THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE

OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL (SHS) STUDENTS

IN THE SCHOOLS DIVISION OF CALAPAN CITY

In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the

Degree Doctor of Philosophy Major in English
Language Presented to the faculty of Graduate
School
Divine Word College of Calapan

A Dissertation Proposal

of

MA. KATRINA SANDRA A. MAGCAMIT

Ph.D. in English Candidate
 CHAPTER 1
The PROBLEM and its SETTING

Introduction

K to 12 is a 12-year program that gives students sufficient time to master skills

and absorb basic competencies. Moreover, it is also a curriculum that gives students the
chance to choose among four tracks in their Senior High School (i.e. Academic;
Technical- Vocational-Livelihood; Sports and Arts & Design) and then undergo
immersion, which provides relevant exposure and actual experience in their chosen track
(K to12 Philippines, 2015)

The Department of Education (DepEd) has formed a Technical Vocational unit in

the Bureau of Secondary Education. This unit needs strengthening as one of the three
key strands that will prepare high school graduates by equipping them with skills for
employment. On the other hand, as the government is preparing for a learner - centered
curriculum, Senior High School students are expected to be language capable in various
academic skills they are engaged in.

One of the curriculums that serves as the language foundation of the Senior High
School is the K-12 Language Arts and Multiliteracies (Multi Literacy practice) Curriculum
(LAMC) which anchors on language acquisition, learning, teaching, and assessing
principles (K to 12 English Curriculum Guide, 2016).

The ultimate goal of the said curriculum is to produce graduates who apply the
language conventions, principles, strategies and skills in interacting with others,
understanding and learning other content areas, and fending for themselves in whatever
field of endeavour they may engage in.

The mentioned curriculum aims to help learners acquire highly-developed literacy

skills that enable them to understand that English language is the most widely-used
medium of communication in all areas. Furthermore, the curriculum aims to help learners
understand that English language is a dynamic social process which responds to and
reflects changing social conditions, and that English is inextricably and be sensitive to

2
sociocultural diversity and understand that meaning of any form of communication
depends on context, purpose and audience.

Furthermore, it views the world as the ‘knowledge age’ as challenge to education

which is to prepare learners to deal with the challenges of the changing world. Thus,
students must be prepared to compete in global economy, understand and operate
communication and information systems, and apply higher level of thinking skills to make
decisions and solve problems. This framework also, allows easy transition from acquiring
and learning one language to another.

Language, as defined in the K to 12 Curriculum Guide (2016), is the major

instrument in communication and the heart of which is the exchange of meaning.
Through language, students are guided in making meaning for different purposes on a
range of topics and with a variety of audiences. Students must be able to adapt to
various situations where communication demands greatly vary.

Moreover, as stated in the Key Stage Standard of the said guide, students when
they reach grade 12, they should be able to integrate communication and language skills
for creating meaning using oral and written texts, various genres, and discursive
contexts for personal and professional purposes.

Malone (2006) cited that learning requires meaning. This means that we learn
when we use what we know to understand what is new. They use language to examine
new experiences and knowledge in relation to their prior knowledge, experiences, and
beliefs. They make connections, anticipate possibilities, reflect upon ideas, and
determine courses of action.

Additionally, Balinger (1968) as cited in the I-manager’s Journal on English

Language Teaching (2011), language is a very important means of communication. It is
very difficult to think of a society without language. It sharpens people's thoughts and
guides and controls their entire activity.

3
 Child learns the language easily due to the favourable environment and by the
great amount of exposure to the language. Thus, various language experiences
specifically English, could sum up the success and failure of one’s learning.

Language is used on a regular basis in classroom like giving instructions of

praise. This is language that teachers are used to using and students are used to
hearing, but when teaching a language it takes a while to learn this part of the language.
Knowing these language basics reduces the amount that students are forced to use their
mother tongue and increases the amount of the target language they are using; it makes
the language classroom environment more authentic.

English as the language being taught in school is known as the second language
for the Filipino learners. Bose (2007) mentioned that learning a second language
requires conscious efforts to learn it and the exposure to the second language in most
cases is limited. English is being treated as a world language because of its vast
presence all over the world. At this juncture, learning English gains currency.

The ever-growing need for good communication skills in English has created a
huge demand for English teaching around the world. Raja and Selvi (2011) mentioned in
their study that learning English requires constant practice and patience. The kind of
feeling that prevails among senior high school students is that it is not possible to
achieve fluency or mastery over English language.

This kind of tendency prevents students from learning English. Most of the
students’ experiences, they study English from the examination point of view, so they are
not able to produce even a single sentence without grammatical error. Furthermore
sufficient practice is not given to students to learn a language.

As cited in the Ministry of Education and Research of 2013, English as a school

subject is both a tool and a way of gaining knowledge and personal insight. It will enable
the students to communicate with others on personal, social, literary and interdisciplinary
topics. The subject shall help build up general language proficiency through listening,
speaking, reading and writing, and provide the opportunity to acquire information and
specialised knowledge through the English language.

4
 Development of communicative language skills and cultural insight can promote
greater interaction, understanding and respect between persons with different cultural
backgrounds. Thus, language and cultural competence promote the general education
perspective and strengthen democratic involvement and co-citizenship.

These language competencies inspire most of the curriculum planners and

implementers to enhance the system of language learning to be able to create language
skilled graduates which is the aim of the K to 12 curriculum.

Relative to this, Anderson and Anderson (2003) mentioned that learners learn
about language and how to use it effectively through their engagement with and study of
texts. The term ‘text’ refers to any form of written (reading and writing), oral (listening and
speaking) and visual communication involving language.

The texts through which students learn about language are wide-ranging and
varied, from brief conversations to lengthy and complex forms of writing. The study of
specific texts is the means by which learners achieve the desired outcomes of language,
rather an end in itself. Learners learn to create texts of their own and to engage with
texts produced by other people.

In addition, Malone (2006) stated that successful language learning involves

viewing, listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. Language learning should
include a plethora strategies and activities that helps students focus on both meaning
and accuracy.

Senior High School, as the last stage in the K to 12 curriculum, focuses on the
domains where language is integrated such as oral language, writing and composition,
grammar awareness and structure, vocabulary development, reading comprehension,
listening comprehension, attitude towards language, literacy and literature; and study
strategies (K to 12 English Curriculum Guide, 2016).

Among the four tracks mentioned earlier, Academic track is composed of another
four strands such as General Academic Strand (GAS), Humanities and Social Sciences

5
(HUMSS), Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and
Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) strands. This comprises the tracks and
strands being taken by senior high students based on their field of specialization.

It is being evident nowadays, that Senior High school students regardless of their
tracks have shown various significant experiences in language learning, English to be
exact which has a great contribution that will better prepare them for the future whether it
be employment, entrepreneurship, skills development, and higher education.

According to DepEd, Senior High School ensures employment through the

provision of TESDA Certificates of Competency (COCs) and National Certificates (NCs)
and other opportunities. Entrepreneurship courses are included that allows one to
choose to start a business after graduation or choose to further one’s education by going
to college wherein the SHS curriculum is in line with the curriculum of the Commission
on Higher Education (CHED) – the governing body for college and universities.

Senior High School students in various schools in the Schools Division of

Calapan City are engage in various communicative activities in line with language-
related subjects like Oral Communication, Reading & Writing, English for Academic and
Professional Purposes, Research Writing, and many more. Oral Communication subject
deals with the development of listening and speaking skills and strategies for effective
communication in various situations wherein they are expected to perform various
speech activities like memorized speech, reading a manuscript, impromptu speech, and
even extemporaneous speech.

Moreover, Reading and Writing subject touches the ability of the students to
perform various writing tasks even composing professional correspondence like
Resume, Application for College Admission, Application for Employment, and Various
forms of Office Correspondence.

These language activities serve as platform in developing their functional and

critical literacy skills and mostly their communication skills.

6
 Furthermore, different language-related culminating activities are being practiced
by the Senior High School students because it is based on the competencies which is
said to be non-negotiable.

Knowing the fact that there are much differences among the tracks and strands
with regards to their language learning and even experiences, it is still a very interesting
side to know their English language communicative skills that has a great impact in the
preparation in their future. These communicative skills will surely be a factor to achieve
their success when they exit senior high school through various paths and opportunities.

These observations relative to English language communicative competence

prompted the researcher to conduct this study. This made the researcher focus on the
significant language skills of Senior High School students under different tracks and
strands.

7
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This study is anchored on Canale and Swain’s (1987, cited in Ohno, 2011) notion
of communicative competence as a synthesis of an underlying system of knowledge and
skill needed for communication. In their concept of communicative competence,
‘knowledge’ refers to the conscious or unconscious knowledge of an individual about
language and about other aspects of language use. According to them, there are three
types of knowledge: knowledge of underlying grammatical principles, knowledge of how
to use language in a social context in order to fulfil communicative functions and
knowledge of how to combine utterances and communicative functions with respect to
discourse principles. In addition, their concept of skill refers to how an individual can use
the knowledge in actual communication. According to Canale (1987), skill requires a
further distinction between underlying capacity and its manifestation in real communication
or performance (Bagariü and Djigunoviü, 2007).

Moreover, Ohno (2011) mentioned Widdowson’s view, saying that language

learning is not merely acquiring the knowledge of the rules, but also acquiring the ability
to use language to communicate. He says that knowing a language is more than how to
understand, speak, read, and write sentences, but how sentences are used to
communicate. Widdowson (1983, cited in Ohno, 2011) added the idea that once
competence is acquired, performance will take care of itself is false.

As cited in the Center for Adult English Language Acquisitions website (2000),
the language experience approach (LEA) is a whole language approach that promotes
reading and writing through the use of personal experiences and oral language. It can be
used in tutorial or classroom settings with homogeneous or heterogeneous groups of
learners. Beginning literacy learners relate their experiences to a teacher or aide, who
transcribes them. These transcriptions are then used as the basis for other reading and
writing activities.

Hall (1970) cited the consistent characteristics of LEA in practice such as

materials are learner-generated, all communication skills--reading, writing, listening, and
speaking-
-are integrated, difficulty of vocabulary and grammar are determined by the learners own
language use, and learning and teaching are personalized, communicative, creative.
8
 The LEA, first developed for Maori-speaking (Ashton-Warner, 1963) and native-
English-speaking children (Spache & Spache, 1964; Stauffer, 1965), has also been used
successfully with learners of all ages. Adult learners entering ESL programs may or may
not have previous educational or literacy experiences; nonetheless, all come to class
with a wealth of life experiences. This valuable resource for language and literacy
development can be tapped by using the LEA. The approach develops literacy not only
with the whole learner in mind, but also the whole language.

Krashen and Terrell (1983) recommend two criteria for determining whether
reading materials are appropriate for ESL learners: The reading must be 1) at a
comprehensible level of complexity and 2) interesting to the reader. Reading texts
originating from learners' experiences meet these two criteria because 1) the degree of
complexity is determined by the learner's own language, and 2) the texts relate to the
learner's personal interests.

Both criteria are of particular importance in adult beginning ESL classes, where
the paucity of reading materials can be problematic. Many books written in simplified
English are either too juvenile or too uninteresting to be considered appropriate reading
material for adults.

Psychologist David Kolb proposed the Experiential Learning theory which was
influenced by John Dewey, Kurt Lewin, and Jean Piaget. According to Kolb, this type of
learning can be defined as "the process whereby knowledge is created through the
transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the combinations of grasping and
transforming the experience."

Moreover, this theory differs from cognitive and behavioral theories in that
cognitive theories emphasize the role of mental processes while behavioral theories
ignore the possible role of subjective experience in the learning process. The
experiential theory takes a more holistic approach and emphasizes how experiences,
including cognitions, environmental factors, and emotions, influence the learning
process.

9
 Kolb also described two different ways of grasping experience: concrete
experience and abstract conceptualization, and two ways of transforming experiences
such as reflective observation and active experimentation.

According to Kolb, concrete experience provides the information that serves as a

basis for reflection. From these reflections, it is assimilated that the information and form
abstract concepts. Then, the use of these concepts to develop new theories about the
world, which we then actively test.

Through the testing of ideas, it is once again gather information through

experience, cycling back to the beginning of the process. The process does not
necessarily begin with experience, however. Instead, each person must choose which
learning mode will work best based upon the specific situation.

In addition, various support on Kolb’s theory have been introduced that really
strengthen the theory like Kolb's own research suggests that there is a correlation
between students learning styles and their chosen majors, people who choose college
majors and professions that are well-aligned to their learning styles tend to be more
committed to their field, experiential learning can be good for helping people explore
their own strengths when learning new things and the theory addresses how learners
can play to their own strengths as well as developing areas in which they are weakest.

Dewey’s theory of experience (1982) defines experience as simply ‘what we do’.

The fact that there is experience and that there is a ‘we’ who experience, need not lead
to construct an ontological slit-up between on the hand experience, and on the other
hand a ‘we’.

Dewey criticizes the fact that what he calls ‘mobile distinctions’ are made into
rigid separations. His struggle with dualisms is evident in his critique of the reflex-arc
concept in psychology. To Dewey, experience is one of the core concepts of his
pedagogical outlook, especially his curriculum theory.

Moreover, he placed the emphasis on experience at combination of trying and

undergoing. The connection between education and experience is made in Dewey’s effort

10
to define education as the continuous reconstruction of experience. Thus, Dewey argues
that the reflex-arc concept is inadequate to understand conduct as it is, namely as
continually moving, dynamic affair. It is not the stimulus that constitutes the response,
nor the response that constitutes the stimulus. It is the wholeness of the situation, or in
Dewey’s words, the co’ordination’ between stimulus and response that determines what
will be experienced by the individual as stimulus and response.

In Democracy and Education (1926), Dewey conceptualizes experience as a

twofold affair, namely as an active and passive element peculiarly combined’ as he calls
it, the active element being ‘trying’ and the passive being ‘undergoing’.

To "learn from experience" is to make a backward and forward connection

between what we do to things and what we enjoy or suffer from things in consequence.
Under such conditions, doing becomes trying; an experiment with the world to find out
what it is like; the undergoing becomes instruction -discovery of the connection of things,
(Dewey, 1982)

Clearly, on this point Dewey makes the philosophical, the psychological and the
educational conceptualizations of experience all fall in one line. This becomes even
clearer when Dewey connects experience and learning to the concept of reflection.
'Thought or reflection is the discernment of the relation between what we try to do and
what happens in consequence.

11
RESEARCH PARADIGM

To further guide the process of the study, a research paradigm below is shown.

Oral Language

English
Language
Writing and Communicative Competence
Reading
Composition Comprehension

Listening
Comprehension

Figure 1
Research Paradigm
(Based on the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum – Funnelling of Domain Across the K-
12 Basic Education Integrated Language Arts Curriculum and the Senior High School
Four career exits)

The research paradigm shown above illustrates the domains of the Language
Arts Curriculum for Grades 11 – 12 or the Senior High School wherein various English
language communicative competence and the four career exits are very evident.

12
 The paradigm shows a graphic presentation of the domains and the career exits
that are closely interconnected with one another. The four SHS career exits such as
employment, higher education, entrepreneurship, and skills development were
expressed inside the outer big circle covering the semantic web.

The overlapping circles inside the outer circle show the connection of the English
language communicative competence to the target domains. The circle in the most
middle is the English language communicative competence of the Senior High School
learners in various domains such as: oral language, writing and composition, reading
comprehension, and listening comprehension.

This paradigm visualizes the English language communicative competence of

Senior High School students that are being practiced and processed through the English
language domains. These domains contribute to the students’ readiness for the four
SHS career exits stated.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to show the English language communicative competence of the
Senior High School students. Specifically, the study aims to answer the following
questions:

1. What modes of English teaching-learning process are experienced by SHS

students in terms of:
a. Oral language
b. Writing and composition
c. Reading comprehension, and;
d. Listening comprehension

2. In what way will it contribute to the students’ readiness for employment, higher
education, entrepreneurship, and middle-level skills development?

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Significance of the study

This research study would be of enormous help in presenting concepts and information
regarding the English language communicative competence of SHS students.

SHS students. This study would provide essential information as regards their language
communicative competence which will be reflective and will serve as the determinants
towards their future

SHS Language teachers. This may become a reflective output for teachers teaching
English-related subjects regarding the skills being practiced and learned throughout the
teaching-learning process. They can use the essential information to be reflective to
teach in greater detail.

Senior High Administrators. Furthermore, the administration could use the study as a
reference in formulating English practices with regards to curriculum and enhancement.
Significantly, the results can shed light in evaluating the English related subjects being
taught by teachers in Senior High School curriculum.

Future Researchers. Lastly, the result of the study could provide meaningful data useful
for other research enthusiasts. Hopefully, more replicate studies along this line of
concern can be done to further ascertain the impact of language competence to one’s
academic skills.

Scope and delimitation of the study

The study is limited to the phenomenological approach about the English language
communicative competence through the four domains such as oral language, writing and
composition, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension as contributing
factors to their readiness in the SHS four career exits such as employment, higher
education, entrepreneurship, and middle-level skills development of nine (9) equally
represented SHS students in public and private Senior High Schools in the Schools
Division of Calapan City based on the specialization. Audio recordings will be used
during the interview process.

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Definition of Terms

These terms are operationally and conceptually defined to help the readers to further
understand the study:

Language. This serves as the basis of all communication used and being experienced
by students while learning.

Communicative competence. The capacity of knowing how to use the language for a
range of different purposes and functions

English Language communicative competence. These are the skills/abilities relative

to the domains that are being practiced and utilized by the students in language learning

SHS Career exits. These are the expected paths prepared for the SHS students as they
equip with the skills needed

Oral Language. The ability of the students to understand spoken and to talk and interact
with others about personal experiences and text listened or read

Writing and Composition. The ability of the students to express ideas effectively in
formal and informal compositions to fulfil their own purposes for writing

Listening Comprehension. The ability of the students to comprehend what they are
listening from

Reading Comprehension. The ability to be aware and to respond to literary text

through various reading strategies

Senior High School students. Students enrolled in the last stage in K to 12 program
under various tracks and strands depending on their specializations.

15
 Chapter II
LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter presents the literature review carefully selected to provide clarity
and shape to the present study.

Teaching and learning is an interactive act. In the classroom, communication

between the teacher and pupils goes on constantly as initiatory or responsive acts. This
communication is called “interaction”.

Tickoo (2009) describes classroom as a co-operative effort between the teacher

and the students. It points to how the teacher and the students interact and how
students interact amongst themselves, all of which affects language learning.

Moreover, the teacher initiates interactions with the whole group of students and
with individuals, right from the beginning of a language course. Initially the students can
only respond non-verbally or with a few target language words they have practised.
Later on, the students have more control of the target language and can respond more
appropriately and even initiate interaction themselves.

Studies of the classroom, both primary and secondary, have shown that the
language used by the teacher affects the language produced by the learners, the
interaction generated and hence the kind of learning that takes place. Classroom
language and interaction are even more important because language is the subject of
study as well as the medium for learning. When students listen to the teacher’s
instructions and explanations, when they express their views, answer questions and
carry out tasks and activities, they are not only learning about the language but also
putting to use the language that they are learning.

Communicative competence has always been the goal of every language

classroom wherein instructions are geared toward the components on organizational,
pragmatic, systematic and psychomotor (Brown, 1994) cited by Lasala 2013

16
 Lasala (2013) further stresses from Brown (1994) that authentic language and
real- world tasks enable students to see the relevance of classroom activity to their long
term communicative goals by introducing natural texts rather than artificial ones where
students will more readily dive in to the activity and that these communicative goals are
best attained if enough attention is given to language use and not just usage, to fluency
and not just accuracy, to realistic language and contexts and to how these students’
apply the learning in real life situations. Further, he said that the learner capitalizes on
his ‘strategic investment’ in mastering the target language. He thinks of ways and means
to improve his competence of the language and is directly involved in his own learning
process. Yet one must understand that strategies used differ in each situation depending
on the learner in solving the problems or tasks given to him.

Tongco, as cited by Prejoles (1997) in her study, said that difficulties in oral
communication continue to pose a challenge to language teachers and that over the
past few years, educators and language specialists have searched for ways to make
language teaching relevant and effective. Freeman, as cited by Prejoles (1997), believes
that communicative competence will be enhanced if the students are made to feel that
they are working on communicative skills, practicing some functions within a social
context, not just accumulating knowledge of vocabulary and sentence level structures.
Communication is vital in all areas of one’s life. It is used to persuade, influence
relationships, inform and share and uncover information.

History of language use in English classrooms

As a part of the revolt against the Grammar-Translation Method, the ‘English

only’ movement spread throughout the United States in the early 1920s (Auerbach,
1993) and continued to spread further around the world (Deller & Rinvolucri, 2002). In
the twentieth 17 century, most of the popular teaching methods avoided relying on the
use of the L1 in the classroom, including the Direct Method, Audio-Lingual Method
and Task-Based Learning Method (Cook, 2008).

All of these methods build on the assumption that the more English that is used
in the classroom, the better the instruction. The ‘English only’ movement was so strong
that their tenets became “common sense” in the teaching of English. Among their tenets
were
17
that English was best taught monolingually, that an English native speaker was the ideal
teacher and that if students’ first language was used, the standards of English would
drop (Auerbach, 1993; Deller & Rinvolucri, 2002).

Today many English educators still give credence to these tenets and continue to
advocate the exclusion of students’ first language (Auerbach, 1993). These teachers
often think of the use of the mother tongue in the English classroom as taboo and have
felt ashamed and guilty for the use of the first language because its use has been
considered bad teaching for a long time (Deller & Rinvolucri, 2002).

In the study of Ceo-DiFransesco (2013), one teacher has been described a

feeling of guilt after resorting to the first language. Some teachers even go so far that
they use reward games and penalty systems to ensure that students do not use their
first language. For example, they fine students a small amount of money for using their
first language in the classroom and reward students with points or candy for using
English (Pablo, Lengeling, Zenil, Crawford, & Goodwin, 2011). Teachers do so because
they strongly believe that the use of the first language will impede students’ progress in
their English acquisition (Auerbach, 1993).

In addition, ‘English only’ advocates’ argument is that second language learners

acquire the second language in the same way as they acquired their mother tongue
(Cook, 2001, 2008), with caregivers ensuring a constant stream of comprehensible input
in the TL, while being immersed in that language. This ideology is mainly based on
Krashen’s (1982) comprehensible input theory, where students only need
comprehensible input in the foreign language to be able to acquire it.

Therefore, they believe teachers should not deprive students of opportunities for
genuine exposure to the target language and use the second language for all interaction
in the classroom. They find that the exclusion of the first language will ensure maximized
exposure to second language input and enhance language acquisition (Cook, 2008).

