Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
MIMAROPA Region
PUPILS’ READING CHALLENGES: BASIS FOR CRAFTING CONTEXTUALIZED
MATERIALS FOR MODULAR DISTANCE LEARNING
A Basic Research Proposal
Prepared by:
GENELYN J. REGIO
Master Teacher I
Masaguisi Elementary School
Santa Cruz East District
ANALIZA D. PERNIA
Master Teacher I
Devilla Elementary School
Santa Cruz East District
Santa Cruz East District
Schools Division of Marinduque
May 2021
Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
MIMAROPA Region
PUPILS’ READING CHALLENGES: BASIS FOR CRAFTING CONTEXTUALIZED
MATERIALS FOR MODULAR DISTANCE LEARNING
I. INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE
The sudden shift to distance learning for instructional delivery necessitates a massive reform of
the educational system as a result of the pandemic's current conditions.
It is evident that distance learning brought a remarkable twist that greatly affects the
educational component of education. Issues and challenges can be noted that may impede delivery of
quality education to the learners. Their academic performance might be in vain if not given
appropriate intervention specially in developing their reading skills.
We define literacy as the process of
using reading, writing, and oral lan-
guage to extract, construct, integrate,
and critique meaning through inter-
action and involvement with
multimodal texts in the context of
sociall
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We define literacy as the process of
using reading, writing, and oral lan-
guage to extract, construct, integrate,
and critique meaning through inter-
action and involvement with
multimodal texts in the context of
social
Reading is the most crucial aspect of the learning process. It is a cornerstone for a child's
academic and personal success. Reading education assists students in acquiring the necessary
knowledge, abilities, and experiences to become lifelong learners.
Reading is an essential skill for students. It is an important aspect of any educational process
because it is required in all topics taught at all levels. Due to various issues linked with reading
education, it appears that teaching students how to read and increasing their reading comprehension
skills is sometimes a problem for teachers. Reading instruction is a complicated process that necessitates
the use of a variety of resources. To address the pressing concerns and challenges in teaching reading, having
effective reading strategies and materials to bridge gaps in students' reading performance must be prioritized.
Schools have crafted and developed programs that vary in contents and designs to encourage
reading and to promote the development of reading skills among young learners. Some programs focus
on improving the quality of interventions to help pupils increase their level of performance in reading
specially those who belong to frustration level. Despite the deployment of reading intervention programs
and practices, reading continues to be a barrier to some pupils' academic progress. As a result, reading
remains a challenge for both teachers and students.
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In addition, reading comprehension among Filipino students raises another cause of concern. In
a survey called Program for International Assessment (PISA) that assessed 600,000 students
worldwide back in 2018, Filipino students at the age of 15 got the rating of 340 points in reading
comprehension, which is lower than the average 487. Furthermore, the Philippines ranked last among
79 countries who also took the survey. The cause of poor reading comprehension among Filipino
students is due to an interplay of factors, such as: lack of study habits among students, lack of contact
hours in teaching, and the effects of technology, internet, and social media. (Manaog, 2020)
Pupils are attempting to learn this school year by working through modules supplied by their
teachers and guided by their parents. It's a novel strategy that presents a variety of obstacles depending
on where a school is located and whether or not energy and an internet connection are available. It's
certainly different from what we're used to.
Teachers in Santa Cruz East District have been urged to participate in webinars in order to equip
them with the required skills to meet the tough demands of today's educational environment. Parents are
being asked to take on a more technical role of guiding their children to understand their modules and
follow the instructions therein. Students are faced with the challenge of being able to focus and
accomplish tasks in an environment far different from what they had been used to. They are also
expected to finish the work and submit their results by the end of the week. The infrastructure of schools
is limited to being a support facility for distance learning.
The present educational situation due to the health crisis may aggravate the endless agony of
teachers in teaching reading. Modular distance learning may give them reasons to put aside their passion
to develop pupil’s reading skills. Furthermore, the current pandemic situation has nearly eliminated the
opportunity for teachers to devote adequate time to teaching their students, which is a critical process,
particularly during a learner's elementary years.Poor reading skills among students could be one of these
consequences.
