1

BEYOND AND ACROSS ONLINE ENGLISH TEACHING: A

PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY OF THE EXPERIENCES OF ONLINE
ENGLISH TEACHERS FROM ESL COMPANIES

Master’s Thesis

Presented to the

Faculty of Institute of Graduate Studies

University of Rizal System

Antipolo City

In

Partial Fulfilment

of the Requirements for the degree

Bachelor of Secondary Education

Major in English

CHRISTOPHER ALLAN CORTEZ ELLIS

April 2021
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APPROVAL SHEET

The thesis entitled “BEYOND AND ACROSS ONLINE ENGLISH

TEACHING: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY OF THE EXPERIENCES OF

ONLINE ENGLISH TEACHERS FROM ESL COMPANIES” prepared and

submitted by Christopher Allan C. Ellis in partial fulfillment of the requirement for

the degree Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English has been

examined and is hereby recommended for approval and acceptance..

April 26, 2021 NORBERTO M. NATANO, DComm

Date Adviser

Approved in the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree

Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English by the Oral Examination

Committee.

KIM TAE PYUNG, Ph. D.

Chairperson

SON YE JIN, Ph. D. HENRY CAVILL, Ed. D.

Member Member

Accepted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor

of Secondary Education major in English by the Oral Examination Committee.

___________ HYUN BIN, Ed. D.

Date Dean, College of Korean Studies
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researcher wishes to express her indebtedness to the following

people who willingly and wholeheartedly extended their personal and

professional assistance for the completion of this academic effort.

DR. NANCY T. PASCUAL, University President, for her motivation and

pure support to the graduate students of this institution;

DR. HYUN BIN, dean of the College of Korean Studies, for his genuine

concern and patience in giving technical assistance to all queries;

DR. NORBERTO M. NATANO, research adviser, adviser for the

unwavering, zealous motivation and untiring support to pursue and finish this

program;

SPECIFY ALL THE PANEL MEMBERS, their role in research, for the

continuous technical assistance, support and guidance to finish this study. You

can also acknowledge who in their own way helped on the fulfillment of your

research.

The Researchers
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DEDICATION

To the special

people who have

inspired and understand

me through the years of my study

My professors, students and friends.

You can personalize your dedication.

-CAE-
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ABSTRACT

This should be written once you are done with your research. The

first paragraph must present the main objective of the study. The second

paragraph is the summary of the research methodology which includes the

research design, when and where the study was conducted, who are your

respondents and how you select them. The succeeding paragraph must present

the results of the study as reflected in your conclusion.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE i

APPROVAL SHEET ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii

DEDICATION vi

ABSTRACT vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

LIST OF APPENDICES x

LIST OF TABLES xi

LIST OF FIGURES xii

LIST OF APPENDICES xii

Chapter

1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction 1

Background of the Study 3

Scope and Limitation of the Study 6

Statement of the Problem 7
Hypothesis of the Study
9
Theoretical Framework 9
Conceptual Framework 11
Definition of Terms 14

2 RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES

Methods of Research 37
Setting of the Study 38
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Subject of the Study 41

Procedure of the Study
41
Sources of Data 42
Statistical Treatment of Data 43

3 PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

Profile of Public Secondary Students and Teachers, in

Terms of Age, Gender, Number of siblings in the

family, Teachers’ Specialization, Length of Service,

Highest Education Qualification, in the City Schools

Division of Antipolo 45

Profile of Public Secondary Schools in Terms of

Reading Materials and Reading Facilities in the City

Schools Division of Antipolo 48

Reading Performance of Grade 7 Learners in the City

Schools Division of Antipolo in Terms of Vocabulary,

Literal, Inferential and Critical 49

Significant Difference on the Reading Performance of

Grade 7 Learners in City Schools Division of Antipolo

Based on the Profile of Learners in Terms of Age,

Gender, Number of Siblings and Reading Materials and

Reading Facilities
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51

4 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary of Findings 67
Conclusions 70
Recommendations 71

REFERENCES 73
CURRICULUM VITAE 95

LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

1 Profile of Public Secondary Grade 7 Learners in the City 45

Schools Division of Antipolo in Terms of Age, Gender and

Number of Siblings

2 Profile of Public Secondary Teachers in the City Schools 46

Division of Antipolo in Terms of Specialization, Length of

Service and Highest Educational Qualifications

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3 Profile of the School Reading Materials and Reading Facilities 48

of the City Schools Division of Antipolo

4 Reading Performance of Grade 7 Learners in City Schools 49

Division of Antipolo

5 Significant Difference on the Reading Performance of Grade 7 51

Learners in City Schools Division of Antipolo In Terms of Age

6 Significant Difference on the Reading Performance of Grade 7 52

Learners in City Schools Division of Antipolo In Terms of

Gender

7 Significant Difference on the Reading Performance of Grade 7 53

Learners in City Schools Division of Antipolo In Terms of

Number of Siblings

8 Significant Difference on the Reading Performance of Grade 7 55

Learners in City Schools Division of Antipolo In Terms of

Profile of School Reading Materials

9 Significant Difference on the Reading Performance of Grade 7 57

Learners in City Schools Division of Antipolo In Terms of

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Profile of School Reading Facility

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page

1 Conceptual Method 13

2 Location Map of the Division of Antipolo City 40

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LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix Page

A Gantt Chart of Activities 76

B Letter of Permission to Conduct the Study 77

C Division Letter 78

D Letter to the Principal 79

E Letter to the Respondents 83

F Appointment of Thesis Adviser 84

G Certificate of Content Validation 85

H Certification of Statistical Center 86

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Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