Moreover, ‘English only’ advocates’ argument is based on the belief that students
should learn to think independently in the second language to successfully acquire the
language and therefore the thought processes for first language and second language

18
should be kept separate (Cook, 2008). This way students’ goal is to be coordinate
bilinguals, where both languages have distinct systems in the minds, rather than
compound bilinguals, where they form a single system for both languages (Cook, 2001).
Thus, ‘English only’ advocates equate second language learning with first language
acquisition.

Using English as the medium of instruction

Research suggests that all second language teachers use the second language
to some extent during lessons, but the amount of second language use varies from
classroom to classroom. A study by Kim and Elder (2005) reported that teachers’ second
language use differed both in the amount and the way that they used it. The proportion
of second language use varied from 23% to 88% of instruction time.

Similarly, a study by Duff and Polio (1990) showed that the amount of second
language use during instruction ranged from 10% to 100% and that students were
usually satisfied with the use of the second language within the classroom, whether the
teacher used a high percentage of the TL or not. Another study by Levine (2003) showed
that about half of teachers reported using the second language from about 80% to 100%
of the time. However, this same study suggests that teachers generally estimate greater
amounts of second language use than is actually used (Levine, 2003).

A more recent study by Ceo-DiFransesco (2013) shows similar results, where

about 80% of teachers reported a desire of using the second language up to 70% of the
time or more, but only about 38% of teachers reach this goal. Additionally, Levine’s
(2003) research indicated that the second language was used most by teachers when
they spoke to students, less by students when speaking with the teacher and least when
students were speaking with each other.

In general, these studies suggest that second language use differs from one
classroom to another and that teachers generally value the importance of providing
second language input, but often fail to reach their goal second language use.

19
 On the other hand, in the study conducted by Snorradóttir (2014), it is
recommended that English teachers set classroom rules for language use with each one
of their classes. Research suggests that teachers are continually making decisions
based on their beliefs and learning objectives whether they should use the first language
(Pablo et al. 2011).

Pabo et al. (2011) claimed that “There is not a perfectly attainable balance
between when and how to use the first language; rather, there is a dynamic decision-
making process that occurs within the two groups of participants: the teachers and the
students”.

In addition, Snorradóttir (2014) proposed that language teachers use the

students’ first language in “clearly-defined circumstances” (Deller and Rinvolucri, 2002).
Teachers should discuss and reflect upon language use in the classroom with their
students and talk about when it is appropriate and helpful to use the first language
versus the second language. With the teacher’s facilitation, students can then establish
their own classroom rules for language use (Auerbach, 1993). This could be done at the
beginning of each term and the rules from the previous term could be used to reflect on
whether they felt they were successful and helpful.

Findings in the mentioned study have shown that even though classes came to
different conclusions, where some decided to seldom use the first language and others
enumerated specific situations for the use of the first language, every class stuck to its
decision and teachers felt relief at not having force students to use a certain language
(Auerbach, 1993). Therefore, by establishing language rules students will be more
involved and aware of their language use.

Benefits of using English as a second language during lessons

No researcher argues against the idea that for language instruction to be

successful, students need to be exposed to second language input. Research has
shown that the amount and quality of second language input students receive has an
impact on how fast they acquire the language (Ellis, 2005), and it has also shown that
the teachers’ second language use affects the learners’ achievement (see Moeller &
Roberts, 2013).
20
 Furthermore, Krashen’s input hypothesis, Long’s interaction hypothesis and
Swain’s output hypothesis all provide evidence to suggest that the use of students’
target language in the classroom is crucial for language learning.

Krashen (1982) suggests that the input hypothesis is central to second language
learning. According to him, students acquire a language only when they understand a
language which is slightly above their current level of comprehension. He explains how
learners use their linguistic competence to help them understand language that is a little
more difficult than what they know. Furthermore, students use their common knowledge
and extra-linguistic information to assist them with the comprehension (Krashen, 1982).

According to Krashen’s (1982) hypothesis, for teachers to assist students in

acquiring English, they should provide students with second language input in the
English classroom, where the level of English is slightly above their current level of
comprehension.

According to Long’s (as cited in Tran, 2009) interaction hypothesis, students can
acquire a second language through interaction with a second language speaker, either a
native speaker or an advanced non-native speaker. This interaction creates a naturalistic
second language acquisition environment where the learners use negotiation of meaning
to learn the language. The interaction hypothesis is based on Krashen’s (1982)
comprehensible input theory. Long has stated that high quantities of comprehensible
input are likely to increase the speed of language acquisition and that a lack of
comprehensible input will result in slower or no language acquisition at all (as cited in
Tran, 2009). Therefore, according to Tran (2009), teachers should provide students with
opportunities for negotiating meaning in the English classroom.

In addition to second language input Swain (2008) claims that second language
output is also necessary for students’ language development. Swain (2008), in her
output hypothesis, states that output is as essential as input in developing second
language proficiency. She states that “output pushes learners to process language more
deeply— with more mental effort— than does input” (Swain, 2008, p. 99). When students
need to produce output, they have to create linguistic form and meaning. She claims that
when producing output, students learn to notice gaps in their linguistic knowledge and
thus try
21
to fill them (Swain, 2008). Therefore, it is important for language learners to be provided
with opportunities in the English classroom to produce written and spoken output.

The use of English in English-related activities

Teachers should make input comprehensible through verbal or nonverbal means.

Teachers often fear that students will not understand important information unless given
the first language translation (Snorradóttir, 2014). Therefore they can either modify the
second language input, for example by repeating, slowing down, paraphrasing and
simplifying syntax and vocabulary, or they can use nonverbal means to make the input
more comprehensible, for example by using visuals, props and gestures (Duff & Polio,
1990).

As an example, when reading a story, teachers can use images or “acting out the
story” to enhance the textual input, then students can use the visuals to decode meaning
and their understanding will be enhanced by presenting both visual and verbal
information (Moeller & Roberts, 2013).

This way, students are building on their background knowledge and will more
likely remember the new vocabulary, instead of when the teacher just gives them the
translation. Additionally, teachers should stress that every word that is said during
lessons does not need to be understood (Ceo-DiFransesco, 2013). They should rather
make sure that students develop their listening comprehension strategies and help them
focus on important information and get the overall meaning (Duff & Polio, 1990; Ceo-
DiFransesco, 2013).

Teachers should constantly motivate students to use the second language.

Instructors can teach students phrases or questions in the second language to help
them interact in English during lessons (Ceo-DiFransesco, 2013). Then, teachers can
reward students for using the language during class when asking or answering
questions, sharing their opinions and ideas or communicating with their peers during
activities. Teachers can also use reward points or any other reward system for this
(Moeller & Roberts, 2013).

22
 Moreover, it is a good idea to allow students to use the second language
spontaneously, for example if they want to tell a joke or a short story in the second
language, it should be encouraged. Teachers should also create opportunities to talk to
students about their weekends or hobbies to allow them to express themselves through
the second language. The goal is to encourage discourse in the second language
between teachers and students, and among students themselves. With practice and
more confidence, students will improve and feel a sense of accomplishment, which will
become internalized and further motivate students to use the second language (Moeller
& Roberts, 2013).

Today, language learning is seen as an activity which perceives students as

complex human beings, and not simply as language learners. Students need practice in
all skills in order to become efficient in the English language. A number of activities can
be used to prepare students to understand the use of language. The most common
activity in a language classroom especially where language is taught through literature
and language skills is to ask students to relate their own knowledge and experiences to
the topic. The teacher should provide them with worksheets involving quiz,
questionnaire, sentence stems to completed, statements to be discussed and the four
language skills’ exercises (Tiwari, 2009).

Oral Language

“Oral Language is the child’s first, most important, and most frequently used
structured medium of communication. It is the primary means through which each
individual child will be enabled to structure, to evaluate, to describe and to control his/her
experience. In addition, and most significantly, oral language is the primary mediator of
culture, the way in which children locate themselves in the world, and define themselves
with it and within it” (Cregan, 1998, as cited in Archer, Cregan, McGough, Shiel, 2012)

Proficiency in oral language provides children with a vital tool for thought.
Without fluent and structured oral language, children will find it very difficult to think.
(Jerome Bruner, 1983)

23
 At its most basic level, oral language is about communicating with other people.
It involves a process of utilizing thinking, knowledge and skills in order to speak and
listen effectively. As such, it is central to the lives of all people.

Oral language permeates every facet of the primary school curriculum. The
development of oral language is given an importance as great as that of reading and
writing, at every level, in the curriculum. It has an equal weighting with them in the
integrated language process.

Although the Curriculum places a strong emphasis on oral language, it has been
widely acknowledged that the implementation of the Oral Language strand has proved
challenging and “there is evidence that some teachers may have struggled to implement
this component because the underlying framework was unclear to them” (NCCA, 2012,
p. 10)

Ninio and Snow (1999) as well as Weiss (2004) assert that how well learners
develop conversational skills can influence how well they interact with others (as cited in
Otto, 2006). To a certain degree, learners pick up this knowledge naturally, but an astute
teacher or parent plays a vital role in assisting children in their ability to be good
conversationalists.

Conversing with students is not the only way to increase vocabulary, however.
Strategies teachers use while reading with and to children can also build their word
banks. Asking open ended questions (questions in which there is no right or wrong
answer and to which the adult does not “know” the answer) helps teachers assess
children’s comprehension but also helps them learn more vocabulary words (Whitehurst
et al., 1988, as cited in Wasik, 2006).

Kerry (1982) asserts that the vast majority (approximately 80%) of “teacher talk”
in classrooms is focused on tasks: giving instructions, providing information, or
correcting behaviour or information. Of this talk, 80% of it consists of low-level questions
that ask students to recall information rather than open-ended questions requiring
students to think at higher levels (as cited in Jalongo, 2008). A very important
consideration in using any questioning technique is the “wait time” given to students as
they formulate their response.
24
 In addition to giving students ample time to formulate answers, how teachers
respond at that point can encourage or discourage future participation in discussions
(Otto, 2006). Attentive body language, expanding children’s responses, asking clarifying
questions, and using reflective listening techniques are ways to support children’s
continued participation in current and future dialogues (Otto, 2006).

One of the subjects in Senior High School being taken by students regardless of
their track is the Oral Communication. Based on the Oral Communication in Context for
Senior High School (2016), the content geared towards developing listening and
speaking skills in any situation. This also aims to guide students to become multi-skilled
in different methods of learning and be flexible under different communication
circumstances. Furthermore, it is geared towards honing their leadership skills to help
them become self- directed and creative in problem-solving. Ultimately, this book aims to
instill a lasting commitment to lifelong learning and critical thinking.

Writing and composition & Reading comprehension

Writing and composition covers grammar awareness and structure and especially
the vocabulary development.

Vocabulary refers to all the words that make up a language. Development is the
process of enlarging or advancing something. So, “vocabulary development” means
“learning more and more words.” Children enter school with different levels of
vocabulary. (Hart& Risley, 1995).

The implicit vocabulary development approach assumes that students learn

vocabulary by exposure, mainly through independent reading. The logic behind this idea
is that the number of words an average adult recognizes is too large to have been
taught, so it must have been picked up through reading or conversing with others.

The explicit vocabulary development approach calls for teachers to overtly teach
vocabulary to their students. The intent is improved reading comprehension when the
pre- taught words show up in written text.

25
 Primary Conclusions from National Reading Panel (2000) includes vocabulary
should be taught both directly and indirectly, repetition and multiple exposures to
vocabulary items are important, learning in rich contexts is valuable for vocabulary
learning, vocabulary learning should entail active engagement in learning tasks, and
dependency on a single vocabulary instructional method will not result in optimal
learning.

Vocabulary is causally related to reading comprehension. “Indeed, one of the

most enduring findings in reading research is the extent to which students’ vocabulary
knowledge relates to their reading comprehension.” (Osborn & Hiebert, 2004). Moroever,
vocabulary contributes to the development of phonemic awareness (Metsala, 1998;
Lonegan, 2004).

Ehri (2002) stated that vocabulary contributes to more accurate decoding of

words whose printed form is unfamiliar. Thus, it contributes to reading fluency because it
reads to more accurate reading practice.

With accurate vocabulary learning comes awareness on grammar. Grammar is

explicitly taught through various writing activities.

Sentence writing, for example, cannot be only the study of grammar. Students
also study the patterns of sentences and the relationship of ideas. They practice joining
and embedding sentences, and they learn to use punctuation in relation to the
grammatical constructions. Paragraph writing is also more than learning to organize
ideas into paragraphs. Because paragraphs are also made up of sentences, the
students review sentence writing to refine their writing style and study the relationship of
ideas in several sentences. In addition, paragraph writing includes a study not only of
body paragraphs but also of introductory paragraphs and endings for essays because
part of the purpose of studying paragraphs is to prepare students to write them well for
essays. And essay writing, though it concentrates on the writing of various kinds of
essays, does not ignore the additional study of paragraphs and sentences.

Much work has been done over the past decade to improve reading outcomes of
the students. The fruit of these efforts is seen in state evaluations of the Reading First
26
program and in some of the findings of the national Reading First evaluation study
(Gamse, Bloom, Kemple, Jacob, 2008).

The National Reading Panel’s (2000) focus on the five components of effective
reading instruction (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and
comprehension) is appropriate and necessary to developing strong readers, but we have
put only modest—and perhaps insufficient—focus on actively developing reading
comprehension skills.

If we are to improve reading outcomes in schools and sustain them, we must

continue to develop decoding and fluency skills while simultaneously increasing our
focus on improving reading comprehension outcomes (Snow, 2002). In fact, doing so
might be the single best hope for garnering the support needed to sustain recent
progress and to build upon it over time.

Because comprehension is the ultimate purpose of reading, any effort to improve

reading outcomes— and to uphold that improvement over time—must start early and
stay consistent in focusing on improved outcomes in comprehension (National Research
Council, 1998). We must teach to our goal from start to finish.

Comprehension is the common thread in instruction across all subject areas. In

reading, it is what gives the words meaning. Moreover, words in different contexts or
settings (e.g. genres of literature, informational text structures, etc.) must be understood
differently. Hence, different types of comprehension are required. In what we typically
call content areas (science, social studies, health, etc.), comprehension is what allows
us to understand information about a topic. Thus, comprehension is critical throughout
the curriculum. Because its variations are not intuitive, the forms of comprehension, as
well as their application across types of reading material, must be taught explicitly. This
puts comprehension (including its component parts, such as vocabulary, strategies,
genres, and text structures) squarely at the center of instruction from kindergarten
(where we can begin with word meaning and oral comprehension) throughout all of
schooling. (Sustainability Series, 2009).

27
 In Senior High School, one of the subjects help to sustain the reading
comprehension of the students is the combination of Reading and Writing. Based on the
K to 12 Senior High School Core Curriculum – Reading and Writing Skills (2013), this
subject focuses on the development of various reading and writing skills as applied to a
wide range of materials other than poetry, fiction and drama. This exposes students to
understand, organize, critique, and develop text, patterns, claims, and the like which
engages students to be critical readers and writers with comprehension.

Furthermore, this also strengthens the comprehension level of the students

wherein comprehension is the key to long-term reading success. When it comes to
giving all students an opportunity for the success in life that is made possible by the
ability to read, achieving and sustaining improved outcomes in reading comprehension is
the essential component. When we have strong comprehension outcomes, we are much
more likely to sustain the evidence-based approach to teaching reading.

K to 12 reading as a K-12 responsibility (Gamse, B. C., Bloom, H. S., Kemple, J.

J., & Jacob, R. T., 2008). Providing sufficient emphasis on comprehension skills in the
early grades and then continuing to teach comprehension in Senior High stage will help
ensure that all students become proficient readers. This success is in and of itself a
foundation for sustainability.

Listening comprehension

Listening is a vital component of the oral communication, or the interactive

process in which the individual takes the roles of speaker and listener through a verbal
and non verbal component. Listening is an essential part of the communication process.
Students spent the majority of each school day listening and much of what students
know is acquired through listening.
According to Kurita (2012), learners may find listening comprehension skill
difficult to learn and this requires teachers to change their listening exercises into more
effective ones. The development of listening comprehension skill helps learners to
succeed in language learning and increase their comprehensible input. Since learners’
self- confidence in listening comprehension can be increased, they are motivated to
have access to spoken English like conversations with native speakers.

28
 Moreover, listening comprehension is a cognitive, or rather an interactive process
of constructing meanings that the speaker intends, through the complete involvement of
the hearer. The active contribution of the listener's comprehension process comes not
only through using his linguistic knowledge but also his non-linguistic sources, and of
course the communicative value of his involvement depends on the situation and the
social relationship (Little Wood, 2000).

Little Wood (2000) added that the listener must realize that comprehending the
message word for word is not essential, since not every clue is equally important to the
message. The listener has to seek the general meaning to compensate his
misunderstanding by continuing being involved in the communication.

It is motioned before that in the listening comprehension process; listeners need

two types of knowledge. Both linguistic and non- linguistic knowledge are involved;
linguistic knowledge consists of "phonology, lexis, syntax and discourse structure" and
the non-linguistic knowledge covers all comprehension features such as "topic, context,
general knowledge about the world and how it works" (Buck, 2001).

Different situations require different types of listening. In the classroom situation,

students can improve their listening abilities and gain valuable input by being engaged in
the listening process through a combination of extensive and intensive listening (Harmer,
2005).

Many studies in language learning have indicated that listening comprehension

plays an important role in the learning process. In spite of its importance, listening has
been ignored in second language learning, research, and teaching.

In the study of Ahmadi (2016), he defines the terms listening and listening
comprehension, review the components of listening, explain teachers’ role in listening
comprehension, and present the general principles of listening comprehension in various
ways. He then demonstrated that learners’ listening comprehension skill can be
improved by teachers’ assistance and the use of appropriate learning materials and
activities.

29
 Listening consists of auditory discrimination, aural grammar, choosing necessary
information, remembering it, and connecting it to the process between sound and form of
meaning (Morley, 1972 as cited in Pourhosein Gilakjani & Sabouri, 2016). Rost (2009)
told that listening is an active mental ability. It helps us to understand the world around
us and is one of the necessary parts in making successful communication (as cited in
Pourhosein Gilakjani & Sabouri, 2016). Pourhossein Gilakjani and Ahmadi (2011) stated
that listening includes listening for thoughts, feelings, and intentions and this needs
active involvement, effort, and practice.

According to Chastain (1988) as cited by Ahmadi (2011), listening

comprehension is divided into four components. The first is the ability to differentiate all
sounds, intonation patterns, and voice qualities in the second language and to
distinguish between them and the same sounds in the native language. The second is
the understanding of the whole message uttered by a speaker. Rivers (1981) said that
the understanding of spoken messages depend on comprehension of semantic
meaning, moving from what one comprehends in the sound sequence with respect to
the knowledge of syntax only when the meaning is not understandable.

The third is the ability to hold that message in one’s auditory memory until it can
be processed. To develop the learners’ auditory memory, teachers should know that
they hear as much language as possible. This means that most of the class time should
be carried out in the language being taught. The speed of presentation and difficulty
level of the content must be adjusted to the learners. Language activities that are
comprehensible increase auditory memory. The significant point here is the idea of
improvement. The improvement from the simpler to the more intricate sentences should
be slow and continuous. The speed of delivery should be increased based on the
learners’ ability to understand (Chastain, 1988).

Comprehension is the speech reception at the syntactic, lexical, pragmatic, and

discourse levels. Thus the last component is comprehension. It involves different steps.
The first step is to establish the context. Real language happens within a communicative
framework and the listener should know the framework to recreate the speaker’s
message. The second step is to activate related background knowledge and use it to
predict the ideas the message may have. The third step is to anticipate the general
content
30
of the message. Skilled listening requires that listener look ahead in anticipation of what
is coming. They are checking the received material as opposed to trying to make an
unexpected and immediate interpretation (Kaspar, 1984 as cited by Ahmadi, 2016).

The fourth step is to sample the important meaning carrying components of the
material. Listeners should expend more energy to understand material about unfamiliar
topics and they rely more on linguistic clues to make up for their lack of background
knowledge. The last step is to use the samples to confirm or reject the formerly made
anticipations. When the samples are in line with listeners’ anticipations, they accept them
as being correct. When the samples do not comply with their anticipations, they should
reconsider either their anticipation or the material as they look for making the message
meaningful (Kaspar, 1984 as cited by Ahmadi, 2016).

The ability to understand the spoken language has an important role in second
language learning and use. It is a necessary skill for classroom real communication
activities. It is a skill for oral communication between native and nonnative speakers.
With guidance and practice, learners can improve their listening comprehension skills.
Language teachers should respond to their learners’ need to develop increased listening
comprehension skills by making listening comprehension an integral component of their
instructional sequence. Teachers should give learners the opportunity to listen to native
speakers’ speech, should select listening texts that are produced by non-native speakers
so that they can develop their listening skills and do not get disappointed. When learners
have developed their listening skills to a specified level, teachers can choose texts
spoken by native speakers as teaching materials and activities. Suitable teaching in
listening comprehension can decrease listening anxiety and provide a good basis for
becoming independent learners who can effectively use the listening process for
learning (Ahmadi, 2016).

31
 CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter discussed the methodology of the research. It directs the researcher
with a detailed discussion of the actual application of the design. It includes a description
of the research design, setting and sample characteristics. The materials used in the
study as well as the data collection procedure were addressed. The study design of
phenomenology and Van Kaam’s (1959) methodological process of data analysis are
discussed. Discussion of the research protocol ensured consistent application of the
method and culminates in a road map on how the study was conducted (Speziale &
Carpenter, 2007).

Research Design

Shank (2002) as cited by Calda (2014) defines qualitative research as a “form of

systematic, empirical inquiry into meaning”. Systematic means “planned, ordered and
public”, following rules agreed upon by the members of the qualitative research
community. By empirical, it means that this type of scientific inquiry that is grounded in
the world of human experiences. Inquiry into meaning means that students should try to
understand how others can make sense of their experience (Ospina 2004).

Qualitative research was used in this study. Qualitative research is used to gain
insight into people's attitudes, behaviors, value systems, concerns, motivations,
aspirations, culture or lifestyles. It is used to inform business decisions, policy formation,
communication and research.

This qualitative study was be guided with the use of descriptive phenomenology
utilizing the method of Dr. Adrian Van Kaam, a Duquesne school of phenomenology
based on Husserl’s (1931) philosophy. The approach is basic phenomenology in which
the basic outcome is the description of the meaning of an experience, through the
identification of themes. In this study, the researcher will develop a high-quality category
scheme involving careful reading of the data, with an eye to identifying underlying
concepts and clusters of concepts from the statements uttered by the women
executives. Once a category scheme is developed, the data will be read in their entirety
and coded for correspondence to the
32
categories. Van Kaam’s method requires that inter-subjective agreement be reached
with other expert judges (Polit & Beck, 2008).

