or they should also be trained or at least oriented on how
at least someone at home gets involved in guiding the to manage DEAR at home.” Teacher 2 also expressed
students in their reading activities. She said, “It’s really her view by saying “I think it is better if we will try to
important because the children don’t understand some enlighten the parents about the benefits of reading.”
word at once, so there should be guidance from the Ballen and Moles (1994) suggested that schools should
parents, sisters, or brothers because they would only devise strategies for family involvement, intensify
understand it on their level. But what if they interpreted connection with parents, and organize training on
it wrong? It will not be corrected right away. That’s why literacy and parenting concerns.
there should really be adults present to guide them.”
HRP 6 supported this thought as she stated, “For me, Conclusion and Recommendations
it is really important that we guide our nephews or
siblings so that they can do the right thing and not The home is where early literacy development
get confused in the activities they do.” This points out takes place. This study highlights the emerging roles
that it is important for parents, caretakers, guardians, of HRPs in the learners’ DEAR at Home activities.
or siblings to be present while the learners doing their Parents, siblings, family members, and other HRPs
reading activities at home. have a pertinent role in developing the interest,
Furthermore, HRP 10 recognized the significance motivation, and attitude of the learners toward reading.
of getting involved in the learners’ reading activities The findings showed that HRPs’ involvement does not
as she expressed, “It is also our role to get involved always result in high reading achievement. However,
in the reading activities of our children to guide them this study exposes the more significant role that
what to read.” HRP 8 emphasized the importance HRP involvement plays. Beyond the scores obtained
of involvement to establish reading habits among from the reading activities are its positive effects on
learners. She stated, “I think at an early age it’s very establishing the learners’ reading habits. Based on the
much important so we could help them build a habit findings of the study, it could be inferred that a typical
90 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023

home environment in the Philippines has limited print Ballen, J., & Moles, O. (1994). The impact of family
materials that children can read. Most learners use involvement. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/
web sources when they want to read or when they are impact-family-involvement
tasked to read independently. Reading opportunities Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative
research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2),
are limited as access and availability of print materials
27–40.
and knowledge of online reading resources remain Clark, C., & Picton, I. (2012). Family matters: The
inadequate. The teachers need to provide them with importance of family support for young people’s reading.
reading materials as an immediate solution to the lack Findings from the National Literacy Trust’s 2011 Annual
of print materials. Literacy Survey. National Literacy Trust.
It is therefore recommended that the school reading Department of Education Memorandum No. 244, s. 2011.
programs should be revisited and redesigned to include Declaring November as National Reading Month of
HRPs in the picture. Through this, the vision of creating Every Year and November 25, 2011 as the Nationwide
a reading culture at home and a reading nation will Araw ng Pagbasa. https://www.officialgazette.gov.
be realized. In addition, school reading programs ph/2011/10/02/memorandum-no-244-s-2011/
Ghaemi, F., & Salehi, N. (2014). Interaction hypothesis: A
involving HRPs must gear toward capacity building of
comprehensive theory of SLA. International Journal for
HRPs on home reading practices to ensure that reading Teachers of English, 4(4), 23–33.
at home will be as worthwhile as reading at school. Gonzales, E. (2019, December 29). Year-end report: DepEd
Schools should also consider initiating book drives in 2019: The quest for quality education continues.
to seek the help of external and internal stakeholders Manila Bulletin. https://mb.com.ph/2019/12/29/
in the reading programs. Through these initiatives, year-end-report-deped-in-2019-the-quest-for-quality-
learners can be provided reading resources at school education-continues/
and at home, thus giving them more opportunities Johnson, T. D. (1987). [Review of Drop Everything and
to read. Furthermore, the use of reading logs and Read]. The Reading Teacher, 40(9), 914–916. https://
journals is also suggested to explore how these tools www.jstor.org/stable/20199663
Kanyongo, G. Y., Certo, J., & Launcelot, B. I. (2006).
can possibly help teachers in monitoring and assessing
Using regression analysis to establish the relationship
the reading progress of their students at home and at between home environment and reading achievement:
school. A case of Zimbabwe. International Education Journal,
7(4), 632–641.
References Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry.
Sage.
Ahmadi, M. R. (2017). The impact of motivation on reading Limbrick, E. A., McNaughton, S., & Clay, M. M. (1992).
comprehension. International Journal of Research in Time engaged in reading: A critical factor in reading
English Education, 2(1), 1–7. achievement. American Annals of the Deaf, 137(4),
Allred, J. B., & Cena, M. E. (2020). Reading motivation in 309–314.
high school: Instructional shifts in student choice and Mayhall-Andrews, F. A. (2018). The relationship of parental
class time. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 64(1), involvement and reading achievement of ninth-grade
27–35. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1058 students [Doctoral dissertation, Walden University].
Anglum, B. S., Bell, M. L., & Roubinek, D. L. (1990). Midraj, J., & Midraj, S. (2011). Parental involvement and
Prediction of elementary student reading achievement grade four students’ English reading achievement.
from specific home environment variables. Reading International Journal of Applied Educational Studies,
Improvement, 27(3), 173. 12(1), 41.
Baker, L., Scher, D., & Mackler, K. (1997). Home and family Mwangi, J. (2018). Parental involvement in reading: Does
influences on motivations for reading. Educational involvement translate to performance in Kiswahili
Psychologist, 32(2), 69–82. https://doi.org/10.1207/ comprehension among elementary school pupils in
s15326985ep3202_2 Kenya? http://www.ijsernet.org/uploads/SER_01_20.pdf
Baker, L., Mackler, K., Sonnenschein, S., & Serpell, R. Morni, A., & Sahari, S. H. (2013). The impact of living
(2001). Parents’ interactions with their first-grade environment on reading attitudes. Procedia - Social and
children during storybook reading and relations Behavioral Sciences, 101, 415–425.
with subsequent home reading activity and reading O’Connor, H., & Gibson, N. (2003). A step-by-step guide
achievement. Journal of School Psychology, 39(5), 415– to qualitative data analysis. Pimatisiwin: A Journal of
438. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4405(01)00082-6 Aboriginal and Indigenous Community Health, 1(1),
 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023 91