(The introduction must present the research problem that you would like to

describe in your research paper. Provide some related literature and studies if

necessary to support your observed problem. Add legal basis and relate it in your

research. The last paragraph must be a justification that there is a need to

conduct this study. Discussions should focus on the problem behind the

topic/subject matter of the study. It includes the legal bases of the study and the

personal justifications of the researcher. It may also include concepts and ideas

from other sources. It should have a maximum of Two (2) pages.) For example:

There is a demand for the teaching of English as a second language

(ESL) in various parts of the world, especially among those countries where
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English is not their first language. As there is an increase of learners who are

planning to work or study abroad that requires certification that they can

communicate in English, the high demand for online English teachers also

increases (Western Governors University, 2020).

The developed skill of ESL teachers from the Philippines can be attributed

on the action of the government in strengthening the use of English language as

a medium of instruction in the school level. This can be reflected to Executive

Order No. 210 or Establishing the Policy to Strengthen the Use of the English

Language as a Medium of Instruction in the Educational System which stipulates

that “there is a need to develop the aptitude, competence and proficiency of our

students in the English language to maintain and improve their competitive edge

in emerging and fast-growing local and international industries, particularly in the

area of Information and Communications Technology [ICT].”

The Philippines is among those nations that offer online English teaching.

Along with the call center agents, online English teachers in the Philippines have

established a status in the global market (Cabigon, 2015; ICEF Monitor, 2016;

McGeown, 2012).

With this developed skill among the Filipinos, there is no doubt that there

is an increased of demand among Filipinos as English teachers. Jobstreet

recently released that 21% of job vacancies are for teaching English as a Second

Language (Lacsamana, 2021).

In the Philippines, it is observed that there are college graduates who work

part-time as online English teachers while they were in college and have decided
 14

to pursue this field after they graduated from college. However, for others who

did not make it to land a job on their preferred work, choose to teach English

online as an alternative.

Additionally, although most of the online ESL teachers obtained bachelor’s

degrees in education, they are not actually trained to teach online classes for

diverse learners from various cultural backgrounds and varying age groups. The

pedagogical skills they obtained are honed only for face-to-face classes inside

the classroom that are specific to either elementary grade levels or senior and

junior high school levels. Despite having no formal training on online ESL

teaching, their ability to converse in English leads them to get hired. Hence,

necessary adjustments are being initiated by the online ESL teachers in order for

them to become an effective teacher.

Ozaki (2017) cited that a limited amount of research has been conducted

on Filipino teachers of English for people from other countries. To address this

gap, there is a need to gather empirical evidence to support the mentioned

observations considering that there are other underlying concerns which can be

elucidated for conducting this current study, especially through explorations from

the lens of phenomenology.

Background of the Study

Present here at least 7 related studies and related literature. Relate them

in your research. Based on these RRL and RRS, establish the research gap that
 15

has not yet been studied. Include the significance of the study. Provide

justification for pursuing this study. See this example:

There is no denying that problems arise when students try to learn their

second language. With so many factors affecting the learning process, students

experience difficulties when it comes to certain skills such as reading, writing and

speaking. Out of these problems, efforts were made to analyze the root of the

problem and to look for solutions that could help English-speaking students.

Over the past six to seven years, the various methods of teaching English

have changed (Nolasco, 2011). The integration of Information and

Communication Technology (ICT) in education has provided more variation in the

process of teaching and learning. The function of ICT in systematic teaching and

learning in English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom is to achieve the

objectives of language teaching and learning (Yunus et al., 2014).

Teaching English online is now a huge market with many opportunities.

English as a Second Language (ESL) program provides instruction in reading,

writing, and conversing with focus on cultivating conversational and job-related

communication skills. Commonly, it is being done online through virtual

classrooms, where online ESL schools use website platforms for their service

(Rare Job, n.d).

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More so, ESL students are taught to be well versed in the sounds they

produce, vocabulary appropriateness, grammar accuracy, understanding of

others, and even the presence of native speakers in conversations (Nolasco,

2011). ESL teachers are trained to offer basic explanations using repetition,

demonstrations, and pictures (ESL Teacher Edu, n.d.). ESL is offered for people

of all ages, though it is not part of the standard public school curriculum as it is

not essential to all students (Teach.com, n.d.).

There is a difference between English as Second Language (ESL) and

English as a Foreign Language (EFL). ESL is English which is usually taught to

students in an English speaking country. EFL is English which is taught to

students in a foreign, non-English speaking country (Dunsmore, 2019). Since the

Philippines is considered as one of the largest English-speaking countries

(Cabigon, 2015), ESL is the term used in the country.

In stark contrast, students living in their home countries, where English is

not the first or official language, face a major learning journey that can take more

than five years to complete successfully (Nolasco, 2011). Those students who

come from non-English speaking countries choose to study English in

preparation to studying abroad or for work-related matters.

Hence, through online English teaching, this provides more opportunities

to supervise the English language learning of various students across the globe.
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The Philippines is fortunate to take advantage of this opportunity. It has helped

drive the economy and even made the country the top voice outsourcing

destination in the world, surpassing India in 2012.

Relevant to this, Renee Marie Reyes, the then Chief of the ESL Market

Development Group under the Department of Tourism (DOT), pointed out that

with the demand of Filipino online English teachers there is a need “to maintain

the Philippines’ strength as a major ESL destination” .