Descriptive phenomenology, rooted in a philosophical tradition by Husserl (1931),

is an approach to exploring and understanding people’s everyday life experiences.
Phenomenology views human existence as meaningful and interesting because of the
people’s consciousness of that existence. The phrase being-in-the-world is concept that
acknowledges people’s physical ties to their world they think, see, hear, feel and are
conscious through their bodies’ interaction with the world. In phenomenological studies,
the main data source typically is in-depth conversations, with researchers and informants
as co-participants (Polit & Beck, 2008).

In this study, the researcher utilized reductive phenomenology concurrently

throughout the phenomenological investigation. The researcher will continually address
personal biases, assumptions and presuppositions or set aside these beliefs to obtain
the purest description (Speziale & Carpenter, 2007). Phenomenology and Van Kaam’s
(1959) method of data analysis supported the experiences of the women executives in
the field of education as subjects of the study.

Description of the subjects

The subjects of the research study were the nine (9) Senior High School students
from various schools in the Schools Division of Calapan City. They were in the 12th
Grade and were qualified as subjects of the study.

Because of the delicate nature of the phenomenon and population of the study,
purposive sampling was utilized. This method of sampling selected individuals for study
participation based on their specialization. The sample criteria require that the
participants should be bonafide SHS students from various schools in the Schools
Division of Calapan City.

33
Research instrument

The researcher sent a letter addressed to the subjects asking for their permission
to answer the survey questionnaire. Approval of the written interview guide will also be
sought from the research adviser.

Utilization of books, journals and internet were done by the researcher to

substantiate the responses made by the subjects.

Data gathering procedure

Upon the approval of the chairman of the dissertation proposal, data collection
will commence. Verbal and written permission will be obtained from the target subjects to
secure a specific date for the interview. The researcher used both structured and
unstructured interviews to gather data. The interview was conducted at the respective
schools. Anonymity and confidentiality were discussed in detail with each subject.

All of the interviews were voiced recorded and the interview lasted from more or
less than an hour. The researcher transcribed the recorded interviews verbatim. Then
they were categorized and thematized using repertory grid. Informal observation in the
respective schools was conducted. Then data was analyzed and interpreted.

34
 Data Gathering Flowchart

Establish the research design, sample, locale and instrument to be used for data gatherin

Set the criteria in selecting the respondents of the study

Identify the respondents of the study using the set criteria

Establish acquaintance with the identified respondents and orient the

purpose, goals and objectives of the study

Data Saturation
Signing of the informed consent

Saturation

Conduct, explore and record in-depth interview with sincere interest utilizing open-ended clarifyin
Accuracy
Trustworthiness
Authenticity

Follow-up Transcribe the interview using a pen and paper

Interview

Reflection
Writing field notes
Interpretation

Ethnographic Case Study Method of Data Analysis

Reflections

Analysis

35
Data analysis

The researcher utilized Adrian Van Kaam (1959) method which involves the
following procedural steps:

First, the researcher obtained a core of common experiences. In this step,

analysis was required that the researcher became immersed in the data to preserve the
uniqueness of each student’s experiences while permitting an understanding of the
phenomenon under investigation. In this study, the analysis began with listening to the
respondents’ verbal descriptions and followed by reading and rereading the verbatim
transcriptions.

Second, the researcher listed and prepared a rough preliminary grouping of

every expression presented by the participants. As the researcher became immersed in
the data, extraction and identification of significant statements commenced. These
statements were transcribed and recorded for ease of recording in the process.

Third, the researcher reduced and eliminated some responses. Each expression
was tested for two requirements: does it contain a moment of the experience that might
eventually be necessary and sufficient constituent of the experience? If so, is it possible
to abstract this moment and to label it, without violating the formulation presented by the
respondents?

Fourth, expressions did not meet these two requirements were eliminated. This
phase of data analysis was essentially reductionist in which data was converted to
smaller, more manageable units that can be retrieved and reviewed.

Fifth, the researcher identified the descriptive constituents, brought together all
common relevant constituents in a cluster labeled with the more abstract formula
expressing the common theme. Once the category scheme was developed, the data
was reread in entirety and coded for correspondence to the categories. A concept might
not be identified as salient until it has emerged three or four times (Polit & Beck, 2008).

36
 Sixth, the researcher identified the descriptive constituents by application. This
operation consisted of checking the identified constituents against random cases of the
sample to see whether they fulfill the following conditions: be expressed explicitly in the
description; be expressed explicitly or implicitly in some of the large majority of the
descriptions; be compatible with the description in which it is not expressed. The
researcher searched for the patterns and structures that connect the categories. Then
the data broke into segments and was closely examined against other segments for
similarities and dissimilarities to determine what the meanings of those phenomena are.
This part of the process was referred to as constant comparison (Polit & Beck, 2008).

Seventh, if a description is found incompatible with a constituent, the description

must be proven not to be an expression of the experience under study, but some other
experience that intrudes on it (Speziale & Carpenter, 2007).

37
 Data Analysis According to Van Kaam

Obtain a core of common experience

List and prepare a rough preliminary grouping of every expression expressed

by the respondents
Requirements:

Does it contain a moment of the experience that might eventually be necessary and sufficient constituent of the experience?

Reduce and eliminate. Test each expression for two requirements:

If so, is it possible to
Eliminate expressions not meeting the two requirements
abstract this moment and to label it, without violating the formulation presented by the respondents?

Tentatively identify the descriptive constituents; bring together all common

relevant constituents in a cluster labeled with the more abstract formula expressing the common theme.

Conditions:
Be expressed explicitly in the description

Finally, identify the descriptive constituents by application. This operation consists of

checking the tentatively identified constituents against random cases of the sample whether they fulfill the follo
Be expressed explicitly or implicitly in some or the large majority of descriptions

Overall interpretation and findings

Be compatible with the description in which it is not expressed.

38
 CHAPTER IV
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, and INTERPRETATION of DATA

This chapter presents the answers to the research questions specified in Chapter I
with their analysis and interpretation.

1. What modes of English teaching-learning process are experienced by SHS students?

1a. Oral language

Oral language distinctly means the skill of a student both to comprehend what is
iterated to him or her and interact with others through his/her personal experiences
and/or through the text he/she read or listened. Moreover, oral language or speaking,
demands the use word mechanics, knowing message functions and understanding
social and cultural rules and norms; for it to be successful.

Teaching speaking means helping learners develop their ability to interact

successfully in the target language. To do so, one must have communicative
competence. Richards, Platt, and Weber (as cited in Nunan, 1999, p. 226) defined the
characteristics of communicative competence as. Thus, to help students enhance their
speaking skills, the teacher must help students improve their grammar, enrich their
vocabulary, and manage interactions in terms of who says what, to whom, when, and
about what.

The matrix below summarizes the lived experiences of the students on

communicative strategies:

Theme Categories
1. Communicative Strategies a. a. Role Plays
b. Debate
c. Question and Answer or Oral Recitations
d. Declamation
e. Class Reporting
f. Speech Choir

39
 Communicative competence strategies are techniques of analysing the capability
of a student to use language on different contexts, with different purposes and functions.
These contexts fall under certain categories like debate, oral recitations, declamation,
class reporting and speech choir; that should measure the student’s aptitude in the
certain field.

As gathered in the thematic analysis of the interview transcripts, the researcher

identified six categories for the theme Communicative Output/Strategies representing
Oral Language as Modes of English-Teaching Learning Process: role plays, debate,
question and answer or oral recitations, declamation, class reporting, and speech choir

Role-play is one of the communicative approach includes using activities that

simulates language used in real-life situations (Huff, 2012). Through this, language
learners can significantly improve their communicative competence by developing their
ability to use communication strategies for coping with face-to-face oral communication
problems.

For this reason, S3 encouraged that students must expose themselves in various
role-playing activities which will develop their speaking skills as she says:

There were less activities that uses mainly oral

communication... but… whenever we perform activities
about this... it’s more on role plays… through this [role
plays].. we communicate with the help of actions… (S3)

Moreover, the ability to speak and communicate spontaneously is also evident in

other speech activities specifically in role-playing when S4 voiced her strong belief in her
words of encouragement:

“I believe that all of the activities we do are very beneficial

especially when teaching and learning oral language… we
have extemporaneous speech… singing… declamation…
we have debate… and of course… role plays… I love

40
 acting that’s why I love role play…I love delivering dramatic
exchanging of lines with others…(S4)

Student exposure using the English highlighting the necessity to implement role
play which enhance effective communication, it becomes the most important task for an
English teacher to help students develop their communicative competence (Qing, 2011).
Role play integration creates social interaction with others as they develop their
competence towards effective communication.

A motivating experience was shared by S6 as she claims “Well… for me… its
role play because I love acting and this makes me feel awesome…. This also
encourages everyone to socialize with others… like when our teacher asks us to be
grouped during activity… well… we have no choice… we have to mingle with other
classmates even though I feel hesitant with them… but because I love performing in
English… everything comes smoothly…”

Debate is also one of the strategies used in improving communication skills. As

mentioned by Darby (2007), debate is a teaching-learning strategy for developing critical
thinking and analytical skills while fostering teamwork and communication. Studies report
that this method has been implemented successfully in various academic programs,
particularly in courses that cover controversial issues.

Having debates as a technique in developing speaking skills proves to be

interesting as it was equally challenging to students using English. S5 purposely
chooses debates when developing her confidence in speaking as she adds:

Well… there are several English activities and it was the

debate that interest me the most… maybe because… in
debate there is a particular topic that we should be battling
into or… let’s say… I can effectively say what my team is
handling to… or what is the side of our team…. there are
skills needed in the debate… first is the confidence…and
when you are confident in saying what’s your side, your
idea in the said topic then that is a great deal in terms of
winning
41
 the debate... next I think is the readiness… the knowledge…
and awareness as well. (S5)

Moreover, debate also provides an experience by which students can develop

competencies in researching current issues, actively listening to various perspectives,
asking cogent questions, and formulating their own opinions based on evidence.

O’Malley (2003) discussed that oral expression is the person’s ability to express
wants, thoughts, and ideas meaningfully using appropriate language structure. Like the
oral recitation in class which is considered as the most widely used mean of assessing
the student’s learning. Moreover, it is said to be essential to academic achievement in all
content areas, knowing a great deal of school success depends upon a child’s ability to
demonstrate competency through oral communication.

Meanwhile, S7 and S8, however, consider that expressing ideas orally starts with
a simple question and answer activity or the oral recitations saying:

A simple Q and A inside the class… though there are lots

of activities well I think… those activities need to be
prepared but… in this case every little thing comes
naturally and that makes learning more… meaningful.
Being a broadcaster in our school… I love those activities
like broadcasting... newscasting… even telecasting….
Anything with regards to news delivery… though we are
just expected to… to deliver the news this also practice our
style and… honing our skills to persuade people…
encourage people… and lot more… (S7)

According to Essberger (2004) oral presentations are very useful in implementing

oral projects in the classroom which encourages students to practice speaking
spontaneously in front of the class.

S8 relates with the previous where oral recitations establish a sense of

confidence when answering as she adds:

42
 “Some of the common activities we do inside the
classroom are of course the very common, oral recitations
which is part of assessment activities of our teachers……..
actually a simple question and answer between us and the
teacher is already a part of these activities….I really like
reciting in class… the on-the-spot one… because in that
way I could practice my speaking skills in a way that I also
benefit from it… reciting in class usually is one of the fears
that my classmates are facing but for me I feel confident
while I’m answering questions… I gain confidence from it…
for questions that I don’t know I just give my thought and
perspective whether it’s right or wrong because what
important is I express myself in a way that I could also
practice my speaking ability.”(S8)

Declamation is an artistic form of public speaking as well as one of the classroom

strategies which is designed to present through articulation, emphasis and gesture the
full sense of the message being imparted.

Showcasing students’ talent in performing is one important factor in declamation

as a communicative strategy for developing speaking skills. This was highlighted by S2
as she stated:

There are a lot of exciting activities highlighting English but

declamation is on top of them because aside from learning
a lesson from a specific story… I just love to see someone
showing his/her talent in front of the class. (S2)

In the same manner, class reporting and speech choir can both help develop
speaking skills with collaborative efforts. This provides opportunity for the students to
practice speaking in front their classmates using the second language. This was
emphasized by S9 and S1 respectively:

43
 The English activity that interests me most is the reporting
because in this activity my speaking skills are being
used… and also… the confidence is boosted through this
kind of activity… I really love it [reporting] it is also a way of
interacting to my classmates.(S9)

Sometimes we do speech choir… because in that way we

could express ourselves when we make our own [speech
choirs] and we can develop how we should talk ….. or
communicate through English language… this also allows
everyone to be cooperative…because I know that if you
want to practice your speaking skills learn how to
communicate with others. (S1)

Specifically, when students are exposed to positive emotional stimuli, they are
better to recall newly acquired information and skills (Nielson & Lorber, 2009). In
teaching speaking particularly, relationship between teachers and students affects the
quality of students’ motivation to acquire the skills they needed to learn from various
speaking activities.

The matrix below summarizes the lived experiences of the students on teacher-
student relationship:

Theme Categories
2. Teacher-student relationship a. Emotional Bonding
b. Creating harmonious environment
c. Providing broader opportunities

As gathered in the thematic analysis of the interview transcripts, the researcher

identified three categories for the theme Teacher-student relationship representing Oral
Language as Modes of English-Teaching Learning Process: emotional bonding, creating
harmonious environment, and providing broader opportunities.

44
 Emotional bonding is one important factor that can affect the acquisition of
students learning the second language. To achieve a strong bond with the students,
establishing trust among them should be prioritized by the teacher teaching the second
language. In this regard S7 stated how her fear of speaking the language was eliminated
by the trust given to her by her teacher as she says:
Our teacher allows us to speak and listen at the same
time…. we are free to ask questions and sometimes this is
a way also to correct our question constructions…. she
[teacher] teaches in a way that we feel the confidence in us
though English is quite difficult subject but because of the
way she teaches English… we are not hesitant to either
speak or ask using English because she is teaching
English with humor... I could say that with the
relationship… bonding we have… even the way she listens
from what we feel is already part of the learning process.
(S7)

In addition to developing an emotional bonding, S7 stated how she was guided

by her teacher and provided her enough room for improvement in which she has given a
positive outlook in her statement: “I accept that fact….. that I have my own weaknesses
in speaking this language so that I have room for improvements… and my teacher
guides me.. us… all the time…”

Another way to establish a good teacher-student relationship is through creating

a harmonious environment for the students learning the second language. To do this a
teacher must find any means of reaching out to his/her students one way or another.

According to Metila (2009), the pedagogical and communicative functions of

classroom code switching justify its use in teaching and learning contexts, but it is
recommended that codes switching be restricted to informal classroom activities. Also,
Baker (1995) argues that code switching is used by teacher in order to build solidarity
and intimate relations with the students. In this sense, the use of code switching
between the teacher and students speak its contribution for creating a supportive
language environment in the classroom.

45
 This supports the teachers’ endeavor to make her students understand the
lesson and encourage them to express themselves even with the use of code switching,
as what S2 mentioned in her statement:

My teacher usually speaks English during the class

discussion, however, there are times when she prefers
speaking in Filipino so that we can relate to the subject…. I
know that she just wants us… her students… to fully
understand what she is teaching… Just like what she
always says… ‘you speak using English not to impress but
to express’… (S2)

This kind of experience starts a good relationship as well as opens up many

opportunities primarily through the expanded set of possible relationships. Being a code-
switcher can exist harmoniously and be successful in several different cultural contexts.

Probing students to ask questions and raise their concerns is also one way of
engaging the students to learning and this was emphasized by the statements of S3 and
S7 respectively:

She uses Filipino and English language in explaining the

concepts she is teaching... there were also times when the
discussion is all about the teacher talking and only the
students were listening and there were also times when
there is a complete student-teacher interaction during the
class… she always involves everyone in the discussion…
(S3)

…we are free to ask questions to our teacher…. so it

makes me feel more comfortable when my teacher
corrects me and guides me all the time… (S7)

As discussed by Otto (2006) in the previous literature, attentive body language,

expanding children’s responses, asking clarifying questions, and using reflective listening

46
techniques are ways to support children’s continued participation in current and future
dialogues. This means, giving students the freedom to ask queries boost their initiative
to be engaged in a discourse.

Moreover, providing broader opportunities for the students to speak and use
English is also one of the factors that can be considered by teachers. Through this the
teacher can better assess the students’ ability in terms of speaking and also their prior
knowledge about a particular topic. This was evident in the statement of S9 when he
says:

“Our English teacher teaches us English by means of

asking first what we know about the topic she will
discuss… she gave us also the opportunity to speak in
class based on what we know and what we have learned
in the previous lessons and from that [learning] we are able
to apply it to variety of activities… and we are free to do
that…also, our teacher sometimes used various
presentations… also, she gives different activities for us to
apply what we learned in the discussion as well as
examples and situations for us to understand well the
lesson…”(S9)

Brown (2001) mentioned that when students have a solid foundation in the form,
meaning and use of grammatical structures, they are better able to understand and use
their target language. They are more effective communicators as well as more confident
users of the language.

On the other hand, as suggested by Weaver (1006), during grammar instruction,

teachers should provide meaningful input through context and provide an opportunity to
put grammar to use, and relate grammar instruction to real life situations. This is best
achieved if grammar instruction is treated in the same way as the teaching of the four
skills which involves smooth and organized transitions of pre-, while and post grammar
stages.

S6 relates her concern when speaking in class when it comes to her grammar
47
errors. This was then resolved by her teacher through exposing her to various activities
where she can master grammar rules. This was explained as she says:

48
 As a second language speaker I am slightly struggling with
the rule of grammar whenever I am speaking in class…
well though our teacher keeps telling us that when we are
speaking just speak spontaneously because it is far from
the written conversation… meaning when we speak…
sometimes we don’t mind some errors as long as we could
be able to understand… but still… it makes me feel
hesitant because of course… I want to master the
grammar rules so that… I won’t get embarrassed and of
course… it’s also for me in the future… (S6)

Oral language learning strategies in some ways also provide an impact to the
learning of English. Oxford (1989) asserts that language learning strategies are
behaviors or actions that learners use to make language learning more successful, self-
directed and enjoyable. With that in mind, the application of self-regulation procedures
are determining in this, given that even students work collaboratively, each one has
specific roles and duties that they self-regulate to lead effectiveness of oral projects.

Providing tasks for students to extend their learning and giving them drills where
they can practice their communicative skills is essential for the actual acquisition of the
language. Somehow these activities may not always be guided by the teacher and
students can find means and resources which may help them develop their
communicative skills.

The matrix below summarizes the lived experiences of students on suggested

use of oral language learning styles:

Theme Categories
3. Oral Language Learning a. Imitating and Self-Practicing
Strategies b. Surfing the Internet
c. Consulting Dictionaries

49
 The abovementioned theme can be considered as those thoughts, actions, and
decisions in the style of students’ productive skills that configure the language
background that students build with each communicative experience.

As gathered in the thematic analysis of the interview transcripts, the researcher

identified three categories for the theme Oral Language Learning Strategies
representing Oral Language as Modes of English-Teaching Learning Process: imitating
and self- practicing, surfing the internet, and consulting dictionaries.

One way of establishing confidence in speaking English is actually by practicing

yourself to speak using the language in various contexts. This will help learners to
eliminate their fear in speaking in front of people and improve their communicative skills
as well.

Confidence is, in part, a result of how we have been brought up and how we’ve
been taught. This is actually the result of our experiences and how we’ve learned to
react to different situations. Brown (2006) as mentioned by Perez (2014), “People derive
their self-esteem from the accumulation of experiences with others, and from the
assessments of the external world around them”. It can be said that students build their
self-confidence in English subject according to their performance, and theirs with others.

This may be achieved using the imitating and self-practicing technique where
students may practice speaking with or without the presence of an audience and
improve where they are lacking in terms of their communicative skills as what S2 stated:

My mind usually go blank especially when I am dealing

with someone who I think is better in many ways… I accept
that fact….. that I have my own weaknesses in speaking
this language so that I have room for improvements… I
keep on pointing out the areas that I’m not good at and I try
to practice on my own… through speaking even without
people… so that I can be better…. for the next time. (S2)

50
 In addition to self-practicing, S3 also suggests to try reading aloud various texts
and watching English movies where they can improve their vocabulary and simple
expressions which they may have future use.

The research, published in the journal Memory, finds that act of reading and
speaking text aloud is a more effective way to remember information. The dual effect of
both speaking and listening helps encode the memory strongly, as well as a good
practice of speaking skills, the study reports. S3 shared how she does as she states:

“I often find it hard to express my opinions because.. I can’t

find the exact words that I should use to exactly tell what I
want to tell… also… I am afraid of grammar mistakes
whenever I speak the language… during my free time or…
every time I feel bored… I always read aloud English
books and…yes… sometimes.. though kind’a weird… I am
also talking to mind in English... and I watch English
movies… there were even times that I am speaking
English in my dreams.”(S3)

Reading aloud helps also the learner to familiarize with words and practice their
retention same with imitation. According to frontiersin.org, speech imitation appears to
be one of the most fundamental aspects of human vocal behaviour. It has been
suggested that it plays an important role in speech development and may also form of
the key mechanisms that underlie the emergence and evolution of human languages.

Moreover S8 added that she makes use of imitation to develop her English
speaking skills as she says: “I think… the common struggles I usually encounter when
speaking in class is I usually I tend to repeat words, but I think that is one of my
strategies not to put gap… Sometimes I stammer, and also sometimes the vocabulary is
lacking… to handle those difficulties, I just use that kind of repetition as one of my
strategies… and in terms of my stammering… because sometimes I feel hesitant and
quite nervous but I can still manage it… I also practice my speaking ability through
imitating such characters in television on the way they speak.” (S8)

51
 It was also a significant experience by S1 as she depicts the importance of
having a conversation with friends even in a casual manner as it gives the comfortable
feeling in handling such struggles,; she says:

In terms of struggles… sometimes I don’t know how to

express myself, I don’t know how to pick the right words to
express what’s really in my mind just like now…. and ….
and that makes me nervous when speaking and talking in
front of the class… I can still manage.. I… I handle it by
practicing, practice reading a lot… writing…. speaking in
English in comfortable ways even when I am just talking to
my friends... colleagues… I sometimes speak in English
just to practice myself to be comfortable with the
language… (S1)

Self-practicing is indeed, the most traditional way on improving speaking ability

but on the other hand, as our world today is obsessed with doing everything quickly,
learning included. Self-study obviously important in language learning.

