TITLE OF YOUR STUDY HERE

______________________

A Research Paper
Presented to the
Faculty of Aliaga National High School
Aliaga, Nueva Ecija

______________________

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Course
Practical Research 1
(Qualitative Research)

______________________

By

2017

1
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

CHAPTER

I. Introduction

Background of the Study

Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

Statement of the Problem

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

Significance of the Study

Definition of Terms

II. Review of Related Literature and Studies

Review of Related Literature

Foreign Literature

Local Literature

Review of Related Studies

Foreign Studies

Local Studies

Synthesis

III. Methodology

Research Design

Sources of Data/Respondents of the Study

Sampling Procedure

2
 Data Gathering Procedures

Ethical Considerations

Data Analysis

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INSTRUMENT OF THE STUDY

APPENDICES

Letter of Permission to the School Principal

Letter to the Respondents/ Informants

Informed Consent Form

3
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents the introduction, background, the theoretical and

conceptual framework with its paradigm, the statement of the problem, the scope of the

study and its limitation, how the present study is significant to its intended readers and

the operational definition of terms for better understanding of the words and

nomenclature used in the study.

Background of the Study

English, as a primary and prevalent means of communication throughout the

World, has been the language of instruction in majority of the subjects being taught to

students. Literacy, proficiency and competency in language, becomes a necessary part

in the learning process of students. The use of the English language entails a stronger

demand in the contemporary society, not just to communicate with others, but to relate

and compete globally. Bearing its importance, learning the English language has been

an imperative starting from the basic education. The intention of which is to teach the

students to communicate in English and prepare them in the society whos common and

international language is English.

Therefore, how the students learn the language becomes equally significant for

educators. The premise here asserts that for students to communicate their thoughts,

the medium, i.e., the language, must be first learned. Language learning styles and

strategies are among the main factors that help determine how-and-how well our

students learn the English language. English language has been the main vehicle of

4
global communication. Both Oxford and Lessard-Clouston (as cited in Altunay, 2014)

stated that language learning strategies contribute to the development of the

communicative competence of the learners. Oxford (1990 as cited in Altunay, 2014)

stated, language learning strategies "... are especially important for language learning

because they are tools for active, self-directed movement, which is essential for

developing communicative competence."

This affirms that communication competence clearly involves language (Druviete

2007, p. 12). The concepts of communication competence have been constantly

changed and accompanied by a change in the originally used terms, namely, language

proficiency, communicative proficiency, communicative language ability, communicative

language competence etc. (Bagari, Djigunovi 2007, p. 99 as cited in Altunay, 2014)

and communication competence (Zaerinska 2008, p. 1-8 as cited in Altunay, 2014)

understood as competence in communication (McCroskey 1984, p. 259 as cited in

Altunay, 2014).

In the academic and social context, communication issues have been prevalent

and also have meaningful concerns and implications to students academic

performance. College students manifest difficulty in expressing and communicating

clearly, effectively and correctly their thoughts using the English language. The need to

address this concern, the communication competence of students, has been out there

in the open.

Communication competence is not mere proficiency or performance of language

through communication. It involves competency. It refers to the language system.

Performance indicates the use of language. Competence is considered stronger

5
than performance because it focuses on linguistic competence, i.e., to communicate

effectively and correctly with the use of language.

This competency as part of the outcomes-based education system is an outcome

expected out of language learners, more so with English education majors. They will not

just use the language but they will teach the language. Hence, the necessity of

assessing their competencies is very relevant. There are no programs or studies

previously conducted or organized to assess the communication competence of

preservice teachers especially those whose major is English. This study will then

pioneer the attempt and address this gap to assess the language learning strategies of

students vis--vis with their communication competence.

Growing trends indicate that academe and society expect graduating majors to

demonstrate proficiency in basic communication competencies, basic skills of reading

and writing, competencies in career and personal settings, and intercultural

communication competence.

In the Philippines, the Commission on Higher Education [CHED] Memorandum

Order No. 46 s. 2012 stipulated the policy standard that aims to enhance quality

assurance (QA) in Philippine higher education through an outcomes-based and

typology-based QA. The rationale to change the education pedagogy was expounded

on Article 3, Section 11, of CMO-No.46-s2012:

The changing realities spurred by globalization underscore the shift in

contemporary international education discourse from education to lifelong
learning, and from education as transmission of expert knowledge to
education as building learner competencies including learning how to
learn.

6
 The higher education system strongly encourages communication competency

as well as learning throughout its curriculum by emphasizing the importance of student

interaction in all courses. Further, Section 13 and 15 states:

CHED is committed to developing competency-based learning standards

that comply with existing international standards when applicable (e.g.
outcomes-based education) to achieve quality and enable an effective
integration of the intellectual discipline, ethos and values associated with
liberal education. While CHED adopts an outcomes-based approach to
monitoring and evaluation, specific inputs and processes remain important
as they create the environment and shape the learning experience that is
made available to students.

Higher Education Institutions [HEIs] in the Philippines are therefore expected to

develop human resources with various types of knowledge, competencies, and

expertise, especially in support of the social, economic, and development needs of the

Philippines (CHED, 2012, p. 15).

Formative and summative assessments of students are geared towards

outcomes in order to develop competencies. Many instructors require student

participation and assign a percentage of the course grade solely to class discussions,

an approach which demands that students possess the necessary communication skills.

Students however find great difficulty in adequately expressing themselves in the

classroom environment. Students experience difficulties in interpersonal competence

such as assertiveness, expressiveness, immediacy, self-esteem, and self-confidence.

Students also lack skills in critical thinking, language, and oral communication. As a

result, many students tend to avoid classroom situations in which they would be called

upon to share their thoughts or argue a given point. It may be contested whether

students are able to benefit fully from these higher education courses. Additionally, poor

communication competency will influence the students professional lives.

7
 Communication courses can facilitate the students personal success and his/her

development of the ability to communicate organized thoughts using spoken language

(Morreale et al., 1993 as cited in Alshahwan, 2010). This will help students improve and

achieve their communication competence, especially the ability to express and

communicate their thoughts clearly and effectively. This has been an observable

concern among students in Higher Education Institutions. Since generally there is

significant impact of English language proficiency on overall academic achievement of

students (Fakeye & Ogunsiji,2009), and specifically there is relationship between

strategy use and language proficiency (Abu Shmais,2004), therefore there is a need to

seek the communication competence and language learning strategies used by the

students in order to address the gap in competency, especially for those who will

become teachers of the English language and who will use the English language as a

medium of instruction and communication.

Hence, there is a need to conduct an assessment of the English language

learning strategies and communication competencies of students in Higher Education

Institutions. This study will therefore attempt to ascertain these factors among the

Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English students of Cavite State University.

Theoretical Framework

The proposed theoretical framework from which this study is anchored was

adopted from Savignon (1972, 1983). People need language when they interact to each

other. The purpose is to understand and to be understood by other people.

Understanding what other people say will make the interaction effective because each

8
person can understand and give responses to others. It means people often use

language to communicate. That is why Savignons theory about communicative

language teaching is appropriate for this study because it is based on a view of

language as communication. This means language is used as a means of

communication with other people orally or in writing. Language is seen as a social tool

that speakers use to make meanings; speakers communicate about something to

someone for some purpose, either orally or in writing (Savignon, 1983, 6).

The concept of communication competence in language teaching has broader

meaning than the linguistic theory. In communication competence people and

languages they use are viewed in the social context or setting (Savignon, 1983). While

linguistic theory sees people as the ideal speakers and listeners. In these conditions the

grammatical correctness becomes the main concern. Therefore, sometimes the

meaning or message itself is delayed. People incline to focus on the grammar

structures rather than to the meaning itself.

From the theory its can be concluded that communication competence means

the ability to understand, identify and use language or language features as a whole

meaning to communicate one another in different situational contexts. Part of this theory

is also the language use and acquisition. The current study is anchored in Savignons

theory on communication competence and its requisite component which is learning

and using of language in a context.

9
Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework that is adopted in this current study is from Oxford

(1990). According to Oxfords view, taxonomy of language learning strategies is divided

into two groups as Direct Strategies and Indirect Strategies. Direct strategies include

Memory Strategies, Cognitive Strategies, and Compensation Strategies. Memory

strategies are related to creation of mental linkages, use of images and sounds,

revision, and actions. Cognitive Strategies are related to making practice, receiving and

sending messages, analyzing and reasoning, and creating structure. Compensation

strategies are related to making guesses, and dealing with problems in oral and written

communication. Indirect Strategies are Metacognitive Strategies, Affective Strategies

and Social Strategies. Metacognitive Strategies include centering learning,

arrangement, planning and evaluation of learning. Affective strategies are used to

decrease anxiety, increase self-encouragement, and take ones emotional temperature.

