Chapters

Conversational English

1

CHAPTER I. THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

A. Introduction In the Philippines, English is a second language. Many foreigners, mostly from neighboring Asian countries, choose Philippines as the place to immigrate and live for a few years just to learn how to speak in English. In the article “Decline in English Proficiency seen among RP Graduates,” Lovely Laudette D. Gamba, from the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) discusses results of several surveys conducted by the Department of Education (DepEd), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), and several other organizations. BPO has revealed that because of poor English communication skills, low self-confidence, and absence of technical skills only a few graduates were absorbed into the industry. Data from DepEd data shows that in 2003 only 19 percent of the country’s 53,000 public school teachers passed the Self-Assessment Test for English (SATE). In 2004, only five percent of high school graduates could speak English well enough to proceed to college. It has been said that this situation will be a setback to the country’s competitiveness in the global market. This setback is predicted to cause a decrease in foreign investments and loss of job opportunities for Filipino workers applying abroad. That is why several steps have been set in motion to “reverse” this decline. One example is DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2006, Implementing Rules and Regulations of Executive Order No. 210. Its main objective is to establish a policy to strengthen the use of the English language as a medium of instruction in the educational system.

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This study is about the conversational English skills of 4th year students from: St. Paul College, Pasig (SPCP), St. Paul University, Quezon (SPCQC), and St. Paul College, Makati (SPCM). This study has been limited to 4th year Saint Paul students because they are the graduating population and should be more competent in dayto-day English speaking. The skill of speaking in English, which is considered as a universal language, can be a factor in determining whether the students are prepared to enter college and ultimately, the real world. It will also give an insight on the weaknesses of students. The study was conducted within Metro Manila, the capital city, for this is where the English language has an essential use.

B. Significance or Importance of the Study Knowing that expertise in the English language is a key to an individual’s development, this study may shed some light on the 4th year Saint Paul students’ competence, proficiency and capacity in the English language. This study may be beneficial to the Saint Paul community for it could serve as reference on how well their students are in the said field. With these in mind, the researchers attempted to discover which among the three St. Paul Schools excels in conversational English. In this research, the researchers intended to see the faults of the system be it the students themselves or the teachers. The end result of this study would be beneficial for the improvement and better knowledge of each school. This would entail the fair opportunity for enhancement of the three sister schools in terms of English proficiency. Better knowledge and improvement falls under the goal of equal service rendered in each school. It is the equal opportunity to excel that this research aims to achieve.

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C. Problem and Objectives 1. Statement of the Problem What is the condition of conversational English among the 4th year students of St. Paul College of Pasig, Quezon City and Makati? This research was conducted to compare and contrast the English proficiency in speaking of High School graduating students. Specifically, the study attempted to answer the following questions:

a)

What is the overall percentage of skilled and proficient 4th

year students? b)

How does the students’ overall English proficiency in each

school differ from each other?

c)

Does the English teacher’s way of delivering lectures

influence the skills of students? 2. Objectives

a)

Compare and contrast the conversational English skills of 4th year high school students of Saint Paul College of Pasig, Quezon City and Makati.

b)

Identify whether the students are well acquainted in their English grammar, eloquence, diction and usage using the rubrics constructed by the researchers.

c)

Determine the common difficulties encountered by the students speaking in English.

D. Definition of Terms

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Condition – This is a mode of being or form of existence of a person or thing or "the human condition." This also refers to the five grading points in the rubric grading system which are: beginning, emerging, developing, proficient, and strong. Conversational English – This refers to the use of English language as a medium of communication. It also pertains to an oral and informal discussion or exchange of sentiments, observations, opinions, or ideas using the English language. English Proficiency – This is the advancement in knowledge or skill in the field of English. In a more subjective basis, this defines as a person’s practical knowledge of grammar, diction and correct usage of the English language. Rubric – This refers to a scoring guide composed of set criteria to evaluate a student’s performance, product, or project. In this research, this was created and used for grading the interviews. It is composed of five levels of fulfillment and four criteria for evaluation. The levels of fulfillment are defined as follows: Beginning – This has an equivalent grade of one. Values of 0.01 to 1.00 are considered to fall under this level. The speaker’s skill in delivering the English language is that of a beginner – someone who cannot fully use the language but has a basic understanding of it. Emerging – This has an equivalent grade of two. Values of 1.01 to 2.00 are considered to fall under this level. The speaker’s skill in delivering the English language needs work but is better than that of a beginner. Developing – This has an equivalent grade of three. Values of 2.01 to 3.00 are considered to fall under this level. The speaker’s skill in delivering the English language is growing or rather shows an understanding of the language but lacks the mastery in technicalities.