In the classroom setting, improving the speaking abilities of students has always
been a concern. In the fast developing 21st century various innovative technologies are
being introduced to teach speaking skill in the classrooms. As mentioned by Bahadorfar
and Omidvar, (2014), technology is the vehicle to get access with this modernized world.
Despite its importance, for many years, teaching speaking has been undervalued and
English language teachers have continued to teach speaking just as a repetition of drills
or memorization of dialogues. However, today's world requires that the goal of teaching
speaking should improve students' communicative skills, because, only in that way,
students can express themselves and learn how to follow the social and cultural rules
appropriate in each communicative circumstance.

Technology can stimulate the playfulness of learners and immerse them in a

variety of scenarios. Technology gives learners a chance to engage in self-directed
actions, opportunities for self-paced interactions, privacy, and a safe environment in
which errors get corrected and specific feedback is given. Feedback by a machine offers
additional value by its ability to track mistakes and link the student immediately to
52
exercises that focus on specific errors. Studies are emerging that show the importance
of qualitative feedback in softwares. When links are provided to locate explanations,
additional help, and reference, the value of technology is further augmented (Bahadorfar
and Omidvar, 2014).

Students may depend on the internet to get the necessary information they need
as explained by S6 and S7 respectively:

As a second language speaker I am slightly struggling with

the rule of grammar whenever I am speaking in class…. it
makes me feel hesitant because of course… I want to
master the grammar rules so that… I won’t get
embarrassed and of course… it’s also for me in the
future… I read the rule of grammar online…. Well... I
always find searching on net very useful… not only to visit
social media but of course using the net to gain more
information that sometimes the book nowadays cannot
offer…. (S6)

Sometimes…. my grammar that makes me feel uneasy…

and sometimes also… the right choice of words to be used
when I am answering a particular question… as I said, we
are free to ask questions to our teacher…. so it makes me
feel more comfortable when my teacher corrects me and
guides me all the time… at the same time… I do
research… in YouTube… blogs… and a lot more… (S7)

Hamad (2013) agrees that vocabulary is a key issue in speaking performance of

language learners. The importance of vocabulary in oral development is the main focus
of the current studies nowadays. The in-depth focus of study reveals that insufficient
vocabulary is a main hindrance and affects greatly in lower performance in speaking skill
which is one of the most important parts of language proficiency and development.

Brewer (2016), self-directed learners are self-regulating learners who have the
ability to accept the responsibility of learning outcomes on their selves and, hereafter
53
develop the participation, motivation, proficiency and above all the self-reliance. So, the
atmosphere of self-learning and practicing the target words on their own, which in turn
learners appear as “better learners”.

For this reason, learners turn to dictionaries for help where they may discover
new words they may use or find out the most appropriate words which must be used in a
particular context. This was proved by S4 and S9 as they stated respectively:

I always feel nervous and I am not that confident enough

because I know myself I am not that fluent. Sometimes… I
consult dictionaries… at least even a word for a day… this
[consulting dictionaries] adds vocabulary on me… (S4)

The common struggles I encountered are of course, my flaws in grammar and

the sometimes the way I speak… when speaking in class, sometimes, I experienced
using wrong words or my grammar is not that good… in some instance… my teacher
tends to correct me when have flaws and that’s a good thing… I handle such language
difficulties by first.. I consult dictionaries like Merriam Webster, which we all know it’s one
of our phone applications… means it’s very handy. (S9)

Teaching and learning oral language is indeed, a vital part of any language
education classroom; not only does the spoken language offer ‘affordances’ for learning
as the main communicative medium of the classroom, but it is also an important
component of syllabus content and learning outcomes. However, teaching speaking
remains challenging for many teachers and the themes and categories discussed were
proofs that the teaching and learning process in terms of oral language, is a highly
complex and dynamic skill that involves the use of several simultaneous processes.

1b. Writing and composition

The ability to achieve communicative competence in writing is a major facet of

language development and academic success among students at all levels of the
education system. Writing is considered the most important skill that students require in
order to enhance their personal development and academic success (Mukulu et al.
2006)
54
 In addition, Ad-ams and Keene (2000) note that learning to master writing skills
can help students to deal successfully with their academic demands and to perform
effectively in their disciplines and professional contexts. In the academic context,
students are required to produce specific writing genres such as essays, summaries and
reports (Dudley-Evans, 2001).

Tangpermpoon (2008) points out that when compared with other language skills
of listening, speaking and reading, writing is the most difficult skill to learn because it
requires writers to have a great deal of lexical and syntactic knowledge as well as
principles of organization in second language to produce a good written text.

Moreover, good writing requires practice and appropriate feedbacks, which

teacher must never de-emphasize. It is important to say that academic writing involves
many requirements that students must put into practice to avoid difficulties and
complications at the moment of writing essays or report papers.

In teaching writing in classroom, method and technique are different. Fauziati

(2014) stated method as “overall plan for the orderly presentation of language material,
no part of which contradicts, and all of which is based upon on the selected approach.
While technique is an implementation which actually takes place in a classroom.

In addition, Fauziati’s success in language teaching, in relation to both students

learning and teacher efficiency, can often be traced to the ability of teachers to manage
the classroom. Success in language teaching depends less on materials, techniques and
linguistic analysis and more on what gives on inside and between people in the
classroom. From those problem, now the teachers are demanded to create some
strategies which can explore the students’ writing competence.

The matrix below summarizes the lived experiences of students on suggested

use of visual literacy teaching:

Theme Categories

55
 1. Visual Literacy Teaching a. PowerPoint presentations and the use of hand-
outs
b. Film viewing

Visual literacy coined by Debes (1969), is the ability to read, write and create
images. This is all about language, communication, and interaction. Moreover, teaching
writing and composition using media allows to be more productive and efficient as 21 st
Century learners

Badger & White (2000) stated that the development of writing relies on the ability
of teachers to draw out students’ potential and provide relevant input as well. Through
the aid of PowerPoint presentations, one engages to the information presented and the
attention of the students are easily captured, given the visual design and break-down of
content. It also includes film viewing which helps motivate the student in writing by giving
feedbacks like what S3 says:

“She uses PowerPoint presentation in teaching writing and

composition. She explains the basics and the importance
of each part and how each part should be presented.” (S3)

It is very evident nowadays, in the Senior High School context, the use of
creative Power Point presentations in teaching as well as the practice of hand-outs
reproduction. These techniques are the easiest and most ubiquitous presentation
applications in the curriculum teaching today.

In addition to this, S5 also added the importance of using PowerPoint

presentations and hand-outs when he says:

“She uses PowerPoint presentations and hand-outs where

she presents us an article for us to analyze then she
breaks it down from the title, the content, style of writing,
punctuation marks, etc. She gives us examples of articles
with different patterns and at the end of the day we pass a
written output.” (S5)

56
 Using movies can be an entertaining and motivating tool for learners (Uzzaman,
2015). This provides learners with real-life language input as it combines both audio and
visual that makes a film comprehensive tool for language teaching. Movies can bring
variety to writing skills such as a writing task based on a movie, a review comparing a
movie and a book, writing an alternative ending to the movie or even writing a letter to
one of its characters.

Moreover, film viewing is another technique that can be used in teaching and
learning writing and composition. The visual and emotional impact of movies can engage
students in ways that lecture and textbooks alone cannot as proves by S5 when he says:

“We usually watch a film and then we write something

about it-narrate it, describe it, give feedbacks- depending
on what type of article our teacher wants us to write or we
follow a specific pattern given the example articles. I find
watching a short film engaging since it also tests the
memory and our ability to craft a conclusion on our
takeaways from the film. It shows the writer’s/my
perception on the story and arranges it in a way that
makes it an interesting read.” (S5)

Learning English through watching movies movies has a positive skills in various
skills. Correct pronunciation is also enhanced as it increases one’s vocabulary.

Theme Categories
2. Model and representations a. Good writing models
b. Picture-based writing

Another evident mode used is through models and representations which provide
the students sample outputs to be their guidance in teaching and learning the writing and
composition. These models and representations would measure how good writing
models and picture-based writing presented by the teacher affects the totality of a
student’s skill in writing and composition.

57
 Students also experienced using good writing models where the teacher uses her
own compositions to be a model output for the students. S7, S8 and S9 gave the same
experiences like S7 points out the authenticity of what the teacher does while teaching
when she says:

“At first she always shows us some of her compositions.

She also shares her own ways on writing and that is a
good point for me because aside from just teaching how to
write, sharing the same experience makes it more
authentic, make it more real on our part…” (S7)

S9 mentions of her teacher of being a writer which inspires him, “She loves to
write that’s why she’s always asking us to compose or to write, like telling our stories and
I love sharing stories…I love her way which really encourages me to write…” while S8
shares her experience with her teacher on teaching writing when she says:

“Our teacher teaches writing, at first, our teacher shows

examples. She is a writer that’s why we got the chance to
read her writings and she teaches through her writings.
She explains in detail how she came up with her writings
then we try it on our own. Ideally, by sharing one’s writing,
particularly when it’s in draft form, teachers’ model respect
for themselves, for their students, and for the act of writing
itself. Our teachers communicate that they are part of the
writing community in the classroom and in the world at
large and that they feel safe sharing this part of
themselves.”(S8)

Moreover, same with this experience is writing pictures wherein this uses images
which is paired and sorted into a logical sequence. Students observed the picture which
given by teacher in order to they can write the description about the picture. S7 quotes:

“Another interesting activity is that when my teacher shows

a picture and encourages us to be inspired and from that we

58
 are asked to write our own story based on it and I think that’s
very enjoyable…” (S7)

Supporting this claim, Ariningsih (2010) wrote that it is easier for students to write
more efficiently and effectively when a picture or a set of pictures is presented to them.
These pictures do not only suggest the meaning of the topic but it also suggests
creativity to the students, inspiring them to write more.

Theme Categories
3. Innovative Creative Writing a. Free writing
b. Discovery writing
c. Essay writing
d. Writing through vocabulary

Fauziati (2010) stated that “writing as process is oriented towards work in

progress and the development of new skills, rather than merely evaluative task, the
classroom practices vary from each other, these often depend much upon the students’
experiences and skills when planning and adjusting their writing program.

Experimental writing relates creative writing to the study of literature in higher

education. Writing and reading cannot be separated, and the creative endeavours will
help one understands the work of published writers he or she is studying on other
courses, while extensive reading will help to improve creative work. In addition, this
connects with performance and hypermedia studies, since it emphasizes off-the-page,
as much as on the- page, writing, and includes a chapter on the way writing is changing
in response to new technologies. Moreover, creative writing also involves trial and error
way of writing but in a higher sense, knowing that they are already in Senior High
School.

Free writing is an informal, personal writing in which the writer begins writing and
keeps writing in order to capture thoughts and generate ideas. The key is to keep the
pen or pencil moving steadily over the paper without pausing. The writer should continue
long enough that the obvious thoughts are recorded and the brain has to “push” for new
material (Elbow, 1981).

59
 Teachers try to teach free writing to the students to be able for them to freely
express their thoughts and ideas about a certain topic.

“Our teachers just let us write what we can and she just let
us express ourselves even our words are just simple and
not that in our age…” (S1)
“The activity that I find engaging is that free writing activity,
well, writing is a recursive process, we need to repeat and
repeat to discover things and to have a smooth flow. We
just try writing what’s in every stroke of our pens. We also
write our experiences through that free writing. We just
keep on trying at first, try and try until we discover things
that I believe is meant for us. This activity develops our
naturalistic way on writing… (S8)

Freewriting helps the writer to think of topics to write about. He or she just needs
to keep writing, follow threads where they lead and he or she will get to ideas,
experiences, feelings, or people that are just asking to be written about. This results to
discovery approach upon writing which leads to an effective writing process.

Writing is an ideal area in which to study the ebb and flow of thought. Although
the end product is a fixed knowledge object which has to be comprehensible in the
absence of the writer, the process by which it is produced is an extremely dynamic one,
in which writers both have to work out what they think about a topic and how best to
communicate this to their readers. For this reason, writing is typically characterized as a
process of discovery.

Galbraith (2009), for example, characterize expert writing as a knowledge-

transforming process, during which writers actively transform their thought in response to
their evolving goals, and contrast this with the knowledge-telling process employed by
novice writers, in which a fixed store of ideas in long term memory is translated directly
into text.

60
 Discovery writing is also one way of teaching the students to write. Ulquhart and
Mcler (2005) states “writing is a recursive process. Students should learn strategies for
inventions and discovery.”

“I discover things when I write articles. Writing serves as

my platform to discover things through process. At first I
don’t know how to do it but suddenly learning comes…”
(S2)
From certain discovery writings, learning develops. Effective writings depend on
its end goal. Essay is one type of academic writing about specific topics that contain a
mix of fact and opinion, laid out in logical sequences and employing appropriate
strategies of expression (Biber and Bethany, 2010).

Teaching writing and composition using essay can be effective if the teacher let
the students feel free to think their ideas through, to write without worrying about
whether those ideas are presented perfectly.

“I think writing an essay because I am free to write

everything and I usually follow my own writing techniques
and style. Through essay I think I am learning…” (S2)

“I become sharp when I write essays because I was

challenged to give my answer in a short paragraph given a
short period of time and I survived!” (S2)

“I love essay because it is somewhat related to journalism.

And sometimes when our teacher asks us to write news or
any write-ups that involves media, well I will definitely write.
From that I know as I write essays, I am having a basic
practice on the part of my journalism skills…” (S6)

The essay is a particular genre of writing that is at the heart of academic writing
today. In the teaching-learning process, criteria of excellence in this genre should be
observed. Also, good essay writing depends upon striking a balance between fact and
opinion, and avoiding imbalance and bias.
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 Writing and composition however, involves such assessment that would really
impact the student’s writing. This kind of assessment became a motivating factor as it
promotes standard and basis for the student’s progress in writing.

Theme Categories
4. Motivating Assessment a. Rubric-based writing
b. Constructive and formative feedback

Rubric-based writing gives structure to observation (Allen, 2014). Matching the

teacher’s observations of a student’s work to the descriptions in the rubric averts the
rush to judgment that can occur in classroom evaluation situations. The resulting
judgment of quality based on a rubric therefore also contains within it a description of
performance that can be used for feedback and teaching.

“She always based her evaluation through a set of criteria.

For me, it’s good because she has that standard basis on
how she will evaluate our writings and that makes me feel
at ease because I have the framework…” (S2)

“Our teacher gives us a criteria based on Language,

Organization, Content and Mechanics where she evaluates
the content, appropriate language use, proper punctuation
mark, capitalization, abbreviation and the like, and lastly,
coherence and cohesion of paragraphs and sentences…”
(S5)

A rubric is a coherent set of criteria for student’s work that includes descriptions
of levels of performance quality on the criteria. S7 and S8 see the same perspective
about the rubric-based writing and they say:

62
 “Most of the time, my teacher uses standards or the rubric.
She always explains that to us to be our guide all
throughout the process so that we won’t be misled…” (S7)

“She introduced rubric as our guide in evaluating our work.

More of that is, we have one on one approach. She’s the
teacher who wants to get consulted because she wants us
to be guided closely and thoroughly also our write-ups are
being corrected depending on what she asked to focus on,
either our technicalities or the content, or even the
construction…” (S8)

In addition, rubric makes the learning target clearer because students know what
the learning target is, so they are better able to hit it (Stiggins, 2001). Also, by referring
to a common rubric in reviewing each student’s performance, a teacher is more likely to
be consistent in his or her judgments.

Feedback goes beyond evaluation. It often begins with an evaluative comment

about how well the student performed, and then describes the specific conduct
observed. Formative feedback as constructive is given at a time when the student may
correct or improve their performance, prior to summative assessment.

“Well I was commended several times by my

teacher and the things that she said is, that I am good on
expressing the ideas on the chronological manner in
different technique, different approach. From those
commendable words she has extended to me, I felt
awesome. Well the feeling that you get inspired more, that
you feel motivated because of the feedback I received,
thus I wrote for the readers…” (S5)

In the academic environment specifically in a 21st teaching-learning process, it is

not only the teachers who do the assessment, rubrics can also be used by classmates to

63
give each other specific feedback or the formative assessment to help the learner make
their improvement on their performances.

In the model of experiential learning, David Kolb names its four components:
concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active
experimentation. Wherein, he emphasized in here the first stage which is about the
concrete experiences of an event that triggers the learning cycle. This means that
experiential writing can be based from experiential learning as one learns from
experience thus one writes on what he or she learned from his or her experiences, as it
focuses also on the specific experiences of the writer.
The matrix below summarizes the lived experiences of the students on experiential
writing:

Theme Categories
5. Experiential Writing a. Reflective writing
b. Expressive writing

Journal reflections can be used to express thoughts, feelings and ideas to make
personal links to the issues at hand from the course. Students can use reflective writing
to analyze a text or a story, to raise questions on a reading, to express concerns and
sketch a plan of action. They can use them to reflect on the learning experience itself
and to raise awareness on the learning progress.

Moreover, reflection is always a worthwhile activity, and should be a regular part

of your life. This makes you an active learner, in control of your life, your actions, and
your emotions. Also, reflective writing is evidence of reflective thinking. Like in a
classroom scenario, students usually asked on their thoughts and views on the lesson,
text, and even on what they previously did or done and others then they will be asked to
put it into writing. This was experienced by S8 and S9 respectively:

“Most of the times we write reflections based on how we

feel that moment. We also write reflections from the text we
have read and even from the lesson we discussed…” (S8)

64
 “We write reflections about the story read and sometimes
about what went wrong or what went well in our whole day.
I believe writing reflections from what happen on your day
makes one to be more reflective and in that way a good
means on making the next day different from the yesterday
for the sake of improvement and most of the time
reconciliation…” (S9)

Furthermore, aside from reflective writing, expressive writing also focuses on

experiences but gives more emphasis on the emotions and feelings from the said
experience.

Writing about personal experiences has long been recognized for its profound
influence on our thoughts and feelings. However, certain types of writing may have
stronger, more direct effects than others. Studies have shown that expressive writing
leads to improvements in physical health and to some extent in psychological health,
across a range of populations (Baikie and Wilhelm, 2005; Frattaroli, 2006).

This can be effective when teaching writing and composition because it gives the
students the ability to compose a writing that is established in order to affect the reader
emotionally and psychologically and to provide a feeling for the narrative. S9, S3, and S6
relate on the previous when they say:

“We all know that mostly, we write depending on our mood.

The emotional aspect also is a contributing factor for this,
like when I am mad or happy, even when I feel that
confidence in me. Sometimes on my part I find it hard to
write if I don’t get my interest as well as when I can’t relate
to the topic…” (S8)

“I always pay attention to the impact I felt about what I am

reading. I also watch movies and analyze…analyze why
people are hooked to it, was it because of the manner of

65
 presentation or the medium used in the movie? Those are
some questions that I usually ask myself…” (S3)

“But because of some strategies my teacher keeps on

telling me and with what I am reading on various write-ups
in books and even in the Internet, I could say I am on the
process on overcoming it…” (S6)

Writing requires employing a variety of strategies and activities. Hedge (2000)

stated the different activities involved in the writing process, “It involves a number of
activities: setting goals, generating ideas ,organising information, selecting appropriate
language, making a draft , reading and reviewing it , then revising and editing . It
involves a complex process which is neither easy nor spontaneous for many second
language writers".

It is this, the outcome of organized, systematic and interrelated procedures that

any writer should follow in order to reach a successful piece of writing. As discussed
above, the teaching and learning process of writing and composition entails important
key stages that students need to consider.

1c. Reading comprehension

One of the struggles which makes it twice as difficult for teachers to teach
reading is the problem with reading comprehension. Baier (2005) mentioned in his study
that reading comprehension refers to the meaningful interface between your schema –
what you already know and the meaning of the text –what the text is about. It is a
cognitive process involving conscious intellectual activity of formulating meaning from
the text; more than just the reading skill itself. It goes beyond the ability to recognize
every single word in the text that you are reading. It is more of interpreting and decoding
meanings from a combination of unknown and familiar words.

Reading with comprehension is one of the primary goals of Senior High School
curriculum. Comprehension is what allows our Senior High students to understand

66
information about the topic specifically to effectively perform other skills needed in
various tasks.

According to Snow (2002), comprehension is the most common thread in

instruction across all subject areas. The learning process tends to be extremely reliant
on reading comprehension as it is very evident in every academic discipline. Thus, every
curriculum should help develop reading comprehension among students through
effective practices and intervention activities. In this way, if the learners’ reading
comprehension will be further developed, chances are they will not struggle with
unlocking meanings and comprehending significant information from the text.

Pre reading strategies mainly assist in the activation of prior knowledge relevant
to the text to be read, as described by Koda (2004). These strategies prepare learners
before they engage in the reading activity. These are activities which assist learners to
grapple with the content of the material thus, the reader basically forms initiated
anticipation about the material and then selects little amount of productive indication that
are necessary to accept or reject the explanation.

The matrix below summarizes the lived experiences of the students on pre-
reading strategies.

Theme Category
1. Pre-Reading Strategies a. Activating background knowledge
b. Interactive activity

Teachers may make use of pre-reading strategies that will aid students in
understanding and deriving meaning from what they are reading. It can be in a form of
motivational activities or tasks that may stimulate their understanding of the text they are
about to read. These are activities that learners may undertake that will assist them with
understanding the reading material (Koda, 2004).

One of which is activating background knowledge. Background knowledge or

what we call schema is vital to reading. This helps the reader understand the context
and the meaning of the material. Activating prior knowledge as defined by
(Ferlazzo and
67
Sypnieski, 2018) means both eliciting from students what they already know and building
initial knowledge that they need in order to access upcoming content.

Thus, activating background knowledge of the learners prior to the reading

activity can be of great help to them as they are able to make connections between what
they already knew and encountered and what the text is about. This may include eliciting
answers from the learners through a series of questions and providing them with an
overview of the text that can help them decode the meaning of the reading material.