Finally, Social strategies include questioning, cooperative work, and emphasizing with

other people.

This current study is anchored on the six language learning strategies developed

by Oxford, and will use these areas to assess the English language learning strategies

used by the students.

10
 Research Paradigm

Input Process Output

1. The profile of the In order to ascertain the

student-respondents in Language Learning
terms of: Strategies and
a. year level;
Communication
b. GPA in three English
Competence of the Bases for a
subjects;
c. seminars or trainings student-respondents, Proposed
attended in relation to the following process
Academic
language learning will be utilized:
strategies and Enhancement
communication 1. Administration of
Program
competence. survey
questionnaire
2. The English language
learning strategies used 2. Conduct of
by the student- documentary Enhancement of
respondents in terms of: analysis for the Communication
a. memory strategies;
students grades
b. cognitive strategies; Competence
c. compensation 3. Employment of of the students
strategies;
d. metacognitive statistical analysis
strategies; of data (descriptive,
e. affective strategies; comparative and
and correlational tests)
f. social strategies.

3. The communication
competence of the
student-respondents.

Figure 2. The figure shows the research paradigm of the study on the learning
language strategies used and communication competence of the Selected
Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English of Cavite State
University in order to propose a training program.

On the input box of the study, it includes the academic profile of the English

major Education students which will serve as respondents of the study. It also consists

11
of the assessment on their English language learning strategies based on the six

domains and their communication competence.

The inputs will be gathered through the administration of survey questionnaire

and documentary survey of the grades which serve as the initial data gathering

procedure. The inputs gathered will then be subjected to descriptive and comparative

assessments. After which a correlational test will also be employed to determine the

relationship of the two main variables of the study.

The result of the foregoing process and information gathered intends to yield a

proposed English Language Learning Strategy Training Program. This proposal aims to

address the areas for improvement or continuous enhancement in the Language

Learning and Communication of the students.

Statement of the Problem

This research intends to determine the relationship between language learning

strategies used and communication competency of Bachelor of Science in Education

(BSE) Major in English students of a State University in order to recommend a proposed

academic enhancement program.

Specifically, the study tries to answer the following:

1. What is the profile of the selected education students in terms of:

1.1 year level;

1.2 GPA in three (3) English subjects; and

1.3 seminars or trainings attended in relation to language learning strategies

and communication competence?

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 2. What are the language learning strategies used by the selected education

students in terms of:

2.1 memory strategies;

2.2 cognitive strategies;

2.3 compensation strategies;

2.4 metacognitive strategies;

2.5 affective strategies; and

2.6 social strategies?

3. Are there significant differences in the language learning strategies used by

the respondents when grouped according to their profile?

4. What is the communication competence of the selected education students in

terms of:

4.1 speaking; and

4.2 listening?

5. Is there a significant relationship between the English language learning

strategies used and communication competence of the respondents?

6. As a result of the study, what academic enhancement program may be

proposed to enhance students communication competency?

Scope and Limitation

The work intends to ascertain the language learning strategies used by the

students and their communication competence in the English language only. The

English language learning strategies covers only the six (6) component strategies, viz.,

13
memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective and social. The 50-item

Strategy Inventory Language Learning (SILL) by Oxford (1990) will be used. While for

the communication competence, this variable covers the communication competency

and behavior of students with reference to the English language only. The 19-item

Communication Competence Self-Report (CCSR) Scale developed by Rebecca Rubin

(1982) will be used. The language learning strategy and communication competence

will not be observed nor cover actual oral and written skills of the students but instead a

standardized self-report and assessment will be used to gather the information needed.

Factors, determinants and predictors affecting and influencing language learning

strategies and communication competence will not be part of the study.

The academic performance of the students is based on the grades from the three

(3) English subjects of the students initially taken by the students based from the

curriculum, i.e., Study and Thinking Skills (English 1), Writing in the Discipline (English

2), and Speech and Oral Communication (English 6).

On the limitation of the study: since part of the questionnaire is a self-report for

the source of information, it is not clear whether participants actively used the

strategies, they indicated. Their response may not be just their beliefs and thoughts that

they have about their use of strategies. However, the researcher earnestly requests the

respondents to objectively and honestly assess themselves on these areas.

The study is for the selected Third Year Bachelor of Secondary Education Major

in English bonafide students of the College of Education, and Eight (8) Satellite

Campuses which also offer BSE-English of Cavite State University, excluding Trece

14
Martires City Campus and Carmona Campus. The study will only cover the Academic

Year 2015 to 2016.

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will be of interest and likewise be beneficial to the

following stakeholders:

Curriculum Developers. The studys findings and the proposed English

language learning strategy training program will give additional inputs to the countrys

curriculum developers and academicians in pursuing amendments or improvements to

their curriculum, particularly in their program offering and learning outcomes for courses

that will involve language learning and communication competence.

The Institution. For the University and the College of Education, analysis of data

and information gathered will prove to be extensively useful as basis for curriculum

development, academic policy making, and learning and development seminars and

trainings for students. The assessment will help monitor student educational progress

and evaluate the quality of school system.

Pre-service teacher students. The findings of the study would contribute to the

knowledge of the students and awareness of their own personal competencies and

areas for improvement. The findings will reflect the language learning they are

practicing and communication competence which in turn will be useful in approaching

and planning potential and effective strategies as future teachers in their teaching

profession.

15
 Faculty members. This study will be beneficial for evaluating the practice of the

English language learning and communication skills of students. The evaluation will

provide the faculty and instructors a description of which areas need to be improved and

what lessons to underscore. The findings will inform the instructors on the areas to be

address in enhancing language and communication competencies and appropriate

teaching practice and strategy. This will raise a better understanding of the students

condition especially in honing their abilities to communicate effectively and teach

fluently in English.

Future researchers. The results of this research could inspire future researchers

to do another study of the same nature in their own institutions, in different courses, or

considering a broader sense or aspect of communicative or communication competence

as well as language proficiency.

Definition of Terms

The researcher has given the conceptual and operational definition of the words

to help the reader to have a clearer and better understanding of the present work.

Language learning strategies. These are specific actions or techniques that

learners use to assist their progress in developing second or foreign language skills

(Oxford, 1990). It is defined as specific actions, behaviors, steps or techniques-such as

seeking out conversation partners, or giving oneself encouragement ot tackle a difficult

language task used by students to enhance their own learning. (Scarcella & Oxford,

1992, p.63)

16
 Academic Enhancement Program. This refers to the program intended to

address the learning language strategies of the students in order to improve their

communication competencies.

Competence. In this study, this is commonly defined from the action perspective

which focuses on the performance of specific communication skills.

Communication competence. This refers to the ability of learners to interact

meaningfully, as distinct from their ability to perform competently on discrete-point tests

of grammatical knowledge and communicate their ideas with other people. This refers to

the degree to which a communicators goals are achieved through effective and

appropriate interaction (Lane, 2000).

Communication competence of students. This is defined as a perception of

the appropriateness of students' behaviors and language communication skills in an

educational setting.

Memory strategies. These are strategies used for entering new information into

memory storage and for retrieving it when need for communication. (e.g., grouping,

representing sounds in memory, structured reviewing, using physical response).

Cognitive strategies. These are strategies used for linking new information with

existing schemata and for analyzing and classifying it. Cognitive strategies are

responsible for deep processing, forming and revising internal mental models and

receiving and producing messages in the target language (e.g., repeating, getting the

idea quickly, analyzing and taking notes).

Compensation strategies. These are strategies include such strategies as

guessing and using gestures. Such strategies are needed to fill any gaps in the

17
knowledge of the language. (e.g., switching to the mother tongue, using other clues,

getting help and using a synonym).

Metacognitive strategies. These are strategies used for organizing, planning,

focusing and evaluating one's own learning. (e.g., linking new information with already

known one, seeking practice opportunities, and self-monitoring).

Affective strategies. These are strategies used for handling feelings, attitudes

and motivations. (e.g., lowering anxiety by use of music, encouraging oneself and

discussing feelings with others).

Social strategies. These are strategies used for facilitating interaction by asking

questions, and cooperating with others in the learning process, (e.g. asking for

classification, cooperating with others and developing cultural understanding).

English-major pre-service teachers. This refers to students of Bachelor in

Secondary Education majoring in English in the College of Education of the Cavite State

University, Main Campus.

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 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents different literature and studies both written by local and

foreign authors. This survey of different researches and readings serve as fundamental

and secondary references of the present study. These will serve as the state-of-the-art

of the current topic.