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Proficient – This has an equivalent grade of four. Values of 3.01 to 4.00 are considered to fall under this level. The speaker’s skill in delivering the English language is good in terms of usage. The speaker makes only a few mistakes. Strong – This has an equivalent grade of five. Values of 4.01 to 5.00 are considered to fall under this level. The speaker’s skill in delivering the English language is excellent. There is hardly an error in her usage and form. Self-Assessment Test for English (SATE) – This is an assessment test for English proficiency conducted by the Department of Education of the Philippines. Seniors – This refers to High School students on their last year of secondary education. They are also termed 4th year high school students. Sister Schools – Originally referred to a definite financial commerce between two colleges or universities.

This is also a term to refer to schools from the same

administration. Students – This pertains to the 4th year high school students. SPCM – Saint Paul College of Makati, another sister school SPCP. This school is found within the perimeter of Metro Manila. SPCP – Saint Paul College of Pasig. This is the school of the researchers found within the perimeter of Metro Manila. SPUQC – Saint Paul University of Quezon City, a sister school of SPCP. Likewise, this school is found within the perimeter of Metro Manila.

E. Scope and Limitations of the Study The researchers are senior students from an exclusive school for girls. They have observed that despite the prestige that comes with being a private school, where educators and facilities are better than most, some students from their batch

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are still experiencing trouble with using English as a medium of communication. Having been made aware of this fact, the researchers decided to conduct a study of their own. The researchers have gathered data restricted to SPCP, SPUQC and SPCM high school students during the school year of 2007-2008. This was because they wanted to focus on whether the graduating population is prepared or not for college life. Metro Manila schools were the main target for the research. This was because Metro Manila is a location where there is high expectancy of fluency in English. Only students of the Saint Paul schools in Metro Manila were included in the study population. This study does not pry into grades of the 4th year students. Rather, the researchers compared the English skill of each student from each school. This research also does not delve into the private portfolio of the teachers since the researchers do not have the proper authority. The medium for gathering the data is through interviews made to the students of the schools chosen.

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CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood. - William Penn (1644 - 1718)

A. Importance of the English Language Language in all aspects is essential to each individual. It serves as the medium for communication. In a large scale point-of-view, the medium of communication in any transaction for global communication is English, and therefore is accepted as the universal language. A person’s proficiency and efficiency in written and verbal English communication exposes one to opportunities of gaining success in the field of education and professional life and enhances reaching out to a larger spectrum of people. Fluency in English has its own levels. At the first level are the novices, who are the beginners and have very limited knowledge about English. They are low on vocabulary and their skills can only get them so far as to buying food or getting a cab. Next are the survivors. They have intermediate skills and are aware of the usage of past, present and future tenses, grammar and the like but use it awkwardly or incorrectly. In short, they are those who still need to work on their communication skills.

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Third are the conversationalists, who can converse using abstract ideas, can read and comprehend the newspaper, and understand the language except for the some vocabulary words. At the fourth level are the debaters, who are fluent and can understand completely any question or statement given to them. They can infer or read between the lines. They have a wider vocabulary with the exception of rare and uncommon terms. Lastly, there are the native tongue speakers, who have spoken the language from the tender age of five. They have mastered the dialect, grammar construction and even culture of the language. To Filipinos, English proficiency is needed for globalization. It is necessary to be one with the global market. Mastering English is a factor that will help them in competing in various outsourcing industries. English is a basic necessity. In an article by Gigi Dumallig (2006) she reiterates a statement given by Dr. Marylinda Santos, an English Supervisor from the Department of Education: English she said being an international language is vital for the future of the young people. Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio Bunye during a press conference in Malacañang (2006) offers his support to the statement: We have to focus on English proficiency because it is important to preserve current and future jobs of our young workers. Our competitiveness in the business outsourcing industry is a strategic imperative. This is important for investments and jobs as well as for the social mobility of Filipinos up to a better future. B. State of Filipino English Proficiency The Philippines is known among its fellow Asian countries as the nation that excels most when it comes to speaking proficiently in English. Because of this, the