In addition, as a reader, he or she will surely understand the importance or

application of previous knowledge while comprehending text. When reading a text for the
first time it may seem difficult to us but if our prior knowledge is activated by any means
(through pre-reading activities) then the text becomes clear. This is very evident when
S3 says:

“She teaches different types of reading styles then give us guide questions that might
help us pick out the important things to remember about the text… and she also gives
some background about the author.. and explain the meaning of unfamiliar words…”
(S3)

Moreover, activating background knowledge can be a good way of arousing

students’ interest in the reading activity. Learners’ attitude and interest are undoubtedly
essential to every reading situation. Making them interested in the material establishes a
good start as they will be more engaged in the reading task. This is apparent when S4
reveals:

“We are usually asked by our teachers on our idea on the

text to be read…she always asks us on how do we see the
text...it’s something that she activates our prior knowledge
or what we call the schemata… I believe that this really
engages us to boost in our interest and understanding on
the text to be read…” (S4)

Arousing students’ interest is also an essential step to get their attention to the
reading task. This is evident when S5 mentions, “I can still remember last year…when
68
my

69
teacher is teaching a story…she always shows a particular picture…just to get our
attention…and that picture has a real connection on the story…that’s very appealing…”

Apart from motivating learners, Senior High School teachers of Calapan City
Division lay emphasis on engaging their learners in an interactive activity. Teachers
expose students to interactive activities that will encourage students to interact
meaningfully with the texts during reading comprehension lessons through multiple
activities and experiences (Yosuf, 2015). This merely focuses on engaging students in
an interactive tasks that encourages an atmosphere of participation and collaboration.
Teachers are highly encouraged to make use of these interactive activities prior to the
reading activity for these are beneficial to learners in a number of ways. Aside from this
will keep their interest in reading, this will also shove up their interest more in accessing
the content of the material. This is manifest in what S4 mentioned:

“Our teacher usually gives activities before reading about the theme of the story...for
example the story is about love…we usually have games about love then we will just
notice that what we have done was related to the story that we will be reading…” (S4)

Vocabulary plays a vital role in promoting reading with comprehension among

learners. Learners find it doubly difficult to deal with the meaning of the text when some
of the words contained in the material are unfamiliar to them.

The matrix below summarizes the lived experiences of the students on reading
with comprehension through cultivating vocabulary.

Theme Category
2. Cultivating Vocabulary a. Unlocking of difficulties
b. Context clues
c. Pronunciation drills
d. Imitation

Vocabulary enrichment is of paramount significance to reading comprehension

and is, more often than not, neglected since the curriculum these days favors more of

70
grammar lessons. While there is a need for the learners to master grammar as part of
learning the language, cultivating vocabulary is also pre-requisite to reading.

Limited vocabulary impedes reading comprehension of the learners. It will be

doubly difficult for the readers to access the meaning of the text if they are bombarded
with many words they have not encountered yet. On the other hand, for a reading
comprehension to happen, it takes vocabulary enrichment activities that will help
students unlock difficulties before they start or while reading the material. This is
manifest in what S7 mentioned:

“These are the unfamiliar words, those words that hinder

my understanding with the text. We do unlocking of
difficulties and sometimes a personal approach because if
I got curious on things I always ask my teacher and
fortunately I always receive good response…” (S7)

Using context clues is important to reading, the same way as vocabulary is.
Using context clues will help readers to figure out word meanings and later on the overall
message of the material. This is done through looking closely at the words around that
unfamiliar word to decode its meaning. Context clues are in various forms. They can be
in a form of a definition or an explanation which is present in the sentence. They may
also appear as synonyms, antonyms or even examples. These clues, even without a
wide knowledge of words, will be of great help to learners to access the meaning of the
material. This is very apparent when S3 says:

“About the unfamiliar words…I try to ask my teacher about

its meaning, sometimes I make a list of it and look for its
meaning on my own…for me to understand what I am
reading, using context clues is better…” (S3)

Furthermore, the use of context clues enables readers or learners to construct

meanings from the text, despite their lack of knowledge on some words present in the
material as further attested by S2 when he says:

71
 “…whenever I encounter words I do not know, I just rely on
context clues and risk interpreting the sentence in a wrong
context…. using this strategy” (S2)

While there is an existing necessity for context clues to aid reading

comprehension among learners, pronunciation drills should, in the same way, be given
emphasis as it will also assist students’ understanding of the text. Pronunciation drills
provide support to students when it comes to how particular words are used in the
sentence or in a specific context. This practice places opportunities for students to give
attributions or associations to how the words are pronounced. Some students tend to
rely their understanding of the text on how the words sound or are pronounced. This is
so evident when S6 says:

“Sometimes we do pronunciation drills, and this really

helps us to understand more what we are reading…this
drill is not only applicable on the speaking lessons…well
actually, pronouncing the words correctly gives meaning to
the words…truly I believe that the more correct we
pronounce the words the more understanding we
get…”(S6)

On the other hand, imitation in the context of activating vocabulary can also be
considered beneficial most especially to those learners who prefer reading aloud. Apart
from pronunciation drills, imitation can also be of utmost help to them in interpreting the
meaning of such words. This is done through providing students with pronunciation drills
carefully directed and facilitated by the teacher. In this way, students will be able to
grapple with the pronunciation of some difficult words and associate their meanings to
how they are pronounced. This practice is manifest in the experience of S7 when she
says, “Sometimes also, we imitate words that are hard to pronounce and in that way we
could be able to read correctly that leads to better understanding…” (S7)

While pre-reading stage demands a great need for various pre-reading strategies
that will help students to have reading readiness before the reading activity, during
reading stage also places a demand for a number of reading strategies. These while-
reading strategies are very essential for students to make a sense out of what the text is
72
about.

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 The matrix below summarizes the lived experiences of the students on while –
reading strategies.

Theme Category
3. While-reading strategies a. Silent Reading
b. Timed
c. Clarifying Strategy
d. Purposeful Reading
e. Process Questions
f. Sharing
g. Scanning
h. Skimming
i. Repetition

Reading strategies are tools which can help the pupils when reading a text and a
good repertoire of reading strategies will make acquiring and remembering new
knowledge a lot easier as described by Roe (2011). Reading strategies will not just
make reading activity much easier, but it also assures reading comprehension. During
reading strategies as strategies done while reading can help students to get the most out
of the text. Teachers should keep in mind that one reading strategy does not fit all. Some
students may find it easy to use a certain strategy; and some find it hard to employ that
technique during reading.

During reading strategies come in various forms. One of which is silent reading.
Reading silently improves students’ understanding because it helps them concentrate on
what they are reading rather than the pronunciation of individual words, as described by
Billah (2015). Some readers struggle with what kind of reading style they will employ in
reading. This is what most of the teachers neglect before conducting a reading activity.
There are learners who prefer silent reading for they can focus more on what they read
and its meaning since pronunciation and intonation are not given emphasis. This is very
apparent to what S5 mentioned:

“My teacher teach reading through different kinds of reading

activities such as reading a text, textbook, a lesson. Most of

74
 the time, I prefer reading silently…sometimes this is what
we usually do…this really helps me a lot in comprehending
the text that I am reading…but still in depends on the
capacity of the student to understand…their styles…this is
my style…and also…this gives me a good ambience and
an environment that really favours my learning…” (S5)

Reading activity should not be restrained to mean only reading a text in one
sitting and answering guide questions afterwards. Teacher as the facilitator of learning
should also consider employing activities that will not just help students to understand
the material but will also give them learning opportunities to explore, learn and develop
creativity while still practicing the skill of reading. One of these strategies is this Timed
Reading. Timed reading, as defined by Hamersly (2015), is a comprehensive tool that
enables students to increase and improve reading rate and accuracy, which are both
aspects of fluency. Not only that timed reading increases reading rate but it also
develops accuracy in reading among students. However, this should not disregard the
main goal of conducting reading activities other than rate and accuracy, the
comprehension. In order to make this possible, teachers can make use of creative
strategies through the insertion of acting, monologue, retelling, and making tableau for
example. This is very evident when Subject 2 says:

“Not usual but we had an activity where we should read a text as fast as we can and it is
timed…after, we’re going to draw choices like acting, tableau, monologue, retell, etc…
from a box and do exactly as it says given the story that we’ve just read…it’s the most
beneficial since it pushes you to be a fast reader and also retaining the details of the
article read.” (S2)

Another strategy learners can make use of while reading is the so called
clarifying strategy. This strategy refers to what struggling readers do most of the time
when their reading seem not to work anymore and they cannot make sense of what they
are reading. This happens even in proficient readers that makes it even challenging for
the teachers to devise some strategies that might be of big help to each and every
learner in the classroom. This is manifest in what S6 mentioned: “I do believe that
reading is really a continuous process….so our teacher teaches reading from time to
time even it’s not really part of the lesson, she always integrates reading to the lesson…
75
through various strategies

76
such as the clarifying strategy…well...actually….our teacher said that this is for
struggling readers wherein they will be doing what proficient readers do…they stop
reading when a text no longer makes sense and then she implements various repair
strategies…as I notice this engages students in identifying unclear concepts, even the
structures, and passages that will help students to learn self-monitoring techniques …”
(S6)

Reading comprehension is more likely to happen when the students are well
driven and they know the very reason why they have to read. This is also what teachers
should find time devising activities since most students who will read with purpose will
have a greater chance of understanding the meaning of the text. This is very evident in
what Subject 6 has experienced:

“We do purposeful reading. Our teacher always says that

when we read we should set what is our purpose to be
very clear about exactly what we are looking for. We don’t
just read aimlessly. This strategy really helps us to read
faster and more selectively. This also helps our
concentration and our ability to remember…” (S6)

While there are numerous while –reading strategies readers can employ in
reading that seem to be different with those traditional ones, it is very important for
teachers not to disregard such strategies evocative of earlier reading styles. One of
these is the use of process questions. As this has been utilized by many of the teachers
in the service, it is still important to recognize its efficiency of making students
comprehend the text they read through processing questions that will pave way for
comprehension to happen. This is evident in what S3 mentioned: “We often read texts
that are lined with what we’re discussing.. we were asked to also to answer questions
based on our understanding of the story…” (S3)

Another while-reading strategy that learners can best undertake to ensure

learning, comprehension and retention is the sharing strategy. This is very
advantageous for it will not just attest whether the students really grapple with the
content of the material, but it will also help them clarify their own understanding of the
text through sharing and consultation. This is manifest in what S3 claims: “There were
77
also activities where we get

78
to share what we learned about the text and how important it is…well, I think sharing
what we understand about the material is the most beneficial because we get to express
our opinions…we get to know if we misunderstood it, if ever…also, sharing our
understanding means we really did understand what we have read and that we’ve
learned something…” (S3)

Skimming and scanning techniques are among the strategies that can be
employed by students so as to improve and ensure their reading comprehension.
Scanning is basically fast reading as described by Mikuleckey and Jeffries (2007).
Students may use this technique if they are looking for a specific detail or information in
the text. This is a good way of developing reading with comprehension. This is
manifested in what S9 mentioned: “We do scanning…actually, there are so much
expectations from us it’s not just about the ability to read but more is to comprehend…
we read quickly to search for specific information…she always reminds us that we are
already doing scanning even at home, like for example, when checking a TV guide or a
phone book…” (S9)

On the other hand, skimming as defined by Liao (2011), skimming is done at a

speed three to four times faster than normal reading. This technique requires good
judgment so as to assess the relevance and significance of the information that you will
get from the text. Readers who employ this technique in reading should take into
account that only the main idea and the significant information must be taken. This is
manifest in the statement of S4 when she says: “Another is skimming, which is
somewhat related to the first one…we also read quickly to gain a general idea…this
helps us identify whether or not to continue reading, what to read carefully, and where
the best place is to begin…this also helps us maximise our interest in the text and our
understanding and reflection on the material…” (S4)

Reading strategies do not fit every learner. We should not confine our students to
a single reading strategy. When all else fails, struggling readers can reread the text until
they get the gist of what that text is about. Teachers should at least know which reader
should make use of such strategy and make their students understand that rereading is
something that can help them be more familiarized with the text. This is apparent to the
statement of S7 when she mentions: “Understanding the text I read is usually what I felt

79
difficult…by repeating again the text so that I will understand it and I slowly read it to
know the text all about.” (S7)

1d. Listening comprehension

As gathered in the thematic analysis of interview transcripts, the students’

cognitive strategies include: Signposting questions; and brainstorming / setting the
mood.

Theme Category
1. Cognitive Strategies a. Signposting questions
b. Brainstorming / Mood setting

Buck (2001) identifies two kinds of strategies in listening namely cognitive

strategies and metacognitive strategies using retrieval processes: associated with
accessing memory; to be readied for output. As one of the students who is engaged in
listening activity, S7 shares the strategy where questions are posted by her teacher. She
says:

.. questions are posted on the board to practice our

thinking ability before we proceed to the reading process…
this activity is good because I got the chance to answer
questions prior to the activity..(S7)

Signposting was also evident when S5 tells his observation with regard to the
strategy used by her teacher during listening activity. He quotes:

Actually before we had our discussion, our teacher posts

questions to be answered by the students… our teacher
asked us to close our books…and then she told us that
she was going to read a paragraph…she wrote the
questions on the board, and asked us students to write
them down on our notebooks…and so on…our teacher
used the story from our
80
 book as a listening activity…and we were encouraged to
listen for keywords..(S5)

Students are engaged into certain pre-activities to help activate their knowledge
about some inexplicit words that they will encounter upon listening to a text to be read by
their instructors. According to Goh (2006) in his first guided step for a listening lesson,
“students predict the possible words and phrases that they might hear.”

In addition, Richards (1987) explains that one of the skill classifications in

listening is by having an ability to detect key words (i.e., those which identify topics and
propositions) and ability to guess the meanings of words from the contexts in which they
occur.

This is evident more likely when S1 tells his experience when listening activity
was done during their discussion, he says:

…actually…our teacher usually gives us a keyword and

that keyword is part of the text to be listened to…well…it’s
good if you are familiar with it….but…if not…well it’s better
to do brainstorming…we can ask our seatmates then…we
can have a group discussion…and that’s it…we were
able to
…at least have the chance to ask somebody…tell to other
what we know…and so on… (S1)

Brainstorming strategy is one of the most important strategies in provoking

creativity and solving problems in the educational, commercial, industrial and political
fields. Brainstorming is a method students can use to generate ideas for writing a paper,
post reading activities, and listening activities. In the process of brainstorming we should
suspend any concerns about staying organized. The goal is to pour our thoughts without
worrying about whether they make sense or how they fit together (Fleming, 2014).

Brainstorming and setting the mood as cognitive strategy is also done as S8

shares his experience during one of their discussions. He narrates:

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 One listening activity that we usually do in class is…every
time my teacher teaches a particular lesson…she always
start the lesson from our experience early in the morning…
she asks us what words or advice did we hear from our
parents or any person in our house that caught our
attention… I know that she just wants to hear from us if we
are really listening attentively from what should be listened
to... very heart-warming on my part because she always
tells us that we should know what should we listened to or
not…and from this we are practicing how to listen from the
heart… still there are lots of listening activities we do in
class… (S8)

This observation from S8 was somehow accurate to Buck (1994) as he quotes,

“to arrive at an understanding of the message, listeners must understand the phonetic
input, vocabulary, and syntax, and, at the same time, use the context of situation,
general knowledge, and past experiences.”

In addition, the importance of listening in learning is worth considering since

when a person does not listen, he/she will never learn anything new. According to Ur
(1984), the heard information which corresponds with the listener’s expectations and
needs is more likely to be correctly apprehended and understood than the information
that is not relevant or useful. That is why it is so important to provide the learners with
some information about the content before listening.

This is evident when S8 added his experience during the class with his instructor.
He says:

…she sometimes include it during lessons... every time

she teaches lesson…there were times that we have to
listen on a particular song and listening even bit of
silence… setting the mood in the class…(S8)

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 As gathered in the thematic analysis of interview transcripts, the students’
physical activities include: Listen and draw activity; Reading aloud and lip reading; and
Guided Note Taking or Listening for gist.

Theme Category
2. Physical Activities a. Listen and draw Activity
b. Reading aloud and lip reading
c. Guided note taking and listening for gist

Brown and Yule (2001) stated that the listener must put the language in a context
of situation to get the meaning. Native speakers usually use their background and
cultural knowledge; and their previous knowledge for listening situations as they expect
that certain situations are connected with typical features and language. These above
mentioned facts make the listening comprehension easier as they help them to interpret
even through illustration what is being spoken about and what will probably follow.

This is proven as S5 tells his experiences during some sort of listening activities
within their class. He shares:

“I remember my teacher asked for the listen and draw

activity… each of us had a paper and pen and we had to
draw what she will be saying…at first I thought it was
strange to do some drawing, as I’m not a very good artist…
I’m bad at drawing… our teacher told us just to play along
and be quick…it was really fun and it also made a nice
change from listening to the lectures…and then…at the
end…we compared our drawings to those of the person
sitting next to us…we all laughed to see how the drawings
differed…(S5)

Moreover, S4 also shared his experienced during the same listening activity done
by the class. She adds:

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 I still can remember the activity which I enjoyed the most
….it is that…for example you should have the paper and
pen …regardless if you’re good in drawing or not…then…
my teacher will just give us the description of the things
she wants to de drawn …then…well…it’s cool…you can
really know who listens well or not…and…that’s it…(S4)

From what is being said, it is somehow teacher’s responsibility to teach their

students to pay attention to what they hear, to get the main idea and interpret it and
subsequently respond to the information.

The read-aloud experience, has been found to be an important element in

developing effective listening strategies. Reading aloud to children exposes them to
"...the joy of sharing books, builds a bond between adult and child, develops a sense of
community of readers in the classroom, and derives educational benefits from the
experience" (Carter & Abrahamson, 1991 p. 638). However, reading aloud is not
considered as listening activity but it requires attentive listening in order to understand
what is being read.

S2 proved it as he explained what he had experienced during this particular

activity. He says:

Our teacher does not call them listening activities or any

activity at all but it requires attentive listening… she reads
a text aloud and we answer a series of questions regarding
it…(S2)

Meanwhile, S3 used another physical activity which helps him understand what is
being said by the speaker (depending to who is reading the text). He shares his way of
comprehending the text through taking what is observed in the movement of a speaker’s
lips, along with accompanying facial expression and body language, to gain an
enhanced understanding of a verbal communication. He quotes:

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 Most of the times…I look to the speaker’s mouth and not
to his or his eyes…I can understand better the words
being said when I am looking at the mouth of the
speaker… I can make myself familiar to her manner of
speaking and by that it is a lot easier to hear and
understand what is being said…(S3)

Lip reading can always be an integral part of an effective communication

strategy, and can provide listeners with improved confidence, active involvement, and
enhanced connections with others.

Good skill in taking notes will help the learners not only to recall information, and
remember materials, but, even enhance their listening skill. From the early ages, Dante
Alghieri (1265–1321) stated that “listens well who takes notes “, to recent studies where
O’hair and Wooden (1988) claimed that “meaningful notes results from carefully planned
listening for structure, and from fighting the distraction, not from random selection”.

One of the strategies done by students in understanding the listening activity is

through noting important details of what is listened to. It is clear that it has a great impact
to students understanding once they get the gist and put it into written form. In addition,
Lin (2005) indicates that note-taking is an effective strategy for students to improve their
listening comprehension.

A simple testimony when S1 answers a question about note taking. She shares:

I often listen by getting the substance or the point of what I

am listening to…because I believe that….if you listen for
the essence of the text well…you will definitely get what is
the text about…through this…I always write notes, I write
notes because I need to see to it that everything will be
jotted…(S1)

According to Ferris and Tagg (1996, cited in Kim, 2004) lack of note-taking skills
and problems with note-taking as well as listening comprehension are troublesome
areas
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most often reported by international students. Consequently, students’ lack of
comprehension may contribute to their silence in oral classroom discussion. It is critical
for learners to master note-taking for school, work, and life in general.

A good reason to take notes is that you can never re-listen to speech or a
presentation. One must take every opportunity to record and keep information so you
can use it later. A further problem that listeners often address is the rapid disappearance
of the content of what they listen to. Many language learners claim that as they listen,
they can follow the speakers with some ease, but when it comes to remembering it
sometime later, they find themselves behind eight balls. One way to alleviate the
problem is to expose learners to varied post listening activities of which note-taking is
one.

This was supported by S6 as he also shares what he is doing every listening

activity. She adds:

Our teacher always wants us to jot down notes while she is

discussing and even without any visual…listening while
writing because I used to it and by doing it so…I
understand the lesson being discussed…And also…aside
from jotting notes…she gives a guide wherein that guide…
will.. will be the framework of the note to be jotted down…
(S6)

Another positive impact with regard to note taking were also shared by another
two students. S7 says “ I usually jotting down notes or taking down notes…because
when my teacher is saying something or teaching the lesson not everything she / he
says is on the book that is why it’s better to take down all the important keywords”.
Meanwhile, S9 was transparent about the benefits he always get every time he takes
notes. He narrates “…I usually take down notes even without my teacher’s consent
because I know that there are still important concepts being uttered by our teacher that
is not part of the discussion.”

Taking notes or listening for gist provides a wide scope of students’ learning and
understanding. Note-taking could help students pay more attention to their listening, and
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according to the analysis of his questionnaires’ feedback, the result reveals that students

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can facilitate their listening skill, by taking notes, because they can pay more attention to
the content (Yeh, 2004).

As gathered in the thematic analysis of interview transcripts, the students’

technology-aided strategies include: Using audio recordings and videos.

Theme Category
3. Technology-aided strategies a. Using Audio recording and videos

Audio recordings and videos provide a unique learning technique as students see
and listen to instructional materials used by a teacher in teaching a particular topic.
Listening for pleasure, such activities contain listening to songs, stories watching films
and TV programs. The advantage of these activities is that students will enjoy them and
the target language is presented in different way but on the other hand students can just
listen for pleasure without any willingness to understand it (Ur, 2000).

S2 confessed that he learned through this kind of strategy but he needed to take
some notes for him to better understand what is being presented to them. She narrates:

“we sometimes watch videos of our lesson and jot down

notes from it…that way…we know how to write and listen
to only important details and do it simultaneously. This is
supported by S9 as he also shares the used of sound
recordings as one of the strategies of his teacher. He
quotes: “ on the mobile phone of our English teacher
during our Oral Communication class is a news
recording…she took a recording with a portable speaker
that will be using for audio recordings…so that all of us can
hear….then, before she plays the recording…she plugs the
speaker wires into her mobile phone…[well that what she
usually does…that way the volume is loud enough for the
whole class to hear]…before she plays the recording of the
news, she asks us of…what the latest news is. She asked
this in English but still…we’re allowed to reply in any
language we
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 feel comfortable talking in….but…unfortunately…not many
of us listen to the news in English….but this activity gets us
thinking about the topic of the news…[and so on..].. (S2)

Moreover, Lindsay and Knight (2006) stated that people have four different
purposes when they listen. One of those is that, “people listen for a purpose, but this
purpose can be very different depending on the situation: listening for specific details,
listening for general meaning, listening for the general idea or gist. There is also a
difference between listening: for information; for enjoyment or social reasons; for
emotional satisfaction; to learn new language.”