Related Literature

Foreign Literature

Language learning strategies is a term referring to the processes and actions that

are consciously deployed by language learners to help them to learn or use a language

more effectively (Rose, 2015). They have also been defined as thoughts and actions,

consciously chosen and operationalized by language learners, to assist them in carrying

out a multiplicity of tasks from the very outset of learning to the most advanced levels of

target language performance. The term language learner strategies, which incorporates

strategies used for language learning and language use, is sometimes used, although

the line between the two is ill-defined as moments of second language use can also

provide opportunities for learning (Rose, 2015).

In recent years, scholars have argued that language learning strategies are too

general, undefined, and incoherent and the questionnaires designed to measure

language learning strategies are inaccurate and unreliable. Instead Dornyei proposes a

new theory to replace language learning strategies based on the psychological concept

of self-regulation encased within his own model of motivation control. The article of

19
Rose (2012) argued that reconceptualization of strategic learning might be a matter of

throwing the baby out with the bathwater, in that it throws out a problematic taxonomy

and replaces it with another one, which is also problematic--including the same

"definitional fuzziness" for which previous taxonomies have been criticized.

According to Cohen (2011), second language learner strategies encompass both

second language learning and second language use strategies. Taken together, they

constitute the steps or actions selected by learners either to improve the learning of a

second language, the use of it, or both. Language use strategies actually include

retrieval strategies, rehearsal strategies, cover strategies, and communication

strategies. What makes the definition for language learning and language use strategies

broad is that it encompasses those actions that are clearly aimed at language learning,

as well as those that may well lead to learning but which do not ostensibly have learning

as their primary goal.2 Whereas language learning strategies have an explicit goal of

assisting learners in improving their knowledge in a target language, language use

strategies focus primarily on employing the language that learners have in their current

interlanguage.

In addition to language learning strategies, Hoang (2014) made mention on how

metaphor is now considered as a critical component of everyday and specialized

language and most importantly, a fundamental mechanism of human conceptualizations

of the world. The use of metaphor in language, thought and communication has been

examined in second language (L2) learning. The body of literature that investigates the

relationship between metaphor and L2 learning has increased significantly, with most

studies revolving around the Conceptual Metaphor Theory and receptive learning or

20
metaphorical competence. This review aims to provide a comprehensive picture of

current scholarship in the area and draw scholarly attention to other unexplored areas of

metaphor and language learning.

While on the side of communication competence, according to Hudenberg and

Yoder (1994 as cited in Alshahwan, 2010), scholars seem to be in considerable

disagreement concerning the definition of competence, its theoretical foundations, its

behavioral manifestations, and its measurement. Most definitions require the

performance of communication skills. Some definitions focus on knowledge as the

essential requirement for competence while others require competent communicators to

be able to adapt to differing social constraints and communication. Most authors

combine both speaking and listening skills as goals in a communication transaction.

Competence is most commonly defined from the action perspective which focuses on

the performance of specific communication skills. From the reaction perspective,

competence is determined by whether or not the listener perceives the speaker to be

competent (Alshahwan, 2010).

The article of Granville Pillar (2015) addressed this issue and proposes a

communicative testing model which is grounded in a wider, multi-dimensional

interpretation of what is believed to constitute communicative behaviour and oral

language proficiency. It proposes a framework and observation instruments which can

be used as a basis for testing communicative competence in a second/foreign language

(L2). Communicative competence is the ability of learners to interact meaningfully, as

distinct from their ability to perform competently on discrete-point tests of grammatical

knowledge, and comprises four areas of knowledge and skill: linguistic competence,

21
sociolinguistic competence, strategic competence, and discourse competence. As such,

the framework aims to provide a more integrated assessment of a learners ability to

communicate in spoken, interpersonal interaction. The paper affirmed the significance

and effectiveness of communicative skills testing in generating student learning profiles

to enhance and to ascertain a quantitative measure of their communicative

competence.

In the teaching of foreign language reading, there have been at least three

distinctive approaches for communicative competence: grammar translation method,

comprehension-questions approach with an emphasis on reading skills and strategies,

and extensive reading approach. Shin (2013) gathered a selection of recent studies that

address important concerns in foreign language reading pedagogy, and discusses the

current issues towards fluent reading for learners' communicative competence. Shin

(2013) shown that how the efficient reading methodologies in EFL context were

developed on a chronological basis. Shin discussed the pedagogical implications from

the perspective of language acquisition.

Xiao (2015) asserted that the ability to use language effectively in communication

is regarded as important as knowledge of grammatical rules in the communicative

competence models. Pragmatic competence, namely the ability to understand and use

linguistic forms appropriately according to context, is thus accepted as a vital

component of language ability. Recently, pragmatic competence and development have

captured growing interest among language learners pragmatics research. Specifically, a

series of studies have been conducted in the study abroad (SA) context, because,

compared to a domestic classroom setting, the SA context is believed to provide greater

22
opportunities to communicate with native speakers, and these opportunities are

assumed to lead to pragmatic gains. Despite the greater contact with conventional

pragmatic language use available in the SA context, recent longitudinal studies have

shown that different aspects of pragmatic features develop at different rates.

Changjuan Zhan (2011) maintained that communicative competence involves

knowing not only the language code, but also what to say to whom, and how to say it

appropriately in any given situation. It deals with the social and cultural knowledge

speakers are presumed to have to enable them to use and interpret linguistic forms.

Communicative competence extends to both knowledge and expectation of who may or

may not speak in certain settings, when to speak and when to remain silent, whom one

may speak to, how one may talk to persons of different statuses and roles, how to ask

for and give information, how to request, how to give commands, etc. in short,

everything involving the use of language and other communicative dimensions in

particular social settings. It needs to be pointed out that cross-cultural differences can

and do produce conflicts or inhibit communication. For example, certain American

Indian groups are accustomed to waiting several minutes in silence before responding

to a question or taking a turn in conversation, while the native English speakers they

may be talking to have very short time frames for responses or conversational turn-

taking, and find silences embarrassing. In this way, the concept of communicative

competence must be embedded in the notion of cultural competence or the total set of

knowledge and sills which speakers bring into a situation. In fact, all aspects of culture

are relevant to communication, but those that have the most direct bearing on

communicative forms and processes are the social structure, the values and attitudes

23
held about language and ways of speaking, the net work of conceptual categories which

results from shared experiences, and the ways knowledge and skills are transmitted

from one generation to the next, and to new members of the group. All in all,

communicative competence refers to knowledge and skills for contextually appropriate

use and interpretation of language in a community; it refers to the communicative

knowledge and skills shared by the group, although these reside variably in its individual

members. The shared yet individual nature of competence reflects the nature of

language itself.

Local Literature

Angelo de Dios (2014) in his Philippine Basic Education blog stated that most

Filipinos do not speak English in their homes. Thus, it is safe to assume that a great

majority of students in Philippine public schools are English language learners. There

should be no argument why it is necessary to learn English. Becoming fluent in English

has become a requirement since most human disciplines have embraced English as the

global language. Much of academic success now hinges on how well a student

comprehends in English as textbooks, learning materials, as well as research papers

are now almost exclusively written and published in English. Hence, there is no longer

any doubt regarding the importance of learning English. Unfortunately, what program

works best for English language learners is still very much debatable. Any claim

otherwise only means dismissing or choosing selectively research studies that have

attempted to answer this question. It should also be pointed out that this area is marked

with poorly done research. The experiments are very difficult to perform and the studies

24
are usually inadequately designed and sample sizes are often very small to be

meaningful or transferable. Research is continuing however, as this is not only relevant

to developing countries, but also to the United States because of its growing immigrant

population. Although there is no final word yet as to what works best, there have been a

few excellent studies that now offer some sort of direction.

Subsequently, de Dios (2015) published in his blog the article entitled English

Language Learner versus Language Learner. The article showed that it is important to

consider where children are in their language learning. In order for children to grow in

their mother tongue, one must take into account not just use of the language, but how

the language is used. How cognitive abilities are emerging in the child with the use of

the mother tongue needs consideration as deficiency in either language points to a

higher likelihood of deficiency in both.

Isagani Cruz (2009, 2012a) critiqued and stated that at the end of four years in

high school, the student is expected to meet this standard: The learner demonstrates

literary and communicative competence through his/her understanding of the different

genres of literature and other text types for a deeper appreciation of Philippine culture

and those of other countries. The first term is the subject of the sentence learner. The

new curriculum is learner-centered, rather than teacher-centered or teaching-centered.

