Enriching Students’ Language Skills for Grade 8

GLORY MEI SABANDAL CERNA

Cebu Technological University-Moalboal Campus
cerna.glorymei@lisqup.pnu.edu.ph
Abstract – This study assessed the five language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing and
viewing and tested their significant relationship with the Grade 8 students’ Average English Grade at Guihulngan
National High School-Poblacion, Negros Oriental, school year 2018-2019. Based on the findings, enrichment
activities were proposed.The descriptive method was utilized in interpreting the data gathered from the rating
sheets showing the students’ English grade, and the adapted questionnaire, testing the aforementioned skills.
Simple Percentage, Weighted Mean, MPS and T-test were used as statistical tools. The Grade 8 students were
Fairly Satisfactory on listening, speaking, and viewing, while they Did Not Meet Expectations on reading and
writing. Over-all, their performance level was Fairly Satisfactory. Additionally, it was disclosed that majority or
48 percent of the respondents obtained the general average of Fairly Satisfactory. Moreover, the test of
significance revealed that listening, speaking, viewing, and writing have a positive significant relationship with the
students’ English grade. However, reading skill was found out to have no significant relationship with the students’
grade, though both variables possess positive low correlation. Based on the findings, it can be said that the English
Performance level of the Grade 8 students was far below the standard set by the Department of Education which is
Outstanding level, and that Grade in English was determinant in the Performance level of the respondents. Thus, it
is highly recommended that the output of this study be implemented.

Keywords: English Teaching, Language Skills Enrichment Activities, Descriptive Method, Negros Oriental,
Philippines

INTRODUCTION In the Philippines, listening, speaking, reading

Language skills serve as indispensable key in and writing along with the newly included skill,
opening and setting one’s self to the demands of daily viewing, are the five linguistic skills considered in the
communication activities. In fact, it was cited that K-12 curriculum. It is with these skills that the
teaching English as a second language has become one enhanced language curriculum is clinging and striving
of the most essential subjects in most European primary for the students to acquire and develop and this poses a
schools [1]. great challenge to the English teachers’ art in teaching.
Hence in [2], it was posted that the institute offers More specifically, the English teachers at
Intensive English Programs that would improve the Guihulngan National High School-Poblacion have
students' English language skills in preparation for undergone trainings and seminars that cater the needs of
successful life at work. That is why the programs give 21st century learners that would result to a better
emphasis on English for communication, business, and performance.
academic purposes. Despite the hardships in teaching the students,
However, despite the emergence of various the workshops and trainings undertaken by the English
English programs offered around the globe, it was noted teachers at Guihulngan National High School-
that the problem on under-developed English language Poblacion, it is alarming to know that the 2013-2014
skills on some parts of Europe has been found out [3]. National Achievement Test (NAT) results show that the
In fact, the 2012 European Survey on Language fourth year students at GNHS-P performed
Competences assessed students on their competency in unsatisfactorily in the English subject with the
their first foreign language and identified that Spain and percentile score of 50.28 which ranks fifth among the
France have an average of 29% and 14% respectively six learning areas tested. Another feedback given by
for English at the difficult level across reading, many of the researcher’s fellow Grade 8 English
listening, and writing which implies that students have teachers is that, many of their students are having
not yet satisfactorily acquired the skills in English difficulties in the English subject. That is why English
language. summer classes cannot be completely eradicated in the
said school.
 It was with the scenario above that the said intelligence. Those make linguistic intelligence
researcher saw the need to determine the level of activities so valuable.
language skills of the future NAT takers and the The second theory on which this study is
undertakers of the new curriculum, the Grade 8 anchored is that of Weiner’s theory that stresses on the
students. interpretations regarding success and failure.
The significant findings of this undertaking Performances in the future are influenced by how each
served as concrete bases for the proposed enrichment person perceives his/her success or failure. The key
activities towards the higher attainment of students’ point that attribution theory would like to stress out is
English language skills. that, students would surely succeed when their
perceived causes are internal, with stable and
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY controllable causes.
