The 21st Century Skills: Written Communication in American English

Grammar Competence on the Correct Word Usage of Grade 12

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Students of Pasig Catholic College

A Thesis
presented to
The Faculty of Senior High School
Pasig Catholic College
Pasig City

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for
Practical Research 2

By:

Belen, John Carlo

Evangelista, Lance
Del Rosario, Ravinne Louise
Jaramilla, Chabelita
Omega, Aira Mae
Sangco, Ma. Reginela
Sinampaga, Justin Eunice
Ubando, Frencheska

October 2017
 Chapter 1

The Problem and its background

Introduction

English is considered as the hypothetical universal language, as it is spread widely all over

the world and nobody can deny that English is truly the universal language used for

communication (Torres, 2016). Most of the Philippine government's documents are all written in

English and it is also the preferred medium for teaching in our country. English is one of the two

official languages of the country. As English being a part of the Philippine's educational

curricula and is taught from primary to secondary education since the early 90's, many Filipinos

can orally and verbally use English in a fluent manner (Ocampo, 2012).

English is an official language in the Philippine, which comes along with the native

Tagalog. Yet the U.S. State Department, in its "2007 Investment Climate Statement," released in

2007, concluded: "English-language proficiency, while still better than in other Southeast Asian

nations, is declining in the Philippines." With these many fear that Philippines, which was once

colonized by the U.S. is fading (Conde, 2007).

However, during the term of former President Benigno Aquino III in 2013, he approved the

Republic Act 10533 (Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 Republic Act 10533) which is more

commonly known as the K-12 program wherein the language of instruction will then gradually

change from student's native language to English from grades four to six in primary school.

From then, subjects will then be taught in English throughout high school. This is the reason why

most teachers and staff of schools highly encourage every student to speak in English which is to
prepare them to be competitive in work and be productive, and to have the ability to coexist in

harmony with local and global communities (Tibus, 2013).

Along with the change in our country's educational curriculum, K-12 came with an aim to

enhance the 21st century skills of students which are divided and classified into 4 C's which are

skills that are necessary not only in the classroom, but in professional fields. The first C is

communication which is effectively needed to get a job done properly, second is collaboration

which is related in communication which what makes it easier to collaborate with one another.

Critical Thinking is also essential for analyzing situations and looking for new solutions that was

thought out critically, lastly is creativity which is a 21st century skill they should have for having

new ideas for innovation and inventions that would be beneficial (Pakizer, 2016).

Communication as a foundation of all human relationship plays a very vital role on human

life. Therefore, being able to communicate well is important and beneficial on different fields. In

all over 196 countries in the world, different languages and dialects arises which cause barriers in

communication (Dawson, 1994). But, in the midst of these barriers "English", being a

hypothetical universal language that is spoken and understood mostly by everyone throughout

the world. It greatly helped every people from different parts of the world to communicate with

each other effectively despite the differences of their dialects.

"English is without a doubt the actual universal language. It is the world's second largest

native language, the official language in 70 countries, and English-speaking countries

are responsible for about 40% of world's total GNP. English can be at least understood

almost everywhere among scholars and educated people, as it is the world media

language, and the language of cinema, TV, pop music and the computer world. All over
 the planet people know many English words, their pronunciation and meaning. The

causes for this universality are very well known and understandable. English first began

to spread during the 16th century with British Empire and was strongly reinforced in

20th by USA world domination in economic, political and military aspects and by the

huge influence of American movies." (Torres, 2016).

By having said that English is very abundant in every countries in the world, which includes

our country. In fact, Philippines one of the top 20 English speaking countries in the whole world

and is ranked 13th in the English Proficiency Index (EPI) worldwide as released by an

international education company, Education First (EF) Ltd., last November 15, 2016. The

Philippines gained an EPI score of 67.4 where over 92% of our population can speak English as

a second language. This proved that Philippines, is also competent in speaking English and even

though it's population is smaller compared to neighboring countries, the number of English-

speakers reached millions.

The reason behind why Filipinos speak English so well has its very own explanation based

on history of the country. In the early 90's Philippines was colonized by the Americans and the

Filipinos had adapted the American system of education since Volunteer Americans were also

the first teachers in the Philippines. (George, 1925) But, on the 2007 Investment Climate

Statement of the U.S. that English proficiency was declining in the Philippines and that English

textbooks used in schools had grammatical errors within them. (Conde, 2007)
 "We grow our hogs in our own farms so you're sure to get meat that is grown."

"The city's voice is soft like solitudes."

"He found his friend clowning himself around."

"He seemed to be waiting for someone, not a blood relation, much less a bad blood."

Such phrases, lifted from government-approved textbooks used in Filipino public schools,

are reinforcing fears that crucial language skills are degenerating in a country that has

long prided itself on having some of the world's best English speakers. At a time when

English is widely considered an advantage in global competitiveness for any country, many

fear this former U.S. colony is slipping. (Conde,2007)

This research aims to know the level of competence of the Grade 12 STEM students of

Pasig Catholic College about the American English grammar, specifically on the correct word

usage which is how a word, phrase or concept is used in language. This is a challenging task

because it requires familiarization on the role context of each words in subject and verb

agreement, pronoun agreement, and commonly confused words. . As the consequence of

incorrectly used words or phrase may destroy the meaning of what the writer is trying to make

(Chaemsaithong, 2012).

