Classroom discourse analysis and the reading crisis in the Philippines

This paper investigates what goes on in the teaching of reading in English in state-run basic education classrooms in the Philippines through classroom discourse analysis (CDA). Although research indicates that the Philippines’ reading curriculum is aligned with global expectations, its schoolchildren have consistently scored low in international assessments. Various reasons have been considered for these results, ranging from poor skills instruction to poor psycho-social, environmental, and economic support. However, what goes on in the classroom, as evidenced by the exchange between teachers and students, is largely unexplored. Through CDA, it becomes possible to identify how schoolchildren actually learn to read. This way, it becomes possible to uncover what students learn about reading, if indeed the skills necessary to achieve strong literacy are conveyed in the classroom. This paper argues that, in the Philippines, reading is essentially about taking on certain value positions, rather than the actual skill of reading.