This research assessed the language skills of the A lot of studies on language skills utilized
Grade 8 students at Guihulngan National High School- similar pattern and yielded various results. One example
Poblacion, Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental for the is the descriptive research of [6] aimed at assessing the
school year 2018-2019, as basis for enrichment macro-skills such as listening, speaking, reading and
activities. Specifically, this study sought to answer the writing. It was then found out that the students were on
following sub-problems: 1) the profile of the the Average Proficiency level which also gave an
respondents in terms of age and gender, parents’ implication that the English teachers were having
combined monthly income, and parents’ highest enough competence but such could not be attained well
educational attainment; 2) the performance level of the without the adequacy of instructional materials,
respondents as to listening, speaking, reading, writing, facilities and equipment. Meanwhile, the research of [7]
and viewing; 3) General Average in English; and 4) the found out that family, learner, teacher, and the school
relationship between the respondents’ general average factors influence the academic achievements of the
in English and their language skills. students.
In addition, similar studies were conducted to
Theoretical Framework emphasize the importance of language skills such as:
This study is anchored both on the Theory of they would enable students to comprehend and interpret
Multiple Intelligences of Howard Gardner as cited by lessons and make use effectively of their study
[4] and Attribution Theory of Weiner by [5]. Gardner’s materials as well; make them acquire the specialized
theory stresses that humans are born with a basic set of language related to their course; help them write
intelligences, which are working independently from coherent and organized essays or write-ups without
one another; each intelligence has strengths and copying from other authors’ works; and make students
weaknesses. One of those intelligences is the verbal- communicate their needs, thus working collaboratively
linguistic intelligence which is defined by Gardner as with other students and with the people around them
having the consciousness to oral and printed language, [8].
the capacity to acquire languages, and to utilize MATERIALS AND METHODS
language to finish specific aims. This intelligence This study made use of the descriptive method of
encloses the skills to use language efficiently such as research using the results of the survey and adapted test
expressing oneself in any form or way. questionnaires that were used as data gathering tools.
Since every individual has an amount of Then, the gathered data were carefully tabulated and
linguistic intelligence, it should be developed and analyzed using appropriate statistical measures in order
enhanced using effective language skill activities. to come up with valid interpretations of findings and
People having linguistic intelligence love words, hence, arrive at a reliable conclusion.
they learn well through enjoyable reading. They may Instruments
get high scores on standardized tests due to the large The researcher utilized an adapted questionnaire
measure of reading on these tests. Moreover, linguistic from [6] on her study entitled, English Proficiency
intelligence is the globally shared intelligence which Level of Second Year Students at the National High
aids people to get connected with one another through Schools of Moalboal, Cebu. It was administered to
communication, thus strengthens interpersonal assess the respondents on the five identified English
intelligence; that is why, improving and enhancing this language skills.
linguistic intelligence is of great benefits to all The first part of the questionnaire included the
individuals, whether or not they have high level of the personal profile of the respondents in terms of their age
and gender, parents’ combined monthly income and
highest educational attainment. The second part was the Participants
test proper which was conducted by the researcher The study was taken part by 50 male and female
among the respondents. respondents with ages ranging from 13-18, who were
In administering the test to be answered by the Grade 8 students of Guihulngan National High School-
students, the researcher used a tape recorder for the two Poblacion in the Guihulngan City division during the
listening texts which contain five questions each, a total school year 2018-2019. They consisted 25 percent of
of 10 questions. The questions targeted the following the total population of the four sections. Each section
fourth quarter learning competencies: make predictions was composed of 50 students and a percentage of every
on what to come next after listening to a segment of a section’s population was taken to be the respondents of
text; infer emotions and thoughts expressed in a the study. The respondents were determined through
listening text; summarize information from the text simple random sampling. Thirteen respondents or 26
listened to; and evaluate the worth and importance of percent was taken from Grade 8- Sapphire and the same
ideas found in the listening text. number of population was taken from Grade 8-
In order to assess the speaking skills of the Diamond. On the other hand, in sections Emerald and
respondents, a dramatic monologue was delivered by Granite, 24 percent or 12 respondents were chosen from
the respondents and had their performance rated by each. Overall, it made the total respondent population of
three teachers using a rubric. The speaking test covered 25 percent or 50 respondents. The respondents were
the fourth quarter learning competencies such as: assured of the confidentiality of their responses.