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influx of Koreans occurred; and their main purpose for emigrating from South Korea to the Philippines is to simply learn how to communicate in English. Though the Philippines is perceived as a country that excels in English, the Filipinos seem to be losing their competitive edge. Surveys made by Social Weather Station (SWS) in December of 1993 and September 2000 states that: Three out of four Filipino adults, or 75 percent, said they understood spoken and written English. Only 7 percent said they were not competent at all in spoken and written English. Another article by Nanette Guadalquiver and Chrysee Samillano in the Visayan Daily Star (2006) states: The March 2006 Social Weather Station survey showed that national proficiency in English has declined over the last 12 years. The survey showed that two out of three Filipino adults (65 percent) understood spoken and written English, while about half (48 percent) said they could write English. A third (32 percent) said they spoke English, while 27 percent said they thought in English. Some 14 percent said they were not competent in any way when it came to English language. Evidently, the figures from 1993 to 2006 declined about 10 percent. In an article “A survey on Filipino ability with English” in Manila Standard (1995), writer Mahar Mangahas says that statistics have shown that “the quality of our English was better in good old days gone by”. In some recent figures collected by a census of Self-assessment in English competence organized by the Social Weather Report in March 8-14, 2006 (see fig. 1.1), the continuous decline of Filipinos in English proficiency remains. Even the usage of English continues to decline (see fig. 1.2). It is on this deterioration that blame is placed on the retardation of the country’s economy. That is why the Philippine government has been making an effort to improve the quality of English taught in schools. This school year, the DepEd is implementing Executive Order No. 210, which calls for the use of English as the primary medium of instruction in public and private schools. In this way, the

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10

Filipino youth will have a way of getting used to speaking, thinking and conversing using the English language. These accounts state that the English proficiency is essential for the Filipinos not only for self-enrichment and communication but also for their future in the competitive world of business.

C. Reasons for Decline in English Proficiency Why does the state of Filipino English proficiency continues to regress? According to an article in the Philippine Journal of Education, volume LXXXV number 10 (2007) page 466, there is a significant relationship between the teaching styles and the academic achievement of the students. Teachers have a need to utilize learning styles and preferences in their instructions to meet the need of learners. Kochar said: The quality of education depends largely upon the quality of the teacher. Whether the teacher is seated at the end of the proverbial log with the student perched at the other end, whether the teacher is in the best equipped room of a most modern school, whether the teacher is at work with a small group of students or is on TV screen seen by tens of thousands, it is unlikely that the students will get a superior education unless the teacher is superior. With good leadership, good training and appropriate teaching aids, the teacher’s effectiveness can be enhanced. Instructional devices are of little avail if the teacher is ignorant, unskilled or indifferent. An article by Sun Star Cebu, English Proficiency crisis in the Philippines, a prescription (2005) talks about the main cause of the decline of English in the Philippines and suggests how it may redeem itself. It says that the quality of education of students depends entirely on the competence and skills of the teacher, therefore, if things are to be remedied start with the teachers. The article suggests

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11

that teachers undergo a test to gauge the level of skills to see whether or not he or she maybe accepted as a teacher. Only those that reach the quota will be allowed to go though otherwise the course will be repeated until they pass. This method shall be done globally to make it competitive. In an article written for Manila Bulletin (2004), Raymund F. Antonio quotes Professor Jose Wendell Capili saying that Filipinos were good in their functional command of the English language compared to our Asian neighbors, but at present they are slowly losing their touch. He says that this is because less and less people – especially politicians – are concerned about investing in good teachers. The lack of funding and projects that focuses on promoting the English language is affecting the English proficiency of Filipino youth. In the same article, Antonio quotes US Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone’s statement that supports the need for good educators. He gives a warning that the Filipino’s Mastery of the language is fast slipping away and has been declining in the last 15 to 20 years. Capili also believes that because of the lack of funding, the problem lies in the Philippine educational system. He pronounces that the system ‘does not attract the best teachers, the country no longer has a competitive public school system, and private schools have become diploma mills. In an article written by Mong Palatino entitled ‘The English language debate in the Philippines,’ he quotes an appeal for a broader appreciation of the Philippine educational problems by Patricia Licuanan. It is stated there that the whole educational system is deteriorating and not just the English language. It is also the decline of Mathematics and Science that weakens Filipino competitiveness. In general, improving the education should enhance English quality as well.

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CHAPTER III. RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

A. Research Design The design of this research is descriptive research. This type of design is appropriate for the group’s study as defined by Manual and Medel: Descriptive research describes what is. It involves description, recording, analysis, and interpretation of the present nature, composition, or process of phenomena. The focus is on prevailing conditions, or how a person, group, or thing behaves or functions in the present…. (Methods of research and thesis writing p. 61) The design is exactly what the group needs to be able to come up with accurate data, since the study is about the conversational English of 4th year high school students of school year 2007-2008 from the three different Saint Paul schools. This kind of research is more on behavior, on how people respond, whether they use English or not.

B. Research Locale The researchers decided it best to conduct the interviews inside the vicinity of each St. Paul schools in the cities of Makati, Quezon, and Pasig. This was to assure that the schools were informed of the study and to secure the interviewees identity as Paulinian students.