Despite the efforts of the teaching staff in alleviating reading problems through various reading
programs and intervention strategies/materials, frustration readers continue to emerge among Grade 3
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pupils in the Santa Cruz East District. However, there is a possibility that an issue was overlooked: the
reading materials provided were inappropriate for the learner's challenges.
Thus, the researchers are relying on contextualized reading to lessen the number of frustration
readers.The research proponents believe that teachers need to intensify their sincere commitment to
nurture their pupils by giving them the gift of reading. The output of this study offers one of the most
promising roads to sustain quality education of the young generation despite the bulk of challenges we
are all facing right now. Thus, this descriptive study on the reading difficulties of the Grade 3 pupils in
Santa Cruz East District will be conducted. It will also determine the challenges encountered by the
teachers and their home learning tutors as contributing factors in their reading performance. Results of
this study will lead to propose contextualized reading intervention materials.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
This part presents a review of literature and studies that have bearing on the present study and
are important in the understanding of the variables investigated.
Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil IRI)
The Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) was developed to give teachers a tool for
assessing and describing students' reading abilities. It's a tool for determining a student's reading level
that consists of graded passages. Phil-IRI is only a rough estimate of a learner's abilities and should be
used in conjunction with other reliable assessment tools.
One of the initiatives put in place to support the Every Child A Reader Program is the
development of the Phil-IRI (ECARP). Teachers should have information about their students' current
reading levels and abilities before they can design and provide appropriate reading instruction for
them.This diagnostic approach to describing how children read embraces inclusionary principles that
emphasize the need for education that is learner-oriented, responsive and culturally- sensitive. The Phil-
IRI is one of the diagnostic tools that teachers can use to determine students' abilities and needs in
reading.
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Reading Comprehension
Vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, and sentence, paragraph, and text construction are all used to
determine reading comprehension. Students should be able to (1) scan, (2) skim, (3) read between the
lines, (4) read intensively, and (5) extract meaning from context in order to be competent readers.
Plocher (2016) explored the effects of three reading comprehension strategies: Cloze Reading
Comprehension Activity, Reading Road Map (RRM), and Survey-Question-Read-Recite-Review
(SQ3R) on reading comprehension of 48 students when reading digital informational texts. Results
suggested that the three reading comprehension strategies in this study have the same effect on
reading comprehension when digital informational texts are read.
Gilakjani (2016) also ventured how students can improve reading comprehension skill using
qualitative research design. Results revealed that reading strategies have a great impact on the
students’ reading comprehension ability and had documented that students were not just passive
receivers of information but they are active makers of meaning. Successful readers try to apply
numerous skills to grasp meaning from the texts. Thus, readers should be involved in the reading
process by using different strategies to monitor their meaning. Moreover, this study emphasized the
idea that comprehension processes are influenced by a lot of strategies. All of these strategies work
together to construct the meaning process easily and effectively.
Long and Szabo (2016) conducted a quasi-experimental mixed methods study to examine the
use of e-readers during guided reading instruction and its impact on 5th grade students’ reading
motivation, attitude toward reading, and reading comprehension. For 10 weeks, 19 students received
guided reading instruction by means of the traditional paper/text format, while 16 students received
guided reading instruction by means of e-readers using the same stories but in digital text format.
The Motivation to Read Profile was used to measure student motivation; the Elementary Reading
Attitude Survey was administered to measure student attitude and the Gates-MacGinitie Reading
Tests Fourth Edition, were administered to measure student comprehension. A MANOVA showed
no significant difference between the students who used e-reader digital text format and those that
used paper/text format in regard to reading motivation, attitude toward reading or reading
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comprehension. However, the qualitative data gave several insights into why e-readers did not make
a difference.