To attain such, higher education institutions play an important role in

realizing the need to capitalize the potential of its graduates through “teacher

training and professional development, highlighting the need for skills in

differentiated instruction, materials development, and knowledge sharing

(Cabigon, 2015).”

From this perspective, it made sense that schools tried to develop the

second language proficiency of Filipino students by strengthening the English

language education (Bernardo, 2011). As a result, the high demand for online

English teachers from the country can be attributed to the Filipino’s degree of

fluency in the English language (Cabigon, 2015); hence, its outcome is to

positioning the country as “a reputable education center for English language

learners” (ICEF Monitor, 2016).

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In a news report by Cahiles-Magkilat (2020), Jack Huang, an owner of an

ESL company, considered hiring Filipinos because of their “standard American

pronunciation”. In the year 2020, Huang shared that, in his company alone, they

now have 10 million registered students, and more than 20,000 partner teachers

in the Philippines. Citing the Labor Market Intelligence Report of the DOLE’s

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the Secretary said that

“overseas investors preferred Filipinos for their English proficiency, high rate of

literacy in information technology, trainability, natural warmth, customer care

orientation, and a strong affinity to the Western culture…” (Friginal, 2007).

Additionally, another reason that attracts foreigners to study English in the

Philippines is because of the relatively more affordable but quality English as a

Second Language (ESL) programs as compared to the expensive cost from the

countries whose English is their first language (Cabigon, 2015; Haisa, 2016,

Brock, 2015; McGeown, 2012).

Despite the high-demand in the Philippines in terms of ESL teaching,

several studies conducted in the Philippines revealed the experiences of ESL

teachers emphasizing some of the concerns that are needed to address as far

ESL teaching is concerned. Although most of the studies reviewed in this paper

are based on the “face-to-face teaching” or “actual teaching” of ESL due to lack

of studies pertaining to the online teaching of English from ESL companies, there

is a need to give emphasis on the experiences of the ESL teachers from a face-
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to-face teaching because it can be assumed that online English teachers can

also have the same experiences.

Yeh (2019) pointed out that “Filipino teachers’ (FTs) pronunciation and the

Philippine English (PhE) accent vis-a-vis the native speaker norms” is a concern

among Filipino ESL teachers. Based on the findings of Choe (2015), some of the

participants he interviewed shared experiences of being discriminated against by

their students because of their strong Filipino accent. Kobayashi’s (2008)

research participants also voiced the same concerns that “Filipino teachers are

good, but not their accent” and that they “would have preferred that teachers had

an L1 accent”.

Filipino ESL teachers experience that some of the students and parents

demand to be taught the target culture (Choe, 2015), for instance in America,

which is relative to the “learner’s expectations” from their ESL teachers (Yeh,

2019).

There is also a concern with the qualifications of the ESL teachers. The

lack of training as a concern for ESL teaching is also emphasized by Choe

(2015) in his study, in which, the Filipino ESL teachers he interviewed showed

that they are lacking TESOL training, which they acknowledged is very much

needed for them to teach Korean and other foreign students effectively.
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Similarly, in other countries, a study by Khan (2011) presents a different

but convincing view, and holds the teachers in Saudi Arabia responsible for their

language teaching related problems. He points out that teachers’ challenges

mainly emerge as a result of their irrelevant teaching qualification, lack of

training, inexperience as bilingual teachers, misperception of culture, and dearth

of awareness of the learners’ needs. In Canada, all regular K-12 teachers face

the challenge of teaching both native and non-native English speaking students.

Consequently, working with students who use English as a second language

(ESL) has become everybody's business, irrespective of whether they are

teaching language or mathematics, at elementary or secondary levels. As a

result, it is essential for in-service teachers to gain knowledge and develop skills

in working with ESL students (Cheng & Myles, 2003).

ESL teachers also encountered concerns on the behavior of their learners.

In a study conducted, the negative attitude of the learners towards English

language limits their chances to interact in English and to achieve communicative

competence (Shehded, 2010). This communicative competence can be

attributed to a situation when the learning of the English language often stops in

the four corners of the classroom. The politics of this language is traceable in

different aspects of speaking (Separa, Generales & Medina, 2020). From this

viewpoint, as this mindset continues to develop among learners from non-English

speaking countries’ attitude towards language, they often feel very low when

faced with situations that require them to speak English.

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ESL students are taught to be well versed in speaking and writing even

with the presence of native speakers in conversations. However, the uncertainty

that the ESL students encountered when engaging in communications activities

that require the English language, apparently resulted in their poor

communicative competence.

Although Filipino ESL teachers encountered difficulties in teaching,

Visconde (2012) determined that the extent to which ESL teachers experience

stress is not directly attributed to instruction-related aspects such as

management and lesson preparation and implementation. Instead, her study

revealed that school-related engagements like attendance in meetings and

seminars, submission of paperwork, observation of heads and peers and

attendance and tardiness in class cause stress in their work as ESL teachers.

Despite the demand for ESL teachers in the Philippines, others work as

English teachers abroad. Frederiksen (2014) examined the motivation of EFL

teachers to work abroad and to explore the reason that they are highly valued in

non-English speaking countries. The four (4) Filipino participants of the study

regarded the higher salary rates and better working conditions from working

abroad. However, their lack of knowledge of the local language and culture are

found to be their weaknesses, which is natural for non-natives. Finally, findings

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show that the respondents’ positive attitude towards teaching English abroad

shows the importance of English in globalization.

