PANPACIFIC UNIVERSITY NORTH PHILIPPINES

TAYUG CAMPUS
Lopez Jaena St. Tayug, Pangasinan
Second Trimester A.Y. 2021-2022

Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English

SpENG 10 - Teaching & Assessment of Grammar

Research Proposal

THE EFFECTS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR PROFICIENCY ON THE

SPEAKING SKILLS OF THE CTE STUDENTS

Chapter I

THE PROBLEM

Grammar has its own set of rules and structures that must be followed by the speaker in

order to express meaning in speaking and writing. Grammar knowledge is important because it

serves in the development of speakers' abilities to express themselves clearly in speaking and

writing, particularly oral competence. By studying grammar, students, particularly language

students, obtain an understanding of the structure that is the foundation of language, and learners

gain a tool to communicate about the language system through the use of grammar.

Speaking skills are defined as the skills which allow us to communicate effectively. They

give us the ability to convey information verbally and in a way that the listener can understand.

Speaking ability becomes the competence for people interaction and communication.

Speaking also as the way of communication and it makes people who come from different

countries to be comfort in making interaction and communication. As stated by Richards and

Renandya (2002:210) that speaking is one of the central elements of communication. It means

that speaking is very essential, and someone can express his or her feeling, emotion, and idea by

speaking. In addition, according to Brown (2004:140) argues that speaking is an interactive

 PANPACIFIC UNIVERSITY NORTH PHILIPPINES
TAYUG CAMPUS
Lopez Jaena St. Tayug, Pangasinan
Second Trimester A.Y. 2021-2022

process of constructing meaning that involve producing, receiving, and processing information.

When someone speaking, they should be able to make meaning depending on the context of the

information. For example: context of situation and on the participation. From the definition

above, it can be concluded that speaking is the process of expressing ideas to construct meaning.

According to (Harmer, 2001) and (Gower, Philips, & Walter, 1995) in (Wardah, Regina,

& Utami, n.d.2015:3), speaking has many different aspects that including in two major

categories: accuracy and fluency. One good sign of speaking, certainly marked also with a

good grammatical mastery. It is one part of the category of accuracy. English grammar is main

role in English use. Grammar in speaking is very important, so because of that, we have to

understand grammar. Fluency is the ability to speaking spontaneously, without having to stop

and pause a lot. It is can be done with habituation so that mutual understanding communication

materials can be captured between speakers and listeners. Some people are more concerned with

fluency. Fluency on the other hand, the ability to speak fluently, confidently and at a level

consistent with the language community standards. People like the ones who like to keep talking.

They have a desire to keep trying a new language without mistake. But if it keeps on making a

lot of mistakes, it's not impossible to speak, the ideas that these students say are hard to catch.

This is in connection with the theory of (Skehan & Foster, 1999) in (Derakhshan, Khalili, &

Beheshti, 2016:180) which mention that speaking fluency pertains to the ability to produce the

spoken language “without undue pausing or hesitation”. In foreign language acquisition accurate

understanding is the key of language structure. Every language in the world must have a rule. In

English we call it grammar. (Harmer, 1991) in (Malova, 2016:3) states that Grammar

knowledge is essential for competent users of a language. It means that the language user must

learn grammar because grammar skills will help students organize words and messages and
 PANPACIFIC UNIVERSITY NORTH PHILIPPINES
TAYUG CAMPUS
Lopez Jaena St. Tayug, Pangasinan
Second Trimester A.Y. 2021-2022

make it meaningful. Moreover, (A, 1989) in (Arief et al., 2016:3) said that grammar is a model

of those linguistic abilities of native speakers of language which enable them to speak fluently.

In this case, grammatical competence of the native speaker can be reflected by type of institution

which speaker has about their native speaker.

In some cases, professors feel that international students’ difficulties with English skills

negatively impact academic performance and communication and contribute to segregation and

ineffective group work (Trice, 2003). They express concerns about the appropriateness of the

curriculum for international students’ future employment, helping American students feel

comfortable with international students, and are uncertain as to how to address international

students’ needs. Professors exhibit varying views about international students from lack of

awareness, concern about the extra amount of time required to work with them, deep

appreciation of their value, and considering them a threat to funding and reputation.

Based on the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum 2016, its core learning area standard

puts emphasis on the learner’s mastery of basic skills in English. This could be reflected when

learners communicate orally in appropriately, fluently, and accurately on different social and

academic context at their level while carrying out real life tasks. However, like in many language

classes, getting the learners to respond or talk in their class is a problem that most teachers face.