The reason why it has become hard to teach and learn English is because of the student's

negative approach to the language and their close-mindedness against it. Because most students

today tend to neglect the importance of speaking English because of their reason that we are

Filipinos and therefore we should speak in Filipino. And that high school student's English is still

very poor although English had already been taught when they were at elementary, maybe

because the foundations of their English language was poorly taught, because if student have
already acquired basic knowledge and skills in the language during their formative years then

they should not be having any hard time at all in speaking English. (Senobio, 2015)

" To say that our students knowledge of the English language has deteriorated is a gross

understatement. The first, and the most crucial reason for their bad English is their

negative attitude today toward the language. Students often say, Mag-Filipino tayo,

Pilipino tayo eh. Or: Pa-English-English pa!

These statements give the impression that they consider it unpatriotic to be talking in

English, but do they really? Saying Makabayanako, magpi-Filipino ako is, in many

cases, just an excuse not to learn English, a way to cover up insecurities about speaking

the language. But even when they do not say anything, you can sense there is something

wrong about how students regard English.

Whenever I ask someone to speak in front of the class, some of the students give one

another meaningful looks, or make faces at their classmate who is speaking. Others

simply do not listen. They dont realize that whenever they sneer by words or facial

expressionsPa-Ingles-Ingles pa! Nosebleed!they discourage their classmates

from using the language for fear of being ostracized." (Senobio, 2015)

The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 with its new method of teaching as Student-

Centered. And correlated to this, the textbooks were also new and revised based on the curricula.

(Senobio, 2015).

The studies stated above served as our basis to conduct a research on K12's Pioneer students

if they already have 21st century skills specifically on English grammar competence in using the

American English Grammar. Since most of the studies conducted so far have focused on the
importance of communication, the abundance of American English in the Philippines, the

grammatical errors of textbooks and the new education curriculum. But even though, there is a

need for research to know if whether the Philippines change in the education curricula was of big

help and gave a boost to student's English grammar competence by providing test questionnaires

for the respondents.

CHAPTER 2

Theoretical Framework

English Language Teaching

English has become an integral part of India. Teachers are expected to train students not

only in numbers and letters but also in soft skills that would increase their employability lately

when they enter the employment market. English reaches children through various ways other

than the teacher. Their acquaintance with English needs to be kept as a base and the teacher has

to build on it. English reaches children through various ways other than the teacher. Their

acquaintance with English needs to be kept as a base and the teacher has to build on it. We all

know that an interested teacher alone can make the classes interesting. So it is necessary to instill

enthusiasm and develop the right attitude among the teacher trainees in teaching English.
Conceptual Framework

EXTRANEOUS INDEPENDENT DEPENDENT INTERVENTION

VARIABLE VARIABLE VARIABLE PROGRAM

English Kto12 The Level of An Inquiry

Language Enchanced American for a
Teaching Basic English curriculum
method used Education Grammar enhancement
by the Program competence seminar
teachers which aims on correct which
inside the to develop word usage focuses on
classroom. student's of Grade 12 the
Student's 21st century STEM American
capacity to skills, one of students in English
learn inside which is Pasig Grammar
the communicati Catholic Competence
classroom. on College. of students

Statement of the Problem

This research aims to know the competence level of the Grade 12 STEM students of Pasig

Catholic College in correct word usage about the American English grammar.

What is the level of the English grammar competence of the Grade 12 STEM students of

Pasig Catholic College?

How did the new curriculum affect the 21st century skills of grade 12 stem students in

their English grammar competence in written communication?

Did the new curriculum effectively enhance the American English Grammar competence

in written communication on correct word usage of Grade 12 STEM Students in Pasig

Catholic College?
Statement of Hypothesis

There is a significant relationship between 21st English grammar competence in correct

word usage and in the level of competency of grade 12 stem students.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study was conducted to determine the competence level of the grade 12 STEM Senior

High School students of Pasig Catholic College on the correct word usage in using the American

English Grammar. This study was limited to seven (7)) sections including, forty one (41)

Students from Pope Benedict XVI, thirty eight (38) from Pope Francis, forty two (42) from Pope

Innocent, thirty seven (37) from Pope John XIV, forty one (41) from Pope Paul VI, thirty eight

(38) from Pope Pius IX, and forty (40) from Pope Pius XII, Which consists of two hundred

seventy seven (277) students in total. Other Grade 12 Senior High School Tracks including

ABM, GAS, HUMSS, and Tech-Voc were not included because the span of the study will be

large-scale.

Significance of the Study

This study will help the people to be properly educated with the new curriculums goal in

improving the competence of future Filipino leaders. Therefore here are some of the people who

will benefit from our study.

Students: The study will help the students to become better 21st century learners by knowing

that the current curriculum would help them in ways that would enhance their potentials that will

lead them to be globally competitive individuals.