Relative to the abovementioned statement, S7 also narrates his experience

during a particular listening activity, she quotes “My teacher lets us listen to a particular
music and from that music genre…we have to let out our emotions to be able to write a
story…And the story I wrote made me feel goose bumps because I can’t imagine that I
feel that way…”. “At first, our teacher spread silence over the room then slowly she will
be playing a song…she manages first our behavior because she believes that our
moods will contribute on our understanding on what is being listened to”, she added.

In addition, S6 shared her experience when her teacher use the news recording
and makes the class think deeply, when she quotes: “On the mobile phone of our
English teacher during our Oral Communication class is a news recording…she took a
recording with a portable speaker that will be using for audio recordings…so that all of us
can hear….then, before she plays the recording…she plugs the speaker wires into her
mobile phone…well that what she usually does…that way the volume is loud enough for
the whole class to hear…before she plays the recording of the news, she asks us of…
what the latest news is. She asked this in English but still…we’re allowed to reply in any
language we feel comfortable talking in….but…unfortunately…not many of us listen to
the news in English….but this activity gets us thinking about the topic of the news…and
so on…”(S6)

Listening involves active attention for the purpose of gaining meaning (LandrY,
1969). Listening entails the physiological ability to receive a message, process the
information, select, organize and comprehend based on prior knowledge, integrate and

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predict events, and evaluate, confirm, and integrate meaning based from any kind of
strategy in developing this skill. The listening activities and strategies used by a teacher
intend to help students develop and improve their abilities and capacities and to give
them facilities in comprehending various topics or lessons which they may apply in real
life situations.

2. In what way will it contribute to the students’ readiness for employment, higher
education, entrepreneurship, and middle-level skills development?

Senior High School graduates will choose the curriculum exit they will pursue
depending on their track and personal choice. Grade 12 learners may choose to work
immediately since they are of legal age and have the competencies to perform a specific
job, or to pursue a business they can start to earn money. They may also proceed to
higher education and pursue a degree course or take up any Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority (TESDA) courses for middle-level skills development.

Leaders of today’s education continue to grapple with how they can better
prepare students with the skills, behaviors, and understandings for college and career
(Barnes & Slate, 2013). Although K to 12 schools implement programs and curriculum
activities to address college and career ready standards, colleges and employers
continue to report a gap in skills and knowledge necessary for postsecondary school and
work environments.

This system is involved in this preparation and orientation, resulting in a complex

process which operates to propel adolescents toward thinking about and making plans
for later adult attainments. The number of adolescents worldwide who make career
related decisions each year indicate the importance of future job planning (Witko,
Bernes, Magnusson, Bardick, 2006). Thinking about the future and oneself in the future
has a bigger role in adolescence than in the other developmental periods of life
(Trempala, Malmberg, 2002). Facing this developmental task, adolescents may attempt
to place the responsibility for making a career decision onto others and may even delay
or avoid making a choice, which could ultimately lead to a less than optimal decision
(Gati, Saka 2001).

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 Moreover, the curriculum is providing the skills and competencies needed by the
K to 12 graduates. Those skills will determine if they have achieved the goal and
objectives of Senior High School curriculum relevant to the purpose of the DepEd which
is to facilitate a process through which all graduates with the academic and lifelong skills
to be leaders of success – whether in college, career, or navigating the opportunities and
challenges they will encounter in their lives.

Senior High School students’ readiness for the four career exits can be
determined through the experiences exhibited during the teaching-learning process
specifically their English language communicative competence from the identified four
English language domains such as oral language, reading and comprehension, writing
and composition, and listening comprehension.

2a. Employment
1. The hiring processes are visible when students will be applying for a job wherein
there are contributing factors to get hired or to be employed.

The matrix below summarizes the lived experiences of the Senior High School
students on hiring processes:

Theme Categories
1. Hiring process a. Interview skills
b. Writing document skills
c. Attentive listening skills

As gathered in the thematic analysis of interview transcripts, the students’ hiring

process includes: interview skills, writing document skills, and attentive listening skills.

Many students seem disinterested in learning to handle employment interviews

effectively. Students’ motivation needs to become skilled interviewees and steps
educators and counselors can take to increase students’ interest in this crucial career
activity. Students frequently commit mistakes during employment interviews and they
should be aware on how to avoid these difficulties. (Miller, Catt, & Slocombe, 2014).

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 Many students have limited work experience and often have very little familiarity
with employment interviews (Onoda and Gassert, 1978). Despite their apparent
indifference, students know employment interviews are important. Ironically, the
importance of interviewing, combined with their lack of experience, may actually reduce
students’ motivation to interview effectively. Because they have little experience with
interviewing, it’s easy for them to procrastinate developing this important skill.

Interview skills is the ability to tell the employer about your strengths, skills,
education, and work experience. Knowing yourself - positively selling your strong points -
is what is going to get you the job. Becoming an interviewee in the future, S2 pointed out
that to be an asset in the future company, one must possess such skills needed even in
the beginning like in the process of interview when she says:

The applicant’s ability to communicate confidently with the

language he or she is using means that… he or she
can...can express his or her ideas that may potentially help
the company or the business and that he or she can be an
effective part of the company’s manpower…which can be
determined easily the time he or she undergoes in an
interview…presenting oneself…is the reflection of what
would be you contribution in your future company…(S3)

Reading and listening are evident when S4 mentioned about the issue on literacy
which could be a point of consideration when being interviewed:

Research has found that poor literacy limits job chances…

reading and listening skills…among other skills… help in
responding to questions in interviews when applying a
job…being able to communicate well with the
interviewee...well…these skills allow you to appropriately
answer through critical and informational listening (S4)

S5 believes that being able to be interviewed is also a way of speaking for yourself
and a way to give a suitable job for you, “In terms of applying for a job…before we get

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hired in a job, of course there are interviews, and based from this interview and based on
my skills, I can speak properly and effectively and the employer might get to know me
more easily and I know the understanding between us is becoming more effective…this
is a way where I could be given a job which is appropriate on the skills I have presented.

According to Fauziati (2010), writing as process is oriented towards work in

progress and the development of new skills. This means that writing is not merely
evaluative tasks, the classroom practices vary from each other; these often depend
much upon the students’ experiences and skills when planning and adjusting their
writing program.

S6 agrees with that as she believes that the writing skill is a contributing factor
when she get employed: “It contributes to my future employment in terms of writing
formal letters specifically my application letter…I know that it would be easy for me to do
various kinds of writings because I believe I was equipped with the skills needed to be
hired.” Moreover, it was also seconded by what S3 says:

Writing and composition skills are important for future

employment because in every job there is always a need
for reports…if the employee lacks these skills he or she will
only cause confusion to the one who will read the report,
and to the entire company as well. Writing and composition
skills help the employee to formally present his or her
ideas and it will prevent him or her from being fired…(S3)

On the other hand, S5 and S7 gave their present experiences on their writing
skills which would be beneficial on their future work. S5 sees his journalistic skills as an
advantage when he says:

I am a journalist…which would be another factor… also…

in some writing tasks, for examples there are researches…
narratives…and the likes… my skills in writing articles for
school paper and even in various contests totally honed
my ability…then this would be a total package on
various
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 writings which might be assigning to me…then it would be
an advantage as well…for me to do the task in my work
place in the future…(S5)

Meanwhile, S7 pointed out her ability to write various forms which she thinks is
one of the basic skills that an employee must consider. She says, “Of course in getting
an entrance examination and even a simple filling up of resume or any other forms…we
can truly say that this should be acquire in the first place…this should not be taken for
granted as it is the basic skill one must possess…I know that I have this ability because I
was trained during our Reading and Writing class…and as well as from my previous
experiences… and…not just knowing how to do it but being equipped in just simply filling
up various forms…”.

Moreover, another factors which seemed to be beneficial is the writing skill of the
applicant wherein it is a necessity to be skilled in writing when S5 says:

I am a journalist…which would be another factor… also…

in some writing activities, for examples there are
researches… narratives…and the likes… then it would be
an advantage for me to do the task in my work place in the
future. (S5)

In the workplace, as discussed by Leigh, et.al. (2006), however, the format for
interaction varies. Sometimes your supervisors may specifically ask you for your opinion
or ask you to express that opinion in writing. More often than not, however, they assume
that if they need to know something, you will bring it to their attention. The challenge of
communicating in the workplace is learning how and when to share your ideas or
concerns.

Moreover, S5 and S3 emphasized the necessity to be equipped with the skills

needed not only to comply and to perform but mostly to be able to understand the
process. Applying for a job is not only about getting hired but to be an asset to your
future endeavor. They say:

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 Basically, because no company or employer hires an
applicant that can’t even read or listen properly specially in
corporate world. Through reading, I can check whether I
am qualified to apply for that job or not and through
listening I can understand well the question to be asked
and respond to it confidently. (S3)

For example you are being interviewed, how will you be

sure if you will be getting the course you wanted, based on
the assessment at your skills right? now? That depends on
me paying attention on the said information and the
needed requirements in terms of having that particular skill.
(S5)

Job seekers must firmly grasp the fact that there is never a second chance for a
first impression. They may cling to a belief that “little things will be overlooked.” Not
necessarily. It is important to always “keep your guard up.” Also, those skills must be
performed well as it will be the starting point on one’s career.

Theme Categories
Comprehension Skills Understanding jargons
Analysis skills

According to Kintsch (1998), readers have two tasks. One is constructing a “text
model” of the literal meaning of words as they read, and the other is building a broader
representation, or “situation model,” of the meaning implied by the text. These kinds of
comprehension skills specifically the latter shows that one must be skilled in
comprehension to be able to function to a particular situation. As result, one will be able
to understand the context.

Understanding the context does not only mean of knowing the background or
environment instead being knowledgeable on the technicalities that the workplace used.
These technicalities refer to the jargons being practiced and how should one be
equipped on these. Thus, various skills are needed to be able to comprehend such
jargons when S2 states:
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 We have that what we call…jargons…when we say
jargons…these are the technical words being used in
different field of specialization…I believe with these
jargons…we can identify the particular field…well…
knowing these jargons or should I say…being equipped
with the jargons…well it wouldn’t be a problem for an
applicant to comprehend well in his/her workplace…going
back to the skills…well…one should be able to speak and
write those jargons…and of course knowing how to write
those words through listening carefully… all these skills
could be contributing factors because understanding
jargons isn’t that easy…there should be that skill to
comprehend with the help of those skills…S2

Moreover, some companies also require for an examination wherein this helps to
evaluate fully the skills of the applicants. Based on the report paper on Workplace
Essential Skills (2000), workers need to acquire the basic foundations skills such
Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking, also with Mathematics and Arithmetic. Thus,
to be able to be hired, one must be able to at least read, write, speak and listen and in
terms of getting an examination one should know how to analyse things through the help
of those skills. This was proven by S3 and S4 when they say:

If I happen to apply companies that conduct exams before

one can be hired… I need to read and listen well, analysis
skills is needed to apply the skills you have… if I am
unable to listen and read, and comprehend properly then I
can’t process what is being said and it will have a wrong
answer…(S3)

Taking a career path on medicine, oral language is

necessary because there are a lot of medicinal jargons that
average individuals do not understand and it is our job to
make it easier for them to comprehend their sickness to

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 attend to their necessities. So when I get into that
employment…I have the skills to comprehend jargons in
that particular field…(S4)

Theme Categories
Interpersonal skills Communicating clear messages
Building trust

Demonstrating competence in participating as a member of a team includes

doing own share of work necessary to complete a project; encouraging team members
by listening and responding appropriately to their contributions; building on individual
team members’ strengths; resolving differences for the benefit of the team; taking
personal responsibility for accomplishing goals; and responsibly challenging existing
procedures, policies, or authorities. This implies interpersonal skills. (Workplace Essential
Skills, 2000)

Interpersonal skills mean to understand the diversity of opinions within a group

through coordinating and propitiating a joint effort toward the achievement of objectives.
This can only be achieved through communicating clear messages among others and at
the same time exhibiting understanding among the group.

Speaking and writing skills are essential in showing interpersonal skills. As

mentioned by S4 that “…writing skills are in demand in any profession you may take…
like in medicine…it is my advocacy to have better and free healthcare for Filipinos…
good writing skills allow me to communicate a message with clarity so it can have a
larger platform for discourse.”

Moreover, it was supported by what S6 and S7 shared about the importance of

being equipped with both writing and speaking skills as factors in achieving interpersonal
skills when getting involved in the workplace, when S6 says:

It will help me market/promote my product and establish

strong customer relationships…this kind of skills is needed
to sustain the relationship and giving the clarity of what is
your marketing all about….(S6)
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 While S7 explained her thoughts about the previous, when she says:

“Both writing and speaking skills will really help my future

endeavour…because… as we can see…we need to…we
need to express and to share what we know to the
workforce to be able to achieve that success…these skills
also will truly help us to be more communicative through
spoken and written…getting engaged into what we say and
what we write gives a clear understanding…”(S7)

Similarly, communicating clear thoughts and messages build trust among the
workforce. Covey (2006) mentioned that trust is the key competency and the first job to
do. It stands to reason that organizations can reap benefits from strengthening it. As a
matter of fact, high-trust environments correlate positively with high degrees of
personnel involvement, commitment, and organizational success. Thus, the willingness
to listen, communicating with other through variety of means and being able to
comprehend what is being read, all these contribute to this part as one maintains a
respectful relationship with peers and superiors. As explained by S6:

…having these skills…I believe….is helping myself in

building trust and long term relationship with my
customers, helps me become knowledgeable in assessing
financial needs, determining risks, managing cash flows
and preparing estimated and projected balance sheet…
(S6)

Another emphasized the importance of competence for one to get trusted in a

way that exhibiting the truthfulness in everything we do. Being competent is not just
being skilled, being competent knows how to be competently skilled. S9 states his views
as he says:

…as a student, before anything else…we should first

develop the trust in us…getting into whatever path you
would like to go or to be…well you should have that trust in
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 you to be able to get that trust from others and of course to
be trusted by others…so…when applying for a job being
able to have those skills…well…that could be a starting
point and an advantage to have a good flow of
relationship…building trust is not just about the emotional
aspect of the person…but one must be competent enough
to be trusted…so I believe that those skills contribute fully
on this. (S9)

2b. Higher Education

Theme Categories
1. Admission process skills a. Interview skills
b. Writing skills
c. Test-taking skills
d. Research skills

Understanding the purpose behind any admission processes can ease the
pressure for the students. This is beneficial for it provides an opportunity to get to know
each other in order to determine the best place for education. A one-on-on conversation
between the student and the school staff member gives each party a better sense of who
they are than if they merely read the information provided throughout the process
(Burke, 2009).

This is to determine the best fit the student, both academically and emotionally.
Moreover, this gives authentic and genuine responses that allows your student’s
personality to shine through, so the school can evaluate whether the student best fits in
the course he or she wants to take.

Therefore, one must be equipped with the skills needed to be able to give the
school the satisfaction. This could be done through exhibiting the essential skills like
being true to oneself which can be expressed by being good speakers during interviews.
This was confirmed by S1 when she says:

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 …during interview…students need to be better speaker…
not only what to answer but most importantly one should
know how to answer…because I believe that…how we
present ourselves to others…specifically during
interviews…reflects who you are…(S1)

S2 added that being a good speaker means being a good listener as well
towards achieving good interview process, when she says:

Oral language is being practiced during school

interviews…like when you were asked about the course
you will take…then your listening skills should be there…to
answer questions correctly…(S2)

Writing is also another essential key in the admission process as it assesses the
student’s capability in performing related tasks as one of the school’s applicants. As
stated by S4 when she asked if this skill contribute in applying for the course she wants
and she says, “Yes…like filling up any forms…so…you should be skilled enough how to
answer the forms because if not…well…you won’t get accepted…”

Writing also goes with reading because as explained by S9, with good reading
comes good writing, when he says:

Being skilled in writing at the same time reading…these

two go with one another…well… when you asked to write
your information on the forms then you should understand
well or what I mean is comprehend well to be able to write
your information correctly…and also…this reflects a good
standing to the course you want to take… (S9)

Another point of consideration in getting the course the student wants is taking
the entrance examination thus one must be equipped with the test taking skills. To be
skilled in taking test or examination, every test taker must consider the basic skills which
go more on comprehension like what S1 emphasized:

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 Actually…those skills are very beneficial and useful
because…obviously…will help us during for example in
taking entrance examinations…there should be skills…not
only about the answers but should know how to
understand everything in taking exams… S1

It is indeed that to be able to be skilled in taking tests, one must know how to
comprehend well because without comprehension skills, those skills wouldn’t be that
functional specifically when one encounters the instructions and questions.

This was expounded by S2 when she says:

Of course…during test…or what you call this…the…

entrance exams…first thing to do is…of course…should
know how to understand well…even the instructions…
because you know.. even you know the correct answer but
you neglected to understand the instructions before you
take the exam…well…everything will be wasted… (S2)

Aside from what mentioned in the previous, being able to read and write gives
the school the chance to know you better and knowing more of your skills will surely
define what course best fits with you.

These skills can also be exhibited through research writing. Higher education
requires writing skills that is necessary in research writing. Research has become part of
every curriculum in different levels. It aims to get deep into the topic and provides an
opportunity which helps one to pursue an in-depth or deep original study. Mostly, it aims
to provide the best solution to a particular problem. Moreover, it is now being used in
variety of like what S3 expressed:

Activities like research writings, these require good and

effective writing skill and of one doesn’t have this then he or

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 she is not qualifies. Also, in higher education what’s being
measured is the way one express his or her ideas and how
can this be done effectively and for that to happen one
must be skilful in writing because planning the success of
one’s idea starts from a draft… like drafting your
research…(S3)

With the admission processes as the first bridge between the student and their
potential school, it can seem like a daunting task for the student of any age. Applicants
will come to find that this part of the process is an exciting step, giving them the
opportunity to learn more about the school and together determine the best fit for their
educational needs.

2c. Entrepreneurship
Theme Categories
1. Marketing strategies a. Making connections
b. Business plan writing skills
c. Text comprehension skills
d. Problem-solving skills
e. Social skills

Marketing strategy is an integrated set of choices about how we will create and
capture value, over long periods of time (Tilles, 2000). This strategy represents the
generic direction a company should follow in order to accomplish a specific business
objective. This also shows ‘road map’ to achieving greater results, such as sales growth,
worldwide brand recognition, and higher market penetration.

In a simple sense, this strategy is realistic, easy to understand and practical to

implement as it makes communication initiatives easier to develop as it allows the basic
skills as the foundation keys to achieve the company’s goal.
Oral language skills is very beneficial in the company if one pursues to come up
with his or her own business in the future where he or she also needs this marketing
strategy. One of these strategies where speaking skills would be beneficial is to be able
to create or make connections for this sustains the company.

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 To gain connections, S3 quotes “ Oral language helps in starting a business
because it’s necessary in making connections in the business world…this will help one
to have investors and potential customers that will make the business successful…in the
future…”

S5 said that being able to speak or communicate could be a factor in facing any
business matter where he quotes, “On the other hand is important because it will help
one deal with the legal and administrative matters related to business establishments
like contracts and permits.

Communication skills, including writing, are one of the most important

transferable skills that workers possess. Most business professionals, such as
marketing, finance, and research and development managers, need excellent writing
skills to properly convey ideas and concepts. There are many reasons that writing skills
are important in the business world.

In some point, writing is also beneficial as one could be involved in business plan
writing. As mentioned by Torkko (2000), business planning is more of the work of writing,
of thinking things through is as important as the final document. Additionally, good
writing adds to the credibility of the writer and reflects positively on a company's image.

S3 explained the significance role of writing in putting up a business specifically

in coming up with various plans when she says:

In business plan everything must be detailed including the

things you need that strategies you must do to get the
business known by everyone… the target market of the
business, even the competitors. All of those must be lined
in a complete and organized manner, and if one doesn’t
even know how to write properly how to organize thing
properly.. then it will only be a business suicide in the end.
(S3)

This was also supported by S5 when she states:

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 Putting up a business…one should be brave enough…
because after senior high school….not only these four
skills but there are lots skills to be considered…but mostly
in putting up a business…one should know how to start
like writing the business plan...with that business plan you
are able to start a business…(S5)

Furthermore, reading and listening comprehension would be contributing aspects

since S3 and S6 believe that to be able to write one must know beforehand how to read
and listen with understanding. These skills provides the business context a broader
opportunities to be understood and listened by other companies for the reason of
sustainability. S3 clarified when she says:

On the other hand, helps develop skills because

sometimes modules about skill development are published
in print or online and it gives people the convenience...
so... if one’s equipped with reading and listening
comprehension then... it will be easier for him or her to
develop the skill he or she wants to develop. (S3)

S6 also gave her words for business also involves such business texts that one
should understand as well when she says:

Another point in starting a business is that…one should

know how to comprehend…like various text forms…
advertisements… and many more…because
understanding what one sees is useful to be successful…
(S6)

Starting a business involves various speaking and writing engagements. But

before one could speak, he or she must be a good listener and reader as well for these
all contribute to the world of business which is nowadays, a very complex one. S4 gave
her views where all these skills are important keys when starting a business when she
says:
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 Oral language helps in starting a business since it involves
planning and shared ideas where communication with
partners is vital…then…listening can help to acquire
information and to question and criticize contributions…
also…writing skills help in coming up with solutions on how
to make the public understand the business, widening the
platform of nature of business… (S4)

From this thought, S9 points out the worth of listening among other domains to
gain wider perspective about business when he says:

Actually in putting up a business…you should have a wide

understanding and wide kind of patience…listening very
well leads to success but if you do not know how to
listen…well…there will be complications and conflict as
well…then…if one knows how…then…one can solve any
problem he or she might face along the way… (S9)

Duffell (2005) once quotes, “Deeper relationships require sensitivity, empathy,

social awareness, and an ability to imagine a completely different life experience from
our own. When people who work in [multicultural] environments possess these skills,
collaboration can be magical and highly profitable; and when they lack these skills,
collaboration can be disastrous with serious and negative bottom-line implications.”

This pertains to socio-emotional skills where it is the specific ability to establish

an appropriate communication and promote social relationships such as assertive style,
empathy and consensus or democratic participation. In a cooperative situation,
individuals seek to obtain those results that are beneficial to themselves and all the other
members of the group.

This became evident when S4 gave details on how speaking and listening
comprehension considered as factors to achieve good social interaction with co-workers
in the future when she says:

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 Lastly…socio-emotional skills need communication, social
interaction, and teamwork which oral communication and
listening skills are all about… emotional and social skills, or
describing with concision the benefits of socio-emotional
competence from the communicative point of view…these
help you express ideas effectively and learn how to take in
information through listening be it informational or critical.
(S4)

At some point, in putting up a business, one needs workers with skills in “the 4
Cs”: critical thinking, creative and innovative problem solving, communication, and
collaboration. However, as cited by Deming (2015), 31 percent of employers globally find
it difficult to find qualified workers because of “a talent mismatch between workers’
qualifications and the specific skill sets and combinations of skills employers want.