Through the findings of this current study, the experiences of the online

ESL teachers can provide a baseline data on how to craft relevant training or

retooling programs that can help the current students and graduates of a higher

educational institution who are planning to pursue online English teaching.

As such, the phenomenon that this paper will explore focuses on the

motivation of the online ESL teachers for working and staying in their current

position, their challenges and ways of overcoming these challenges, and the

significant contribution they obtained from their work. More so, this paper shall be

determining their teaching approaches as online ESL teachers.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

The first paragraph must present the main objective of the study. The next

paragraph must be the summary of your research methodology; no need to

discuss them, just mention the research design, the instrument used, the

respondents, and how you select your respondents. The third paragraph must

present the main variables you used in the study. See this example:

The main objective of the study is to explore the lived experiences of

online English teachers from English as Second Language (ESL) companies

through a phenomenological inquiry.

Qualitative Research Design following the Phenomenological Approach

will be utilized. The data will be obtained through online following the available
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schedules amenable to the research participants. The participants in this

research will be BSE English graduates from a state university who have been

teaching ESL for at least one year. They will be selected following the purposive

sampling technique in which criteria for their selection will be followed.

Statement of the Problem

The main objective of the study is to explore the lived experiences of

online English teachers from English as Second Language (ESL) companies

through a phenomenological inquiry. Specifically, it will answer the following

questions:

1. What are the motivational factors that led the online English teachers from

ESL companies in pursuing their online teaching career?

2. What are the teaching approaches used by online English teachers from ESL

companies?

3. What are the challenges confronting the online English teachers from ESL

companies in performing their teaching roles?

4. How the online English teachers from ESL companies overcome the

challenges when teaching English online?

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5. What are the significant contribution of the online English teaching experience

of ESL teachers to their personal, social, and professional growth?

Hypothesis

The study tested the null hypothesis which states that there is no

significant difference on the reading performance of Grade 7 learners in

secondary public schools in the City Schools Division of Antipolo with respect to

vocabulary, literal, inferential and critical in terms of the school profile.

Theoretical Framework

Discuss here the theory you will use in the study. You can state it this way:

This study was anchored on ________________, which was proposed by

______ in _______. The succeeding paragraphs must be about the discussion of

what this theory is all about. Then justify the relationship of the theory to your

study. See this example:

This study was anchored on Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory. Language,

according to Vygotsky’s theory, is used as a cultural tool to transmit ideas,

thoughts, and beliefs from the sociocultural world to the self. Vygotsky’s

sociocultural theory of human learning describes learning as a social process

and the origin of human intelligence in society or culture.

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Vygotsky’s theory is the idea that the potential for cognitive development

is limited to a "zone of proximal development" (ZPD). This "zone" is the area of

exploration for which the student is cognitively prepared, but requires help and

social interaction to fully develop (Briner, 1999). A teacher or more experienced

peer is able to provide the learner with "scaffolding" to support the student’s

evolving understanding of knowledge domains or development of complex skills.

This idea is similar to the role of online English teachers in providing

necessary language learning to their learners. They serve as the scaffold in order

for them to bridge the gap of learning deficiency in language. As scaffolds, ESL

teachers significantly provide a more meaningful learning experience that will

help their learners to understand the basics of the English language.

Conceptual Framework

This framework is the researchers own conceptualization of the research

using a model. The conceptual model is a figurative representation of the

research framework drawn in a separate whole page in the middle of its

discussion. In the discussion, the researcher describes and explains the model,

the meaning of the figures, the contents and the processes involved. All the

variables involved should be written in the model. See this example:

The concept of this paper is described in the conceptual framework

presented.
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As shown in the figure, there are aspects that contribute to the experience

of online English teachers.

These are their motivation for pursuing their job as ESL teachers, the

approaches they utilize in teaching their learners and the challenges they

encounter.

Overcoming the challenges is connected to the challenges as it is

contributory to the perceived challenges confronting the ESL teachers on their

job as online English Language Teachers.

In pursuit of this study, it also aims to acknowledge the significant

contribution of the ESL experience to online English teachers.

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

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FEEDBACK

Figur

e1

A Conceptual Model of the Study on Beyond and Across Online English

Teaching: A Phenomenological Inquiry of the Experiences of Online
English Teachers from ESL Companies

Definition of Terms

For better understanding of the study, the following terms are defined:
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Critical. In this study, it refers to the higher comprehension wherein it is

concerned with the skill of evaluation where the reader “passes personal

judgment on the quality, the value, the accuracy and the truthfulness of what is

read.”

Inferential. This is the reading performance of a learner with the ability to

make conclusions on the basis of evidence and reasoning.

Literal. In this study it is the reading performance where a learner has

commonly known knowledge or literal understanding. Answers to wh-questions

are explicitly stated in the text.

Reading. This pertains to the act, practice or art of reading .It also refers

to the decoding of words that involves vocabulary development, noting details,

inference, critical thinking, creative thinking and valuing.

Reading Comprehension. The understanding of the meaning of printed

or spoken language as contrasted with the ability to perceive language and

pronounce words without reference to their meaning.

Reading Performance. In this study, it is the capacity of learners to

understand, use and reflect on written texts in order to come with the desired and

correct judgment.
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Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

The chapter is introduced first in the paragraph before the first subtitle.

Related Literature

The related literature is the discussions of the nature, importance and sub-

variables of the study.