Teachers: Through this research the teachers would have an advantage as to how they would

confront difficulties and problems concerning their students in the American English language. It

may enhance the teachers quality of teaching.

Schools: Through this research, student administrators may know the level of competence of

Grade 12 students of Pasig Catholic College and may compare it to their senior high school

students and through this, other schools may implement an English speaking policy.

Researchers: The result or findings of this study can become helpful and significant to the

future researchers. This study can provide the future researchers an information and they can use

this research as one of their related studies.

Definition of Terms

This part shows the important terminologies used in the study. The following words used

are defined for the readers to understand the research better.

21st Century Skills - Skills, abilities, and learning dispositions is being required for success in

the 21st century society and workplaces by educators, business leaders, academics, and

governmental agencies.

American English - The English language as spoken in the U.S, used especially with the

implication that it is clearly distinguishable from British English yet not so divergent as to be a

separate language

Communication - A process by which information is exchanged between individuals through

any media.
English - Originally the language of the people of England and probably the most widely spoken

language on the planet taking into account native and non-native speakers.

English Grammar - Is the proper construction of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences in the

English language.

Kto12 Curriculum - It covers the additional 2 years in high school, respectively caled Senior

High School Republic Act No. 10533, which is to provide sufficient time for mastery of

concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education,

middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.

Level of Competency - A reference point that someone may have or may not have, yet attained.

Levels may be specific to an area, in which case specific areas of ability.

Written Communication - Any message exchanged between two or more persons that make

use of written words and is the most common and effective mode of business communication.

Review of Related Literature and Studies

Related Literature

English Language Competence

Language competence is a broad term which includes competence in linguistic, grammatical

discourse, sociolinguistic or socio-cultural, and textual competence. The specific learning

outcomes under the heading Language Competence deals with knowledge of the language and

the ability to use that knowledge to interpret and produce meaningful texts which is appropriate

to the situation in which they would be used. Language competence is best developed in the

context of learning activities or tasks where the language is used for practical applications. For
example, in the University of British Columbia in Canada, in which English is their language of

instruction at Okanagan campus, all applicants, regardless of citizenship status or country of

origin, will be required to demonstrate competence in the English language prior to admission.

Competence is expected in all four of the following skills: listening, reading, speaking, and

writing. Applicants will then demonstrate their English language competence by their

educational background and mastery on English language aligned with their field of education.

Teaching Grammar to High School Students

Decades of research showed that teaching grammar in isolation had no impact on improving

how students used language. According to Constance Weaver, a professor at Miami University

in Oxford, Ohio, and author of several books on grammar instruction including Teaching

Grammar in Context, grammar instruction also links to the way young children acquire

language.In most schools, textbooks for High school students need a firm command of the

language to achieve college readiness as measured by standardized tests and to apply for jobs

after their schooling ends.

English Proficiency as a Competitive Edge

Having both English and Filipino as official languages does not mean that everyone

understands or speaks English, but the exposure to the language is so great that those who do

speak it can communicate quite fluently. The old Bilingual Medium of Instruction policy did

more to erode than elevate our competency in the English language to globally acceptable

standards. Education Undersecretary Dina Ocampo-Cristobal explains that this evidence-based

language acquisition policy enables early-grade learners to express themselves in class in a

language that they already know. Helping young learners master their mother tongue

significantly heightens their competency to acquire the globally dominant English language. To
address the issue about the lack of English skills, Ibpap has its advanced English proficiency

training or AdEPT, a blended learning approach wherein Business English concepts learned in

the classroom are reinforced through constant practice using an online tool. Master trainers Zoe

Diaz de Rivera and Gino Caliwagan have been busily conducting AdEPT classes for the faculty

of a number of public and private universities for the past three years, and they hope to

implement AdEPT as widely as possible.The fact remains, however, that employers still turn

away many of our youth because their English skills are below par, despite the Philippines being

a country where the English language is deeply entrenched in local culture.

Integrative L2 Grammar Teaching: Exploration, Explanation and Expression

The idea of connecting form and meaning in grammar teaching is a developing trend in

reference to the proficiency oriented curriculum. She points out that students should be able to

learn explicit grammar rules as well as have a chance to practice them in communication in the

authentic or simulation tasks. Interestingly, it also advocates giving students a chance to look at

the language on a sentence level to see how certain grammatical rules are applied. (Musumeci,

1997)

Ehrenworth (2003) suggested two possible reasons why students did not learn grammar

through the direct instruction method to which Shuman (1991) referred. First, the researcher

noted that most direct grammar instruction is confusing and filled with exceptions, Which

renders students unable to think independently about grammar schemes on a sentence level?

Secondly, the researcher noted the resistance theory research conducted by Heshusius (1989, as

quoted in Ehrenworth, 2003), who claimed that resistance theory provides a framework for

understanding these childrens behavior as active resistance to a situation they find threatening,

boring, or otherwise intolerable.