Such problem affects the progress of the learners toward improving their oral fluency and

accuracy requiring teachers to put more effort in their teaching strategies so that learners are able

to demonstrate mastery of basic skills in English in the elementary level. Teachers must

explicitly teach speaking in language classrooms to challenge learners to use the target language.

The use of the target language serves as a dynamic skill involving simultaneous processes

requiring the speaker’s knowledge and skills to be activated in real world speaking situations
 PANPACIFIC UNIVERSITY NORTH PHILIPPINES
TAYUG CAMPUS
Lopez Jaena St. Tayug, Pangasinan
Second Trimester A.Y. 2021-2022

(Goh& Burns, 2012). This means that simply giving speaking activities to learners is not the

same as learning the knowledge, skills, and strategies of speaking.

The learning of English-speaking skill is a preference for a lot of English as a

Foreign/Second Language (EFL/ESL) learners. Language learners sometimes evaluate their

success in language learning based on how well they have improved in their spoken language

ability. Teachers and textbooks use either direct approaches that concentrate on particular aspects

of oral interaction such as turn-taking and topic management or indirect approaches which make

situations for oral interaction by group work, task work, and other strategies (Richards 1990).

According to Harmer (2007) and Pourhosein Gilakjani (2016), human communication is a

complex process. Persons need communication when they want to say something and transmit

information. Speakers use communication when they are going to inform someone about

something. Speakers apply language according to their own goals. So speakers should be both

listeners and speakers at the same time for the effective communication.

The Philippines is tagged as one of largest English-speaking country in the world

precisely because of the former US colony. The Americans imparted to us not only their system

of Education but as well as their grammar, diction and even pronunciation of the English

Language. Language proficiency has remained a relative term in linguistic parlance and tended

to depend on one’s grammar and vocabulary abilities. In particular, the decline of the oral

proficiency among Filipinos is so alarming that it warrants an investigation regarding some

factors that can uplift the speaking competency of students.

In 2010, a study conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) ranked the

Philippines as the 35th best country in the world for English proficiency based on scores on Test
 PANPACIFIC UNIVERSITY NORTH PHILIPPINES
TAYUG CAMPUS
Lopez Jaena St. Tayug, Pangasinan
Second Trimester A.Y. 2021-2022

of English as A Foreign Language or TOEFL. They ranked a total of 163 countries, and the

Philippines was only the third Asian country on the top 50 of the list, with the other two being

Singapore (3rd) and India (19th). This, according to an Op-Ed on the Huffington Post, is due

mostly to the early and efficient English language education in the country. Despite the country’s

reputation as a one of the best countries in Asia for speaking English, and despite it being its

official second language – the primary language used in the academe, business, government

functions, and even legislations – the level of English proficiency amongst students in the

tertiary level shows a different story. Several studies have shown that the level of English

proficiency of Filipino college students are lower than expected despite the fact that English is

taught from the very first year of education, pre-primary school.

English has become a world language rather than the language only of the English

speaking countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States of America because the

number of people who use English as a means of communication exceeds the number of the

people who speak it as their mother tongue. The Philippines is not an exemption in this

aspect.Ever since the introduction of English in the country through the American teachers called

Thomasites, Filipinos have already adopted into their lives English as their second language

(Atencio, 2001). According to Mariñas & Ditapat (2000), Englishis already part of the

educational curricula in the primary, secondary, and even tertiary.

Being proficient in English language may lead to doors of opportunity and success.

That’s why some of the people are buying and reading English newspapers, books or any texts to

improve their English proficiency. With this, we must master our English in schools, workplaces

as well as in communication as part of our drive for global competitiveness. We should be proud

that Filipinos ranked number one in the most proficient English speakers, but that was a long
 PANPACIFIC UNIVERSITY NORTH PHILIPPINES
TAYUG CAMPUS
Lopez Jaena St. Tayug, Pangasinan
Second Trimester A.Y. 2021-2022

time ago. During the 2008 survey of International English Language Testing System (IELTS),

Philippines only hooked the second place. This shows that our English proficiency is declining.

We should be thankful that we have soft jaws, in which we could actually easily adapt any

language in particular. Even in the laymen society, you can’t expect them that they don’t know

how to speak English. Even a motorcycle driver, can speak English to their foreigner passenger.

We could actually leave our foreign visitors to these simple individuals. Practically speaking,

many of our youths today wish to work abroad for the compensation, and count me in. Many

foreign investors invest in our country. Dealing with investors, transacting business to all over

the world, travelling to different places for endorsing a product, would actually make a certain

being a successful businessman. English is the default language in business. I did not say that

Filipinos are not good at speaking the language in fact; I am bragging that Filipinos are good at

speaking English. During job interviews, interviewees use English language to impress the

interviewer and to boast their skill in speaking the second language. With that stage, that

interviewee has an edge already to other applicants. Upon writing business proposals, one should

have good composition. To have it, one should be good in English; writing it and speaking it.