Related Studies

Cite the findings, conclusions and even recommendations of related

studies based on variables in each problem. When using information, findings,

conclusions and recommendations from studies/theses/dissertations, relate it in

terms of:

 Research design
 Setting of the study
 Subject of the study
 And sources of data
The focus of discussions shall be on the variables stipulated in the every

specific problem. In reviewing the related studies, considerations should be per

problem.
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Synthesis

Synthesis is the part of RRL/S that presents the overall discussion of the

related studies. Present here what has been studied and what study you will be

dealing with.

Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES

This chapter presents the research design, setting of the study, subject of

the study, sources of data, procedure of the study, and statistical treatment of the

data.

Methods of Research

Identify the design to be used. Define the research design. Explain its

relevance in your research. See the example below:

The study will follow the qualitative type of research. The researcher will

use qualitative study research to examine relations, events, circumstances, or

the nature of the materials. Employing qualitative research as the design will

provide complex textual descriptions of how people experience a given

phenomenon. This design provides further information about the “human” side of

a phenomenon being observed. Utilizing this design considers intangible factors

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that include social norms, socioeconomic status, gender roles, ethnicity, and

religion (Mack et al., 2005).

Qualitative research design aims to describe variation, individual

experiences, and group norms of the target phenomenon. The researcher

obtained qualitative data in a textual form through the transcribed interview with

the research participants.

The researcher chooses qualitative design instead of quantitative for the

given reasons. Firstly, utilizing semi-structured interviews applies to the

objectives of the study to explain and to describe (Daly, 2007). Secondly, this

design will provide the researcher with a detailed view of exploring the

phenomenon straight from the data and avoids imposing assumptions on the

participants' experiences (Merriam, 2009).

Setting of the Study

In discussing the setting of the study, present first where the study will be

conducted.

 If it consists of towns/province/region or any community, it may include

geographical description, socio-economic descriptions or any specific

description in relation to what is studied.

 32

 If it is an agency/institution, the description may include history, vision and

mission, composition/structure, location, nature of the organization and

specific descriptions in relation to what is studied.

 Programs being conducted in the setting/locale which have relation to the

research should also be mentioned.

 In scientific and experimental researches, experimental or laboratory

setting should be thoroughly discussed

 A map or diagram may be provided as figure presented on a separate

page.
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Figure 2
Location Map of City Schools Division of Antipolo

Subject of the Study

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In presenting the subject of the study, mention first who are your

respondents. If you have criteria for the selection of respondents, you can

discuss it also. In the next paragraph, discuss the sampling technique you used

in getting the number of respondents. Define this technique and then explain how

you used it in your research. See the example below:

The participants of this research are the selected online English teachers

who will be selected by utilizing purposive sampling technique. Purposive

sampling is also known as “non-probability” sampling in qualitative circles. It is

called that because the researchers are applying their own criteria when defining

their sample, in layman terms the researcher selects their own individuals as part

of their study. (Ritchie et al., 2003). Purposive sampling is a technique, which

involves the researcher’s consideration of the participants’ experience in the

information required for the study (Walliman et al., 2016).

The following set of criteria will be considered for the selection of the

research participants. They should be education graduates in the University of

Rizal System Antipolo Campus, has at least two years of experience as full time

online English teacher in any ESL Companies based in the Philippines in either

work/office-based set-up, and teaching English to young/adult foreign students

from a non-English speaking country.

This is another example

This study on “Reading Performance of Grade 7 Learners in the City

Schools Division of Antipolo: Input to Training Program of English Teachers”

solely focused on Grade 7 learners as the primary respondents SY 2019-2020.

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These were the learners who were identified under frustration level using two

stage random sampling.

Simple random sampling technique was utilized in the study. Under this

method, a sample is chosen randomly and entirely by chance, thus, each

individual has the same probability of being chosen.

In getting the sample, three schools were selected namely Antipolo

National High School, San Isidro National High School and San Jose National

High School with a total of 2,057 Grade 7 learners under frustration reading level.

Out of this total population, there were 335 identified respondents equally

distributed using Slovin’s formula. They were selected as they were in the best

position to provide the needed data to complete the study.

Procedure of the Study

The researcher followed a series of activities to finish this study. Discuss

the data gathering procedure. Present the flow of the procedure in accordance to

your GANNT CHART: Request Permission to Conduct the Study, Development

and Validation of the Instrument, Administration of the Instrument, Processing of

Data, Analysis and Presentation of Data. For experimental/scientific researches,

an operational procedure of the experiment should be presented which can be

supported by a flow chart for clarity. See this example:

Research procedures are sensitive to participants and context. The

procedures of research, such as data collection, data analysis, representing the
 36

material to audiences, and standards of evaluation and ethics, emphasize an

interpretive stance. Guided by the tenet observed in the study of Cresswell
(2018), the researchers, during data collection, will not marginalize the
participants but respect their personal reservations.

As part of the data gathering protocol, the researcher will seek first the
consent from the research participants. The consent is a mechanism to assure
that the participants understand the purpose of participating in the research study
to decide on their answers to the questions deliberately (Mack et al., 2005).

The researcher will use the two forms of consents: written and oral
consents. For written consent, the research participants will receive a letter
asking them if they can take part in the conduct of the study. Along with the letter,
the researcher will personally talk with the participants through video call
regarding the research to further discuss the purpose of the study and to provide
assurance that the confidentiality of the data obtained will be strictly adhered to.

Further, the researcher will provide reciprocity by giving or paying back

those who will participate in research, and they will focus on the multiple
perspective stories to be shared by the participants. Researchers are also
sensitive to power imbalances during all facets of the research. As soon as
possible, after each online interview, the researcher will listen to the recordings
and will make notes. Key words, phrases and statements will be transcribed for
proper documentation.