deliver a manuscript or memorized speech with the
correct production of English sounds; utilize Data Gathering Procedure
appropriate prosodic features of speech like stress, After permission had been secured from the
volume, juncture, speech rate, intonation, pitch and Schools’ Division Superintendent and from the School
projection; manifest fluency and ease in delivering Principal, the study started. In order to develop rapport
manuscript/memorized oral speech before an audience; with the respondents, the researcher gave them an
and apply nonverbal strategies in communication like orientation on the purpose of the study. After which, the
body movements, gestures, etc. test was administered among them. Lastly, to get the
To test the reading skills of the respondents, a English general point average (GPA) of the
paragraph taken from the Testing Reading Power II respondents, the researcher asked permission from each
book was used. The students were asked to give section adviser to get data from the report cards of the
appropriate responses. The learning competencies such chosen respondents. The results or the data gathered
as: identify positions of a topic sentence; identify details were tallied and tabulated for further analysis with the
that support the topic sentence; identify general and use of appropriate statistical tools.
specific statements; evaluate the accuracy of a given
information; make conclusions out of the given details;
and put together important information presented in a Data Analysis
text were the target of the said test. In order to get reliable results, appropriate statistical
To test the writing ability of the students, they tools should be used. For this study, several tools were
were directed to write an opinion article about an issue utilized. As for the respondents’ profile, the simple
and this covered the fourth quarter competency, which percentage was used. Their performance level on the
is to compose journalistic texts. This test was scored five language skills was tabulated through the frequency
with the use of a writing rubric. count, and analyzed through the weighted mean and the
On the other hand, to test the viewing skills of Mean Percentage Score with the scaling standard set by
the students, the researcher adapted a questionnaire the Department of Education. Significant relationship
from [9]. They were asked to give appropriate between the respondents’ performance in the language
responses out of the comprehension questions based on skills and their general average in English was
the material viewed. This test targeted the following determined using the T-test.
fourth quarter learning competencies namely: based on
a material viewed, differentiate reality and fantasy by RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
analyzing their respective elements ; formulate Respondents’ Profile
questions on a certain aspect of a material watched; and This portion presents and discloses the personal
give comparison and contrast of one’s perceptions with profile of the grade 8 respondents as to their age and
those found in a viewing material. gender, their parents’ combined monthly income and
highest educational attainment. respondents, 37 or 74.00 percent belonged to the age
bracket of 13-14, while 2 or 4.00 percent aged 17-18.
Table 1. Respondents’ Profile Moreover, it was revealed that the average age of the
N = 50 respondents was 14.1 which implied that the students of
Profile Frequency Percentage Guihulngan National High School-Poblacion were in
the normal attainment of being grade 8 students and that
Age
only very few students were old for a grade 8 level. The
17-18 2 4.00 gender section in Table 2 reveals that the respondents
15-16 11 22.00 comprised of 22 males or 44.00 percent and 28 females
13-14 37 74.00 or 56.00 percent. It could be interpreted that the female
100.00 outnumbered the male respondents which only supports
Average 14.1 the claim of [10] that in global university attendance
and graduation rates, women have outnumbered men,
Gender
with the ratio of 100:93.
Male 22 44.00
Parents’ Combined Monthly Income
Female 28 56.00
The combined monthly income of the parents
Total 50 100.00 can be an important aspect to look into as this can create
Parents’ Combined Monthly impact on the achievement of the students. The table
Income above also presents the parents’ combined monthly
Php 10, 000 and above 3 6.00 income of the respondents. As reflected in the Table, 44
Php 6,000 – 9,000 3 6.00 or 88.00 percent of the respondents’ parents were
Php 5,000 and below 44 88.00 having a monthly income of 5,000 pesos and below
Total 50 100.00 which did not meet the poverty threshold of 10, 481
Parents’ Educational pesos as released by the Philippine Statistics Authority
Attainment in 2018. This means that majority or a great number of
Mother the grade 8 students belonged to the poor sector of the
College graduate 4 8.00 society which further concludes that students’ family
income was not enough to meet both basic food and
College level 2 4.00
non-food needs. On the other hand, only three (3) or
Secondary graduate 6 12.00 6.00 percent of the respondents has attained the poverty
Secondary level 12 24.00 threshold of 10,000 pesos and above which implies that
Elementary graduate 12 24.00 only very few of the respondents’ families were able to
Elementary level 14 28.00 meet their food and non-food needs. [11] cited that
poverty and parents’ low socio-economic status has
Total 50 100.00
effects on children’s outcomes, including low
Father intelligence quotient, educational accomplishment and
College graduate 4 8.00 achievement, and social-emotional dilemmas. It
College level 3 6.00 specifically indicates that most of the respondents are
Secondary graduate 7 14.00 having difficulties in acquiring the five language skills
since family income may affect their English
Secondary level 10 20.00
performance. This has been strengthened by [12] as
Elementary graduate 6 12.00 they cited that learners from poor family get
Elementary level 20 40.00 significantly lower scores than those who come from
Total 50 100.00 favored socio-economic backgrounds.

