Difficulties Encountered by Grade Six Pupils in Lemery Pilot Elementary School free essay sample

Introduction Learning English language is a continuous process and whatever knowledge the student acquires upon studying it will pay off once he or she landed a remarkable job. Hence, as we lengthen our study of English our ability to express ourselves through writing and speaking increase. A grade six pupil who had encountered and received ample usage of the English language in reading, listening, speaking and writing instructions during the past schooling will have a valuable asset in pursuing into high school level. Five years were devoted to formal reading, listening, writing and speaking English. Teachers have often taught students to make good use and apply what students had learned in English in their day-to-day activities especially in communication, and it is done either in oral or written communication. Most of this activities regarding communication need to be developed like reciting, delivering a report, debate, demonstration and others. In light of this, pupils like Grade Six wanted to use English properly cannot afford to be lazy. Continuous studies and practice of English language in normal course of schooling is necessary for the student to be adept with it and be his tool in meeting the need of employment in the future. Since English played an important role in the acquisition of a particular job, and for this reason it should be efficient and effectively taught and learned. Hence the researcher was motivated to go deeply with regards to then Grade Six pupils of Lemery Pilot Elementary Pilot difficulties in English as a subject. II. Background of the Study To have an accurate, thorough and comprehensive analysis, enough facts should be at hand, facts that will serve as explanation and foundation in doing such activity, the reason for which the writer sought the ideas, views and options of others pertaining to the matter of the study. If the pupil felt the absence of learning materials when he is studying English he might also find the absence of speech patterns and such language features as intonation, sound, rhythm, symbolization and structures which are both important to supplement his desire to communicate with other people efficiently and effectively. A typical student should have knowledge about speech because it will be used by him as tool for communication. According to Alfredo Consulta et. al. , (2002) the skills and competencies for effective communication that you will try to develop and enhance will include the following: 1. ) Skill in expression – when you talked about yourself, when conversing, discussing and explaining things, giving options, telling stories, supporting arguments, reacting to issues, when asking and giving information, requesting public speaking. 2. ) Competence in adjusting listening strategies so that you can effectively assimilate what you are listening to; get main points maintain the concentrate; analyze, criticize and evaluate speaker’s ideas, feeling attitudes and hidden messages; follow his trend of thought; make comparisons and mental processes. 3. ) Ability to read aloud any reading matter, observing correct diction, pausing, stress, intonation and feeling. 4. ) Enrichment of you vocabulary with a great variety of words and useful idiomatic expressions. 5. ) Correct usage of sentences, grammatical forms, prepositions and language functions. 6. ) Skill in organizing and writing paragraphs and the various types of compositions. Pupils are also called upon to speak in public but without the background of the mechanics of English this will not be successfully met. In a book entitled, â€Å"The Power of Speech I† Llarena (2002) qualifies that communication is a process. This happens when a message is passed on from one party called the source to another party, called the receiver. The message may be in the form of information, an idea, a feeling, an opinion, observation, perception, insight, falsity, or truth. The manner by which such a process is done varies depending on the interplay of its element. For instance, the approach employed by one communicator differs from that of another. There cannot be exactly the same reaction from two persons even though the stimulus is similar. Thus communication is a distinct art. One who communicates and does it properly has an edge in terms of self-expression. It is a tool for a person to share, be heard, be understood, and be appreciated. It is means by which he acquires knowledge, ideas, information or insights. Though this process he understands himself, other people, and the community where they belong. In a global oriented society, the English language is a gate pass to relate with others. It is the link between or among cultures. It is a tool to reach out, to complete, and to progress. Without it people and nations will not understand or appreciate each other. For as long as it is universal, the English language remains essential to Filipinos. â€Å"Developing English Proficiency in College† authored by Felicidad C. Robles (1985) tackles the significance of English. She cited numerous reasons for which the Filipinos and specially pupils notably found its importance. These are the following: 1. English is the main medium of instruction in the Philippine schools. 2. It is the language of profession. 3. English is an intellectualized language- it makes the world’s knowledge available and accessible. The book of knowledge in booth humanities and the Sciences are in English. 4. Filipino pupils need English proficiency to assimilate the learning that is available in English but not in the national language. 