The primary sources of data of this study will be from online interviews
and field notes. Online interviews will be used to gather original data with the
intention of analyzing it to provide new evidence in relation to a specific research
question. Field notes will also be used as a source of supporting data in this
study. During the interview, field notes will be done, which will later be analyzed
and compared to the interview transcripts. Field notes include participants’
understanding of the given primary sources, points of clarification, and
observations about the participants’ attitudes and behavior.
 37

The narratives will be audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim by the

researcher. The narratives will be coded in the original language following the
stages advanced by Castro (2003), Creswell (2007), and van Manen (1990).
These stages include a holistic approach, organization into meaning units/blocks,
and creating main themes and sub-themes.

In the holistic approach, the researcher will follow the reading and re-
reading of the transcribed narratives obtained from the interviews. The
researcher will be guided by the research problem and the guide questions. To
organize the data properly, the researcher will divide the participants' responses
in accordance with the research problem.

The primary purpose of the first stage is to categorize the responses of the
respondents in accordance with the research problem.

In this stage, the researcher will read and re-read the first chunk of data
per group. This stage aims to divide and organize the data into meaning
units/blocks, which then allows for a more detailed analysis. This time the
responses that are to be drawn from each clustered response will undergo
another clustering for each research problem. Keywords will be highlighted.

The final stage is to synthesize findings from the participants and

incorporate insights into the meaning units. The researcher will again read and
re-read the clustered responses from the second stage. The main objective of
this stage is to formulate the main themes and sub-themes from each research
question.

The researcher will adopt the two-level step by Castro (2003) when
transforming meaning into psychological language. These steps are situated
structure and general structure, and both will be employed in this study.

The situated structure refers to the concrete elements in which the

phenomenon takes place. The general structure refers to the essential meaning
of the phenomenon under study.
 38

In this paper, the sub-theme follows the situated structure. It provides a

specific phenomenon with respect to the indigenous people's aspirations for
education and the symbolic interactions that affect their aspirations. The main
theme follows the general structure that will help reveal emergent patterns that
link to the available description of the phenomenon. The results of all the steps in
data analyses will be integrated to make sure that there is a coherent
understanding of the phenomenon.

Sources of Data

Describe the instrument you will use in your research. Present the scale to

be used; base it on the revisions made in your SOP. Mention that there will be

expert validation. This section deals with a detailed description of the research

instrument/s used in the research (questionnaire, test, structured interview,

observation, actual measurement using tools or equipment and others).

Response manner to the questionnaire or test should be mentioned. In case of

researcher – made instruments, the parts, validation and scoring processes

should be discussed and figures or results be presented when statistical

measures were used. If the instrument was adopted, the author should be

recognized and source should be documented. See this example:

The study used a face validated teacher-made questionnaire with skills

referring to reading performance under vocabulary, literal, inferential and critical.

The test items were distributed to the Reading Comprehension Skills and

Vocabulary Skill based on the test result of English in the City Schools Division of

Antipolo.
 39

It was a 60 item test questionnaire with the use of a table of specification.

The reading competencies were critically chosen based on the data of test

results of the City Schools Division of Antipolo in English. The competencies

included were idiomatic expression, synonyms, context clues, inferring, noting

significant details, giving point of view, predicting outcomes, getting the main idea

and drawing conclusion. It was face validated by 5 master teachers, 2 head

teachers and 1 English principal consultant. Out of 60 items, it was trimmed

down to 24 items after the pilot test. This test questionnaire which was face

validated by aforementioned experts served as the main instrument in gathering

the needed data. It was a multiple-choice type. Hence, respondents were

directed to encircle their answers.

The range / percentage was utilized in interpreting the test result as basis

for included skill in the Proposed Training Program of Grade 7 English Teachers:

Scale Range Verbal Interpretation

5 4.21 – 5.00 Outstanding

4 3.41 – 4.20 Very Satisfactory

3 2.61 – 3.40 Satisfactory

2 1.81 – 2.60 Fairly Satisfactory

1 1.00 – 1.80 Poor

Statistical Treatment

See this example:

 40

For the analysis and interpretation of data, the following statistical tool

were considered.

1. To determine the profile of respondents and teachers and in terms of the

selected variables, frequency and percentage distributions were used.

2. To determine the profile of reading materials and reading facility, mean and

verbal interpretation were utilized.

3. To determine the reading performance of Grade Seven Learners of City

Schools Division of Antipolo, mean and standard deviation were used.

4. To determine the significant difference on reading performance of Grade

Seven learners of public schools in the City Schools Division of Antipolo with

respect to vocabulary, literal, inferential and critical in terms of school profile,

One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Independent t-test were used.

Chapter 4
 41

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter presents the findings, analysis and interpretation of data

gathered based on the statement of the problem.

Profile of Public Secondary Learners and Teachers, in Terms of Age,

Gender, Number of siblings in the family, Teachers’ Specialization, Length
of Service, Highest Education Qualification, in the City Schools Division of
Antipolo

Table 1 presents the frequency, percentage, and rank distribution of the

profile of the grade 7 learners in the City Schools Division of Antipolo City in

terms of age, gender, and number of siblings.