Hansen (2016) determined the effects of guided reading on the reading comprehension of
struggling, average, and accelerated readers. Twenty -two (22) 5th grade students in an Integrated
Co-Taught class were involved. The students’ reading levels were assessed and they were placed
into struggling, average, and accelerated reading groups. The three themes that emerged from the
data were that educators are aware of the benefits of guided reading instruction but inconsistent
application hinders student results, students need to be equal partners in their learning, and guided
reading increased the reading comprehension in average readers, but not in struggling or accelerated
readers. Guided reading should not be the only component of a balanced literacy program within a
classroom.
Larson (2016) investigated the effects implementing multiple reading strategies and reading
activities of 56 students on student reading comprehension and motivation. Data were collected from
comprehension assessments, teacher observations, and the implementation of a book challenge
adapted from The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller.
Activities from the book challenge included student self-reflections, book reviews, reading journals,
and student to teacher letter correspondences about reading experiences. Results indicated that
student reading comprehension in each classroom improved with the implementation of these
reading strategies. Implications of the study suggest that if teachers implement a variety of reading
strategies, student comprehension can increase and students may become more motivated readers
with more reading exposure. Because of the powerful results of student growth, the instructional
and motivational techniques will continue to be implemented.
Mirandilla (2016) examined the language learning styles of the Grade 1 pupils as basis for
developmental reading activities. Findings revealed that hand-dominance which was used, as one of
its variables did not have significant relationship with the language learning style of the pupils; the
rest of the variables were found to be significantly related. The study was able to come up with a set
of reading activities for Grade 1 pupils.
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Paz (2018) determined the reading comprehension levels in English of Grade 7 students of
Caraga State University, Cabadbaran, Agusan del Norte. It also described the profile of the
participants and the perceived factors which determine the participants’ reading comprehension
levels in terms of availability of literary reading materials at home, adequacy of reading instruction
in reading, availability of reading materials in school, and reading habits. Findings revealed that
there was no significant relationship between the participants’ profile and factors of reading toward
their reading comprehension level. It gave way to deal with some of the levels of reading
comprehensions that were weak, namely: interpretative, critical, and application that requires
desirable intervention program.
Pupils’ Literacy
When elementary school children struggle with reading, teachers and parents are worried. When
young children are reluctant to even engage in the act of reading, the situation becomes more worrisome.
The words and phrases describe these chuldrens’ attitude as reluctant, disengaged, unmotivated, falling
behind and at-risk. “Reading difficulty is a particular salient marker for achievement in young children
because it is a primary focus of early education and a principal predictor of current and later
achievement. (What Research Really Says About Teaching Reading (Even Beyond ILA 2019)
Challenges and Concerns in Teaching Reading
Reading's ultimate purpose is comprehension: for the reader to recreate the writer's mental
environment. As experienced readers, this usually comes effortlessly to us, and comprehension flows
effortlessly as we read. This sensation of comfort, however, is deceiving, since it conceals the intricacy
of what we do while reading, even when the material is basic and easy. A whole range of cognitive and
linguistic operations are at play, from identifying individual words through to making inferences about
situations that are not fully described in the text (Castles, Rastle, & Nation, 2018). This complexity
means that finding a simple answer to questions like “how does reading comprehension develop” and
“why does it sometimes fail” quickly becomes an impossible task. (Australian Journal of Learning
Difficulties.Volume 24, 2019)
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Gundogmus (2018) investigated the difficulties that primary school teachers had in primary
reading and writing education, as well as the solutions they proposed for overcoming these obstacles.
The study discovered two important reading findings: students' unreadiness and a lack of engagement
when reading. Provision of appropriate activation is one of the proposed options.
Swerling (2019) emphasized in her paper that patterns of reading difficulty provide an
educationally useful way to think about different kinds of reading problems, whether those problems are
mainly experiential in nature or associated with disabilities (e.g., those typical of children with dyslexia).
The article reviews research on three common patterns of poor reading: specific word-reading
difficulties, specific reading-comprehension difficulties, and mixed reading difficulties.
