The Efficacy of Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) Method on Students' Reading Comprehension in Senior High School

Abstract. This study investigated the efficacy of the Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) in improving the reading comprehension of senior high school students. Employing a quantitative quasi-experimental non-equivalent group pretest–post-test design, the research involved 60 Grade 11 students enrolled in Reading and Writing Skills at Lucrecia R. Kasilag Senior High School. Participants were purposively assigned into an experimental group (n = 30), which received DRTA-based instruction, and a control group (n = 30), which was taught using direct instruction. A validated 30-item reading comprehension test measuring remembering, understanding, applying, and analysing skills was administered before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics and paired-sample t-tests were used to analyze the data. Results revealed that the experimental group demonstrated an improvement in mean scores from pretest to post-test, indicating enhanced reading comprehension following exposure to DRTA. In contrast, the control group showed minimal to no improvement. Within-group analysis confirmed a statistically significant gain in the experimental group, while no significant change was observed in the control group. However, between-group comparison of post-test scores indicated no statistically significant difference, suggesting that although DRTA positively influenced student performance, its effect was not sufficiently strong to establish superiority over traditional instruction within the study duration. The findings highlight the potential of DRTA as an interactive and learner-centered instructional strategy that promotes purposeful reading, critical thinking, and knowledge retention. Nonetheless, the absence of significant between-group differences may be attributed to factors such as limited intervention duration, sample size, and individual learner variability. The study recommends sustained implementation of DRTA, integration into regular classroom practice, and further research using larger samples and mixed method approaches to better capture its long-term impact on reading comprehension. Keywords: Directed Reading Thinking Activity, reading comprehension, quasi-experimental design, senior high school, academic performance, literacy instruction