Table 1

Frequency, Percentage and Rank Distribution of the Profile of Public

Secondary Learners in the City Schools Division of Antipolo
In Terms of Age, Gender, Number of Siblings

Age Frequency Percentage Rank

12 years old 126 37.6 1

13 years old 122 36.4 2

14 years old 45 13.4 3

15 years old 42 12.5 4

Total 335 100.0

Gender Frequency Percentage Rank

Male 155 46.3 2

Female 180 53.7 1

Total 335 100.0

Number of Siblings Frequency Percentage Rank

 42

2 54 16.1 4

3 63 18.8 3

4 79 23.6 2

5 139 41.5 1

Total 335 100.0

As presented in the table, it can be observed that the majority of the

Grade 7 learners responding to the questionnaire were 12 years old. On the

other hand, the least who responded were 15 years old.

It implies that Grade 7 learners are on their school age level. As stated in

DO No. 3, s. 2018 Basic Education Enrolment Policy, learners must be of school

age level so that the learning will not be impeded.

Reading Competencies of Grade 7 Learners in City Schools Division of

Antipolo in Terms of Vocabulary, Literal Reading, Inferential Reading, and
Critical Reading

Table 4 presents the obtained mean, standard deviation and verbal

interpretation on the reading performance of Grade 7 learners in the City Schools

Division of Antipolo City.

Table 4

Obtained Mean, Standard Deviation, and Verbal Interpretation of the

Reading Competencies of Grade 7 Learners in City Schools
Division of Antipolo

Reading Standard Mean Verbal Interpretation

 43

Competencies Deviation

A. Vocabulary 1.00 2.64 Satisfactory

B. Literal Reading 0.97 3.53 Satisfactory

C. Inferential Reading 0.98 1.77 Fairly Satisfactory

D. Critical Reading 0.94 1.23 Fairly Satisfactory

Overall 9.18 3.00 Satisfactory

As reflected in the table, it reveals that the Grade 7 learners performed

satisfactory in Vocabulary and Literal Reading as revealed by their respective

means of 2.64 and 3.53. Their respective standard deviations of 1.00 and 0.97

imply that there is no deviation on the results of their performance which means

that there is a close obtained results of their performance rating on the two

mentioned competencies.

On the other hand, the Grade 7 learners performed Fairly Satisfactory in

Inferential Reading and Critical Reading with their respective means of 1.77 and

1.23. As shown by their respective standard deviations of 0.98 and 0.94, the

individual performance of the Grade 7 learners on the facilitated exam did not

deviate at all.

This reveals that Grade 7 Learners in the Division School of Antipolo are

only performing well in the vocabulary and literal reading competencies. In order

to increase to the next level, they need to develop in the area of inferential and

critical reading competencies level. These levels must be satisfied, mastered and

enhanced so that learners’ comprehension and performance will increase.

 44

The good performance of the learners in Vocabulary indicates a good

result. Marimouth (2013) said that vocabulary comprehension is a central

component in gaining reading comprehension skills. Fruitful vocabulary

development guarantees that learners will develop metacognitive skills which will

support children in realizing advanced text requirements when they leave the

learning to read phase and are expected to read to learn. His study revealed that

comprehension is very important which is related to the current study. The only

difference is in his study he used a different set of learners.

There are two possible reasons for this remarkable result. First is the

availability of multiple reading materials in the schools in the City Schools

Division of Antipolo. Second is the inclusion of vocabulary in the subjects

especially in English and Literature.

Firdus (2016) stipulates that vocabulary mastery learning activities in the

classroom depends much on the printed materials such as textbooks,

magazines, newspaper, articles, and etc. It means that the students should have

good ability in reading in order to comprehend what they read. To comprehend

the content of the text or passage they should have good vocabulary mastery.

That’s why reading comprehension skill and vocabulary mastery is often

connected one to another.

Ong et al (2019) initiated a study that focused on the development of

English vocabulary skills of selected High School and College students of

Bukidnon and Cagayan De Oro City. They observed that vocabulary is often

included in the lessons. Vocabulary was unlocked through the use of context
 45

clues varying from semantic definition, explanation, description and appositive

clues. Students enjoyed guessing the words’ meaning when used in context that

choral responses were prevalent. They manifested that they understood the

meaning of the new words developed by using the words in exact context during

the lesson activities.

They are also performing well in the literal level of reading activities.

Those activities related to Literal Reading do not require analysis among the

students unlike in the Inferential Reading and Critical Reading, where deeper

understanding is very much necessary. Considering the nature of activities at

literal level, tests in this category are objective tests dealing with true or false,

multiple choice and fill-in-the blank questions. Common queries used to illicit this

type of thinking are who, what, when, and where queries.

Labarrete (2019) also showed similar results that of the four reading

dimensions, the clientele registered a good performance in the literal level but

poorly performed in the inferential, evaluative, and creative dimensions. Jufri

(2015) further explains that a reader in the literal level just read all facts in the

text, but by inferential comprehension the reader should read what happens

behind the facts.

More so, the findings of the study is in coherence with the study of

Morales (2018) that reading performance of learners must be developed and

mastered first in the vocabulary. A similar study by Cabardo (2015), revealed that

majority of the learners belonged to frustration level of reading proficiency in

silent reading while in instructional level for the oral reading in which majority of
 46

the males are less proficient in reading compared to females in both silent and

oral reading.

Significant Difference on Reading Performance of Grade 7 Learners in City

Schools Division of Antipolo with Respect to the Reading Competencies in
Terms of the Profile of the Learners and the School

Table 5 presents the obtained f-values, p-values and decision on the

significant difference of the reading comprehension of Grade 7 learners in the

City Schools Division of Antipolo City with respect to reading performance in

terms of the respondents’ age.