Age and Gender Parents’ Highest Educational Attainment

Knowing the highest educational attainment of
Age of the students refers to the length of life
the respondents’ parents is an essential step as this can
measured by years from birth, while gender refers to the
be a determinant of the students’ success in their school
students' behavior or culture associated with one’s sex.
performances. It is disclosed in Table 1 that the highest
As shown in Table 1, in the Age section, the percentage of the respondents’ mothers and fathers were
students’ ages in Guihulngan National High School- in the elementary level, with the frequencies of 14 or
Poblacion ranged from 13 up to 18. Among the 50
28.00 percent and 20 or 40.00 percent respectively. On MPS 75.60
the other hand, only two (2) or 4.00 percent of the Description Fairly
respondents’ mothers were in the college level which is Satisfactory (FS)
not far from the three or 6.00 percent of the fathers on Legend:
the same level. It can be interpreted that majority of the MPS Description
parents had only attained elementary level and only 90 or above Outstanding (O)
very few had reached college or graduated from it, 85-89 Very Satisfactory (VS)
which implied that the respondents had no immediate 80-84 Satisfactory (S)
75-79 Fairly Satisfactory (FS)
more knowledgeable others at home and this could have
74 or below Did Not Meet Expectations (DME)
some effects on the respondents’ school performance,
specifically, on their English language performance. As
cited by [11], a research suggests that parents’ Listening is the conscious effort of the learner
educational attainment is truly a relevant and important to understand and interpret the information that he/she
unique determinant of children’s school achievement. heard from the speaker. Specifically, it is the ability of
the students to do the following fourth quarter learning
Respondents’ Level of Performance in the Language competencies: making predictions on what to follow
Skills after listening to a segment of a text; making inference
This portion presents the performance level of on the thoughts and feelings expressed in a listening
the grade 8 students in the five language skills such as material; summarizing information from the text
listening, speaking, reading, writing, and viewing. listened to; and evaluating the worth and importance of
ideas found in the listening text.
Table 2. Respondents’ Level of Performance in the
It can be seen in the table presented that the
Listening Skills
grade 8 students obtained the highest frequency of
correct responses in question number 10, which means
Items FCR Percentage that majority of them, specifically, 90 percent of the
1. What possible title can we 33 66.00
respondents had attained the learning competency on
give to the story?
2. How did the peoples’ 29 58.00
predicting what to come next after a series of details
comment on the listened to. This best performance on the said
resemblance of the two boys competency can be attributed to the students’
help in the progress of the background knowledge similar to the situation/s found
story? in the listening text. Their schema or prior knowledge
3. How did both parties feel 35 70.00 let them predict correctly what to follow after a segment
after the revelation? of text. Just as what [17] stressed in her article, prior
4. Why were both parties not 39 78.00 knowledge from what students have learned and/or
glad when they learned the from life experiences is used to make predictions or
truth? educated guesses.
5. How would you sequence 40 80.00 On the other hand, the grade 8 students got the
the following events based
lowest frequency of correct responses in question
on the story?
number 2 which signifies that the respondents had the
6. Which of the following 38 76.00
themes is not found in the least ability to evaluate the worth and importance of
story? ideas presented in the listening material. In fact, only 29
7. Do you think the mother’s 42 84.00 students or 58 percent of the total population got the
decision helped the situation correct answer in the second question. This poor
to become better? performance could be due to the fact that evaluating is a
8. How did the mother’s 36 72.00 higher level of cognitive skill, and thus difficult to be
irresponsibility affect acquired. As cited by [18], evaluating is a higher-order
Ricardo’s life? skill that requires deeper learning and a greater degree
9. What can you say about 41 82.00 of cognitive processing.
Ricardo’s mother? To sum up the result of the listening skills test,
10. What do you think would 45 90.00 the respondents obtained the Mean of 7.56 or 75.60
happen next to Ricardo?