The Philippines is frequently described as an English-speaking nation. Despite the

Department of Education's Mother Tongue Based Education Program, some schools continue to

use the English Policy. English as a medium of instruction, practice in developing a competitive

individual in a competitive land, and are more prioritized in applying for jobs here and abroad.

An institution is in charge of a student's additional learning and knowledge, as well as opening

doors to opportunities. According to Carlos Conde of Davao City Philippines in his article

Erosion of English Skills Threatens Growth in the Philippines, the deterioration of English

proficiency has been linked to an overall decline in Philippine education. Accordingly, there’s a
 PANPACIFIC UNIVERSITY NORTH PHILIPPINES
TAYUG CAMPUS
Lopez Jaena St. Tayug, Pangasinan
Second Trimester A.Y. 2021-2022

recent government study that shows only seven (7) percent of high school graduates can properly

read, speak or understand English, and poorly trained teachers are partly blame. Education is a

key to success. We should go with the flow of change and competence, throwing our best assets;

OURSELVES.

Despite the economic benefits of being an English-speaking nation, Filipinos have not

fully maximized its potentials. Studies show that the Filipinos' grasp of the English language is

slipping while other Asians are catching up fast. In 2008, an online article by Karl Wilson in

“The National” revealed that Filipinos scored an overall mean of 6.69 for the macro skills in

English in terms of listening, writing, reading, and speaking. This indicates a rather low profile at

the backdrop of international standards. Historically, the English proficiency of Filipinos has

been consistently stable across 1993 to 2000 before a gradual decline has been reported in the

following years. Even more alarming is the rising percentage of those who are incompetent in

English which doubled from a measly 7% in 1993 to 14% in 2006 (UK Essays, 2013).

The researchers conduct this study is to determine how the learners' knowledge of

grammar affects their speaking ability. The significance of the present study seeks to benefit the

language teachers and learners within this research to find the significant correlation and

effectiveness between learning grammar for competence and enhancing speaking skills of the

students.
 PANPACIFIC UNIVERSITY NORTH PHILIPPINES
TAYUG CAMPUS
Lopez Jaena St. Tayug, Pangasinan
Second Trimester A.Y. 2021-2022

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

First Theory

Cognitive learning theory by Jean Piaget (1936) a Swiss psychologist and genetic

epistemology defined as the ability of the brain’s mental process to absorb and retain information

through experience, senses, and thought known as “cognition”. It uses “metacognition” as the

awareness of the brain's thoughts and thoughts process pertaining to understanding how thought

processes influence learning. The use of the right strategies wherein can help students quickly

understand the provided information materials by the instructor or language teacher. Aside from

helping students in learning meaningfully, language learners engage and acquire input in

learning various lessons/topics value its importance for expansion of understanding the concept

of grammar to the enhancement in speaking skill.

Second Theory

The communicative approach is founded on the belief that the key to learning a language

is to express meanings through communication. To supplement its definition, grammar lessons

must have a communicative activity or tasks that includes students’ spoken discourse. It has a

good impact for the learners because it gives them the opportunity to practice the target grammar

through communicative tasks.

Third Theory
 PANPACIFIC UNIVERSITY NORTH PHILIPPINES
TAYUG CAMPUS
Lopez Jaena St. Tayug, Pangasinan
Second Trimester A.Y. 2021-2022

Nativistic Theory by Noam Chomsky. The nativistic theory is a biologically-based theory

which states that language is innate, physiologically determined, and genetically transmitted.

Nativist theorists believe that there is a specific area of the brain dedicated to learning a language

and that children have the ability to understand basic grammar without any formal teaching.

Helping children learn how to combine words, phrases, and sentences lets them convey messages

to others. Instructing children about how to use language appropriately in different social

situations and environments allows them to use appropriate pragmatics when communicating.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The study is to connect the concepts of proposed measures in solving the issues of

difficulty in terms of English grammar proficiency in speaking skills that is one of the main

purposes of this study which can be seen in Figure 1 (structure of the study). The first box

contains the Input which is the English Grammar Proficiency on the Speaking Skills level of

First Year BSE ENG students of PUNP. The Process in on the second box, wherein the

researchers use descriptive-quantitative method, utilizing survey questionnaires to proceed and

come up with a result. The third box is the Output of the study which includes the proposed

measure in solving the problem experienced by the said students.