C. Sample and Sampling Procedure The sampling technique used in this study was a type of probability sampling, random sampling. From the population of 4th year Paulinian students, the

Conversational English

13

researchers randomly selected their respondents whose ages range from 14 to 18. Despite the situation appearing to be in a form of convenience sampling, the researchers assure that every respondent is a member of the population agreed upon for the thesis. They are all female. They all take their high school education from St. Paul schools. These students are all taking their last year of high school education and will enter college in just a couple of months. The researchers computed for the sample by getting 30% of the senior population from each school. From SPCM whose population of senior students is 120, the researchers interviewed 33 students. They interviewed 35 seniors. From SPUQC whose population is 150 students, they interviewed 35 seniors. From the researchers’ alma mater, SPCP, whose population of fourth year students is 327, they interviewed 98 students.

D. Instrumentation The

researchers

decided

to

conduct

an

interview.

The

medium

of

communication for the instrument was English. The interview was used to determine the actual conversational skills of the respondent. The questions that were constructed were designed to test the interviewee’s skills in various fields: expression of emotion, opinions regarding current events, speech grammar and pronunciation. The interviewee’s skills in the use and pronunciation of the English language were judged following a Rubric Grading System (see Table 1) which the researchers made. In measuring each student’s ability in conversational English, the researchers asked them two sets of questions. The first set involved an impromptu speech. They asked the students questions that required responsive skills. The first from these

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14

set of questions involved a presentation of a picture (see fig. 1.3) wherein the interviewees were asked to relate to the researchers what they see, feel, and think of that image. The second question involved more of construction of words that relate to a topic or theme. The researchers asked the students of what they thought of the current president – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo – in a political view. The next set involved reading and a sharp tongue. The researchers asked each student to read three tongue twisters. These tongue twisters where divided into three categories: easy, moderate, and hard. Such divisions were necessary to differentiate the criteria for conversational English. Primarily, the first set holds majority of the needed data. It is the basis of the scores for grammar, and English usage. Speech is also a factor covered by this data. The second set covers most of the scores for speech. It is the main basis for the categories under speech, which are diction, phonetics and flow. E. Procedure The researcher decided to use one method of gathering data; that is by conducting an interview. Conducting an interview is the most logical way to measure the abilities of each student. The method also reduces the margin of error as compared to those of a survey. After the interviews, the researchers graded the students individually. The scoring was based on a rubric they made. Rubrics are used mostly by teachers to fairly grade students by using credible criteria and also to avoid unnecessary biases. In line with this, the researches too used a rubric. Since the researchers are just students and are not masters of the English language, the rubrics provides more informative feedback about each student’s strengths and areas in need of improvement. The validity and accuracy of

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the rubric was based on separate grading made by the researchers and an English teacher. Through comparison, the individual scores given by the researchers and the teacher, there were small differences. The scores are similar and there is no drastic dissimilarity per criterion. This proves that the rubric is viable and so is the capability of the researchers to give scores. In the final tabulation, only the averaged scores of the researchers are noted. The rubric contains four main parts: (1) English Usage which deals with the student’s exclusive use of English words in speaking; (2) Grammar which involves the structural part of speech and verb tenses; (3) Speech, involves the phonetics, flow, and diction; and (4) Word Choice, measures the vocabulary used in speech. The three subcategories of speech is graded separately and also counted for in the averaged score of each student. Phonetics deals primarily with the pronunciation of words. Flow is about the ability of each student to deliver their message without the use of unnecessary pauses. Finally, diction is the voice delivery of the speaker. In this study, there is greater emphasis on the criterion of grammar. It is stated in the significance and importance of this study that the proficiency in English of each student is measured. The researches find that the best way to approach that cause is to compare the ability of each student through their grammar and fluency. Grammar can be likened to the foundation of speaking the language, and thus, this is one of the main reasons why testing the students grammar is the ideal method to gather and analyze data. On the other hand, fluency is another key element in determining the skill because being fluent shows mastery of the language as well as confidence. English word use, sentence structure, and correct usage of words are the sub-concepts used to decide whether

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or not a person excels in English. From the questions the researchers asked, they tested the capabilities of the interviewee to respond using the English language. They listened as to how she answered, with the instruction that she should speak in the English language. Each corresponding criterion can be given grade of one to five, five being the perfect score. They are defined as follows, from least to greatest: beginning, emerging, developing, proficient, and strong. The score will be based on the performance of interviewee during the interview. The data is arranged in two forms: tabular and graphical. The tabular data is a list of individual scores the researchers gave for their interviewees.