 Vavra (1993) noted that few English teachers are prepared to teach grammar and receive little

or no instruction on how to do it in their teacher preparation classes. Therefore, often, teachers

teach grammar the only way they know how, the way they were taught years ago. Moreover,

Weaver (1996) referred to learning theory to support why students did not learn grammar in the

traditional method. She argued that grammatical concepts were so complex that the traditional

behaviorist strategies of repeated skills practice done in isolation do not work. She cited Harris

and Rowan (1989) who showed quite convincingly that a conscious grasp of grammatical

concepts requires a depth of understanding that is often not gained through practice exercises

alone.

Lindblom, et.al. (2003) Recommended three vitalization of grammar in authentic and

purposeful ways. These integrated strategies included: Build and Make Use of a Grammar-

Controversy Archive that is used by and contributed to by both students and teachers; Hold

Public Grammar Debates that combines speaking, writing, and listening with a real audience and

purpose can be a powerful way to have students see the importance of grammar; and Assign

Descriptive Grammar Studies so that students can see that grammar is not just one set of rules

used by people in power, but that different grammars are used for different situations. According

to them the use of all of these activities achieves the goal of integrating grammar and helps

student to internalize the importance of grammar. Also, asserted that students would begin to see

that grammar is not just a boring set of rules, but a subject that is alive and constantly changing.

The authors argued that these grammar strategies and others would not only reestablish the

importance of grammar in the classroom, but would also invigorate writing, speaking, listening,

and reading in the classroom. Used of this approach not only taught the grammar needed to help

students, but Integrated the areas of language arts and made more meaningful connections for all.
 Griffin et al. (1998) suggest that children must become skilled users of language. They must

be highly competent in reading and writing to pass the various assessments that constitute

gateways for completing schools, getting into college, and finding jobs. Teachers need a wealth

of content and pedagogical knowledge to ensure that they are providing appropriate instruction

to all students. Teachers also need a thorough understanding of educational linguistic- how

language figures in education. This foundation would support teachers practice overall, and in

particular, it would help them literacy skills.

Geimeret. al.(2000) studied the Improving Student Achievement in Language Arts through

Implementation of Multiple Intelligences Strategies says that student achievement has been low

in language arts in Suburban, Chicago, IIIinois school districts. This action research project was

designed to determine the effect of incorporating multiple intelligence strategies into the

language arts curriculum. Further was indicated through teachers observation of student

performance other factor that impact low students achievement are mobility, lack of teacher

training and support in implementing curriculum, and teachers not addressing students various

learning styles.

Carter (1999) studied The Grammatical Vocabulary: A Plea for the Re- Introduction of

Grammatical Concepts says that schools stopped teaching any grammatical system some time

ago, as they probably should have. But the schools also, at the same time, stopped teaching

grammatical terminology, a mistake which has had lasting sequences. Students need to be told

what infinitive, preposition, case. and predicate complement mean. They need the tools

to think about and analyze their sentences. This paper argues that students should have

vocabulary for discussing language. The paper contends that if students know the meaning of
grammatical terms and phrases and have practice identifying the concepts, they will then be able

to recognize the structures in their writing. Educators will enable them to improve their work.

Einarsson (1999) in his The Place of Grammar in the Language Arts Curriculum says that the

history of grammar instruction includes two approaches: the handbook approach, which is

practiced today, and the textbook approach. The handbook approach focuses on rules for correct

writing and is an error- based view, while the textbook approach would treat grammar

holistically and interpretively and would systematically explain new concepts in light of previous

ones. One current example related to textbook approach envisions a creative, activity base

classroom, but asserts that no theory should be thought. Knowing grammar is a holistic and

theoretical way, however, cannot be harm in students writing, and studies are showing benefits to

heightened awareness of language on students composition.

Marlow (1998) the title of the researchers study was Grammar Revisited in the English

Curriculum says that pupils need to study grammar that is useful and functional. Good teaching

emphasizes proceeding from the concrete to the semi-concrete in teaching learning situations,

then the abstract phase of learning needs to be emphasized. To learn adjectives, pupils might

play a game in which they would provide adjective alternative to those in a sentence printed on

the chalk board. Pupils can make numerous substitutions in a prepositional phrase, playing with

words and developing their vocabularies. To be knowledgeable about grammar and its use,

pupils also should understand sentence patterns. The most appealing aspect of word study is the

student centered activities. Word study that focuses on spelling-meaning and spelling- grammar

connection helps students expand their vocabulary, develop sensitivity to word choice in reading

and writing, and build explicit basic awareness of how English orthography functions in the

integrated language arts program.

 Vies (2000). The title of the researchers study is Grammar Learning through Strategy

Training: A classroom study on learning conditionals through meta cognitive and cognitive

strategy training says that grammar teaching to students with the focus on form and meaning. A

method of integrative grammar teaching, consisting of three major stages (a) exploration, (b)

explanation, and (c) expression (EEE), is proposed. The basic aim of teaching English is to

enable the student to develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing English. A

student must be equipped not only to get information and knowledge from books written in

English, but must also has the ability to use the language for intelligent discussion and

communication.

Lacang (2005) the title of the researchers study was Competencies and Characteristics of

Effective Teachers. Base on the findings of the study, administrators, and master teachers as well

as the high achieving pupils have similar perceptions on professional competencies, teaching

strategies and techniques and personality traits. They considered very important on teaching

effectiveness and success. Administrators, teachers and high ability pupils have similar

perceptions on the importance of rank order of competencies and traits for effective teaching.