Table 5

Obtained f-values, p-values and Decision on the Significant Difference on

the Reading Performance of Grade 7 Learners in City Schools Division of
Antipolo with Respect to Reading Competencies
in Terms of the Respondents’ Age

Reading
Age Mean df f-values p-values Ho VI
Competencies

12 2.54

13 2.75
A. Vocabulary 3/331 1.616 0.185 FR NS
14 2.78

15 2.48

B. Literal 12 3.48 3/331 1.556 0.200 FR NS

Reading 13 3.61

14 3.69
 47

15 3.31

12 1.76

C. Inferential 13 1.87
3/331 2.302 0.077 FR NS
Reading 14 1.87

15 1.43

12 1.14

D. Critical 13 1.38
3/331 2.714 0.045 R S
Reading 14 1.31

15 0.95

12 8.92

13 9.61
Overall 3/331 3.185 0.24 FR NS
14 9.64

15 8.17

Legend: df- Degree of Freedom, Ho- Null Hypothesis, VI- Verbal Interpretation, FR- Fail to reject, R-reject, NS-Not
significant S-significant

The table reveals that Vocabulary, Literal Reading, and Inferential

Reading obtained their respective p-values of 0.185, 0.200, and 0.077 which are

all greater than the 0.05 level of significance. This indicates that the obtained p-

values are insufficient to reject the null hypothesis. Thus, this reveals that the

Grade 7 learners do not differ significantly when determining their reading

performance on the mentioned aspects.

On the other hand, it is interesting to note that with regard to Critical, the

variable obtained a p-value of 0.045 which is lesser than the 0.05 level of

significance. The obtained p-value is sufficient to reject the null hypothesis. Thus,
 48

there is a significant difference among the Grade 7 learners when it comes to

their performance in reading if they are grouped according to their age. This

implicates that the age of the learners is a factor to consider when assessing

their reading performance on critical reading.

The result is in coherence with the study conducted by Walla et al. (2015).

Results of their study showed that there is no significant effect on age in

reading performance, with the older children having better scores than

younger ones on reading fluency, reading comprehension, and the total

reading performance.
 49

Chapter 5

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter deals with the summary of findings, conclusions drawn and

recommendations offered.

Summary of Findings

Based on the analysis and interpretation of data, the following are hereby

summarized according to the statement of the problems stated in Chapter 1.

1. Profile of Public Secondary Learners and Teachers, in Terms of Age,

Gender, Number of siblings in the family, Teachers’ Specialization,
Length of Service, Highest Education Qualification, Reading Materials
and Reading Facility in the City Schools Division of Antipolo

1.1. The findings denoted that the learners were mostly 12 years of age, male

respondents in terms of gender and belong to a family of five siblings.

1.2. Most of the teachers were 3 years below in the service and are not taking

their post graduate degree.

1.3. The school profile reveals that the learners and the teachers are very

satisfied with the reading materials and reading facilities of their

respective schools.

2. Reading Competencies of Grade 7 Learners in City Schools Division of

Antipolo in Terms of Vocabulary, Literal Reading, Inferential Reading, and
Critical Reading
The Grade 7 learners are performing satisfactorily with respect to

Vocabulary and Literal Reading but only performed fairly satisfactorily in

Inferential Reading and Critical Reading.

 50

3. Significant Difference on Reading Performance of Grade 7 Learners in

the City Schools Division of Antipolo with Respect to the Reading
Competencies in Terms of the Profile of the Learners and the School

3.1. There is a significant difference in the reading performance of Grade 7

learners in the City Schools Division of Antipolo with respect to the Critical

Reading in terms of the learner’s age.

3.2. There is a significant difference in the reading performance of Grade 7

learners in the City Schools Division of Antipolo with respect to the mentioned

competencies in terms of the learner’s gender.

3.3. There is no significant difference in the reading performance of the Grade

7 learners with respect to the mentioned reading competencies in terms of the

learner’s number of siblings.

Conclusions

Based on the summary of findings, the following conclusions are drawn:

1. The Grade 7 learners are performing better in Vocabulary and Literal

Reading as compared to Inferential Reading and Critical Reading.

2. The age and gender of the learners, and the school’s reading materials

and facilities are factors that can affect the learners’ reading performance.

Recommendations

Based on the findings and conclusions of the study, the following

recommendations are presented:

 51

1. Since most of the teachers are neophytes in teaching education, they

need to attend training programs to master their craft.

2. The training program as output of this study is very essential to the

English teachers. It focuses on the mastery of the reading performance of

Grade 7 learners which the teachers must be equipped with. This training

will help bridge the gap in reading comprehension and increase the

reading performance of the learners. Hence, the teachers must first

master the reading competencies so that they can apply the suited

pedagogies that are beneficial to the learners.

 52

REFERENCES

A. Book

Eco, U. & Sebeok, Th. (eds.) (1985). The sign of three. Dupin, Holmes, Peirce.
Bloomington Indiana: Indiana. University Press.

B. Published/Unpublished Thesis/Dissertation

Natano, N. M. (2020). Exploring education communicationally: A symbolic

interactionism study of indigenous people learners. Dissertation, University
of the Philippines-Open University.
C. Journal

Natano, N. M. (2013). Mga kwentong bayan of angono, rizal: Their promotional

implications on its tourism communication campaign. Journal of Social
Sciences, Vol. 1, S.2, pg. 24-25.

D. Internet Sources

Kenney, G. M., Cook, A., & Pelletier, J. (2009). Prospects for reducing uninsured
rates among children: How much can premium assistance programs help?
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ID=411823