F. Time Table The table below is a list of dates, tasks and expenses made for the study. Table 2 Order of Tasks with Expenses Date

Task

Oct. 14-17, 2007 Oct. 21-22, 2007 Nov. 2, 2007

Revision of chapter 1 and chapter 2

Expense s 0.00Php

Revision of chapter 3

0.00Php

Interview managed by Kassandra Imperial in her house, McDonalds and Ayala Homes Organizing data collected

700Php

Nov. 3-4, 2007 Nov. 5, 2007 Nov. 6, 2007 Nov. 7, 2007 Nov. 21, 2007 Nov. 22, 2007 Nov. 23, 2007 Nov. 26, 2007 Dec. 9, 2007 Dec. 28, 2007 Jan. 7-14,

Discussed about the problems regarding hardships in conducting interviewees Consultation with Ms. Hernandez Planning interview for November 8, 2007 Interviewed students from St. Paul, Quezon City Interviewed students from St. Paul, Quezon City Interviewed students from St. Paul, Makati City Interviewed students from St. Paul, Makati City Conference regarding Chapter 4 Revision of Chapters 1, 2 and 3 Finishing the Sample Population of SPCP

0.00Php 0.00Php 0.00Php 0.00Php 200Php 200Php 200Php 200Php 0.00Php 0.00Php 0.00Php

Conversational English

17

2007 Jan. 14-15, 2007

Completion of Data for Chapter 4

0.00Php

CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This research study for conversational English of the three Paulinian schools hopes to provide a detailed overview of their current condition in the said topic. This chapter is divided into parts. These are as follows: 1. The three Saint Paul Schools •

St. Paul College, Pasig

•

St Paul University, Quezon City

•

St. Paul College, Makati

2. Comparison of Grades among the three schools •

Aptitude in the English language

•

Grammar skills and range of vocabulary

•

Skills in Speech

3. The possible problems of students 4. An understanding of the over-all scores

A. Data and Results There are three Saint Paul Schools in Metro Manila included in this study, namely SPCP, SPUQC and SPCM. Students were individually scored based on

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18

specific criteria. Then each student scores was computed in overall grading under their schools. This was done to easily compare the grades of each school. The following tables and graphs summarize the gathered data. The tables are summaries of the tables 2.1 to 2.6 which can all be found at the appendix section of this paper.

1. Question and Answer Portion Looking at the individual scores of each student (see Tables 2.1-2.3) the highest score was garnered by three students from SPCP. They received a grade of 4.83 which is equivalent to 96.67%. The lowest score was acquired by a student from SPCM. This student received a grade of 1.50 which is equivalent to 30.00%. Table 3.1 Overall Grading (Question and answer portion) Criteria English Usage Word Choice Grammar Phonetics Flow Diction Average Percentage

Legend: Highest Score Lowest Score

SPCP 4.63 3.27 3.58 3.82 3.33 3.41 3.67 73.44

Schools SPUQC 4.57 2.49 2.63 3.29 2.89 3.14 3.17 63.33

SPCM 4.21 2.61 2.58 2.36 2.88 2.70 2.89 57.78

Total Average Percentage 4.47 89.44 2.79 55.71 2.93 58.57 3.16 63.10 3.03 60.61 3.08 61.65 3.24 64.85 64.85

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19

Overall Grades Based on the Question and Answer Portion of the Three Saint Paul Schools per Criterion 5.00 4.50 4.00

scores

3.50 3.00

SPCP

2.50

SPUQC

2.00

SPCM

1.50 1.00 0.50 0.00 English Usage

Word Choice

Grammar

Phonetics

Flow

Diction

Criteria

Figure 1.3 From SPCP, the total average grade of the sample is 3.67. Its percentage of 73.44% which is relatively higher compared to the other schools. The school’s lowest individual score was 1.67 or 33.33% which is the same with the lowest score from SPUQC. The majority of the sample populace of SPCP, about 13 respondents, received a grade of 3.50 or 70.00%. The sample from SPUQC has a total average score of 3.17 which is also 63.33%. This is also the score of majority of the sample populace which is about six respondents. The highest individual grade from this school is 4.00 or 80.00%. Though lower compared to the highest individual grade of SPCM, they rank higher in the overall grading to SPCM. SPCM has the lowest overall grading amongst the three Saint Paul schools. The score of majority of the sample populace, about five respondents, is 2.50 or 50.00%.

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Total Average Scores Based on the Question and Answer Portion per Criterion 5.00 4.50 4.00

3.00

2.93

3.16

3.03

3.08

2.00

Average

2.79

2.50

4.47

scores

3.50

Word Choice

Grammar

Phonetics

Flow

Diction

1.50 1.00 0.50 0.00 English Usage

Criteria

Figure 1.4 In general, amongst the three schools, the lowest grades came from the criterion of word choice. The highest scores are from the criterion of English usage.