This leads one to conclude that a more valid evaluation of teaching performance should include

the perceptions of various groups including the pupils. Interco relations of ratings given by the

four groups were high to very high which means that any one of the four sets of ratings can be

used as a valid and reliable measure of teaching effectiveness.

Rubin (1999) in his Teaching Elementary Language Arts: A Balanced Approach emphasizes

the blend of theory and practice in teaching the language arts to elementary students. This study

continues to focus on the language arts as thinking processes and on students as active

consumers of information. A practical approach is emphasized throughout to help teachers

effectively implement a dynamic language arts program. The book stresses that good teachers are

eclectics who utilize those approaches, methods and strategies that best suit the needs of their

students.

The longer years of schooling means more learning, more time spent tp master skills and

develop competencies, deepening of learning outcomes and more opportunities to be exposed to

the learning environment (Gormley& Gayer, 2005). The Philippine basic education failed to do

this.

21st Century Skills for Students and Teachers

21st century learning skills there has been a significant shift over the last century from

manufacturing to emphasizing information and knowledge services. Information and

communication technology is transforming how we learn and the nature of how work is

conducted and the meaning of social relationships. Shared decision-making, information sharing,

collaboration, innovation, and speed are essential in todays enterprises. No longer can students

look forward to middle class success in the conduct of manual labor or use of routine skills work

that can be accomplished by machines or easily out-sourced. Today, much success lies in being

able to communicate, share, and use information and innovate new demands expand the power of

technology to create new knowledge.

Hence, new standards for what students should be able to do are replacing the basic skill
competencies and knowledge expectations of the past. To meet this challenge schools must be
transformed in ways that will enable students to acquire the creative thinking, flexible problem
solving, collaboration and innovative skills they will need to be successful in work and life.

Every aspect of our education system pre K12, postsecondary and adult education, after-school
and youth development, workforce development and training, and teacher preparation programs
must be aligned to prepare citizens with the 21st century skills they need to compete. The
Partnership for 21st Century Skills has emerged as the leading advocacy organization focused on
infusing 21st century skills into education. The organization brings together the business
community, education leaders and policymakers to define a powerful vision for 21st century
education to ensure every childs success as citizens and workers in the 21st century.

Related Studies

Teaching 21st Century Skills For 21st Century Success Requires An Ecosystem Approach

In order to succeed in the 21st century, students must learn much more than the three Rs and
basic computer competency. The term 21st century skills is used often in educational circles to
refer to a range of abilities and competencies that go beyond what has traditionally been taught in
the classroom, including problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity and
innovation. Most can use Wikipedia or Google, and they can easily crowd-source information,
post photos and videos, and even correspond with people around the world using a variety of
mechanisms. Troublingly, however, one recent study has indicated that many students are unable
to determine what is advertising content, what is a news story, and when a source is credible.

Students can work the Internet and digital applications for entertainment or to glean basic
information for a project; worryingly few, understand the building blocks of our digital world
and how to manipulate them and avoid, in turn, being manipulated. The deeper thinking and
discovery that characterize 21st century skills are not just for people in wealthy school districts
or the college-bound. This skill set is critical for all people who hope to participate productively
in the workforce.

Barbara, K. (2017, July 18). Teaching 21st Century Skills For 21st Century Success Requires
An Ecosystem Approach. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/barbarakurshan/2017/07/18/teaching-21st-century-skills-for-
21st-century-success-requires-an-ecosystem-approach/#2adaeef83fe6

Readiness and Competence of Senior High School English Teachers to Implement

Curriculum 2013
 Curriculum in public schools is always changing along with what occurs in the society. As

emphasized by Oliva and Gordon from Indonesia University of Education (2013), public

schools, one of four major society's institutions, face contemporary problems, some of which

threaten their existence. In order to survive, the schools have to respond and be able to solve the

problems faced by the society by changing the curriculum. Therefore, it is apparent that

curriculum change occurs in response to changes that take place in the society.

The implementation of curriculum is considered as one of the most prominent phases after

developing the 2013 primary and secondary curriculum in Indonesia, and this is greatly

influenced especially by teachers' readiness and competence. (Oliva, 2013) This research was

aimed to investigate teachers' readiness and competence to implement the 2013 Curriculum,

particularly viewed from their comprehension about the syllabus of English and its articulation

into lesson plans based on the principles of syllabus development as suggested in the curriculum.

In addition, their ability and their self-efficacy in implementing the curriculum in classroom

teaching and learning processes were also dealt with. Twelve senior high school teachers from

different schools were assigned to complete a questionnaire about their readiness and

competence to implement the 2013 curriculum and were observed in their teaching and learning

process. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were employed in the research. Results from

quantitative analysis showed that teachers' readiness to implement the curriculum had low

correlation to their competence. Qualitative analysis revealed that teachers had adequate

readiness to implement the curriculum and adequate competence to develop lesson planning. For

further studies, teachers' attitude, motivation, belief, and commitment as regards the

implementation of the 2013 curriculum need to be further investigated.