MPS which means that the grade 8 students’
Average 37.80
performance level in listening was Fairly Satisfactory
Mean 7.56 (FS). This further concludes that the grade 8 students
had acquired minimum skills in understanding and time to rehearse the manuscript and modelling was
interpreting the information that they heard from the made beforehand. In fact, [19] stressed that rehearsal
speaker, but needed assistance in transferring them. results in a more fluency in speech and in higher self-
It only supports the claim of [1] that listening is reported speech evaluations.
considered by learners as the language skill that is very Though the students’ proficient performance
difficult since they tend to undergo unnecessary was leading and its whole speaking level is Fairly
pressure to comprehend every word heard. However, Satisfactory, it cannot be denied that DepEd aims for
the result does not agree with that of [6], wherein the excellence and thus speaking enrichment activities
respondents got an average level on the listening phase. should be formulated to turn the proficient into
Whether it yields the same result or not with previous distinguished speakers. It is also the best way to address
studies, one thing is to let the language teachers be the needs of the 4.00 percent respondents who were
aware of their vital role in attaining students’ listening Novice speakers.
skill through creating a friendly and caring environment This was best reinforced as cited in Internet
that ensures success for the development of the said TESL Journal by [1] that teachers should plan
skill, [1]. meaningful activities that would offer the learners the
best chance to improve and enhance their speaking
Table 3. Respondents’ Level of Performance in the skills.
Speaking Skills Table 4. Respondents’ Level of Performance in the
Scale Description f Percentage Reading Skills
Items FCR Percentage

3.25-4.00 Distinguished 12 24.00 1. Which of the following is a 35 70.00

general statement?
2. Where can we find the topic 34 68.00
2.25-3.24 Proficient 36 72.00 sentence of paragraph four?
3. Which of the following supports 40 80.00
the topic sentence, “One should not
1.75-2.24 Novice 2 4.00
give way to discontent?”
4. The maiden in the selection
1.00-1.74 Needs Improvement 0 0.00 overcame her sadness when she
was left by her fiancé by reading 47 94.00
spiritual books and marrying a
MPS 76.58 wealthy man.
5. How should we respond to 28 56.00
(Fairly Satisfactory)
God’s sent grief or pain?
6. What is implied in the title of 35 70.00
Speaking means the skillful delivery of a the selection?
manuscript by the learner with ease and fluency: the 7. Which of the following is true 36 72.00
application of the exact production of the English about sufferings and pain?
sounds and the utilization of effective nonverbal 8. How would you interpret the 40 80.00
message portrayed in the selection?
communication strategies.
9. Which of the following 38 76.00
statements is specific?
It can be inferred from the data presented that
majority of the grade 8 students, specifically, 36
10. How are God-sent pains and 36 72.00
students or 72.00 percent of the total respondents were sufferings being called?
having Proficient speaking skills which means that Average 37.20
while delivering the manuscript, they maintained eye
contact with the audience less than 80 percent of the Mean 7.44
time; their nonverbal communication complimented the
message; and they spoke clearly and distinctly nearly all MPS 74.40
the time without committing two or more
mispronounced words. Did Not Meet
The Proficient performance of the students can Description Expectations(DME)
be attributed to the fact that they were given a lot of
 Reading is the interaction between the reader
and the text that is formed by the reader’s previous
knowledge and experiences. It is the ability to locate a 2.25-3.24 Proficient 21 42.00
topic sentence; identify details that support the topic
sentence; distinguish general from specific statements; 1.75-2.24 Novice 19 38.00
evaluate the accuracy of given information; formulate
conclusions out of the given set of details; and put
together all important information found in a reading 1.00-1.74 Needs Improvement 8 16.00
material.
As illustrated in the table, the grade 8 students
MPS 73.50
got the highest frequency of correct responses in
(Did Not Meet
question number 4, which required the students to Expectations)
evaluate the accuracy of the given information- a
lower order thinking skill since the answer of the Writing in this context is the ability of the
question was just found explicitly in the text. In fact, learner to compose a journalistic text with the conscious
based on the data presented, 47 students or 94 percent sensitivity to grammar, spelling, capitalization,
of the total respondents were able to answer the punctuation, and organization of thoughts.
question correctly. On the contrary, the grade 8 Table 5 reveals the grade 8 students'
students got the lowest frequency of correct responses performance in the writing skills test.