Proficient Students of SPCP Based on Question and Answer Portion 19.39%

84 students out of 98 or 80.61% of the sample population from SPCP

are

proficient

conversational English.

80.61% Scores 3.01and above Scores below3.01

in

their

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21

Figure 2.1

Proficient Students of SPUQC Based on Question and Answer Portion

Proficient Students of SPCM Based on Question and Answer Portion 30.30%

40.00%

60.00% 69.70%

Scores 3.01and above Scores 3.01and above

Scores below3.01

Scores below3.01

Figure 2.2

Figure 2.3

SPCM has 21 out of 35 or 60.00% and SPUQC has 10 out of 33 or 30.30% proficient students from their respective sample populations.

2. Tongue Twisters Remarkably, from the individual scores of each interviewee (see Tables 2.4 – 2.6), the highest is a perfect score, garnered by two students from SPCP. The lowest score, 1.67 or 33.33%, is also from a student of SPCP. Table 3.2 Overall Grading (Tongue Twisters) Criteria Phonetics

SPCP 3.70

Schools SPUQC 3.11

SPCM 2.79

Total Average Percentage 3.20 64.04

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22

Flow Diction Average Percentage

3.62 3.18 3.50 70.07

3.54 2.89 3.18 63.62

3.79 2.82 3.13 62.63

3.65 2.96 3.27 65.44

73.02 59.25 65.44

Legend: Highest Score Lowest Score Overall Grades Based on the Tongue Twisters of the Three Saint Paul Schools per Criterion

4.00 3.50 3.00

2.82

3.18

3.79

3.54

3.62

SPUQC

2.89

1.00

2.79

1.50

SPCP

3.11

2.00

3.70

Scores

2.50

SPCM

0.50 0.00 Phonetics

Flow

Diction

Criteria

Figure 1.5 The highest overall average is of 3.50 or 70.00% is from SPCP. SPCM and SPUQC have a 0.99 difference in their averages. SPUQC has a grade of 3.18 or 63.62% while SPCM has a grade of 3.13 or 62.63%.

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Total Average Scores Based on the Tongue Twisters per Criterion

4.00 3.50

1.50

Average

2.96

2.00

3.65

2.50

3.20

scores

3.00

1.00 0.50 0.00 Phonetics

Flow

Diction

Criteria

Figure 1.6 In general, among the three schools, the criterion of flow in speaking tongue twisters received the highest grade. The lowest score is from the criterion of diction.

B. Discussion The sample population of SPCP which is 98 respondents is larger than that of the two other schools. This is because the total population of SPCP is more than half the population of the other Saint Paul schools. This may be a factor as to why some of the extreme scores are found in this school. An example is that they have the lowest and highest grade in the second part of the interview which involves tongue twisters. Another factor the researchers have seen may be in the special program of SPCP called the ‘Dugtong-Dunong’ and ‘Sulong-Dunong’ classes. Both programs comprise of gifted students of Math and Science separated from others during the said subjects and taught advanced concepts inside and outside the normal

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24

curriculum. Though it does not denote that these students do very well in their conversational English, it may be a factor for which these students are the generally the crème de la crème. That said status would usually mean that their capacity to excel in any subject is far greater than others. Having such programs may or may not have an effect on the students. As observed by the researchers, it may have created an atmosphere of either competitiveness or lack thereof. This could have resulted in extreme differences in the individual scores of the students of this school. Considering the individual high grades of the students, the researchers have seen that it is because the teachers belonging to the English area are competent. Though the same cannot be said about the other subject teachers, students of SPCP have no qualms about their English teachers. And since majority of the subjects are taught in English, students have had the best opportunity to develop their skills in conversational English. The Filipino language is only fully used in the Filipino subject. For the results of SPCM, it is possible that the population of students being few has affected their averaged scores. From causal conversations with the seniors of the said school, the researchers have gathered remarks that their English teacher barely knows how to construct a proper sentence when speaking. Beforehand, the researchers themselves have encountered the said teacher and have seen how she could not speak English with ease and confidence. Furthermore, the students of SPCM have also claimed that during their English class their teacher would have to speak two languages, English and Filipino, majority of which is in the latter. There are also times where the said teacher speaks in Visayan dialect inadvertently. The teacher does not create a room for development on good skills in conversational