A Case Study of the Differences and Similarities between Teaching English Grammar to

Native and Non-native Speakers of English in Sweden and in the UK

In this study two teachers have been interviewed and observed. One of the teachers

teaches English to Foreign Language learners in Sweden at a secondary school while the other

one teaches English mainly to L1 learners at a UK secondary school. The Swedish teacher of

English is referred to as Maria and the English teacher of English is called Lauren. In the English

subject in the UK both English literature and English language are included. This clear

distinction is not made in Sweden. The classes that have been observed when Lauren has been

teaching consist of pupils in the age-range of 13-17, while Marias pupils are in the ages 13-16.

Marias school is a lower-secondary school in Sweden. The average number of pupils in a class

at Marias working place is about 26, while the average number of pupils in Laurens classrooms

is about 14-18.

Observations were made in both teachers classrooms. Maria presents a totally new

grammatical rule, she deals with the cardinal rule at an early stage and the exceptions at a later

stage. The presentation of a grammatical rule is done in many ways by Maria. However, she can

see that she has a tendency to let the pupils read a text in their textbooks first, and then, make

them aware of one grammatical structure seen in the text by talking about that particular

structure explicitly. Maria also lets her pupils translate the text so that a comparison to Swedish

can be made and after this she lets the pupils work in their workbooks with exercises that are

related to the text. Finally, Maria tries to get the pupils to produce texts of their own including

the grammatical rule that has just been dealt with. For Lauren, most of her grammar lessons

dealing with the usage of full-stops, commas and semi-colons. One way for Lauren to visualize
grammatical content is to use the smartboard. For example, she shows different constituent parts

of a sentence on the smartboard and makes the pupils move them around in order to give the

pupils a sense that language consists of different parts that can be moved. Lauren says that the

fact that she starts her grammar presentations orally and visually is an advantage for the dyslectic

pupils, since she thinks listening is more their style. Another advantage of starting the

explanation orally is that she can see whether her pupils have understood the content or not

As for the interview for the two teachers, their views and practices of grammar teaching

were much more similar than expected. However, one difference between the teachers grammar

teaching practices is the extent to which a course book is used. Lauren does not use one since she

does not believe in them whereas Maria uses one for two reasons: convenience and her learners

expectations. Yet, the biggest difference can be found in the teachers different aims with their

grammar teaching. Whereas Lauren teaches grammar integrated in the teaching of writing skills

with a focus on plain accuracy, while Marias aim with her grammar teaching is for her pupils to

reach an all-round communicative ability.

In conclusion it can be stated that the teachers practices of grammar teaching are very

similar in the sense that they both include explicit formal instruction that are both inductive and

deductive.

Pedagogical Implementation of 21st Century Skills

This qualitative inquiry pursued understanding intentionally taught communication and

collaboration skills and how this educationmodified any and all aspects of the students lives. In

Personal Development Education (PDE) literature, the students voices and perspectives were

missing, and therefore, the hope of this paper was to shed light on the significance of PDE as a
relevant educational reform. (Lundeberg, V.J.) The research of Vera Jacobson-Lunderberg is to

see how effective is the 21st century to the current students and how did it affect their lives.

Lunderbergs study focused on the role of communication and collaboration in self-

empowerment and students sense of their own credibility. According to the researcher, Mr.

Lunderberg,had a general idea that PDE was a way to empower youth, particularly SED

populations. The researcher originally thought 21st century skills empowered students for their

future career success. But the students portrayal of their experiences illuminated the

contribution of 21st century skills to increasing confidence, self-efficacy, and credibility.

The method that was used by the researcher in teaching 21st century skills included direct

instruction, interactive lecture, modeling discussion, simulation, journal writing, questioning,

interviewing, project-based learning, cooperative learning and reflection. The researcher also

used other methods that includes objective quizzes, reflective essay writing assignments and

questionnaire. The researcher had a 50-minute class period daily. Overall, this unit was

successful, as evidenced by the students reflective essays, in which they commented on their

individual learning experiences. (Lunderberg, V.J.)

Impact of English Proficiency on Academic Performance of International Students

This research is about how English proficiency impacts the academic performance of

International students, according to the researchers, their research was conducted for

investigating the relationship between self-perceived English language proficiency and academic

performance of international students of a 4-year University. The university is located at North

Central Lousiana. The researchers investigated the relationship between multilingualism and

academic performance as well for filling up the gap that exists in their current literature. The
method that they used was a ex-post facto it is a non-experimental approach in examining the

researchers aim. They gave a standardized self-reported questionnaire for collecting data. The

findings of their research concluded that there are significant differences in the academic

performances of international students with a different English Language proficiency level and in

the academic performance of international students who speaks multiple languages. (Lousiana,

C.)