in question number 5 wherein drawing conclusions From the table illustrated, it can be extracted
from a set of details was required- a higher order that the grade 8 students performed poorly in the
cognitive skill In particular, only 56 percent of the writing test. It is very important to note that out of the
respondents or 28 students got the right answer. This 50 respondents, 38 percent of them were Novice writers
can be attributed to their inability to identify and figure which made the implications that in the students’ write-
out implied information based on their experiences. As ups, their responses generally focused on identifying the
stressed in [20], drawing conclusions is a skill that topic and formulating an opinion; they supported the
develops over time and it requires putting together opinion with insufficient reasons that included ideas
various pieces of information that relies on good word related to the opinion; created a structure that included
knowledge. some reasons and a concluding statement; sometimes
As a summary of the reading skills test results, used correct capitalization and punctuation with
it is apparent that the grade 8 students obtained the support; had partial understanding of : knowledge on
Mean of 7.44or 74.40MPS with the description of Did English grammar conventions is grade appropriate; and
Not Meet Expectations (DME).This implies that the inconsistently applied spelling skills and patterns in
grade 8 students struggled to recognize, understand, and written work.
interpret printed or written words. In this case, Over-all, the performance of the grade 8
comprehension in reading is at stake, which is a skill students was on Did Not Meet Expectations level.
considered as one of the most important skills towards Students’ poor performance in the writing test can be
learning the other branches of knowledge. In a review interpreted as the result of poor vocabulary and the lack
done by [21] on translating advances in reading of knowledge on grammar. Thus, making the students
comprehension to educational practice, it was pointed struggle more in organizing their ideas with the use of
out that in order to improve students’ reading the English language. This has been supported when
comprehension, scaffolding and remediation are [22] found out that students’ major problems in writing
needed, are the lack of language competence (including
Therefore, reading enrichment activities should knowledge on grammar, structure and vocabulary),
be employed as scaffold and remediation to develop and anxiety in writing, insufficient ideas, reliance on first
enhance the aforementioned skill. language and not strong organization
Table 5. Respondents’ Level of Performance in the It was also concluded by [23] in her study, the
Writing Skills students’ poor proficiency in grammar and usage was
Scale Description F Percentage given attribution to the lack of adequate language
learning activities during their education in the lower
years and this resulted to the students’ poor mastery of
3.25-4.00 Distinguished 2 4.00
the structures of grammar and usage. Moreover,
language can make writing difficult, especially when Through a cursory look at the table, it can be
one is not that well-equipped with the language to be seen that the grade 8 students performed well on the
used. In addition, a relevant study of Baluma, cited by eighth question, which merely let the students recall
[23] concluded that students have not acquired the information that was obviously stated in the material
necessary skills in expressing themselves in writing viewed. To support, out of the 50 respondents, 45
especially in real situation as institutions did not expose students or 90 percent had answered the eighth question
the students to communicate in writing. correctly.
It can also be inferred from the table that the
Table 6. Respondents’ Level of Performance in the students performed least in the number 9 question
Viewing Skills which calls students to raise questions out of the
Items FCR Percentage material viewed. This poor performance in this item
1. What makes the video you 38 76.00 might be due to lack of learning exercises that let
have just watched a reality? students raise their own questions about a lesson. To
2. How do you symbolize 34 68.00 support this notion, as cited in [24], there is little room
apartheid? for students to raise questions since teachers are too
3. Do you have the same view as 42 84.00 busy supplying them with what they believe to be the
Mandela when it comes to acceptable answers. As a consequence, students learn
apartheid? that questioning is not welcome and eventually practice
4. “I have fought against White 37 74.00 it less and less.
domination and I have fought Over all, the respondents got the Mean of 7.72
against Black domination.” or an MPS of 77.20 which can be described as Fairly
Which of the following questions
Satisfactory (FS). From the revealed results, it can be
best suits to the line?
5. Which of the following does 39 78.00
deduced that the grade 8 students had just developed
not make up the reality shown in minimum knowledge in identifying the difference
the video? between reality and fantasy by analyzing their
6. Why was Nelson Mandela 39 78.00 respective elements based on a material viewed; raising
called as the liberator of South questions on a specific aspect of a viewing material; and
Africa? comparing and contrasting one’s perceptions with those
7. How did Nelson Mandela view 43 86.00 given in a material being watched. It further signifies
apartheid? that enrichment activities are needed to improve the
8. Why was Nelson Mandela 45 90.00 viewing skills of the students since this skill enhances
imprisoned? listening and reading skills as learners decode nonverbal
9. South Africans had faced and 28 56.00 form of communication and visual elements of
undergone great sufferings so multimedia presentations and to the visuals
Nelson Mandela did not hesitate
accompanying print; specific textual techniques; and
to save the oppressed people.
What question can be formulated quality of different media, [25].
out of the statement above?