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English for the students. But in amount to the students’ scores, a single teacher’s faults may not equate to the low grades of the students, only that a teacher may have had an effect. SPUQC has the middle or fairly average scores. In the commentaries made by the students of SPUQC, the researchers have gathered that their description of the English teachers is mediocre. The researchers also observed in the campus that the implementation of speaking English is not that strong. Outside the classroom, most if not all the teachers would speak in Filipino to each other and to the students. This could be an aspect as to why the results of SPUQC are middling. A further reasoning the researchers would like to point out is that out of the 150 4th year high school student population, there are only three rooms from which they are divided. This would mean that in one room there are fifty students. An ideal classroom would comprise thirty to forty students. Having fifty students in a classroom, the students have a lesser chance to participate. Hence, their skills in conversational English are not practiced. The researches can infer that the English skills of the teacher influence the English skills of the student. As stated in the Philippine Journal of Education, volume LXXXV number 10 (2007), it does not matter whether the school is equipped with up-to-date gadgets or modern facilities, what matters most is the skills of the teacher. It is the teacher who will greatly affect the development of the student. Also, the focus in developing other subjects such as Math and Science could have influenced he improvement in learning the English language. As said by Patricia Licuanan, improving the educational system as a whole should bring with it the development in the quality of English language.

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CHAPTER V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

A. Summary This study was conducted to measure the English proficiency of 4th year Paulinians from SPCP, SPCM, and SPUQC. The descriptive method of research was used and the semistandardized interview method was used in gathering data. The interview schedule served as the researchers’ instrument for collecting data. The

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sample population consisted of 30% of the fourth year student population. This study was accomplished during the school year of 2007-’08. Based on the results for the question and answer portion, the overall highest score of 73.44% was garnered by the students from SPCP. The overall lowest score of 57.78% came from the students of SPCM. On the results for the tongue twisters the overall score highest score of 70.07% was from SPCP and lowest score of 62.63% came from SPCM.

B. Conclusion The state of conversational English proficiency of the sister Saint Paul schools is proficient based on the rubric. The percentage of proficient students per school is 80.61% for SPCP, 60.00% for SPUQC, and 30.30% for SPCM. These student outputs were mostly indirectly influenced by the teachers’ competence in the English language. The researchers conclude that the expertise of teachers, especially those who teach English, is one of the factors that influence the skills of each student from different schools. As has been previously stated, it is unlikely that the students will get a good quality of education unless the teacher is competent. Therefore, it is up to the school to hire only competent teachers, if they want to give the students quality education. With all these observations, the researchers conclude that SPCP students acquired the highest grades because of their competent teachers. SPCM and SPUQC received low scores because of the lack of expertise of their teachers. However, the researchers cannot fully blame the incompetence of teachers for there are other factors that need to be considered for the development of the students’ conversational English proficiency.

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C. Recommendation For Further Studies: The researchers did not include other factors such as family background, peers, and social environment. Considering the said factors will add to the credibility of further studies. If possible, an academic background check on the teachers would also be helpful for the findings in the conclusion. Looking through the English curriculum of the schools would also be beneficial for the analysis of the results. Also looking through the development of each student from the start of their High School education would help the study for analysis. It may reveal some environmental factors directly affecting the development of each student. The teachers of each student since their first year in High School should also be researched. For the Schools: The researchers recommend that the schools have higher standards in hiring and screening their teachers for the benefit of the students to be taught. Improving not only the English language but also the other subjects, particularly Math and Science, could help the learning of the said language.

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References: □ Gamba, L. L. D. Copyright © 2005. (2006, April 24). Decline in English proficiency seen among RP graduates. Philippine Information Agency. (Retrieved August 11, 2007) from:  http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp? m=12&sec=reader&rp=1&fi=p060424.htm&no=8&date=

□ Copyright © 2007. Department of Education. (2006, Aug 22). DO No. 36, s. 2006. (Retrieved August 11, 2007) from:  http://www.deped.gov.ph/cpanel/uploads/issuanceImg/DO%20No. %2036,%20s.%202006.pdf

□ Copyright © 2006-2007. Merriam-Webster, Inc. (n.d.) Meriram-Webster Online. (Retrieved September 6, 2007) from:  http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/thesaurus?book=Dictionary&va=conversation

□ Teamwork English Language Proficiency Tutorial Center. Welcome to our web site. (n.p.) (Retrieved August 11, 2007) from: 

http://www.deped.gov.ph/cpanel/uploads/issuanceImg/DO%20No.

%2036,%20s.%202006.pdf

□ Dumallig, G. (2006). DepEd pushes English proficiency. Manila: Philippine Information Agency.

□ (2006). Palace underscores importance of improving English proficiency. Manila: Malacañang

□ Tubeza, P. C. (2006). Senators pushing English in schools. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Manila: Inquirer Interactive Inc.

