Translanguaging within the Murdoch Integrated Approach in a Third-grade Classroom: An Action Research on Improving Reading Comprehension in English Literary Texts

Abstract

Aim: This study determined the effect of Translanguaging within the Murdoch Integrated Approach on the reading comprehension of Grade 3 learners in English literary texts. Methodology: The study employed a pre-experimental one-group pre-test–post-test research design. The participants were 20 Grade 3 pupils from Cateel Central Elementary School who participated in the study and completed both the pre-test and post-test. The intervention lasted two weeks and consisted of eight sessions. A researcher-made 20-item test was developed, pilot-tested, and refined into a 19-item test after item analysis. The instrument obtained a KR-20 reliability coefficient of 0.55, indicating relatively low internal reliability, but it underwent content validation before implementation. Data were analysed using the mean, a dependent-samples t-test, and Hedges' g correction. Results: The findings revealed that before the intervention, learners obtained a mean pre-test score of 7.35, equivalent to a transmuted grade of 69 ("Did Not Meet Expectations"), indicating low reading comprehension. After implementing Translanguaging within the Murdoch Integrated Approach, the mean post-test score increased to 12.80, with a transmuted grade of 79 ("Fairly Satisfactory"), showing improved comprehension of English literary texts. Statistical analysis using the dependent-samples t-test revealed a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores (t(19) = 9.741, p < 0.05), indicating that a statistically significant improvement was observed within the study sample. Furthermore, the intervention yielded a Hedges' g value of 2.135, representing a very large effect size. However, because the study employed a one-group pre-test–post-test design without a comparison group, the findings indicate an association between the intervention and the observed improvement. Conclusion: Translanguaging within the Murdoch Integrated Approach was associated with improvement in reading comprehension among Grade 3 learners in multilingual classrooms, particularly by helping learners understand English literary texts through the strategic use of both their first language and English. However, the findings were interpreted with caution due to the absence of a control group and the relatively low reliability coefficient of the research instrument.