The Effects of English Language Proficiency and Scientific Reasoning Skills on the

Acquisition of Science Content Knowledge by Hispanic English Language Learners and

Native English Language Speaking Students

A research conducted by Hector N. Torres from the University of Massachusetts and Dana

L. Zeidler from the University of South Florida, studied about effects of being proficient in the

universal language and science reasoning skills on the acquisition of science content knowledge

by the Hispanic English language learners and Native English language speaking students. One

of their researchs objective is to examine the effects of English Language proficiency on the

acquisition of Science content knowledge by Hispanic English language learners while the other

objective was to investigate the scientific reasoning skills on the acquisition of science content

knowledge by Hispanic English language learners and Native English language speaking

students participating in Grade 10 science class. They used an ex-post facto or non-

experimental method in investigating their objectives. They gave a language assessment and

science reasoning skills test to the chosen grade 10 students. The result of the language

assessment has 3 categories; low, intermediate and high, the students frequency in low was 30,

in intermediate was 62 and in high was 66 in total of 158 while the science reasoning skills has
also 3 categories; Intuitive with a frequency of 81, Transitional with a frequency of 64 and

Reflective with a frequency of 13 in total of 158.

Grammatical and Communicative Method - A New Approach in the Practice of Teaching

Foreign Languages

Language teaching has become an applied character, whereas earlier it used to be

relatively abstract and theorized. Aristotle gave the famous triad of teaching, which is correlated

with the modern requirements: (1) logo - the quality of presentation; (2) pathos - the contact with

the audience; and (3) ethos - attitude towards others. This rule applies to the speaker, an actor

and the teacher of a foreign language, whose roles involve two first hypostasis. The use of this

method can satisfy the need for professional education of a foreign language of specialists and

students at a higher level. Wherein new approaches to teaching a foreign language suppose that

English language as a discipline should be an integral component of modern specialist training.

Unfortunately it will not able to cover all aspects of grammar equally well, so the designed

grammatical tutorial needs to be improved. In addition, we could not find a reasonable balance

between the teaching of all aspects of language, such as speaking, listening, reading and

writing so as a priority in our methodology is given to grammar and speaking.

A Study of the Teaching and Learning of English Grammar with Special Reference to the

Foundation Course in the Norwegian Senior High School

Communicative competence is a term in linguistics which refers to a language user's

grammatical knowledge of syntax, morphology, phonology and the like, as well as social

knowledge about how and when to use utterances appropriately. Grammatical competence is a

part of Hymes communicative competence. He operated with the notions of what is possible,
acceptable, and appropriate in language. What is possible certainly has to do with grammar,

whereas appropriateness has to do with cultural and contextual factors. Later, Canale and Swain

(1980) extended the concept of communicative competence to include grammatical,

sociolinguistic, discourse (cohesion and coherence) and strategic (communication strategies)

competence. They distinguished between communicative competence and communicative

performance. Hymes claimed that Chomskys linguistic competence missed functional aspects of

the language by merely focusing on rules of grammar. Hymes said, what is grammatically the

same sentence may be a statement, a command, or a request; what is grammatically two different

sentences may as acts both be requests. Thus sociocultural features were intertwined with

modern linguistic theory: we have to break with the tradition of thought which simply

equates one language, one culture, and The teaching and learning of grammar takes a set of

functions for granted

ICT in Teaching a Foreign Language in High School

ICT (information and communication technologies) teaching and learning foreign languages.

ICT One of the effective ways to improve the quality of teaching foreign languages is the

informatization of education. The use of ICT in learning a foreign language helps to intensify

and personalize learning, promotes interest in the subject, makes it possible to avoid subjective

assessment. In addition, the ICT contribute to overcoming the psychological barrier of students

to the use of a foreign language as a means of communication. The importance of the use of ICT

in the formation of linguistic competence of students of universities in learning foreign language

is argued and proven in practice. Conducted pedagogical experiment showed that the use of ICT

has a positive impact on the quality of teaching a foreign language. Information and

communication technologies (ICT) are of key importance at all levels of the educational system.
At each stage of cognitive activity, research and practical applications in all branches of

knowledge ICT perform both the functions of tools and objects of knowledge. Consequently,

ICT innovations not only provide a revolutionary development in this branch of knowledge, but

also have a direct impact on the scientific and technological progress in all areas of society.

Thus, information and communication technologies are a class of innovative technologies for the

rapid accumulation of intellectual and economic potential of strategic resources, ensuring

sustainable development of society.

Grammar Making a Comeback in Composition Teaching

Teaching says that the result of new assertiveness of people who never loss interest in

grammar as part of English curriculum and by better teaching method. Another influence may be

a growing in interest in several aspects of composition that seem to require students to have at

least a modicum of knowledge about grammar. One of these is stylistic grammar, which

promises users a clearer, more graceful style and elimination of bureaucratese, sociologies and

other ridiculed styles.

It is related to the present study because it implies benefits if ones do not loss interest in

grammar, student will be convince to study grammar because it will give them the advantage and

that is it will be easier for them to write essays and other composition.