5. English is still used in government official transactions. 6. Most business instructions are done in English. 7. Foreign relations and international trade are carried on in English. 8. The mass media are mostly in English. 9. English is the language used by the Filipino abroad. 10. Religious services are invariably conducted in English. 11. The signs and symbols that are used everyday human activities are mostly in English. III. Statement of the Problem This research aimed to determine the difficulties encountered in English as a subject by the grade six pupils of Lemery Pilot Elementary School and to find out ways by which these problems may be discarded or lessened. It is in this regard that the study attempted to answer the following questions: 1. What is the demographic profile of the grade six pupils in terms of (a) age, (b) sex? 2. What are the causes of the students’ difficulties in their PAST studies of English? 3. In what area of the language do the students find it easy or difficult? IV. Scope of the Action Research A total of six female and four male grade six pupils of Lemery Pilot Elementary School are the respondents of this study. This study is focused on their PREVIOUS English studies from Grade I to V levels. The assessments of the respondents of the different areas under study were taken through the questionnaire prepared by the researcher and answered by the respondents. In order to arrive at the right interpretation, different statistical tools were used such as frequency, ranking and weighted mean to determine the problems and difficulties in English as a subject by the grade six pupils of Lemery Pilot Elementary School. Percentage % = x 100 Where F – frequency N – total number of respondents 100 constant Weighted Mean WM = where: WM = weighted mean; n = number TV = total value of respondents V. Problem Analysis and Preliminary Data Gathering The researcher observed that many of the grade six pupils can hardly communicate or express themselves in English. In this regard the researcher deemed it necessary to conduct a study on the difficulties encountered by them. This study was envisioned to discover ways and means in order to improve the teaching and learning of English. It is the researcher’s belief that with this study, it would reveal the actual problems and difficulties besetting the pupils of English. Since the study aimed to analyze and interpret the problems and difficulties encountered by the pupils, result of the study may be of help to English teachers in designing English language program for elementary pupils. VI. Formulating Inferences The following inferences were advanced for this study. 1. That both the teacher and the students should work efficiently and effectively. The methods of teaching demonstrate greater contribution to English language literacy. 2. That grade six pupils encountered difficulties in English as a subject. 3. That different strategies could be utilized so that these problems could be overcome. 4. That improvement on the performance of students in English would be manifested after the strategies were implemented. VII. Action Taken The researcher prepared the questionnaires to be answered by the six female and four male grade six pupils. The questionnaire consisted of three parts. Part I is on the demographic profile of the students in terms of age and sex. Part II is on the causes of their difficulties in English. Part III is on the areas of speech respondents know how to use. The researcher sought approval to conduct a study through a letter addressed to the principal as well as with the subject adviser. Upon approval of her request, the researcher personally distributed the questionnaires and explained the study to the respondents. The questionnaires were retrieved after one week with 100 percent turnover. Then the results were analyzed and interpreted. 1. Profile of the Grade Six Pupils Table 1 shows the demographic profile of respondents in terms of sex and age. Table I Demographic profile of the respondents Sex Male Female Total Number 4 6 10 Percentage 40% 60% 100% Average age 11 12 Total Number 3 7 10 Percentage 30% 70% 100% This shows that most of the pupils of Lemery Pilot Elementary School are female. Less number of male was included. Among 10 respondents, 3 or 30% are 11 years old, 7 or 70% are 12 years old. It disclosed that most of the grade six entrance age is 12. 2. Respondents’ Language Problem Table II – A is on the respondents’ Language problem Table II-A Respondents’ Language Problem FrequencyRank Listening Comprehension14 Reading Comprehension05 Composition Writing22. 5 Speaking22. 5 Vocabulary51 As indicated in Table II-A, then major problem in language is â€Å"vocabulary†, followed by â€Å"composition writing† and â€Å"speaking†. â€Å"Listening comprehension† ranked fourth and â€Å"reading comprehension† ranked fifth. Most of the respondents found vocabulary difficult. The common reason of the pupils for being unable to express idea in compositions is their inability to choose correct word to use in a sentence. Their problem in vocabulary might be because they are not interested in reading books. An interview reveals that most of them spend their free time in playing computer games rather than reading books. They depend on context clues that’ s why they were good in comprehension but poor in vocabulary when words are isolated. Table II-B presents the data that influence the present difficulties of students in English. Table II-B Factors That Lead To Students English Problem CAUSESFrequencyRank Mismatch of teaching methods applied by the teacher05. 