The new curriculum focuses on the human being that is the learner, not on a technology

of learning. It is outcomes- rather than input-based. The second term literary

competence comes from a classic book in literary theory entitled Structuralist Poetics

(1975), by Jonathan Culler. Culler defines the term this way: Literary competence is a

set of conventions for reading literary texts. For those not familiar with modern theories

25
of language learning, the third term also needs a lot of explanation communicative

competence. In todays college courses in English and Filipino, communicative

competence is the main goal, but in high school, communicative competence has not

really been highlighted, although it is already in the current DepEd specifications for

textbooks and teacher training. The term communicative competence was coined in

1966 by Dell Hymes, but it is the definition (since revised) given in 1980 by Michael

Canale and Merrill Swain that is usually used. The National Capital Language Resource

Center in Washington, D.C., describes current American practice this way: Language

teaching in the United States is based on the idea that the goal of language acquisition

is communicative competence: the ability to use the language correctly and

appropriately to accomplish communication goals. The desired outcome of the language

learning process is the ability to communicate competently, not the ability to use the

language exactly as a native speaker does (Cruz, 2012a).

Subsequently, Isagani Cruz (2012b) asserted and blogged that according to

Department of Education Order (DO) 31, series of 2012, the learning areas for all

students in all public and private elementary and high schools were: (1) Integrated

Language Arts (Mother Tongue, Filipino, English); (2) Science; (3) Mathematics; (4)

Araling Panlipunan (AP); (5) Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP) /

Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE); (6) Music, Art, Physical Education and

Health (MAPEH); and (7) Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (EsP). He then analyzed the

first learning area. The medium of instruction has now been rationalized. DO 31 puts it

this way: The ultimate goal is communicative competence both oral and written in three

languages. The way to achieve communicative competence is through the

26
development of literacy or reading skills in the Mother Tongue in Grade 1 till Grade 3,

transferring these skills to two second languages (Filipino and English). DO 31 puts into

practice these theoretical ideas, but of UNESCO, all linguists everywhere in the world,

and all the education surveys conducted on our country. In all Grade 1 classes starting

next month, therefore, the medium of instruction for Mathematics, AP, MAPEH, and EsP

will be the mother tongue. (Of course, the medium of instruction for English is English

and for Filipino is Filipino.) Operationally, there are 12 mother tongues that DepEd has

prepared for: Bahasa Sug (Tausug), Bicolano, Cebuano, Chabacano, Hiligaynon

(Ilonggo), Ilocano, Kapampangan, Maguindanao, Maranao, Pangasinan, Tagalog, and

Waray (Samar-Leyte). No one, however, is stopped from using another mother tongue;

Lubuagan Kalinga, for example, is already being used successfully as a medium of

instruction. Experts are currently working on instructional materials in other languages,

such as Ivatan and Yakan.

Why use the mother tongue? Let me just quote from the website of the Summer

Institute of Linguistics: The languages of instruction and literacy (English and Filipino)

in Philippine schools are foreign and incomprehensible to more than 70 percent of

Philippine students. Using the language the child understands the childs first

language, or mother tongue for teaching lesson content in the first 6 years of school,

not only enables the child to immediately master curriculum content, but in the process,

it affirms the value of the child and her/his cultural and language heritage. Additionally,

because Filipino and English are taught as subjects, learning skills that are built using

the childs mother tongue are easily applied to the acquisition of Filipino and English.

First language education teaches children how to learn by using a familiar medium, and

27
in the process builds critical thinking skills cognition so necessary in the learning

process. As subject matter gets increasingly complex in later grades, studies show that

children are able to transfer these cognitive skills to other media of instruction, and to

the learning of more difficult subject matter, often taught in Filipino and English.

Longitudinal studies being conducted by Diane and Greg Dekker, and Dr. Stephen L.

Walter, under the auspices of SIL International and the Philippine Department of

Education, in Lubuagan, Kalinga, Philippines, are showing that children being educated

using their mother tongue first are out-performing students being educated in Filipino-

first and English-first, by a difference of 40 percentage points. There were earlier

studies, both in the Philippines and in numerous countries around the world, all pointing

to the same conclusion: children learn faster and better if taught first in their mother

tongue (Cruz, 2012b).

DO 31 mandates that, in all schools, Mother Tongue (MT) shall be used as the

medium of instruction and as a subject from Grade1 to 3. English or Filipino is used

from Grade 4 to 10. Both languages are taught from Grade 1 to 10. Actually, the

mother tongue has been used as a medium of instruction in many public schools since

President Estradas time. What is new is the addition of a subject on the mother tongue

itself from Grade 1 to 3 (Cruz, 2012b).

Recently, Isagani Cruz (2015) affirmed that from Grade 1 to Grade 12, the

Filipino curriculum aims at producing a holistically developed Filipino with functional

literacy. This means that, by the end of Grade 10, the student is expected to have the

following characteristics: critical and reflective thinking, communicative competence,

love of literature, and ability to cope in a fast changing world.These characteristics are

28
based on four broad conceptual frameworks: philosophical, legal, and educational

theories; social and global needs; the environment and the personal needs of the

student; and theories on the nature of language, literary criticism, language learning

theories, and approaches to teaching expository and literary texts.

The main objectives of the Filipino curriculum are divided into four stages.

From Kindergarten to Grade 3, the student is expected to be able to understand

and analyze oral and written texts, as well as to be able to express effectively what s/he

wants to say and what s/he feels.

From Grade 4 to Grade 6, the student is expected to show intellectual and

emotional enjoyment when approaching oral and written texts, as well as [since the

curriculum is spiraled] to be able to express effectively what s/he wants to say and what

s/he feels.

From Grades 7 to 10, the student is expected to display communicative

competence, reflective and critical thinking, and critical appreciation of literary texts,

particularly of regional, national, and international (especially Asian) texts, in order to

achieve cultural literacy.

From Grade 11 to Grade 12 (since the curriculum is spiraled), the student is

expected to display communicative competence, reflective and critical thinking, and

critical appreciation of literary texts, [but this time] within the context of various

disciplines, while taking into account technological advances, in order to achieve

academic competence.

These objectives are broken down further per grade level. In order not to be

tedious, allow me just to single out a few competencies in selected levels to show the

29
kind of mastery of the Filipino language that every Grade 12 graduate is expected to

have (Cruz, 2015).

In the article of Rainier Allan Ronda (2012), he stated that the Department of

Education (DepEd) has expanded the foreign languages covered by their 2012 Special

Program in Foreign Language (SPFL) summer training courses for teachers. The SPFL

summer training of teachers, being conducted to boost their skills in teaching some of

the most widely-used foreign languages in the world, also included Mandarin. The SPFL

was initiated in school year 2009-2010 in selected public secondary schools first with

Spanish, French and Japanese languages. The year after, German was added to the

list and this year, the inclusion of Chinese language completed the course. The SPFL

annual training program, scheduled from April 12-May 22 this year, is expected to

further improve the capability of public school teachers on the diverse aspects of

learning and teaching a second or foreign language. This is also in line with the thrust

of K (Kindergarten) to 12 (Basic education curriculum program) which is to prepare our

future workforce for the global arena, said Education Secretary Armin Luistro. The

SPFL aims to develop students skills in listening, reading, writing, speaking and viewing

as fundamental to acquiring communicative competence in a second foreign language.

DepEd has coordinated with the Japan Foundation, Goethe Institut, Alliance Francais

Manila and Cebu and The Cunfucius Institute of the Angeles University Foundation for

the summer training on the languages. SPFL is implemented in public high schools

whose students have demonstrated competence in English and are capable of learning

another foreign language.

30
 Raymark Llagas (2014) argued that in order to help language learners develop

overall communicative competence in their language of study, communicative language

teaching methodology was developed and introduced into language classrooms.

Communicative language teaching, with its focus on using the target language

communicatively, does not mean abandoning grammar presentations in the classroom,

although some teachers have tried to experiment with that. What it does mean is that

the focus of the classroom becomes using the target language to communicate

information to the teacher and, more importantly, to other students in the class. In order

for such a methodology to be implemented, a fundamental change in the organization of

the classroom must take place. Rather than a teacher-fronted/centered classroom in

which all the students focus then attention on a teacher at the front of the class who

does most of the talking, there needs to be a shift to a student- centered classroom in

which the students interact with each other in pairs or small groups, with the teacher

taking on a less dominant role, perhaps as organizer or facilitator of group activities

rather than as a leader. Classroom activities are planned with the aim of getting

students to communicate genuine information to each other, not simply to practice

grammar or vocabulary. Presenting a broad range of these communicative activities so

that teachers can use them as models to develop their own activities designed with their

particular classroom situations in mind was Llagas (2014) key aim in his article.