Contextualized Reading Materials
Amatzki (2018) proved in his study on Developing Context-Based Reading Materials that it is
necessary to develop models of teaching materials that can serve as a model for teachers to develop
their own reading materials tailored to the needs of the pupils and can be linked to their real-life
contexts.
Contextualized Teaching and Learning
By definition, contextualized teaching is a teaching method that refers to teaching students the
content in a context. An example would be embedding the concepts in meaningful activities and in a
scenario that makes sense to the students to enhance their understanding and to make concepts more
relatable. (Khare, 2018) In essence, it enables students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-life
situations. Contextualized learning also improves the learners’ decision-making by enabling them to
analyze facts and figures and comparing them with real-life situations.
In a method called scaffolding, the students are placed in a contextualized setting wherein they
solve problems while simultaneously building the associated skill. The basic principle of this method is
to create supporting structures around the student to achieve the learning outcome. These supporting
structures can be an assortment of activities, continuous feedback and assessment to ensure that the
learner is able to build independence. As the student continues to develop the targeted skill, the feedback
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gradually lessens until the student develops the target skill. The main takeaway from this method is to
focus on the skills involved in the task, rather than completing the task itself. (Khare, 2018)
III. Theoretical/ Conceptual Framework
The foundation of this research is Piaget's Schema theory. It claims that schema encompasses
both the category of knowledge and the act of acquiring it. People, he felt, are continually adapting to
their surroundings as they absorb new information and gain new skills.
The ability to combine one's own background knowledge with information in a text is referred to
as schema theory. It can alternatively be characterized as a mental structure made up of preconceived
notions, a framework that represents some part of the world, or a system for organizing and perceiving
incoming information. Past knowledge and knowledge structure play a critical part in people's cognitive
behavior during this process.
People are more likely to notice things that fit into their schema, while reinterpreting
contradictions to the schema as exceptions or distorting them to suit. Schemata influence attention and
the absorption of new knowledge: people are more likely to notice things that fit into their schema, while
reinterpreting contradictions to the schema as exceptions or distorting them to fit. People utilize
schemata to organize their existing knowledge and lay the groundwork for future comprehension. The
use of schema theory to improve the reading abilities of the pupils. It will intensify pupils' reading
interest, quicken their reading speed and strengthen their reading comprehension skills. It can also help
learners fulfill their task more successfully in other disciplines.
This research can also be linked to constructivist theory. According to this approach, contextual
education promotes authentic learning and boosts student performance by helping them to establish
connections as they build new knowledge. Learners in contextualized learning organize and combine
new knowledge they've acquired with information they already have so that it makes sense.
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Below is the paradigm of the study.
INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT
Pupils’ Reading
S Challenges Analysis and
Interpretation of Pupils’
Teachers’ Challenges in Reading Assessment
Teaching Reading
Administration of
Parents’/Guardians’ Survey Questionnaire Contextualized Reading
Challenges as Home Intervention Materials
Learning Tutors Inventory of Reading
Materials
Figure 1. Research Paradigm
The paradigm of the entire investigation is depicted in Figure 1. The IPO format is used. The
factors for research are pupils' reading challenges, teachers' challenges in teaching reading, and
parents'/guardians' challenges as home learning tutors, which are all listed in the input box.
To identify the considerable development in children' reading skills, an interplay between and
among the variables will be determined. Meanwhile, the data collection procedure is depicted in the
process box, which includes documentary analysis of students' reading performance and administration
of a checklist questionnaire created by researchers on instructors' obstacles in teaching reading and
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problems faced by parents/guardians as home learning tutors. The output box displays the proposed
intervention, an offshoot of the findings, the contextualized reading intervention materials.
IV. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This study aims to present a study on the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil -IRI) as
assessment tool to find out the pupils’ reading challenges of the Grade 3 pupils in Santa Cruz East
District as basis for crafting contextualized reading intervention materials for modular distance
learning..