5 Lack of time duty22. 5 Lack of interest in subject matter22. 5 Lack of instructional materials05. 5 Lack of concentration51 Lack of reading skills14 As shown in Table II-B â€Å"lack of concentration† ranks first among the former problems causing difficulties of pupils in English. It maybe because there are various activities that they engage in that their time for studying is lessened. This means that the poor ability of students to concentrate is the primary factor causing their difficulty in the Language. Table II-C presents the parts of speech respondents know how to use. TABLE II-C Parts of speech respondents know how to use Parts of SpeechWeighted meanRank Nouns3. 53 Pronouns3. 34 Verb Tenses3. 81 Adjectives3. 62 The data shown in Table II-C indicates that the respondents know how to use â€Å"verb tenses† with a weighted mean of 3. 8. It maybe because they found verb tenses easy since it has been taught in elementary. Adjectives ranked second with the weighted mean of 3. 6. Nouns ranked third with the weighed mean of 3. 5. The grade six pupils find it difficult to use pronouns with the weighted mean of 3. 3. VIII. Summary of Findings From the data gathered, interpreted and analyzed, the study generated the following findings. 1. )That the pupils have difficulties in vocabulary. 2. )That lack of concentration gave pupils difficulties in their past studies of English. 3. )Majority of the pupils know verbs and phrases well. IX. Conclusions The grade six pupils’ difficulties in learning English can be traced back to the way they were taught when they were in Grade I-V levels. The grade six pupils have difficulties in vocabulary and they lack concentration, interest in subject matter and lack of time to study which in turn gave them difficulties in English. X. Recommendations In order to have effective knowledge of English the following recommendations are suggested based on the findings drawn from the survey. For the students: 1. )It shall be the pupil’s responsibility to acquire learning aids as reference materials. 2. )That pupils should expose themselves to reading materials that could help enrich their vocabulary. 3. )That pupils should give more time to lessons in English. For the teachers: 1. )Encourage or motivate pupils to participate and engage on whatever activities the school had that will contribute to the growth and development of pupils. 2. )That they provide materials relevant to the changing needs and interests of pupils. 3. )That more drills and practices on the different parts of speech be provided to the pupils. 4. )That the Speak English campaign be strictly imposed during English class. 5. )That teachers should ask pupils to make book reports. XI. Challenge Lemery Pilot Elementary School is challenged to have immediate action to minimize or eliminate the problems encountered by the grade six pupils in English. The challenge to grade six English teachers who facilitate learning and enhance the knowledge of pupils is how they could uplift their skills in teaching. They need to utilize the best teaching strategies to produce well trained pupils in English to be globally competitive individuals. Teachers and pupils should be aware of the current trends of education, innovation and even technology. REFERENCES Books Consulta, Alfredo et. al. Achieving Fluent English. Isa- Jecho Publishing Inc. , 2002. Llarena, Melody Grace. The Power of Speech I (1st Edition). Manila: Rex Bookstore Inc. , 2002. Philips, Sam. 30 Days To A Better Vocabulary. 7 Jalan bangsar Chama Tiga, Off Jalan Bangsar, 59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Synergy Books International S Abdul Majied and Co. , 2001. APPENDIX A LEMERY PILOT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Lemery, Batangas Dear Respondents, I am currently conducting an action research on the difficulties in English as a subject of the grade six pupils. In this regard, I would like to solicit your help by answering the attached questionnaire. Rest assured that this is solely for academic purposes. Thank you and may God’s grace be poured upon you! Truly Yours, Jennie Lyn A. Carolino APPENDIX B DIFFICULTIES IN ENGLISH AS A SUBJECT BY THE GRADE SIX PUPILS OF LEMERY PILOT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PART I DIRECTIONS: Fill up the blank with the appropriate information needed. Name ______________________________________ Age _______ Sex_______ Section: __________________________________ PART II DIRECTIONS: Listed below are check lists (/) for you to accomplish. Please answer this honestly and correctly. 1. Areas in English I found difficulties: ______a. Listening Comprehension ______b. Reading Comprehension ______c. Composition Writing ______d. Speaking ______e. Vocabulary ______f. orthography ______g. logic ______h. grammar ______i. pronunciation ______j. spelling ______k. vocabulary ______l. literature ______m. phonology 2. Causes of my difficulties in past studies of English: ______a. Mismatch of teaching methods applied by the teacher ______b. Lack of time to study ______c. Lack of interest in subject matter ______d. Lack of instructional materials ______e. Lack of concentration ______f. lack of reading skills ______g. lack of motivation ______h. lack of technology ______i. bilingualism ______j. DIRECTIONS: Below are areas in grammar. Please indicate your answers by putting a check mark (/) on the space provided. FIVE POINT SCALE 5Very Well Learned 4 Well Learned 3 Fairly Learned 2 Not Learned Well 1 Never Learned Areas in Grammar54321 Nouns Pronouns Verb Tenses Adjectives