Chua, Fabella, Quijano and Santos (2015) emphasized that developing language

skills among young children is crucial in literacy education. Children are expected to use

language in various classroom activities to communicate with each other and show

competence and mastery of the language. In the process of developing communicative

31
competence, children are expected to improve metacognitive and comprehension skills.

A One enduring language skill that is crucial in the development of comprehension that

students learn at an early age is telling a story. Although several previous studies have

discovered the presence of macrostructures in childrens narratives, there is still a need

to answer questions pertaining to the role of scaffolding as a reflection of young

childrens narrative comprehension. Chua, Fabella, Quijano and Santos (2015) included

this as a contribution to the current knowledge on developing young childrens

communicative competence and conveys that it will aid educators in designing improved

narrative activities that will elicit more effective responses from children.

In the introduction of Teresita V. Ramos and Ruth Mabanglos (2012) work

entitled: The Language Learning Framework For Teachers of Filipino, they have stated

that the process of developing the Filipino Language Learning Framework has had

three phases. First of all, the language learning framework concept was presented to

the less commonly taught language community by Brecht and Walton in the early

1990s. Then, in the midnineties, a generic Southeast Asian Language Learning

Framework was developed through the Council of Teachers of Southeast Asian

Languages (COTSEAL), with initial work by an eleven-member advisory committee;

later it was written up by Riddle, Compton, Carpenter and Wheatley and published as

an issue of the Journal of Southeast Asian Language Teaching (JSEALT). Finally,

during the late-nineties, Ramos and Mabanglo worked on the Filipino Language

Learning Framework, a version of which was initially put out in 1999. It is a revision of

their earlier work which is presented in this issue of JSEALT this 2012.

32
Related Studies

Foreign Studies

Language learning strategies (LLS) that help learners enhance their language

competence have played an important role in language learning; their spectrum has

become one fertile area of research in second language acquisition. The objective of

the study of Andrew Yau-hau Tse (2011) was to investigate the LLS used by secondary

and university students and the background variables influencing their use of LLS. An

individual background questionnaire and the Language Learning Strategy Inventory

(LLSI) were used as the research instruments. The LLSI was modified by the

researcher from Oxfords (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). The

findings revealed that grades 12-13 students use memory strategies (medium use) and

first year university students adopt compensation strategies (medium use) in learning

English. Tse concluded that grades 12-13 students in Hong Kong used LLS in a low to

medium use, with no high use; whereas university students used LLS in medium use,

with no high use.

The study of Zhou and Intaraprasert (2015) was intended to investigate the use

of language learning strategy employed by English-major pre-service teachers in

Midwest China in relation to their gender and personality types. The modified Strategy

Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and adopted personality type inventory were

used to collect the data. ANOVA and Chi-square tests were performed for data analysis.

The results revealed that gender and personality types have some effects on pre-

service teachers strategy use at the overall, category and individual levels. The

33
variation patterns of the strategy use were found in terms of the two variables. The

implications of these findings for ESL teaching and learning were also discussed.

Altunay (2014) highlighted that the use of language learning strategies is

important for language learning. Some researchers state that language learning

strategies are important because their use affects the development of communicative

competence (Oxford, 1990). Effective use of language learning strategies has particular

importance for distance language learners who do not have direct face-to-face contact

with their tutors. The study of Altunay (2014 investigated the use of language learning

strategies by a group of Turkish distance learners of English. Oxford (1990) Strategy

Inventory for Language Learning was used and interviews were conducted to collect

data. The questionnaire results show that affective strategies are used less than the

other strategy categories. The reasons for the ignorance of the affective strategies were

also mentioned in the study.

The need for effective communication tends to be increasing due to

globalization, science, technology and trade. Because of enormous competency in the

digital society, it is essential for the next generation to be well equipped with the basic

skills of communication. Technology and communication should go hand in hand. The

study of Shinde and Chavan (2013) aimed at developing the communicative skills in the

students and find out the difficulties they come across. The conclusion of this research

will be development of software model for evaluating the communicative competence of

the students.

In the masters thesis of Atik Widyawati (2014), the author developed an

instrument to measure spoken English Communicative Competence for Elementary

34
School Students in Indonesia. The research was intended to provide a theoretical

foundation for developing the test model as an instrument to measure the spoken

English competence of elementary school students. In the listening part, it discovered a

significant difference between the upper and lower groups; while in the speaking part,

most of the students did not perform well.

Communicative competence is set out to be of the eight key competences which

individuals need for personal fulfilment and development, active citizenship, social

inclusion and employment. The success of the sustainable development of

communicative competence requires existing concepts of communicative competence

and prospects for further development to be considered. Aim of the paper of Jeena

Zaerinska (2010) was to analyze existing concepts of communicative competence

and to elaborate hypothesis for further studies. The findings of the research allow

putting forth the following hypothesis on the prospects of the competence concepts

development and of innovation in education. The concept competence extended

includes the ability to innovate knowledge the creation, dissemination and application

of knowledge that allows using the term innovation competence while the

communicative competence remains the overall concept.

The paper of Nguyen and Le (2013) reported on findings of a study which

focuses on analyzing the contents of five 45 minute tests and five end-of-term tests

which were given to grade 6 students in the first semester of 2011 2012 school year.

Its purpose was to find out whether these contents helped measure students real

communicative competence. Five tests of each type were collected from five schools in

different districts of four provinces in Mekong Delta, Vietnam. The results showed that

35
they could test students language focus but failed to measure their real communicative

competence. The paper also considered the implications for the development of

language tests for measuring examinees real communicative competence.

The Strategy Inventory for Language Learning(SILL) of Rebecca L. Oxford which

is a kind of self-report questionnaire, as an important instrument to measure LLSs, has

been used extensively by researchers in many countries, its reliability has been

checked in multiple ways, and has been reported as high validity, reliability, and

utility(Oxford, 1996a). In the study of Seyed Hossein Fazeli (2012a), the investigator

aimed to explore nature of methodology and the use of SILL in the studies of Language

Learning Strategies.

Another study of Fazeli (2012b) aimed to find out the role of personality traits in

the prediction use of the Social English Language Learning Strategies (SELLSs) for

learners of English as a foreign language. Four instruments were used, which were

Adapted Inventory for Social English Language Learning Strategies based on Social

category of Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) of Rebecca L. Oxfords, A

Background Questionnaire, NEO-Five Factors Inventory (NEO-FFI), and Test of English

as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Two hundred and thirteen Iranian female university

level learners of English language as a university major in Iran, were volunteer to

participate in this research work. The intact classes were chosen. The results show that

however, there is a significant relationship between four traits of personality and use of

the SELLSs, but personality traits cannot be as a strong predictor to predict use of the

SELLSs.

36
 The study of Mohammadi and Alizadeh (2014) examined the reliability and

validity of Rebecca L. Oxford's (1990) Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL)

among Iranian university students. Sample pools of 320 (male and female) non-major

English students were recruited for participation in the reliability phase. The main

instrument of the study was a questionnaire. Findings from the study revealed that the

SILL score were test-retest reliable, displaying excellent reliability (Pearsons

correlation>0.8), with total scores not being significantly different across administrations.

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on the SILL to investigate

construct validity. Confirmatory factor analyses was run on the data where a six factor

structure was found to be the best fitting model for the tool, thereby confirming that SILL

measures a multidimensional construct. The authors concluded that the SILL was

reliable as well as valid to assess the language learning strategies in Iranian university

context.

Language learning strategies are specific actions or techniques that learners use

to assist their progress in developing second or foreign language skills (Oxford, 1990).

Knowledge of students strategy use is important, as this will provide information to

teachers concerning the strategy training needs of their students. The paper of Wong

(2011) presented the findings of a study to explore the language learning strategies of

60 pre-service teachers (17 males, 43 females) enrolled in a Bachelor of Education

(TESOL) program. Strategy use was assessed through administering the Strategy

Inventory of Language Learning (SILL), a widely used 50-item self-scoring survey

developed by Oxford (1990). Overall, strategy use of pre-service teachers was

moderate, with pre-service teachers reporting most frequent use of social strategies,

37
followed by metacognitive, compensation, cognitive, memory and affective strategies.

There was no gender difference in pre-service teachers use of language learning

strategies. In conclusion, pedagogical implications of the findings and suggestions for

further research were discussed.

The use of language learning strategies (LLS) by language learners is one of the

contributing factors to the success of second language learning. The study of Alias,

Manan, Yusof, and Pandian (2012) aimed at investigating the effects of training in the

use of indirect LLS by using Facebook Notes on the learners overall indirect strategies

use as well as their performance at the pre-writing stage. The paper detailed the

process involved in the training of indirect LLS and how the students awareness of

indirect LLS was applied in the planning stage of writing which was outlining.