10.”We must not allow fear to 41 82.00 Table 7. Summary of Respondents’ Level of
stand in our way.” Was the line Performance in the Language Skills
spoken by Mandela an expression
Language Mean MPS Description
of reality?
Average 38.60 Skill
Mean 7.72 Listening 7.56 75.60 Fairly Satisfactory (FS)
MPS 77.20
Description Fairly Speaking 9.19 76.58 Fairly Satisfactory (FS)
Satisfactory (FS)
Reading 7.44 74.40 Did Not Meet
Skills in viewing refer to the ability to Expectations(DME)
distinguish reality from fantasy through analyzing their
respective elements based on a material watched; Writing 17.64 73.50 Did Not Meet
formulate questions on a certain aspect of a viewing Expectations(DME)
material; and give the comparison and contrast of one’s
perceptions with those found in a material viewed. Viewing 7.72 77.20 Fairly Satisfactory (FS)
 Therefore, enrichment activities were really
needed to improve the performance on the said
Over-all 49.55 75.06 Fairly Satisfactory language skills of the grade 8 students.
(FS)
Respondents’ General Average Grade in English
This portion reveals the grade 8 students’
It is disclosed that viewing, speaking and listening skills general average in English with the corresponding
were at the Fairly Satisfactory level, with the descriptive ratings: Outstanding, Very Satisfactory,
respective MPS of 77.20, 76.58 and 75.60. This implies Satisfactory, Fairly Satisfactory, and Did Not Meet
that the grade 8 students had just developed minimum Expectations.
knowledge, skills and core understanding of the three Table 8. Respondents’ Grade in English
aspects but needed help in transferring them. The results
of the listening and speaking tests were very close
General Average Frequency Percentage
because both skills go together. One cannot develop
speaking skills without acquiring first his/her listening Outstanding 90 or above 2 4.00
skills. This was emphasized by [13] when he stated that Very Satisfactory 85-89 6 12.00
listening skill precedes speaking. On the other hand, Satisfactory 80-84 18 36.00
both reading and writing skills fell on the same Did Not Fairly Satisfactory 75-79 24 48.00
Meet Expectations (DME) level with the MPSs of Did Not Meet 74 or below 0 0.00
Expectations
74.40 and 73.50 respectively. The data disclosed the
Average 80.02 (Satisfactory)
fact that the grade 8 students lacked reading
comprehension skills which made them struggle in
As reflected in the table above, it is evident that
doing reading tasks. Furthermore, the students’ lack of
48 percent or 24 respondents obtained the general
knowledge on grammar or sentence structures,
average of 75-79 which belonged to the Fairly
vocabulary, spelling, capitalization and punctuation-
Satisfactory level. This means that the same percentage
that led to their struggles in doing writing tasks.
of the respondents had developed minimum knowledge,
Reading and writing skills were on the same
skills and core understanding but still needed help in
Did Not Meet Expectations (DME) level because the
transferring them. Based on the students’ demographic
pre-requisite skill, speaking was not yet outstandingly
profile, it can be inferred that their performance,
acquired. Once this speaking skill is mastered, the
specifically in English is low. This has been supported
graphic skills follow. As stressed by [13], “Aural/oral
by [26] when he found out that those parents who
skills precede the graphic skills, such as reading and
belong to the poor sector have the tendency to stay
writing, as they form the circle of language learning
controlling and often failed to display their children’s
process”.
motivation and competence since the use of English
To sum it up, the over-all performance of the
outside of school is also low.
grade 8 students was on the Fairly Satisfactory (FS)
On the other hand, only four percent or two
level with the Mean of 49.55 or 75.06 MPS. This just
students out of the total respondents got the general
shows that the grade 8 students had just developed
average of 90 or above or Outstanding level, which
minimum knowledge, skills and core understanding but
implies that only two respondents exceeded the core
needed help in transferring them. As a whole, the
requirements in terms of skills, knowledge, and
Fairly Satisfactory Performance of the grade 8
understanding, and can translate them independently,
students can be due to the fact that majority of their
directly, and flexibly through performance-based tasks.
parents were just elementary level and their parents’
The over-all grade 8 students’ general average
monthly income belonged to the low status. As cited by
which is 80.02 or Satisfactory means that language
[14], a research suggests that parents’ educational
skills really need to be enhanced as these skills are what
attainment is truly a relevant and important unique
make up their English grade.
determinant of children’s school achievement. To
support further, [15] found significant positive
Test of Significant Relationship
relationship between parents’ educational level and
academic achievements of students. Moreover, [16]
cited that learners from lower economic status get The significant relationship test between the
significantly lower scores than those who come from students’ average grade in English and their language
favored socio-economic backgrounds. skills was determined to unravel the degree of
interrelationships existing between and among the scholastic achievement of the pupils in all grading
variables. periods.