The abovementioned facts look forward in the communication skills one must
possess. There should be a good connection between the employer and the employee
through possessing good oral skills to foster effective relationship. This was agree with
S9 when she says:

Starting a business…is…is a hard task…a tough one…

well… knowing how to use social skills through speaking
well…I know that the skills in communicating can lead to
socialize with others…this kind of skill will also support the
things needed in putting up a business…like having
queries to others… getting their ideas…sharing
experiences…and others…S9

2d. Middle-level skills development

Theme Categories
1. Assessment skills a. Performance skills

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 As stated in the “Technical Educational and Skills Development Act of 1994” or
the “TESDA Act of 1994”, the creation of Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority, providing its powers, structure and for other purposes.

This act provides relevant, accessible, high quality and efficient technical
education and skills development in support of the development of high quality Filipino
middle-level manpower responsive to and in accordance with Philippine development
goals and priorities.

Moreover, this shall encourage active participation of various concerned sectors,

particularly private enterprises, being direct participants in and immediate beneficiaries
of a trained and skilled work force, in providing technical education and skills
development opportunities.

This recognizes the assessment skills to be acquired by the students in pursuing

middle-level skills development which focuses on the performance skills of students.
Performance skills such as listening and speaking are beneficial skills in performing
various tasks during assessment periods.

According to DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 known as the Policy Guidelines on

Classroom Assessment for the K to 12 Basic Education Program (BEP), assessment is a
process that is used to keep track of learners’ progress in relation to learning standards
and in the development of 21st-century skills; to promote self-reflection and personal
accountability among students about their own learning; and to provide bases for the
profiling of student performance on the learning competencies and standards of the
curriculum. Moreover, performance tasks component allows learners to show what they
know and are able to do in diverse ways.

As explained by S5, the performance greatly depends on these skills when he

says:

These skills like listening and speaking…well definitely

contribute to one’s performance because he or she must
know how to listen well to various instructions…because
this
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 will help him or her to perform on task given…
performance…I believe…doesn’t depend only on your
skills…the way you listen and present yourself is more of
one’s performance…(S5)

In addition, reading comprehension is also a factor knowing that no one could do

the task effectively without comprehending what they have read as expounded by S6:

Being able to read…is one factor for skills development…

one cannot improve his or her performance if he or she
doesn’t know how to read correctly the instructions to be
given…especially more on this part…you cannot have the
assessment if one lacks in reading skills and
comprehension… more on this is not just reading…one
must know how to comprehend to give justice to reading….
(S6)

S9 foresees himself in the future as he holds those skills that will further enhance
her capability in pursuing her middle-level skill development and inspiringly said:

Holding those skills after senior high….is…I think…great

armours whether which among the exits you will be
choosing from…well…most specially…we all know that
Senior High School is a skill-centered curriculum…so…
there will be assessment for TVL students…and this
assessment would be a great avenue for him or her to
pursue skills development like enrolling in TESDA… he or
she must be equipped by various assessment skills
needed…(S9)

CHAPTER V
SUMMARY of FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, and RECOMMENDATIONS

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 This chapter presents the summary of findings, conclusions, and
recommendations.

Summary of findings

1. What modes of English teaching-learning process are experienced by SHS students in

terms of?

a. Oral language

Various experiences are evident in the teaching-learning of oral language

through such themes: communicative output/strategies, teacher-student relationship,
and unfocused communicative tasks. Communicative output/strategies includes role
plays, debates, oral recitations, declamation, class reporting, and speech choir while
teacher- student relationship experiences were emotional bonding, creating harmonious
relationship, and providing broader opportunities. Furthermore, such unfocused
communicative tasks experiences were imitating and self-practicing, surfing the internet,
and consulting dictionaries.

b. Writing and composition

Writing and composition teaching and learning experiences are manifested
through various modes such as visual teaching, the use of models and representations,
naturalistic writing, providing a motivating assessment, and experiential writing. Visual
teaching involves the use of Power Point presentations and hand-outs and film watching
while the use of models and representations includes good writing models, and picture-
based writing. Naturalistic writing embraces the free writing, discovery writing, essay
writing, and writing through the use of vocabulary while experiential writing includes
reflective writing and writing on moods and feelings. Moreover, providing a motivating
assessment used rubric-based writing and writing based on constructive and formative
feedback.

c. Reading comprehension
Different themes marked in the teaching-learning experiences of students in
reading comprehension like pre-reading strategies, cultivating vocabulary, and during

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 reading activities. In the pre-reading strategies, students activate background knowledge
and used with various interactive activities. Another is the cultivating vocabulary wherein
it became evident through unlocking of difficulties, using of context clues, doing
pronunciations drills, and having imitation activities. On the other hand, numerous
activities were done in during reading activities such as silent reading, timed reading,
clarifying strategy, purposeful reading, using process questions, sharing, scanning,
skimming, and repetition.

d. Listening comprehension
In the listening comprehension domain, themes like cognitive strategies, physical
activities, and technology-aided strategies were experienced by the students. In
cognitive strategies, such activities were signposting questions and brainstorming or
setting the mood activity while various physical activities like listen and draw activity,
reading aloud and lip reading activities, and guided note taking and listening for gist
became evident to them. Moreover, in the technology-aided strategies, activities using
audio recordings and videos were used.

2. In what way will it contribute to the students’ readiness for employment, higher education,
entrepreneurship, and middle-level skills development?

From the four domains such as oral language, reading and comprehension,
writing and composition, and listening comprehension will contribute to the students’
readiness for employment, higher education, entrepreneurship, and skills development
through their significant experiences gained.

For the employment, the ability to communicate, writing document skills, and
attentive listening skills are the contributing factors in the hiring processes;
understanding jargons and analysis skills make up for comprehension skills; while the
ability to communicate clear messages and building trust were evident for interpersonal
skills.

Moreover, those skills will be contributing factors in pursuing the higher education
of students through the admission process skills like interview skills, writing skills, test-
taking skills, and research skills. Meanwhile, entrepreneurship exit will be established

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through the marketing strategies like making connections, business plan writing skills, text
comprehension, problem solving skills, and social skills.

Furthermore, the performance skills of the students through assessment process

became a factor using the four skills.

Conclusions

In view of the preceding findings, the following conclusions are finalized by the
researcher:

1a. Modes experienced in English teaching-learning oral language by SHS

students focused mostly on speech activities which enhances student-teacher
relationship towards achieving individual learning initiatives.

1b. Modes experienced in English teaching-learning writing and composition by

SHS students emphasized the discovery learning approach where various models and
visual materials were used to be able to provide appropriate assessment suitable on
them.

1c. Modes experienced in English teaching-learning reading comprehension by

SHS students engrossed generally on interactive to gain much comprehension that
enable them to perform actively during reading activities.

1d. Modes experienced in English teaching-learning listening comprehension by

SHS students highlighted various physical activities to test their knowledge on listening
and listening skills as well with the integration of technology.

2a. The ability to communicate and the ability to exhibit interpersonal skills were
contributing factors in their future employment which can be done through writing clear
messages and listening attentively.

2b. To become ready in higher education, one must be knowledgeable enough

among the skills needed specifically during admission process.

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 2c. Making business plans and developing marketing strategies would be possibly
established through writing, speaking, reading, and listening skills.

2d. These four skills are the contributing factors to be able to perform in various
assessment processes in middle-level skills development.

Recommendations

In reference to the earlier discussion of findings and conclusions, the researcher

offers the following recommendations:

1. The researcher recommends the teachers to find the most interactive modes which is in
line with the 21st century learning in order for the SHS students to gain more significant
experiences through the four English language learning domains.
2. The researcher recommends the teachers to conduct a more student-centered and
student-friendly interviews or story gathering from the SHS students to make their Senior
High learning more meaningful before they choose among the four career exits.
3. Moreover, the researcher recommends the schools to address their SHS teaching force
in making every Culminating activity more engaging and subject-related in order to fully
apply student’s significant learnings in each field of specialization.
4. Finally, the researcher recommends the schools to join their hands together by activating
their concerted efforts and establishing their linkages and network to give the Senior
High students the best career exit suited for them through the application of the stated
four English domains and their significant experiences, as well as dissemination and
utilization of research. This will surely contribute to their readiness when they face their
own career exit.

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APPENDICES

113
 APPENDIX A
Letter Request
DIVINE WORD COLLEGE OF CALAPAN
GRADUATE SCHOOL

November 05, 2018

SUSANA M. BAUTISTA
Acting Schools Division Superintendent
Schools Division of Calapan City
Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro

Madam:

This is to sincerely request for your kind approval to take sample Senior High School
student-respondents from the herein attached list of public and private Senior High
Schools in the Schools Division of Calapan City from December 2018 – January 2019 to
whom the sample interview questions will be personally administered.

This request is in connection with the proposed dissertation by the researcher entitled,
“THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE OF SENIOR HIGH
SCHOOL (SHS) STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOLS DIVISION OF CALAPAN CITY”, as it
forms part of my compliance with the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy Major in English Language at the Divine Word College of Calapan (DWCC),
Calapan City.

Your technical support to the researcher will be deeply and gratefully appreciated.

Thank you very much.

Truly yours,

MA. KATRINA SANDRA A. MAGCAMIT

Ph.D. in English Language Candidate
Recommending Approval:

JOEY B. GUTIERREZ, Ph.D.

Dissertation Adviser

Noted:

CORAZON S. MORILLA, Ph.D.

Dean, Graduate School

Approved:

SUSANA M. BAUTISTA
Acting Schools Division Superintendent
114
 APPENDIX B
Guide Questions

DIVINE WORD COLLEGE OF CALAPAN

GRADUATE SCHOOL

Interview Questions

Title: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE OF SENIOR

HIGH SCHOOL (SHS) STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOLS DIVISION OF CALAPAN CITY

1. What modes of English teaching-learning process are experienced by

SHS students in terms of:
a. Oral language
a1. How does your teacher teach English?
a2. What are the common activities that you do in terms of oral
communication?
a3. What particular English activity interest you most? Why?
a4. As a second language speaker, what common struggles do you
usually encounter when speaking in class?
a5. How do you handle such language difficulties?
b. Writing and composition
b1. How does your teacher teach writing and composition?
b2. What are the writing activities you do in class?
b3. Which among those writing activities do you find engaging?
Why?
b4. How does your teacher evaluate your writing skills?
b5. What common problems do you encounter during writing
activities? How do you deal with them?
c. Reading comprehension, and;
c1. How does your teacher teach reading?
c2. What reading comprehension activities do you usually do?
Which among them do you find beneficial?
c3. What are the common reading remediation do you do in your
class?
c4. What reading difficulties do you usually encounter while reading
text? How do you deal with them?
c5. How does your English teacher handle such difficulties like
yours?
d. Listening comprehension
d1. What listening strategies do you always practice? Why?
d2. What are the listening activities in class?
d3. What hinders your understanding of a certain text being read?
Explain.
d4. How does your teacher execute listening activities?

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 d4. What common listening struggles do you commonly encounter?
Why?

2. In what way will these experiences contribute to the students’ readiness for
employment, higher education, entrepreneurship, and skills development?

a. In what way will be able to use oral language in employment?

b. How will your writing and composition skills contribute to your future
employment?
c. How do your reading and listening skills help you in applying for a
job?
d. What about writing composition, how can you possibly use this at
work?
e. How do you think your writing skills could be contributing factors in
applying for a particular course in your higher education?
f. Would it be easy for you to be accepted in higher education when
you’re equipped with reading and listening skills? How?
g. How will the oral language skills help in starting a business same
with your reading and listening comprehension?
h. What about your reading and listening comprehension, how will
these be helpful in your business?
i. What about your writing skills? How would it be beneficial in putting
up a business?
j. How would your listening skills be used to further enhance your
capabilities?
k. How does oral language become useful in skills development along
with reading and listening comprehension skills?
l. What about writing and composition, how would these be useful in
skills development?

Prepared by:

Ma. Katrina Sandra A. Magcamit

Ph.D. in English Language Candidate

Recommending Approval:

JOEY B. GUTIERREZ, Ph.D.

Dissertation Adviser

Noted:

CORAZON S. MORILLA, Ph.D.

Dean, Graduate School

116
 APPENDIX C
REPERTORY GRID C1
Modes of English teaching-learning process
1a. Oral Language
Theme Category Significant Statement
1. Communicative A. Role plays There were less activities that uses
strategies mainly oral communication... but…
whenever we perform activities about
this... it’s more on role plays… through
this [role plays].. we communicate with
the help of actions… S3

I believe that all of the activities we do are

very beneficial especially when teaching
and learning oral language… we have
extemporaneous speech… singing…
declamation… we have debate… and of
course… role plays… I love acting that’s
why I love role play. S4

Well… for me… its role play because I

love acting and this makes me feel
awesome…. This also encourages
everyone to socialize with others… like
when our teacher asks us to be grouped
during activity… well… we have no
choice… we have to mingle with other
classmates even though I feel hesitant
with them… but because I love
performing in English… everything comes
smoothly… S6

B. Debate Well… there are several English activities

and it was the debate that interest me the
most… maybe because… in debate there
is a particular topic that we should be
battling into or… let’s say… I can
effectively say what my team is handling
to… or what is the side of our team….
there are skills needed in the debate…
first is the confidence…and when you are
confident in saying what’s your side, your
idea in the said topic then that is a great
deal in terms of winning the debate...
next I think is the readiness… the
knowledge… and awareness as well. S5

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C. Question and A simple Q and A inside the class…
Answer or Oral though there are lots of activities well I
Recitations think… those activities need to be
prepared but… in this case every little
thing comes naturally and that makes
learning more… meaningful. Being a
broadcaster in our school… I love those
activities like broadcasting...
newscasting… even telecasting….
Anything with regards to news delivery…
though we are just expected to… to
deliver the news this also practice our
style and… honing our skills to persuade
people… encourage people… and lot
more… S7

Some of the common activities we do

inside the classroom are of course the
very common, oral recitations which is
part of assessment activities of our
teachers...........actually a simple question
and answer between us and the teacher
is already a part of these activities….
I really like reciting in class… the on-the-
spot one… because in that way I could
practice my speaking skills in a way that I
also benefit from it… reciting in class
usually is one of the fears that my
classmates are facing but for me I feel
confident while I’m answering
questions… I gain confidence from it…for
questions that I don’t know I just give my
thought and perspective whether it’s right
or wrong because what important is I
express myself in a way that I could also
practice my speaking ability. S8

D. Declamation There are a lot of exciting activities

highlighting English but declamation is on
top of them because aside from learning
a lesson from a specific story… I just love
to see someone showing his/her talent in
front of the class. S2

E. Reporting The English activity that interest me most

is the reporting because in this activity my
speaking skills are being used… and
also… the confidence is boosted through
this kind of activity… I really love it
[reporting] it is also a way of interacting to
my classmates. S9

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 F. Speech choir Sometimes we do speech choir…
because in that way we could express
ourselves when we make our own
[speech choirs] and we can develop how
we should talk ….. or communicate
through English language… this also
allows everyone to be cooperative…
because I know that if you want to
practice your speaking skills learn how to
communicate with others. S1

2. Teacher-student A. Emotional Bonding Our teacher allows us to speak and listen

relationship at the same time…. we are free to ask
questions and sometimes this is a way
also to correct our question
constructions…. she [teacher] teaches in
a way that we feel the confidence in us
though English is quite difficult subject
but because of the way she teaches
English… we are not hesitant to either
speak or ask using English because she
is teaching English with humor... I could
say that with the relationship… bonding
we have… even the way she listens from
what we feel is already part of the
learning process. S7

I accept that fact….. that I have my own

weaknesses in speaking this language so
that I have room for improvements… and
my teacher guides me.. us… all the
time… S2

B. Creating My teacher usually speaks English during

harmonious the class discussion, however, there are
environment times when she prefers speaking in
Filipino so that we can relate to the
subject…. I know that she just wants us…
her students… to fully understand what
she is teaching… Just like what she
always says… ‘you speak using English
not to impress but to express’… S2

She uses Filipino and English language

in explaining the concepts she is
teaching... there were also times when
the discussion is all about the teacher
talking and only the students were
listening and there were also times
when there is a complete
student-teacher interaction during the
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 class… she always involves everyone in
the discussion… S3

…we are free to ask questions to our

teacher…. so it makes me feel more
comfortable when my teacher corrects
me and guides me all the time… S7

She [teacher] teaches us in the simplest

way for us to understand the lesson she
[teacher] is discussing… she [teacher]
also requires everyone to speak in
English though sometimes it’s hard for us
to use English but I know it’s a way to
practice as to be good second language
speakers… she [teacher] provides a
classroom where everyone can make
mistakes and everyone can learn from it
[mistakes]. S8

…sometimes I asked my teacher, like in a

casual conversation, a friendly
conversation so from that I indeed… I am
learning. S9
C. Providing broader Our English teacher teaches us English
opportunities by means of asking first what we know
about the topic she will discuss… she
gave us also the opportunity to speak in
class based on what we know and what
we have learned in the previous lessons
and from that [learning] we are able to
apply it to variety of activities… and we
are free to do that…also, our teacher
sometimes used various presentations…
also, she gives different activities for us to
apply what we learned in the discussion
as well as examples and situations for us
to understand well the lesson… S9

As a second language speaker I am

slightly struggling with the rule of
grammar whenever I am speaking in
class… well though our teacher keeps
telling us that when we are speaking just
speak spontaneously because it is far
from the written conversation… meaning
when we speak… sometimes we don’t
mind some errors as long as we could be
able to understand… but still… it makes
me feel
hesitant because of course… I want to
120
 master the grammar rules so that… I
won’t

get embarrassed and of course… it’s also

for me in the future… S6

121
3. Unfocused A. Imitating and self- My mind usually go blank especially
communicative tasks practicing when I am dealing with someone who I
think is better in many ways… I accept
that fact….. that I have my own
weaknesses in speaking this language
so that I have room for improvements…
I keep on pointing out the areas that I’m
not good at and I try to practice on my
own… through speaking even without
people… so that I can be better…. for the
next time. S2

I often find it hard to express my opinions

because.. I can’t find the exact words that
I should use to exactly tell what I want to
tell… also… I am afraid of grammar
mistakes whenever I speak the
language… during my free time or…
every time I feel bored… I always read
aloud English books and… sometimes..
though kind’a weird… I am also talking to
mind in English... and I watch English
movies… there were even times that I am
speaking English in my dreams. S3

I think… the common struggles I usually

encounter when speaking in class is I
usually I tend to repeat words, but I think
that is one of my strategies not to put
gap… Sometimes I stammer, and also
sometimes the vocabulary is lacking… to
handle those difficulties, I just use that
kind of repetition as one of my
strategies… and in terms of my
stammering… because sometimes I feel
hesitant and quite nervous but I can still
manage it… I also practice my speaking
ability through imitating such characters
in television on the way they speak. S8

In terms of struggles… sometimes I don’t

know how to express myself, I don’t know
how to pick the right words to express
what’s really in my mind just like now….
and …. and that makes me nervous when
speaking and talking in front of the
class… I can still manage.. I… I handle it

122
 by practicing, practice reading a lot…
writing…. speaking in English in
comfortable ways even when I am just
talking to my friends.. colleagues… I
sometimes speak in English just to
practice myself to be comfortable with the
language… S1
B. Surfing the Internet As a second language speaker I am
slightly struggling with the rule of
grammar whenever I am speaking in
class…. it makes me feel hesitant
because of course… I want to master the
grammar rules so that… I won’t get
embarrassed and of course… it’s also for
me in the future… I read the rule of
grammar online…. Well... I always find
searching on net very useful… not only to
visit social media but of course using the
net to gain more information that
sometimes the book nowadays cannot
offer…. S6

Sometimes…. my grammar that makes

me feel uneasy… and sometimes also…
the right choice of words to be used
when I am answering a particular
question… as I said, we are free to ask
questions to our teacher…. so it makes
me feel more comfortable when my
teacher corrects me and guides me all
the time… at the same time… I do
research… in YouTube… blogs… and a
lot more. S7
C. Consulting I always feel nervous and I am not that
dictionaries confident enough because I know myself
I am not that fluent. Sometimes… I
consult dictionaries… at least even a
word for a day… this [consulting
dictionaries] adds vocabulary on me… S4

The common struggles I encountered are

of course, my flaws in grammar and the
sometimes the way I speak… when
speaking in class, sometimes, I
experienced using wrong words or my
grammar is not that good… in some
instance… my teacher tends to correct
me when have flaws and that’s a good
thing… I handle such language difficulties
by first.. I consult dictionaries like
Merriam
Webster, which we all know it’s one of our
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 phone applications… means it’s very
handy. S9

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 REPERTORY GRID C2

1b. Writing and Composition

Theme Category Significant Statement
1. Visual teaching A. Power Point She uses PowerPoint presentations in
presentations and teaching writing and composition… she
hand-outs explains the basics and… the importance
of each part… and how each part should
be presented… S3

She uses PowerPoint presentations and

hand-outs where she presents us an
article for us to analyze then she breaks it
down from the title, the content, style of
writing, punctuation marks, etc. She gives
us examples of articles with different
patterns and at the end of the day we
pass a written output. S5

2. Film viewing …We usually watch a film and then we

write something about it- narrate it,
describe it, give a feedback – depending
on what type of article our teacher wants
us to write or we follow a specific pattern
given the example articles…
I find watching a short film engaging since
it also tests the memory and our ability to
craft a conclusion on our takeaways from
the film. It shows the writer’s/my
perception on the story and arrange it in a
way that makes it an interesting read…S5

2. Models and A. Good writing At first she always shows us some of her
Representations models compositions… She also shares her own
ways on writing… and that is a good point
for me because aside from just teaching
how to write… sharing the experience
makes it more authentic… makes it more
real on our part… S7

Our teacher teaches writing… at first…our

teacher shows examples….she is a writer
that’s why we got the chance to read her
writings and she teaches through her
writings…she explains in detail how she
came up with her writings then we try it on
our own. Ideally, by sharing one’s
writing… particularly when it’s in draft
form, teachers model respect for
themselves, for their students, and for the

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 act of writing itself…our teachers
communicate that they are part of the
writing community in the classroom and in
the world at large and that they feel safe
sharing this part of themselves. S8

…she loves to write that’s why she’s

always asking us to compose or to write,
like telling our stories and I love sharing
stories… S9