63–91.
PISA 2018 Worldwide Ranking – Average score of
mathematics, science and reading. (2018–2019).
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD). https://factsmaps.com/pisa-2018-worldwide-
ranking-average-score-of-mathematics-science-reading/
Prasetyaningrum, D., & Ruminar, H. (2020). Drop
everything and read (DEAR) activity as a means of
increasing students’ reading habits. JET (Journal of
English Teaching) Adi Buana, 5(2), 153–162.
Rasinski, T., & Stevenson, B. (2005). The effects of fast start
reading: A fluency-based home involvement reading
program, on the reading achievement of beginning
readers. Reading Psychology, 26(2), 109–125.
Smithson, J. (n.d.). School status and the Epstein model of
parent involvement.
Sugiarsih, S. (2017). Peningkatan Keterampilan Membaca
Melalui Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) pada Siswa
Sekolah Dasar (MI). Al-Bidayah: jurnal pendidikan
dasar Islam, 9(2), 157–168.
Tatel-Suatengco, R., & Florida, J. S. (2020). Family literacy
in a low-income urban community in the Philippines.
Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 20(2), 327–355.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798418766604
Teegavarapu, S., Summers, J. D., & Mocko, G. M. (2008,
January). Case study method for design research: A
justification. In International Design Engineering
Technical Conferences and Computers and Information
in Engineering Conference (Vol. 43284, pp. 495–503).
Tizard, J., Schofield, W. N., & Hewison, J. (1982).
Collaboration between teachers and parents
in assisting children’s reading. British Journal of
Educational Psychology, 52(1), 1–15. https://doi.
org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.1982.tb02498.x
White, S., & Dewitz, P. (1996). Reading proficiency and
home support for literacy. NAEP Facts, 2(1), n1.
92 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023

Appendices

Appendix A
Interview Guides

Interview Guide (for Students)

1. Do you like reading? Why or why not?

2. What kind of books do you have and read at home? What do you usually read?
3. What/Who motivates you to read?
4. Who among your parents help you more in your reading assignments?
5. How does he/she help you in your reading activities/assignments?
6. Do you have study/reading time with your parents? To what extent do your parents involve themselves
in your reading activities?
7. Do you seek your parents’ help if you encounter unfamiliar words or if you could not understand what
the story means?
8. How helpful is parental involvement in accomplishing your home reading activities?

Interview Guide (for Parents)

1. How do you find reading? What is its importance?

2. Do you encourage your children to read at home? How or in what way?
3. What kind of books do you provide your children at home?
4. What ways can you help improve the reading achievement of your children?
5. How much time do you spend reading with your children?
6. How frequent do you assist your child/sibling/niece/nephew in his/her home reading activities?
7. Why do you think is it important to get yourselves involved in the reading activities of your children?

Open-Ended Survey Questions (for Teachers)

1. What can you say about the reading achievement of your students in their DEAR at Home activity?
2. How do you think would involving parents in the reading activities/program be helpful for the
learners?
3. How can we encourage them to get involved in reading activities/program of the school?

Acknowledgement

This paper is derived from the basic research submitted to the Schools Division Office - Pasig City. The first
author drew inspiration from Dr. Chenee D. Aparicio, her mentor at the Far Eastern University-Manila, to finish
the study.
 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023 93

Appendix B
Reading Log

Name:________________________________
Grade and Section:______________________

Date Title of the Article Reading Time Reading Guide

Time Started Time Ended (Person Who
Assisted You in
Your DEAR at
Home Reading
Activity)
94 Journal of English and Applied Linguistics | Vol. 2 No. 1 | June 2023

Appendix C
My Journal on DEAR at Home Activities

Name:_______________________________
Grade and Section: ____________________

Write your reflections about doing your DEAR at Home activities. Be guided by the following questions.

1. How did you find the DEAR at Home activities?

2. How did you feel when your parent, guardian, caretaker, sibling, and other family members assisted
you in accomplishing your reading activities?