Local Studies

The study of Boyet Batang (2014) aimed at exploring the possible relationship on

language learning style and the level of communicative competence of prospective

teachers of English. Results of the study show that their style orientation belonged to

sensory orientation scale with a frequency of 39 or 69.9%. In terms of their level of

communicative competence, results of the study on the over-all competence test show

that prospective teachers of English are fair users of English with a total mean of 23.97

with standard deviation of 5.44. Correlation analysis however showed the insignificant

relationship between language learning style and the communicative competence of

prospective teachers of English. This indicates that the language learning style has no

bearing on the communicative competence of prospective teachers of English.

38
 Adhering to the notion that language learning is necessarily a culture-learning

process, the study of Tarrayo (2014) explored the issue of sexism in six Philippine

preschool English language textbooks. The study adopted the qualitative-quantitative

approach in examining the following categories: gender visibility (illustrations),

"firstness", occupational-role representations, character attributes, and interests and

lifestyles. Data reveal that the textbooks seem to feature both genders; still, the males

appeared more frequently than females in the illustrations of the textbooks. In terms of

"firstness", males appear before females more often; this could imply that the textbooks

seem to favor males, thus, appearing to be sexist. Also, females are far less visible than

men in occupational roles. The occupational roles for females are less diverse and are

restricted to stereotypical types of occupation/profession while male occupations show a

wider range, thus, providing them with more options than females. Moreover, about the

same number of character attributes that is allocated to both genders. Females are

usually attributed with their "good" looks and passivity; by contrast, males show

aggression, dominance, and activity. In the textbooks analyzed, the number of interests,

and lifestyles of females is higher than those of males. However, the females are more

particularly represented in indoor activities, i.e., household chores. The paper likewise

discussed the implications of the findings on language teaching, and learning.

The aim of the study of MI-Young Jung (2013) was to analyze a

videoconferencing class for English as a foreign language (EFL), and to investigate how

learners can develop their linguistic competence via videoconferencing. It examines the

benefits and drawbacks of using videoconferencing systems in class. Forty-five

students (19 graduates and 26 undergraduates) in a university in Seoul, Korea, were

39
put in contact with Asian students from seven countries (Korea, Japan, Singapore, The

Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia) via a videoconferencing class. Many

students perceived the videoconferencing class as effective in developing their second

or foreign language (L2) skills. More importantly, integrating videoconferencing into the

EFL classroom provided students with more opportunities to develop language

competence, as they gained an understanding of cross-cultural communication by

participating in two-way communication with learners from other cultures.

The study of Real, Cortez, Lacuesta, and Refugio (2013) focused on

investigating how students and teachers from a non-english speaking country like the

Philippines perceive the need for learning the english language. Six hundred first year

students of Negros Oriental State University, Bais Campuses 1 and 2 were assessed

using a structured survey questionnaire to determine their english language needs in

the four macro skills such as speaking, reading, listening, and writing as applied to their

academic studies, future profession and social/private life. Eight teachers were

considered in the study. Percentages and weighted means were utilized in data

analysis. Findings revealed that most students identified reading as most needed in

their academic studies while speaking was most needed in their future profession. All

the other skills were considered only as needed. On the other hand, teachers

considered all the four macro skills as most needed in all the three areas. It was only

in reading that both teachers and students gave similar rating of most needed in

academic studies. Thus, there exists disparity in the way learners and teachers view the

importance of learning the language. To address this issue, there is a need to redesign

existing syllabus by integrating learning tasks that address the students needs.

40
 With regard to the study of Lasala (2014), it included both qualitative and

quantitative research approaches and utilized two general instruments. It made use of

focus group discussions and a structured oral interview with an American native

speaker. Findings show that the level of communicative competence in oral and writing

skills of the students is both acceptable; however, they differ in their numerical values.

In terms of grammatical competence in oral skill, the average rate is 3.10 while the

respondents obtained an average rate of 2.91 in their writing skill. In terms of discourse

competence in oral skill, the average rate is 3.10, while the respondents obtained an

average rate of 2.68 in their writing skill. In sociolinguistic competence in their oral skill,

the respondents obtained an average rate of 3.29 and 3.01 in their speaking skill. For

the strategic competence, the respondents got an average rate of 3.12 in their oral skill

and an average rate of 2.73 in their writing skill. Based on the findings of the study, it

can be disclosed that the communicative competence of the students both in speaking

and writing skills is acceptable, having an average rate of 3.15 and 2.84 respectively.

Their communicative and sociolinguistic competence could still be improved. Based on

the foregoing conclusion, it is recommended that the module created by the researcher

be used in their English classes since the topics included in the module were relevant to

the actual findings. It is important for the different school administrators to ensure that

the teachers are able to carry out the suggested topics included in the module.

In the past few decades, nonconventional learner-centered (NLC) trends in ELT

have emerged amidst the current and dominant conventional teacher-centered (CTC)

approaches used by majority of private and public schools in the Philippines. The

argument of which approach is more effective seems to have surfaced in the recent

41
years. In several literatures, both approaches have been found effective in teaching in

different disciplines. However, in the teaching of literature, specifically Afro-Asian

literature, it seems that limited studies have been conducted in the Philippine private

school context. The comparative study of Wong Gonzales (2014) focused on the Grade

8 ESL literature classes of Hope Christian High School, Manila, Philippines and aims to

determine which approach is more effective in teaching Afro-Asian literature. The

teacher preferred the CTC approach while students preferred the NLC approach based

on qualitative data. The quantitative results showed that there were no significant

differences in the Afro-Asian literature test scores immediately after the CTC or NLC

instructional sessions. It was concluded that there is no particular teaching approach

that is more effective and suggested that an eclectic or mixed approach would be more

beneficial in teaching Afro-Asian literature.

The study of Jerry Roble (2011) examined the level of communicative

competence (which involved grammatical, lexical, sociolinguistic, and oral competence)

of the graduate students of Capitol University. It also identified the factors that influence

their communicative competence. Roble employed descriptive-correlational method of

research and measures of correlations. The study of Roble was based on an evaluation

made with 86 graduate students in terms of their written and spoken communicative

competencies.

Similar to the current study, the study of Martinez (2011) looked into the English

language competence of the Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and

Technology (ZSCMST) tertiary freshman students. It looked into the organizational

competence levels of the students in two categories: grammatical competence and

42
textual competence. In the study, only organizational competence is considered and

thereby extending the theory that the students English language competence is

influenced by their levels of motivational patterns and critical thinking skills and other

variables such as gender, residence, mother tongue, and tri-media exposure to the

English language. The sample consisted of 192 respondents selected from among the

368 freshman students of the BS courses of ZSCMST. The study revealed that the

freshman students were modest user or average in grammatical competence,

competent user or above average in textual competence, and limited user or below

average in paragraph writing sub-skills. The students levels of motivational pattern and

critical thinking skills had significant influence on the language competence of the

students. Other variables such as gender, residence, mother tongue, and tri-media

exposure to the English language also showed significant difference in the students

English language competence.

Subsequently, the study of Ponce (2011) was conducted to determine the

communication strategies of the 83 respondents randomly selected from the college

freshman students at Western Mindanao State University enrolled during the second

semester of SY 2010-2011. The study was made to provide empirical data to support or

reject Bialystoks theory on communication strategies and the extension of such theory

using the influence of gender, course and first language. To pursue with its objectives,

the study used the descriptive research method with the Communication Strategy

Questionnaire as the main instrument, and t-test for independent sample and Analysis

of Variance as the main statistical tools for analysis. The study yielded the following

findings: a) The respondents actually utilized all the three communication strategies,

43
such as: avoidance (49%),compensatory (64.9%) and time-gaining (56%)

communication strategies. b) They used the avoidance communication strategy

somewhat prevalently while the compensatory and time-gaining communication

strategies prevalently. c) There was a significant difference in the respondents time

gaining communication strategies when data were grouped according to gender. It

implied that the students in the two courses were indeed utilizing communication

strategies during classroom oral activities. Of the three independent variables such as

gender, course and first language, only gender had a significant influence on the

students communication strategy along the time-gaining strategy in favor of the female

respondents who employed this strategy more prevalently than the males. Course and

first language did not have much influence on the students communication strategies

since they practically employed similar communication strategies during classroom oral

discussions.