B. Picture-based …another interesting activity is that when

writing my teacher shows a picture and
encourage us to be inspired…
and from that we are asked to write our
own story based on it and I think that’s
very enjoyable… S7

3. Experimental Writing A. Free Writing Our teachers just let us write what we can
… and she just let us express ourselves
even our words are just simple and not
that…. in our age… S1

…the activity that I find engaging is that

free writing activity… well, writing is a
recursive process…we need to repeat and
repeat to discover things and to have a
smooth flow….we just try writing what’s in
every stroke of our pens…we also write
our experiences through that free
writing…we just keep on trying at first, try
and try until we discover things that I
believe is meant for us…this activity
develop our naturalistic way on writing…
S8

B. Discovery Writing …I discover things when I write articles…

writing serves as my platform to discover
things through process…. At first I don’t
know how to do it but suddenly learning
comes… S2

C. Essay Writing I think writing an essay because I am free

to write everything and I usually follow my
own writing techniques and style…through
essay I think I am learning… S2

…I become sharp when I write essays

because I was challenged to give my

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 answer in a short paragraph given a short
period of time…and I survived! S2
I love essay because it is somewhat
related to journalism…. And sometimes
when our teacher asks us to write a news
or any write-ups that involves media…
well I will definitely write…from that I know
as I write essays I am having a basic
practice on the part of my journalism
skills…S6

D. Writing through Actually… the right choice of words to be

Vocabulary used in my writing…. I really can say
things and ideas but not all of these can
be written in a good manner so I think I
should enhance more of it through reading
and expanding my vocabulary with the
help of social communication…through
expanding my vocabulary I can easily
write and experience new styles as I
encounter new words… listening to some
communicative scenarios or programs
that I believe is beneficial on my part… S7

3. Motivating A. Rubric-based She always based her evaluation through

Assessment writing a set of criteria… for me… it’s good
because she has that standard basis on
how she will evaluate our writings…and
that makes me feel at ease because I
have the framework…S2

Our teacher gives us a criteria based on

Language, Organization, Content, and
Mechanics where she evaluates the
content, appropriate language use, proper
punctuation marks, capitalization,
abbreviation and the like, and lastly,
coherence and cohesion of paragraphs
and sentences…S5

Most of the time, my teacher uses

standards or the rubric… she always
explains that to us to be our guide all
throughout the process so that we won’t
be misled. S7

…she introduced rubric as our guide in

evaluating our work..more of that is, we
have one on one approach….she’s the
teacher who wants to get consulted
because she wants us to be guided

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 closely and thoroughly… also.. our write-
ups are being corrected depending on
what she asked to focus on, either our
technicalities or the content, or even the
construction…S8

B. Constructive and …Well I was commended several times by

formative feedback my teacher and the things that she said
is… that I am good on expressing the
ideas on the chronological manner in
different technique, different approach…
from those commendable words she has
extended to me… I felt awesome… well...
the feeling that you get inspired more…
that you feel motivated because of the
feedback I received…thus I wrote for the
readers… S5

1. Experiential Writing A. Reflective Writing …most of the times we write reflections

based on how we feel that moment…we
also write reflections from the text we
have read and even from the lesson we
discussed… S8

…we write reflections about the story read

and sometimes about what went wrong or
what went well in our whole day… I
believe writing reflections from what
happen on your day makes one to be
more reflective and in that way a good
means on making the next day different
from the yesterday for the sake of
improvement and most of the time
reconciliation… S9
B. Writing on moods / …we all know that mostly, we write
feelings depending on our mood….the emotional
aspect also is a contributing factor for
this…like when I am mad or happy…even
when I feel that confidence in me…
sometimes on my part I find it hard to write
if I don’t get my interest as well as when I
can’t relate the topic… S8

…I always pay attention to the impact I felt

about what I am reading… I also watch
movies and… analyze.. analyze why
people are hooked to it… was it because
of the manner of presentation or the
medium used in the movie… those are
some questions that I usually ask myself…
S3

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 …But because of some strategies my
teacher keeps telling on me… and with
what I am reading on various write-ups in
books and even in the internet… I could
say… I am on the process of overcoming
it… S6

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 REPERTORY GRID C3

1c. Reading and Comprehension

Theme Category Significant Statement
1. Pre-Reading A. Activating She teaches different types of reading
Strategies Background styles then give us guide questions that
knowledge might help us pick out the I important
things to remember about the text… and
she also gives some background about
the author.. and explain the meaning of
unfamiliar words… S3

We usually asked by our teachers on our

idea on the text to be read…she always
asks us on how do we see the text...it’s
something that she activates our prior
knowledge or what we call the
schemata… I believe that this really
engages us to boost in our interest and
understanding on the text to be read… S4

B. Interactive activity Our teacher usually gives activities before

reading about the theme of the story...for
example the story is about love…we
usually have games about love then we
will just notice that what we have done
was related to the story that we will be
reading…S4

I can still remember last year…when my

teacher is teaching a story…she always
shows a particular picture…just to get our
attention…and that picture has a real
connection on the story…that’s very
appealing…S5

2. Cultivating A. Unlocking of These are the unfamiliar words, those

vocabulary difficulties words that hinder my understanding with
the text. We do unlocking of difficulties
and sometimes a personal approach
because if I got curious on things I always
ask my teacher and fortunately I always
receive good response… S7

B. Context clues …whenever I encounter words I do not

know, I just rely on context clues and risk
interpreting the sentence in a wrong
context…. using this strategy
S2

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 “About the unfamiliar words…I try to ask
my teacher about its meaning, sometimes
I make a list of it and look for its meaning
on my own…for me to understand what I
am reading, using context clues is
better…” S3
C. Pronunciation drills Sometimes we do pronunciation drills, and
this really helps us to understand more
what we are reading…this drill is not only
applicable on the speaking lessons…well
actually, pronouncing the words correctly
gives meaning to the words…truly I
believe that the more correct we
pronounce the words the more
understanding we get… S6

D. Imitation Sometimes also, we imitate words that are

hard to pronounce and in that way we
could be able to read correctly that leads
to better understanding… S7

3. During reading A. Silent Reading My teacher teach reading through

different kinds of reading activities such
as reading a text, textbook, a lesson. Most
of the time, I prefer reading silently…
sometimes this is what we usually do…
this really helps me a lot in
comprehending the text that I am
reading…but still in depends on the
capacity of the student to understand…
their styles…this is my style…and also…
this gives me a good ambience and an
environment that really favours my
learning…S5

B. Timed Not usual but we had an activity where

we should read a text as fast as we can
and it is timed…after, we’re going to draw
choices like acting, tableau, monologue,
retell, etc… from a box and do exactly as
it says given the story that we’ve just
read…it’s the most beneficial since it
pushes you to be a fast reader and also
retaining the details of the article read. S2
C. Clarifying strategy I do believe that reading is really a
continuous process….so our teacher
teaches reading from time to time even it’s
not really part of the lesson, she always
integrates reading to the lesson…through
various strategies such as the clarifying

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 strategy…well...actually….our teacher
said that this is for struggling readers
wherein they will be doing what proficient
readers do…they stop reading when a
text no longer makes sense and then she
implements various repair strategies…as I
notice this engages students in identifying
unclear concepts, even the structures,
and passages that will help students to
learn self-monitoring techniques … S6

D. Purposeful reading We do purposeful reading. Our teacher

always says that when we read we should
set what is our purpose to be very clear
about exactly what we are looking for. We
don’t just read aimlessly. This strategy
really helps us to read faster and more
selectively. This also helps our
concentration and our ability to
remember… S6

E. Process questions We often read texts that are lined with

what we’re discussing.. we were asked to
also to answer questions based on our
understanding of the story…S3

F. Sharing There were also activities where we get to

share what we learned about the text and
how important it is…well, I think sharing
what we understand about the material is
the most beneficial because we get to
express our opinions…we get to know if
we misunderstood it, if ever…also,
sharing our understanding means we
really did understand what we have read
and that we’ve learned something… S3

G. Scanning We do scanning…actually, there are so

much expectations from us it’s not just
about the ability to read but more is to
comprehend…we read quickly to search
for specific information…she always
reminds us that we are already doing
scanning even at home, like for example,
when checking a TV guide or a phone
book… S9

H. Skimming Another is skimming, which is somewhat

related to the first one…we also read
quickly to gain a general idea…this helps

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 us identify whether or not to continue
reading, what to read carefully, and where
the best place is to begin…this also helps
us maximise our interest in the text and
our understanding and reflection on the
material…S4

I. Repetition Understanding the text I read is usually

what I felt difficult…by repeating again the
text so that I will understand it and I slowly
read it to know the text all about. S7

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 REPERTORY GRID C4
1d. Listening Comprehension
Theme Category Significant Statement
1. Cognitive A. Signposting Actually before we had our discussion, our
Strategies questions teacher posts questions to be answered by
the students…our teacher asked us to close
our books…and then she told us that she
was going to read a paragraph…she wrote
the questions on the board, and asked us
students to write them down on our
notebooks…and so on…our teacher used the
story from our book as a listening activity…
and we were encouraged to listen for
keywords… S5

…questions are posted on the board to

practice our thinking ability before we
proceed to the reading process…this activity
is good because I got the chance to answer
questions prior to the activity…S7

B. Brainstorming / …actually…our teacher usually gives us a

Setting the mood keyword and that keyword is part of the text
activity to be listened to…well…it’s good if you are
familiar with it….but…if not…well it’s better to
do brainstorming…we can ask our seatmates
then…we can have a group discussion…and
that’s it…we were able to …at least have the
chance to ask somebody…tell to other what
we know…and so on… S1

One listening activity that we usually do in

class is…every time my teacher teaches a
particular lesson…she always start the
lesson from our experience early in the
morning… she asks us what words or advice
did we hear from our parents or any person
in our house that caught our attention… I
know that she just wants to hear from us if
we are really listening attentively from what
should be listened to... very heart-warming
on my part because she always tells us that
we should know what should we listened to
or not…and from this we are practicing how
to listen from the heart… still there are lots of
listening activities we do in class… S8

…she sometimes include it during lessons...

every time she teaches lesson…there were
times that we have to listen on a particular

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 song and listening even bit of silence… setting
the mood in the class…S8

2. Physical activities A. Listen and draw I remember my teacher asked for the listen
activity and draw activity…each of us had a paper
and pen and we had to draw what she will be
saying…at first I thought it was strange to do
some drawing, as I’m not a very good artist…
I’m bad at drawing…our teacher told us just
to play along and be quick…it was really fun
and it also made a nice change from listening
to the lectures…and then…at the end…we
compared our drawings to those of the
person sitting next to us…we all laughed to
see how the drawings differed. S5

I still can remember the activity which I

enjoyed the most….it is that…for example
you should have the paper and pen…
regardless if you’re good in drawing or not…
then…my teacher will just give us the
description of the things she wants to de
drawn…then…well…it’s cool…you can really
know who listens well or not…and…that’s
it…S4

B. Reading aloud and Our teacher does not call them listening
lip reading activities or any activity at all but it requires
attentive listening…she reads a text aloud
and we answer a series of questions
regarding it…S2

Most of the times…I look to the speaker’s

mouth and not to his or his eyes…I can
understand better the words being said when
I am looking at the mouth of the speaker…I
can make myself familiar to her manner of
speaking and by that it is a lot easier to hear
and understand what is being said…S3

C. Guided Note I often listen by getting the substance or the

Taking or Listening for point of what I am listening to…because ei
gist believe that….if you listen for the essence of
the text well…you will definitely get what is
the text about…through this…I always write
notes…I write notes because I need to see to
it that everything will be jotted…S1

Our teacher always wants us to jot down

notes while she is discussing and even
without any visual…listening while writing

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 because I used to it and by doing it so…I
understand the lesson being discussed…And
also…aside from jotting notes…she gives a
guide wherein that guide…will.. will be the
framework of the note to be jotted down…S6

I usually jotting down notes or taking down

notes…because when my teacher is saying
something or teaching the lesson not
everything she / he says is on the book that is
why it’s better to take down all the important
keywords…S7

…another listening strategies I used is note

taking…I usually take down notes even
without my teacher’s consent because I know
that there are still important concepts being
uttered by our teacher that is not part of the
discussion…S9
3. Technology-aided A. Using audio …we sometimes watch videos of our lesson
strategies recordings and videos and jot down notes from it…that way…we
know how to write and listen to only important
details and do it simultaneously… S2

On the mobile phone of our English teacher

during our Oral Communication class is a
news recording…she took a recording with a
portable speaker that will be using for audio
recordings…so that all of us can hear….then,
before she plays the recording…she plugs
the speaker wires into her mobile phone…
well that what she usually does…that way the
volume is loud enough for the whole class to
hear…before she plays the recording of the
news, she asks us of…what the latest news
is. She asked this in English but still…we’re
allowed to reply in any language we feel
comfortable talking in….but…unfortunately…
not many of us listen to the news in
English….but this activity gets us thinking
about the topic of the news…and so on…S6

My teacher lets us listen to a particular music

and from that music genre…we have to let
out our emotions to be able to write a
story….And the story I wrote made me feel
goose bumps because I can’t imagine that I
feel that way…S7

136
 …At first, out teacher spread silence over the
room then slowly she will be playing a song…
she manages first our behaviour because she
believes that our moods will contribute on
our understanding on what is
being listened to… S7

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 REPERTORY GRID C5

Contributing ways to the students’ readiness

2a. Employment
Theme Category Significant Statement
1. Hiring process A. Interview skills The applicant’s ability to
communicate confidently with the
language he or she is using means
that… he or she can...can express
his or her ideas that may potentially
help the company or the business
and that he or she can be an
effective part of the company’s
manpower…which can be
determined easily the time he or she
undergoes in an
interview…presenting oneself…is
the reflection of what would be you
contribution in your future
company…S3

Research has found that poor

literacy limits job chances. Reading
and listening skills help in
responding to questions in
interviews when applying a job.
Being able to communicate well with
the interviewee. These skills allow
you to appropriately answer through
critical and informational listening S4

In terms of applying for a

job…before we get a job, of course
there are interviews and based
from this interviews and based from
my skills I can speak up properly,
effectively and the one who is
interviewing me get to know more
easily and making the
understanding more effective S5

B. Writing Writing and composition skills are

documents important for future employment
skills because in every job there is always
a need for reports. If the employee

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 lacks these skills he or she will only
cause confusion to the one who will
read the report, and to the entire
company as well. Writing and
composition skills help the employee
to formally present his or her ideas
and it will prevent him or her from
being fired. S3

I am a journalist…which would be
another factor… also… in some
writing activities, for examples there
are researches… narratives…and
the likes… then it would be an
advantage for me to do the task in
my work place in the future. S5

It contributes to my future
employment in terms of writing
formal letters specifically my
application letter…I know that it
would be easy for me to do various
kinds of writings because I believe I
was equipped with the skills needed
to be hired. S6

Of course in getting an entrance

examination and even a simple
filling up of resume or any other
forms…not just knowing but being
equipped in just simply filling up
various forms… S7

C. Attentive Basically, because no company or

listening skills employer hires an applicant that
can’t even read or listen properly
specially in corporate world.
Through reading, I can check
whether I am qualified to apply for
that job or not and through listening I
can understand well the question to
be asked and respond to it
confidently. S3

For example you are being

interviewed, how will you be sure if

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 you will be getting the course you
wanted, based on the assessment
at your skills right? now? That
depends on me paying attention on
the said information and the needed
requirements in terms of having that
particular skill. S5

2. Comprehension A. Understanding Taking a career path on medicine,

skills jargons oral language is necessary because
there are a lot of medicinal jargons
that average individuals do not
understand and it is our job to make
it easier for them to comprehend
their sickness to attend to their
necessities. So when I get into that
employment…I have the skills to
comprehend jargons in that
particular field. S4

We have that what we call…

jargons…when we say jargons…
these are the technical words being
used in different field of
specialization…I believe with these
jargons…we can identify the
particular field…well…knowing
these jargons or should I say…being
equipped with the jargons…well it
wouldn’t be a problem for an
applicant to comprehend well in
his/her workplace…going back to
the skills…well…one should be able
to speak and write those jargons…
and of course knowing how to write
those words through listening
carefully… all these skills could be
contributing factors because
understanding jargons isn’t that
easy…there should be that skill to
comprehend with the help of
those skills…S2

B. Analysis skills If I happen to apply companies that

conduct exams before one can be
hired and I can read that then I can

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 analyze that then it’s already a no
for me. If I am unable to listen
properly then I can’t process what is
being said and it will make me
answer questions wrongly. S3

3. Interpersonal A. Communicating Writing skills are in demand in any

skills clear profession you may take. In
messages medicine, it is my advocacy to have
better and free healthcare for
Filipinos. Good writing skills allow
me to communicate a message with
clarity so it can have a larger
platform for discourse. S4

It will help me market/promote my

product and establish strong
customer relationships…this kind of
skills is needed to sustain the
relationship and giving the clarity of
what is your marketing all
about….S6

“Both writing and speaking skills will

really help my future
endeavour…because… as we can
see…we need to…we need to
express and to share what we know
to the workforce to be able to achieve
that success…these skills also will
truly help us to be more
communicative through spoken and
written…getting engaged into what
we say and what we write gives a
clear understanding…”S7

B. Building trust Having these skills…I believe….is

helping myself in building trust and
long term relationship with my
customers, helps me become
knowledgeable in assessing
financial needs, determining risks,
managing cash flows and preparing
estimated and projected balance
sheet…S6

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 As a student, before anything else…
we should first develop the trust in
us…getting into whatever path you
would like to go or to
be…well you should have that trust
in you to be able to get that trust
from others and of course to be
trusted by others…so…when
applying for a job being able to have
those skills…well…that could be a
starting point and an advantage to
have a good flow of
relationship…building trust is not just
about the emotional aspect of the
person…but one must be competent
enough to be trusted…so I believe
that those skills contribute fully on
this. S9

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 REPERTORY GRID C6

2b. Higher Education

Theme Category Significant Statement
1. Admission A. Interview skills …during interview…students need to be better
process speaker…not only what to answer but most
skills importantly one should know how to answer…
because I believe that…how we present ourselves
to others…specifically during interviews…reflects
who you are…S1

Oral language is being practiced during school

interviews…like when you were asked about the
course you will take…then your listening skills
should be there…to answer questions correctly…
S2

B. Writing skills Yes…like filling up any forms…so…you should be

skilled enough how to answer the forms because
if not…well…you won’t get accepted… S4

Being skilled in writing at the same time reading…

these two go with one another…well… when you
asked to write your information on the forms then
you should understand well or what I mean is
comprehend well to be able to write your
information correctly…and also…this reflects a
good standing to the course you want to take… S9

C. Test-taking Actually…those skills are very beneficial and

skills useful because…obviously…will help us during for
example in taking entrance examinations…there
should be skills…not only about the answers but
should know how to understand everything in
taking exams… S1

Of course…during test…or what you call

this…the…entrance exams…first thing to do is…
of course…should know how to understand
well…even the instructions…because you know..
even you know the correct answer but you
neglected to understand the instructions before
you take the exam…well…everything will be
wasted… S2

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D. Research Activities like research writings, these require
skills good and effective writing skill and of one doesn’t
have this then he or she is not qualifies. Also, in
higher education what’s being measured is the
way one express his or her ideas and how can this
be done effectively and for that to happen one
must be skilful in writing because planning the
success of one’s idea starts from a draft… like
drafting your research…S3

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 REPERTORY GRID C7

2c. Entrepreneurship
Theme Category Significant Statement
3. Marketing 2. Making Oral language helps in starting a business
strategies connections because it’s necessary in making connections
in the business world. It will help one to have
investors and potential customers that will
make the business successful. S3

On the other hand is important because it will

help one deal with the legal and
administrative matters related to business
establishments like contracts and permits. S5

3. Business plan In business plan everything must be detailed

writing skills including the things you need that strategies
you must do to get the business known by
everyone… the target market of the business,
even the competitors. All of those must be
lined in a complete and organized manner,
and if one doesn’t even know how to write
properly how to organize thing properly.. then
it will only be a business suicide in the end.
S3

Putting up a business…one should be brave

enough…because after senior high
school….not only these four skills but there
are lots skills to be considered…but mostly in
putting up a business…one should know how
to start like writing the business plan...with
that business plan you are able to start a
business…S5

4. Text On the other hand, helps develop skills

comprehension because sometimes modules about skill
development are published in print or online
and it gives people the convenience... so... if
one’s equipped with reading and listening
comprehension then... it will be easier for him
or her to develop the skill he or she wants to
develop. S3

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 Another point in starting a business is
that…one should know how to comprehend…
like various text forms… advertisements… and
many more…because understanding what one
sees is useful to be successful…S6

5. Problem Oral language helps in starting a business

solving skills since it involves planning and shared ideas
where communication with partners is vital.
Listening can help to acquire information and
to question and criticize contributions. Writing
skills help in coming up with solutions on how
to make the public understand the business,
widening the platform of nature of business.
S4

Actually in putting up a business…you should

have a wide understanding and wide kind of
patience…listening very well leads to success
but if you do not know how to listen…well…
there will be complications and conflict as
well…then…if one knows how…then…one
can solve any problem he or she might face
along the way… S9

6. Social skills Lastly, socio-emotional skills need

communication, social interaction, and
teamwork which oral communication and
listening skills are all about. These help you
express ideas effectively and learn how to
take in information through listening be it
informational or critical. S4

Starting a business…is…is a hard task…a

tough one…well… knowing how to use social
skills through speaking well…I know that the
skills in communicating can lead to socialize
with others…this kind of skill will also support
the things needed in putting up a business…
like having queries to others… getting their
ideas…sharing experiences…and others…
S9

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 REPERTORY GRID C8
2d. Skills development
Theme Category Significant Statement
2. Assessment 3. Performance These skills like listening and speaking…
skills skills well definitely contribute to one’s
performance because he or she must know
how to listen well to various instructions…
because this will him or her to perform on
task given… performance…I believe…
doesn’t depend only on your skills…the
way you listen and present yourself is more
of one’s performance…S5

Being able to read…is one factor for skills

development…one cannot improve his or
her performance if he or she doesn’t know
how to read correctly the instructions to be
given…especially more on this part…you
cannot have the assessment if one lacks in
reading skills and comprehension… more
on this is not just reading…one must know
how to comprehend to give justice to
reading….S6

Holding those skills after senior high….is…I

think…great armours whether which among
the exits you will be choosing from…well…
most specially…we all know that Senior
High School is a skill-centered curriculum…
so…there will be assessment
for TVL students…and this assessment
would be a great avenue for him or her to
pursue skills development like enrolling in
TESDA… he or she must be equipped by
various assessment skills needed…S9

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