SYNTHESIS

Having both English and Filipino as official languages does not mean that everyone

understands or speaks English, but the exposure to the language is so great that those who do

speak it can communicate quite fluently. The old Bilingual Medium of Instruction policy did

more to erode than elevate our competency in the English language to globally acceptable
standards. Einarsson (1999) in his The Place of Grammar in the Language Arts Curriculum says

that the history of grammar instruction includes two approaches: the handbook approach, which

is practiced today, and the textbook approach. The handbook approach focuses on rules for

correct writing and is an error- based view, while the textbook approach would treat grammar

holistically and interpretively and would systematically explain new concepts in light of previous

ones.

Research Methodology

This chapter shows the methodological procedures section of the study. It includes the

research design, population and sample size, sampling techniques, instrumentation, data

gathering procedure and as well as the Statistical Treatment of Data

Research Design

The design that was used in this research is descriptive method. The researchers chose to use

this method since they want to know the level of competence of the grade 12 STEM students of

Pasig Catholic College and the research has no cause and effect. In the three types of descriptive

research method, the researchers chose survey method because using survey method will be a

big help for the outcome of the research. Moreover, this research involves data collection to get

or seek answers to the questions.

Descriptive research method is a study designed to delineate participants in a precise way,

descriptive research is all about describing people who take part in the study. (Kowalczyk, D.)
Population and Sample size

This study will be conducted in Pasig Catholic College wherein a total of two hundred

seventy seven (277) Grade 12 STEM Senior High School students. This study was limited only

to two hundred seventy seven (277) respondents, forty one (41) Students from Pope Benedict

XVI, thirty eight (38) from Pope Francis, forty two (42) from Pope Innocent, thirty seven (37)

from Pope John XIV, forty one (41) from Pope Paul VI, thirty eight (38) from Pope Pius IX, and

forty (40) from Pope Pius XII students from Grade 12 STEM Senior High School. The sample

size was determined using the Slovin's formula. The population size is 277 therefore the sample

would be 167

SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

The researchers will use the fishbowl method. In the fishbowl method, the class number

of the students of each of the seven (7) classes of stem strand will be taken and put into a bowl,

which will be a stepping stone for the researchers to take 24 students from each section

according to the slovins formula of 167. Where it was taken from random samples in a

population which is composed of 277 Grade 12 stem Senior High School students.

INSTRUMENTATION

The researchers will use a survey questionnaire in getting the data for the study. The

survey questionnaire consists of twenty five (25) questions. The contents of the survey

questionnaire are about the correct usage of words which will be used to know the English

competence level of Grade 12 Senior High School students of Pasig Catholic College. The

questionnaire was divided into three parts to determine their mastery on different aspects of
English grammar, the questionnaire includes five (5) items about the Correct use of verbs, five

(5) items about Subject-verb agreement and fifteen (15) items about correct usage of words.

Their level of competence was measured through a scale for made by the researcher and

validated by their statistician and adviser in research. The scale is presented as follows:

PART I & II : Correct use of verbs & Subject verb agreement:

Correct items Adjectival Description

0-1 LEARNER Basic level of conceptual knowledge.

2-4 KNOWLEDGEABLE Intermediate level of knowledge.

5 HIGHLY Advanced level of conceptual knowledge.

KNOWLEGEABLE

PART III : Correct word usage (15 items)

Correct items Adjectival Description

0-4 POOR The result was below the

researchers expectations.

5-7 UNSATISFACTORY Result failed to meet the

researchers expectations.

7-10 SATISFACTORY The result met the researchers

expectations.

11-13 VERY SATISFACTORY The result exceeded the

researchers expectations.
 14 15 OUTSTANDING The result represented an

extraordinary level of competence.

Ranking was used to determine the level of English grammar competence of the respondents. It

guided the researcher as to which curriculum was more effective in the teaching of English

grammar. The ranking for their English grammar competence based on the results of their test

questionnaire is determined by the table below:

LEVEL (based on correct ADJECTIVAL DESCRIPTION

answers)

0-6 POOR The result was below the

researchers

expectations.

7-12 UNSATISFACTORY Result failed to meet the

researchers expectations.

13-18 SATISFACTORY The result met the

researchers expectations.

19-24 VERY SATISFACTORY The result exceeded the

researchers expectations.

25 OUTSTANDING The result represented an

extraordinary level of

competence.
Data Gathering Procedure

In this study, quantitative data analysis procedures were utilized. The process before

conducting the study involved the following factors: The researchers prepared a questionnaire

that would test and evaluate the grammar competence of the respondents specifically on the

correct usage of words. The test is composed of twenty-five (25) multiple choice questions.

The respondents of the questionnaires are two hundred seventy seven (277) students from

Grade 12 STEM Senior High School of Pasig Catholic College. A total of two hundred seventy

seven (277) students were chosen to answer the test questionnaire using the fish bowl sampling

technique.

Statistical Treatment of Data

The following statistical treatments were used.

Slovins formula was used to determine the number of respondents for Grade 12 SHS students

and BEC students to answer the test-questionnaire. The formula of slovins is as follows:

n= N .

1+Ne^2

Where:

n is the sample size

N is the population size ()

e is the margin of error (.05)

Pacific Policy Research Center. (2010). 21st Century Skills for Students and Teachers.
Retrieved from http://www.ksbe.edu/_assets/spi/pdfs/21_century_skills_full.pdf