In terms of the viewing skills’ high correlation
Table 9. Relationship between the Students’ English with the grade 8 students’ English grade can be
Grade and their Language Skills attributed to the fact that technology use in the
classroom setting is prevalent nowadays. To support,
English Sr Degree of P- Decision Interpretation [29], video is considered a powerful tool in today’s
Grade and Value Relation value
classroom since it offers a strong context by which
Language
Skills English is taught. In an experiment, the grade eight
Listening .91** High 0.00 Reject Significant students who obtained low scores on a pre-test of the
Correlation search activity improved their scores through viewing
Ho the film more than practicing the task given, [30].
Therefore, there is really a significant relationship
Speaking .34* Moderately 0.02 Reject Significant between viewing skills and English grade.
low
When it comes to the correlation between the
Ho
grade 8 students’ writing skills and English grade, it
Reading .27 Low 0.06 Accept Not
was found out that the two variables were having
Correlation Significant moderately high correlation, with the P-value of 0.00
Ho which is lower than the alpha value, 0.05. This implies
the rejection of the null hypothesis which means that
Writing .58** Moderately 0.00 Reject Significant the grade 8 students’ writing skills are significantly
High related to their English grade. This moderately high
Ho correlation can be explained by the teachers’ inclusion
of writing activities that make up the students’ English
Viewing .75** High 0.00 Reject Significant
Correlation
grade. In fact, in a national survey conducted by [31],
Ho
teachers indicated their use of various evidence-based
classroom practices in their classroom, yet most of
Degree: Alpha - 0.05 these were not applied frequently. On a more positive
note, students are asked by majority of the teachers to
As perceived in Table 9, listening and viewing compose multiple paragraphs relatively frequently (four
skills are having positive high correlation with the times a month or more often). These writing tasks
grade 8 students' Average English grade having the P- contribute to the English grade of the students.
value of 0.00, lower than the alpha value of 0.05. This In this context, the correlation between the
signifies that the null hypothesis must be rejected, grade 8 students’ speaking skills and their English grade
which means that the grade 8 students’ listening and was identified to be moderately low. Since the P-value
viewing skills are significantly related to their English was 0.02, lower than 0.05, the null hypothesis was
grade. This high correlation can be explained by the rejected with the interpretation of significant, which
teachers’ often utilization of learning activities further signifies that the grade 8 students’ speaking
(component of English grade) that require students to skills and their English grade have significant
use their listening and viewing skills. relationship. However, this moderately low correlation
This has been strengthened when [27] can be due to the fact that teachers tend to do away with
emphasized the importance of listening ability in graded speaking activities. According to Nazara as cited
achieving high levels in school. Moreover, [13] by [32] in the Global Journal of Foreign Language
concluded in his study that there is a close correlation Teaching, because of speaking’s challenging nature, it
between listening comprehension and the over-all is mostly neglected during language learning process.
language proficiency, English general average in this Moreover, the same authors cited the notion of Egan
context. Another support stated by [36], good listening that generally, speaking is not preferred compared with
skills will lead to higher performance since there is the other skills because teachers find it hard to assess
more retention of important information such as content the students while they are speaking. Therefore, English
material or instructions about assignments and learning teachers tend to focus more on teaching the structural
activities; conversely, poor listening skills lead to poor aspects of the language.
performance. Also, [28] concluded that reading On the other hand, based on the table, the
proficiency level is a determinant factor to the reading skills and English grade of the grade 8 students
got the P-value of 0.06, greater than 0.05, the alpha are interrelated and interdependent with one another and
value. This means that the two variables, reading skills that the English grade is a predictor of the students’
and English grade do not possess significant acquisition of the said skills.
relationship. However, a low correlation between the Recommendation
two variables is manifested. The researcher crafted learning activities to
This low correlation may be due to the fact that enrich the Grade 8 students’ listening, speaking,
there are still other factors that most contributed to the reading, writing, and viewing skills as
English grade of the students. As cited by [33], the recommendations.
National Center for Education Statistics stresses that These activities mirrored the findings and
students’ academic achievement is influenced by conclusions of this research.
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