Input Process Output

The data that will be To determine the

gathered is: different Speaking
 Effects of Activities that can be Proposed measures
English proposed to improved that can enhance the
Grammar the speaking skills of: English grammar
Proficiency on  First Year proficiency on the
the Speaking BSE speaking skills of the
Skills of the ENGLISH of respondents.
CTE Students PUNP Tayug
Campus
 PANPACIFIC UNIVERSITY NORTH PHILIPPINES
TAYUG CAMPUS
Lopez Jaena St. Tayug, Pangasinan
Second Trimester A.Y. 2021-2022

Figure 1. Structure of the Study

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study aims to determine the effects of English grammar proficiency on the speaking

skills of the CTE Students of Panpacific University North Philippines Tayug Campus for the

second trimester of the Academic Year 2021-2022.

Specifically, the study aims to answer the following questions;

1. What is/are the effects of English Grammar Proficiency on the Speaking Skills of the CTE

Students?

2. What speaking activities can be proposed to improved the speaking skills of the CTE

Students?

HYPOTHESIS OF THE PROBLEM

The Effects of English Grammar Proficiency on the Speaking Skills of the CTE Students

at Panpacific University North Philippines is continuously improving. Different speaking

activities can be offered to the said students.

 PANPACIFIC UNIVERSITY NORTH PHILIPPINES
TAYUG CAMPUS
Lopez Jaena St. Tayug, Pangasinan
Second Trimester A.Y. 2021-2022

CHAPTER II

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the procedures which used by the researchers to solve the problems

and come up with specific solutions in this study. The Research Design, Population and Locale,

Data Gathering Tools, Data Gathering Procedures, and Statistical Treatment of Data are

presented in this chapter.

Research Design

In this study, the researchers used a descriptive quantitative research which is a type of

quantitative study that aims to collect measurable data in order to do statistical analysis on a

population sample. It is a widely used market research instrument that allows us to collect and

define the characteristics of a demographic category. According to Dr. Y.P. Aggarwal (2008)

descriptive research is devoted to the gathering of information about prevailing conditions or

situations for the purpose of description and interpretation. This type of research method is not

simply amassing and tabulating facts but includes proper analyses, interpretation, comparisons,

identification of trends and relationships. (IJTBM) 2012, Vol. No.1,Issue No.6, Apr-Jun)

Population and Locale

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TAYUG CAMPUS
Lopez Jaena St. Tayug, Pangasinan
Second Trimester A.Y. 2021-2022

In this study, the respondents are first-year students from BSE English majors, from

Panpacific North Philippines-Tayug Campus. The total number of respondents of the study is 36,

with the majority of them being first-year students majoring in English.

The researchers choose these 36 students to participate in this survey as respondents.

Data Gathering tools

The descriptive quantitative method was used in this study. Descriptive quantitative

research is simply a conclusive quantitative research strategy for testing specific hypotheses and

describing traits or functions. In other words, descriptive quantitative studies are aimed at finding

out "what is," so observational and survey methods are frequently used to collect descriptive data

(Borg & Gall, 1989).This study is about the effects of English proficiency on the speaking

skills---- The researcher believed that this was the best strategy to utilize because it required

some data processing. The researcher desired that the findings of this study will strengthen the

grammar proficiency in speaking skills of CTE students.

Data gathering procedures

The researchers conducted the study in Panpacific University North Philippines Inc.

Tayug-Campus. The researchers gathered the data and answered the problems and acquiring

more information by distributing a survey questionnaire via google forms to our respondents

which are the first year BSE English Majors. The researchers ensured that the gathered data are

secured and confidential.

Statistical Treatment of Data

 PANPACIFIC UNIVERSITY NORTH PHILIPPINES
TAYUG CAMPUS
Lopez Jaena St. Tayug, Pangasinan
Second Trimester A.Y. 2021-2022

To determine the effect of English grammar proficiency on the speaking ability of CTE

students especially the 1st year Major in English of Panpacific University North Philippines-

Tayug Campus. The average weighted mean is used and uses a set of criteria for interpretation

based on the questionnaire used that contains related inquiries and related to the accordance to be

scale considering the capability and suitability of answering the question given to the

respondents.

The stated problem 1 uses a questionnaire to survey the 1st year Major in English

students as respondents to determine the effect of English grammar proficiency on speaking

ability as English language learners.

Problem 1 used average weighted mean in each inquiry in the questionnaire to be

observed in the data set assigned and multiples the weight before summing up to a single value.

With this process, in each inquiry answer is to be average assigned a weight to be determined the

relative importance of each quantity.

The second problem for this present study dealt with proposing strategies and

activities to strengthen speaking skills to measure. The researchers use frequency and rank

percentage to determine the most effective proposed strategies and activities to implement.