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□ Guadalquiver, N. & Samillano, C. (2006). Capitol addressing English proficiency woes. Bacolod City: Visayan Daily Star

□ Mangahas, M. (1995). A survey on Filipino abilty with English. Manila Standard. Manila: Kamahalan

□ (2006). March 2006 Social weather survey: national proficiency in English declines. SWS Media Release Manila (Retrieved August 17, 2007)  http://www.sws.org.ph/pr060418.htm

□ (2007). Philippine Journal of Education Volume LXXXV. Page 466. □ Antonio, R. F. (2004). Educating Filipinos on English language. Manila Bulletin. Manila: Manila Bulletin (Retrieved August 17, 2007)  http://www.sws.org.ph/pr060418.htm □ WordNet Search 3.0 © Princeton University. (2006). (Retrieved February 4, 2008) from:  http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

□ Sun.Star Cebu Citizen Journalists. (2005). English proficiency crisis in the Philippines: a prescription. (Retrieved February 8, 2008) from:  http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/cj/?p=33

□ Palatino, M. (2007). The English language debate in the Philippines. Global voices online. (Retrieved March 5, 2008) from:  http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/06/17/the-english-languagedebate-in-the-philippines/

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Appendix: Table 1

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY RUBRIC GRADING SYSTEM 5 4 3 2 Strong Proficient Developing Emerging

English Usage  Use of English words

Grammar



 Does not use any  Uses English words other words other than most of the time. English words.  Uses Filipino words once or twice for words hard to translate



Correct usage of

Sentence Fluency words.

Used difficult sentence structures.  Comprehensible and Complicated

Speech



Uses English slang or Taglish

 Hardly any mistakes  Lacks mastery in parallelism  Constructs phrases every now and then  Misplacement of words  Carefully spoken words.  Run-ons  Had some proper sentences

1 Beginning

 Repetitive usage of  Hardly uttered any Filipino (or other English word (once or language besides twice only) English if applicable)  Only spoke in words Filipino

 Spoke in phrases  Did not speak any  Broken down words coherent sentence.  Misuse of verbs  Over use of a word… eg. And, then  No chance to  difficulty in observe for use of constructing sentences Taglish  Wrong tenses

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





Phonetics

Flow

Diction

Word Choice   

Precision Effectiveness Imagery

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 No mispronunciation of words  fluent and smooth

 rare mispronunciation of words (once or twice)



 an obvious effort in  Most of the spoken trying to correctly words are pronounce the words mispronounced  Or no chance to observe (hardly spoke a sentence)

 Pauses for a moment or two, once or twice  Smooth

 Pauses occasionally.  slight hesitation

 Rare use of the ‘uhms’ and ‘ahs’  Uses “sentence fillers”  Pauses quite often  obvious hesitation

 Usage of of ‘uhms’  Over use of ‘uhms’ and ‘ahs’ every after a and ‘ahs’ coherent thought  Pauses for a long  Inappropriate pause amount of time  struggles to read  Or no chance to observe (hardly spoke a sentence)

consistent mispronunciation of three to five words

 Delivers well and  Deals with errors in  adequate  Exclaims every with emotion a discreet manner pronunciation mistake  good pronunciation  Voice is loud and  Deals with mistakes  unclear delivery of words clear silently  Power in voice is good but diminishes as she ends her sentences  Descriptive  Wide choice of vocabulary  Energizing word choice  Carefully chosen words  Neutral response

 Appropriate words  Overdone descriptions

 Apologizes for mistakes  Soft, trembling voice  Or no chance to observe (hardly spoke a sentence)

 Correct usage of  Repetitive  Misuse of words words  Inappropriate usage  Limited usage of  typical word choice of words words (very short sentences that hardly  Off topic answers  use of “sentence makes sense) fillers”  Or no chance to e.g. stuff, things, observe (hardly spoke whatever, you know a sentence) what I mean)

Figure 1.1

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Figure 1.2

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Interview

1.) What do you see feel and think about this picture (shows picture 1)? We will give you time to think for one minute. Tell us when you’re ready. 2.) What are your political views regarding President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo? We will give you time to think for one minute. Tell us when you’re ready. 3.) Please read the following tongue twisters. There is no need to say them in a fast pace. We will give you time to read and practice. Tell us when you’re ready.

The following are the tongue twisters: Easy level -When a doctor gets sick and another doctor doctors him, does the doctor doing the doctoring have to doctor the doctor the way the doctor being doctored wants to be doctored, or does the doctor doing the doctoring of the doctor doctor the doctor as he wants to do the doctoring? Moderate level -She-man shops at cheap chop suey shops. Difficult level -She sells sea shells by the sea shore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I’m sure she sells seashore shells.

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Picture 1

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