Specifically, it will seek answers to the following questions:
1. What are the pre-and post-test results of the Reading Assessment in Grade 3 pupils for SY 2020-
2021 in terms of
1.1 oral reading
1.2 comprehension?
2. What are the reading challenges encountered by the pupils who fall under frustration level in oral
reading and reading comprehension?
3. What are the challenges encountered by the teachers in teaching reading and by the parents as home
learning tutors?
4. Is there a significant relationship between the pupils’ reading performance who fall under frustration
level and the challenges encountered by the pupils, teachers and parents?
5. What reading intervention materials can be proposed as an output of the study?
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V. SCOPE AND LIMITATION
This study on pupils’ reading challenges based on Philippine Informal Reading Inventory
(Phil- IRI) as the assessment tool covers the pupils’ reading performance in word recognition and
comprehension skills. The reading performance will be assessed based on the results of the Phil -IRI
pre and post assessments of the Grade 3 pupils who obtained a raw score of below 14 during the
initial screening (Phil_IRI Group Screening Test). Data on Phil -IRI will be requested from
respective teachers. It will delve in finding the improvement in the reading skills and the reading
challenges encountered by the pupils in reading. Results of pre and post assessments will be
supported by data gathered from the interview to be conducted among Grade 3 teachers in Santa
Cruz East District. Likewise, an interview with the home learning tutors using monitoring tool and
feedback form will be done. Results will serve as the basis for crafting contextualized reading
intervention materials for modular distance learning.
VI. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A. Research Design
This study will make use of descriptive qualitative and quantitative research design. Descriptive
research describes systematically and accurately the facts and chracteristics of a given population or
area of interest. It aims to provide an accurate portrayal or account of characteristics of a particular
individual, group or situation. The researcher does not manipulate any of the variables but rather
only describes the sample and/or variables.
B. Sampling Technique
This study will use purposive sampling. The 19 Grade 3 teachers and 68 home learning tutors
in Santa Cruz East District will be the participants of the study. The 68 Grade 3 pupils will be the
subjects of the research.
C. Data Collection
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Primarily, this research will utilize results of Phil -IRI pre and post assessments as the main
source of data. These will be requested from the subject teachers of the Grade 3 pupils for the
school year 2020-2021.
A researcher-made interview guide checklist will be used in gathering additional data from the
participants. The interview aims to provide comprehensive details on the challenges and concerns of
teachers in teaching reading and parents as home learning tutors of the pupils.. It contains questions
on challenges and concerns encountered by the teachers and parents and the reading intervention
materials used to improve the reading skills of the pupils.
The researchers will document the responses on challenges encountered in teaching reading.
Data on reading intervention materials used in teaching reading will also be collected. These will
be analyzed and carefully interpreted. In like manner, records of Phil IRI pre and post assessment
will be tabulated to present the reading levels of the Grade 3 pupils in Santa Cruz East District for
school year 2019-2020.
D. Ethical Issues
Human participants are involved in this study on students' reading challenges based on Phil-IRI
results in order to support the data being analyzed. For this study, several measures will be made in
order to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of the participants and subjects. These concerns will be
identified ahead of time in order to avoid future dispute throughout the research process. Among the
significant concerns include: confidentiality, consent and anonymity of the subjects and the data
protection.
To avoid confusion, the interview approach will be written in a very clear and succinct manner
during the research. To avoid errors and inaccuracies in their answers, participants in this study will be
given enough of time to respond to the questions provided to them. The respondents will also be given a
waiver regarding the confidentiality of their identity and information that they did not wish to disclose.
This will be done to build and strengthen the trust between the researchers and the respondents.