Diane Manzano (2013) studied a form of learning which uses language as a tool

for expressing, not a body of knowledge to be memorized, thus, using tasks to improve

students language skills. This study aimed to identify and evaluate the communication

strategies used by younger siblings of ASD children in selected domestic tasks and

characterize the response of ASD children to these communication strategies. Five

pairs of siblings were tasked to finish a set of household chores and were video-

recorded. The videos were transcribed and analyzed. Younger siblings, researcher and

an observer assessed the strategies based on six criteria. Strategies observed in the

study are affirmation, correction and modeling strategies. It showed that the criteria with

the highest and lowest scores are speed of the ASD childs response and ability to

44
negotiate is the criterion, respectively. Strategies used are effective in eliciting fast

responses from the ASD child but not in facilitating communication. Results showed that

communication strategies induced responses on ASD child; these were categorized as

compliance, non-compliance and neutral. Results show that younger sibling use

affirmative strategies to continue guiding the ASD child to compliance and finish the

domestic task. When the ASD child, however, manifests non-compliance and/or

neutrality younger siblings the use of corrective and modeling strategies are needed to

direct them back to compliance.

Although the study of Sagum (2001) entitled Language Learning Strategies and

Gender Differences Among Adolescents in the Context of English as a Second

Language was quite old as a reference, it appeared to have similar objectives as with

the current study, hence the reason of including it. It examined the most common

language learning strategies employed by adolescents (n= 158) in a context where

English is a second language. It also investigates the gender differences in the choice

and use of language learning strategies. Data relevant for the study were collected

through the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL). Results of the subjects'

use of language learning strategies in the SILL indicated medium strategy use both in

the individual items and categories. Results of the chi-square tests to determine gender-

related differences in the frequency and use of language learning strategies revealed

that girls were more frequent users of strategies than boys.

45
Synthesis

Research has shown a wide range of studies and articles both local and foreign

about the language learning styles and strategies and how it is associated with

competencies such as communication. Language learning strategies and the factors

that influence their use have received much attention in recent years since it became

widely accepted that learning is a process during which the learner is actively involved

and its role in the communication competency of students. Strategy use is important as

it affects the learners communication competence.

Numerous studies and literature which deal with communicative and

communication competences were presented. On definition (Rose 2012, 2015;

Alshahwan, 2010), models (Pillar, 2015), instrument (Widyawati, 2014), concepts

(Zaerinska, 2010), and reviews (Oxford, 2011; Nguyen & Le, 2013).

Various studies have been carried out on the relationship between strategy use

and various variables such as age, gender, learner styles, proficiency, motivation and

culture. Some researchers found that older learners used some strategy categories

more often than did younger learners. Out of Oxfords six categories memory, affective,

metacognitive, and social strategies are used more often by older learners and older

learners use cognitively complex strategies whereas young learners prefer social

strategies. Some researchers (Tse, 2011; Shin, 2013; Wong & Nunan, 2011 among

others) focused on the relationship between language learning strategies and learner

styles. While autonomous language learning was discussed by Kawai (2001). Several

language learning strategies employed by different students from different parts of the

world were also studied (Zhou & Intaraprasert, 2015; Altunay, 2014; Fazeli, 2012a,

46
2012b; Mohammadi & Alizadeh, 2014; Alias, Manan, Yusof, & Pandian, 2012; Wong,

2011; Shmaris, 2003)

Locally, Batang (2012) also studied the relationship of language learning styles

and communicative competences of prospective teachers of English; Sagum (2001)

examined the most common language learning strategies employed by adolescents;

and Tarrayo (2014) on culture-learning process of language learning. Isagani Cruz

(2012a, 2012b, 2015) wrote several articles regarding the integration of language

learning strategies to the new K to 12 paradigm as well as developing communicative

competence among Filipino students.

Based from the array of literature and studies, there have been no studies

conducted on the account of English language learning strategy used and

communication competence among preservice students of Education courses whose

major is English. This becomes the gap of the literature. This study will then assess

these variables as well as seek its potential correlation among the students who are

taking Bachelor of Secondary Education, major in English.

47
 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

The chapter presents the research method and procedures that will be employed

and undertaken by the researcher. It includes the research design, respondents of the

study, data gathering procedures, the research instrument and the statistical treatment

to be used.

Research Design

The current study will make use of descriptive-correlational research design

under the quantitative method.

Quantitative methods emphasize objective measurements and the statistical,

mathematical, or numerical analysis of data collected through polls, questionnaires, and

surveys, or by manipulating pre-existing statistical data using computational techniques

(Muijs, 2010). Quantitative research focuses on gathering numerical data and

generalizing it across groups of people or to explain a particular phenomenon.

Under this method, descriptive research seeks to describe the current status of

an identified variable. Descriptive research designs help provide answers to the

questions of who, what, when, where, and how associated with a particular research

problem; a descriptive study cannot conclusively ascertain answers to why (Given,

2007). Descriptive research is used to obtain information concerning the current status

of the phenomena and to describe "what exists" with respect to variables or conditions

in a situation.

48
 Specifically, a correlational study determines whether or not two variables are

correlated (Kendra, 2015). This means to study whether an increase or decrease in one

variable corresponds to an increase or decrease in the other variable. Correlational

studies are a type of research often used as a preliminary way to gather information

about a topic or in situations where performing an experiment is not possible. Another

important thing to note is that while correlational research can reveal if a relationship

exists between variables, this kind of research cannot prove that changes to one

variable lead to changes to another variable.

This research design is appropriate for the current study in the sense that the

researcher will determine the English language learning strategies used as well as the

communication competence of the students and seek to compare and correlate the

results to each other. Hence, aside from the descriptive part, the comparative and

correlational analyses of data are necessarily relevant.

Sources of Data/Respondents of the Study

The respondents of the study are two hundred thirty six (236) Bachelor of

Secondary Education, Major in English students from the College of Education and

eight (8) satellite campuses of Cavite State University for the Academic Year 2015-

2016. The respondents are currently Third Year College Students of the program. The

students were selected because certain English competencies are expected from

English Majors and Preservice Teachers as part of their education. The first and second

year students were not included due to the lack of English subjects needed in the study,

while the fourth year students were also excluded due to their practicum.

49
 The distribution of the two hundred thirty six (236) BSE-English student-

respondents according to the Campus from which they belong are as follows:

Table 1

Distribution of the Education Students According to State University Campus

Campus f %
College of Education 30 12.71
Bacoor 42 17.80
Cavite City 32 13.56
Gen. Trias 9 3.81
Imus 54 22.88
Naic 10 4.24
Rosario 19 8.05
Silang 28 11.86
Tanza 12 5.08
Total 236 100

As shown from the table above, the highest distribution were fifty four (54)

students or 22.88% coming from the Imus satellite campus while the least distribution

come from Gen. Trias satellite campus which consisted of nine (9) or 3.81% students.

Sampling

Initially, purposive sampling is used to select the nature of the student-

respondents that will be most appropriate for the study. Under this consideration, the

criteria of selection were their year level. Only Third Year BSE-English students were

selected for the purpose that they have already taken their English subjects which is a

prerequisite and a variable in this study. The Grades in the subject is needed, hence,

50
First year students were excluded. On the case of the Fourth Year students, they were

not included due to their on-the-job or practicum schedules.

From the selected students, there are no other sampling procedures used for the

reason that the entire population of the Third Year BSE-English students were

considered as respondents of the study. Total enumeration of the students will be used.

The students will be invited and informed about the nature, purpose and details of the

study and will be asked to participate upon their consent.

Data Gathering Procedures

The researcher will first seek the approval of the University President, coursed

through the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Office of Students Affairs

as well as the Dean of the College of Education and the Campus Dean of the nine

satellite campuses for the administration of questionnaire and the general conduct of

the study. After the approval, the researcher will coordinate with the departments for the

selection of the BSE Major in English students. Based on the availability of the students

schedules, the respondents will, then, be invited, oriented, informed and asked to

participate in the study. The nature, purpose, relevance, implications and other pertinent

details will be disseminated to them. After securing their informed consent, the

researcher will conduct the administration of the survey questionnaire. After the

administration of the survey instrument, the researcher will validate the information

provided by the respondents through the conduct of unstructured/informal interview.

Subsequently, a documentary analysis will be used to gather the grades of the students

51
in the subjects pertinent to the study from the Office of the University Registrar or the

Registrar of the respective campuses.

The data gathered from the instrument will be tallied, tabulated and analyzed

through the use of appropriate statistical tools. The data obtained through the

instruments is entered into database (Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS)

software) to enable data analysis to be carried out, particularly on the test of difference

and relation of the variables.

Research Instrument

The proposed research will be using an instrument to gather its pertinent data.

The research instrument is composed of three (3) parts: Pat 1 for the profile; Part 2 for

the Language Learning Strategies Used; and Part 3 for the Communication

Competence. The researcher will make use of two standardized instruments for Part 2

and 3 of the questionnaire.