E. Plan for Data Analysis
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The researchers will document the pupils’ reading level and challenges based on Pre and Post Test
Results of PHIL-IRI. These will be analyzed and interpreted. Assessment data will be tabulatated to
present the reading levels of the Grade 3 pupils for school year 2019-2020. Summary of miscues
commited by the pupils in oral reading will be tabulated. Mean percentage of oral reading and
comprehension scores of each learner during pre and post test will be computed to determine the
significant improvement. Analysis and interpretation of word reading and comprehension level will be
done as pupils’ oral reading profile. For additional data on qualitative analysis of pupils’ reading
challenges, the researcher will summarize records on behavior of the pupils while reading using
Observation Checklist (See Appendix D, Phil-IRI Form 4)
In support to the assessment data that will be driven, response of the respondents on the challenges
and concerns in teaching reading and intervention reading materials used to improve pupils’ reading
skills will be sought and recorded. These will also be analyzed and interpreted.
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VIII. Cost Estimates
Activity Quantity Items Unit Price Total Cost
Pre-Implementation Phase
Reproduction of the materials 1500 pages bond paper 1.00 1,500.00
(research proposal) 1 set ink 1,200 1,200.00
Reproduction of Output 1500 Bond paper 1.00 1, 500.00
Reproduction of the Materials for 1500 pages bond paper 1.00 1,500.00
Presentation and Defense
Post Implementation Phase 500 pages bond paper 1.00 500.00
Submission of Final Paper
TOTAL 6, 200.00
IX. Plans for Dissemination and Advocacy
After a comprehensive examination and approval, the results of the study will be used in the
Santa Cruz East District to achieve its goals.With the genuine desire of the researchers to lessen the
burden and somehow solve issues and challenges in reading, the proposed contextualized reading
intervention materials will be shared to all Gade 3 teachers and pupils in the distict. Monthly monitoring
of the research output will be conducted in order to validate its impact and effectiveness. Issues and
concerns will also be given emphasis for appropriate intervention. Usability and sustainability of the
reading materials will also be monitored and evaluated for further enhancement or modification when
necessary.
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X. REFERENCES
Amatzki, Amatzki (2018). Developing Context-Based Reading Materials. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329956826_Developing_Context-
Based_Reading_Materials
Beck, I. L., & Juel, C. (2015). The role of decoding in learning to read. American Educator, 19,
8-25. Retrieved from
http://www.scholastic.com/Dodea/Module_2/resources/dodea_m2_pa_roledecod.
Bonganciso, Ruel T. (2016) Effects of Contextualization on the Reading Comprehension
Performance of Filipino Learners. Retrieved from
Fry, E., Kress, J., & Fountoukidis, D. (2014). The reading teacher’s book of lists (4th ed.).
Paramus, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Gilakjani, A. (2016). How can students improve their reading comprehension skills? Retrieved
from http://wwwresearchgate.net/publication/303742915
Gundogmus, H. (2018). The difficulties experienced by teachers in the process of primary
reading and writing instruction and their solution offers for eliminating these
difficulties. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 6(2), pp. 333 – 339. Retrieved
from DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2018.060216
Hansen, K. (2016). Guided reading and how it affects reading comprehension in struggling,
middle level, and high level reader. Retrieved
http://fisherpub.sjfc/edu/education_ETD_master.
Khare, K. (2018, February 27). Contextualized learning using scaffolding. Retrieved from Medium:
https://medium.com/a-teachers-hat/contextualizing-learning-using-scaffolding-
a6046434fc88
Larson, K. (2016). Increasing motivation to improve reading comprehension. Retrieved from
http://sophia.stake.educ/mood/165
Manaog, N. R. (2020, January 23). Why students have poor reading comprehension. Retrieved
from The Manila Times:
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https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/01/23/campus-press/why- students-have-poor-
reading-comprehension/676508/
Mirandilla, T. M. (2016). The language learning styles of Grade VI pupils; basis for a strategies
for remediation. (Unpublished Master’s Thesis). Bicol University Graduate School,
Legazpi City.University Graduate School, Legazpi City.
Plocher, R. (2016). An investigation on the effects of the reading comprehension strategies on
reading comprehension when reading digital information text. Retrieved from https://mlc-
wels.edu/library/wp content/uploads/sites/14/2016/.../Plocher-Thesis.pdf