The first part (Part I) focused on the academic profile of the student respondents

based from the grade they achieved from their English subject and the seminars and

trainings they have attended in relation to the current topic.

The second part (Part II) was adopted from Oxford's (1990) Strategy Inventory

Language Learning (SILL). It consisted of 50 items figured out in six groups: Nine

questions belonged to Memory strategy; fourteen questions belonged to the Cognitive

strategy; nine questions belonged to Metacognitive strategy; five questions belonged to

Affective strategy; and seven questions belonged to Social strategy. The SILL is a

widely used self-scoring survey and the structure is based on Oxfords classification

52
system, whereby strategies are grouped into two types: direct (i.e., strategies that

directly involve the target language) and indirect. Direct strategies are classified into

memory, cognitive and compensation strategies:

Memory strategies (Items 1-9) are used for entering new information into

memory storage and for retrieving it when need for communication. (e.g., grouping,

representing sounds in memory, structured reviewing, using physical response).

Cognitive strategies (Items 10-23) are used for linking new information with

existing schemata and for analyzing and classifying it. Cognitive strategies are

responsible for deep processing, forming and revising internal mental models and

receiving and producing messages in the target language (e.g., repeating, getting the

idea quickly, analyzing and taking notes).

Compensation strategies (Items 24-29) include such strategies as guessing and

using gestures. Such strategies are needed to fill any gaps in the knowledge of the

language. (e.g., switching to the mother tongue, using other clues, getting help and

using a synonym).

On the other hand, indirect strategies are divided into metacognitive, affective

and social strategies:

Metacognitive strategies (Items 30-38) are techniques used for organizing,

planning, focusing and evaluating one's own learning. (e.g., linking new information with

already known one, seeking practice opportunities, and self-monitoring).

Affective strategies (Items 39-44) are used for handling feelings, attitudes and

motivations. (e.g., lowering anxiety by use of music, encouraging oneself and

discussing feelings with others).

53
 Social strategies (Items 45-50) are used for facilitating interaction by asking

questions, and cooperating with others in the learning process, (e.g. asking for

classification, cooperating with others and developing cultural understanding).

This questionnaire will make use of a five-point Likert scale rating system: "1"

stood for "Never true of me"; "2" usually not true of me"; "3" stood for "Somewhat true of

me"; "4" stood for "Usually true of me" and "5" stood for "Always true of me". Students

were asked to choose only one of them according to what they really did rather than

what they think they should have done. According to Oxford (1996), the reliability () of

the questionnaire was .91. This is much higher than the acceptable reliability coefficient

of .70, which is the rule of thumb for research purpose (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2000).

Green and Oxford (1995) quote reliability of various forms of SILL using Cronbachs

alpha for internal consistency, as .93 to .98. Reliability of SILL for the pre-service

teachers in this study (N = 60) was .90. The content validity for SILL based on

independent raters was .99 (Oxford & Burry Stock, 1995).

Lastly, for the third part (Part 3) of the questionnaire, the Communication

Competence Self-Report (CCSR) Scale developed by Rebecca Rubin (1982) will be

sued to measure the communication competence of the students. The 19-item

standardized test will make use of a five-point Likert scale rating system: "1" stood for

"Never"; "2" Rarely"; "3" stood for "Sometimes "; "4" stood for "Often" and "5" stood for

"Always". Students were asked to choose only one of them according to how they

perceived their communication competence. The CCSR items were then subjected to

coefficient alpha analysis for its reliability. The Cronbach alpha for the 19 items was .90.

The areas of the test include: Pronunciation, Facial Expression /Tone of Voice, Clear

54
Articulation, Persuasiveness, Clarity of Ideas, Defend & Express a Point of View,

Recognize Misunderstanding, Distinguish Fact from Opinion, Understand Suggestions,

Identify Class Assignment, Summarize, Introduce Self to Others, Obtain Information,

Answer Questions, Express Feelings, Organize Messages, Give Directions, Describe

Another's Viewpoint, and Describe Differences of Opinion.

Ethical Considerations

Data Analysis

The following statistical techniques will be used to analyze the gathered data

from the instrument:

For the SOP #1 (Profile), Frequency count and Percentage distribution will be

used to describe the profile of the student-respondents.

The formula for percentage is:

% = X 100

WHERE : P = Percentage Distribution

f = Frequency

N = Sample Size

100 = Constant

For SOP #2 and #4, Weighted Mean and Ranking will be used to interpret the

data from the Oxfords (1990) Strategy Inventory Language Learning (SILL) and Rubins

(1982) the Communication Competence Self-Report (CCSR).

55
 The formula for weighted mean is as follows:

__
WHERE : X = Computed Mean

= Symbol of Summation

F = Frequency

x = Item Value

N = Total Number of Respondents

For the Part II and Part III of the questionnaire with the Likert scale used and the

weighted mean gathered, the following parameters and interpretation of results were

applied:

Part II. Strategy Inventory of Language Learning (SILL)

Rating Scale Mean Interval

Verbal Interpretation
(Likert) Scoring (Range)
5 Always True of Me 4.50 5.00
4 Usually True of Me 3.50 4.49
3 Somewhat True of Me 2.50 3.49
2 Usually Not True of Me 1.50 2.49
1 Never True of Me 1.00 1.49

Part III. Communication Competence Self-Report (CCSR)

Rating Scale Mean Interval

Verbal Interpretation
(Likert) Scoring (Range)
5 Always 4.50 5.00
4 Often 3.50 4.49
3 Sometimes 2.50 3.49
2 Rarely 1.50 2.49
1 Never 1.00 1.49

56
 Applying the above mentioned rating scale, the weighted mean of the

respondents assessment of each component will be computed.

For SOP#3, Coefficient of Concordance and Spearmans Rho will be used to

determine the ranking agreement among the respondents and the differences between

the variables Language Learning Strategies Used when grouped according to profile.

The formula for the coefficient of concordance is:

Where:

S is a sum-of-squares statistic over the row sums of ranks

n is the number of objects

m is the number of variables

The formula for Spearmans rho is:

Where:

, is the difference between ranks

For SOP #5, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) will be used to determine

the differences of the Language Learning Strategies Used and Communication

Competence of the student respondents when grouped according to their profile. The

57
result of the ANOVA was used to determine if there was a significant difference

between the means of the population from which the samples were taken.

The formula is:

Source Df SS MS F

number of groups-1
Between SSb/dfb MSb/MSw
= k-1

Number of
participants -
Within SSw/dfw
number of groups
= N-k

Total N-1

For SOP #6, the chi-square test will be used to determine the test significant

relationship of the variables.

The formula is:

x2 = m(n 1) W.

58
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65
 Letter of Permission to the School Principal

January 29, 2017

DR. JOEL ESPEDIDO

School Principal
Colegio San Francisco

Dear Dr. Espedido:

Greetings in the Name of Love and Peace!

The undersigned is a senior high school student presently taking up Practical

Research 1. He/She is conducting a study entitled TITLE OF YOUR STUDY HERE.

The study aims to (PURPOSE OF YOUR STUDY HERE). In order for the
researcher to finish the said paper, an instrument has to be administered to the
aforementioned informants as well as a other qualitative approaches. In this regard,
may the researcher humbly seek your approval for the conduct of the study among the
(RESPONDENTS OF YOUR STUDY HERE) of the (INSTITUTION OF THE
RESPONDENTS).

The researcher conveys his utmost gratitude for every support you provide
him/her with regard to his/her study.

Respectfully yours,

(YOUR NAME(S) HERE)

Researcher(s)

66
 Letter to the Respondents

January 29, 2016

Dear Informant:

Greetings in the Name of Love and Peace!

The undersigned is a senior high school student presently taking up Practical

Research 1. He/She is conducting a study entitled TITLE OF YOUR STUDY HERE.

The study aims to (PURPOSE OF YOUR STUDY HERE). In order for the
researcher to finish the said paper, an instrument has to be administered to the
aforementioned informants as well as a other qualitative approaches. In this regard,
may the researcher humbly invite you to participate in the study and seek your informed
consent.

Rest assured that your answers and grades will be treated with utmost
confidentiality as well as your names treated with anonymity.

The researcher conveys his utmost gratitude for every support you provide him
with regard to his study.

Respectfully yours,

(YOUR NAME(S) HERE)

Researcher(s)

Informed Consent:

I am aware and was informed of the nature, purpose and other pertinent details
of the study as well as my options and implications thereof upon my participation. In this
regard and in my clear and rational state of mind, I am willing to participate and provide
my consent to take part in the aforementioned study.

___________________________________ _______________
Signature over Printed Name Date

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