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Introduction

Nowadays, almost every teenager is addicted to social media like Facebook,

Twitter and YouTube. YouTube is a video sharing platform, and it allows people to

watch and create videos of their choice. There are a lot of Youtubers that is called

influencer because they influence a lot of teenagers in different ways like their language

behavior. (Westenberg, 2016)

According to Doug Kaufman, Language Behavior defines a behaviorist theory on

how human expands language. There is a behaviorist named B.F. Skinner who was

curious and got interested in language acquisition in humans. He proposed that our

language also has skills and it develops or expands. It is the process of our language to

expand according to what we hear or our environment.

Since YouTube become main stream, there are a lot of students that are watching

videos there. Some also imitates their favorite youtuber like how they speak, or even the

word that they always say in the vlogs or videos. The researcher observed that there are a

lot of students watching Filipino Youtubers specifically grade 7 learners in National

Teachers College. They also heard a lot of grade 7 learners shout the famous lines of their

favorite youtuber as well as them copying the language behavior of each youtuber.

Therefore, the researcher has decided to investigate this problem. Since there are a

lot of Grade 7 learners in National Teachers College that watches YouTube. The

researcher seeks to know the influence of Filipino Youtubers to language behavior of the
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participants in different situations. Studies reviewed to show how some Grade 7 learners’

language behavior has been influenced by the Filipino Youtubers in different aspects.

Statement of the Problem

Generally, the study aims to attain the following objectives:

1. Determine the influence of the Filipino Youtubers to the language behavior of the

participants in situation like:

a. Conversation with peers

b. Conversation with family

c. Public Speaking

2. Identify the most common language or words that participants get from Filipino

Youtubers.

Significance of the Study

The findings of the study or research provide a brief proposition on the

significance of the study that will give the society the intuition of the influence of

Filipino Youtubers in the language behavior of Grade 7 learners in National Teachers

College. This research will benefit the following individuals:

The Students. This study will give them information about language behavior

and also how youtubers influence them.

The Parents.This study will give information on where their child is getting or

adapting the way they choose words or how they speak.

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Youtubers.This study will give them information on what and how they influence

students.

Behaviorist.This study will give more information about behaviorial linguistics to

students.

Future Researchers.The result of thisstudy will benefit and develop the future

researches of individuals studying Behavioral Linguistics especially language behavior.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study focuses on “The Influence of Filipino Youtubers in the Language

Behavior of Grade 7 learners in National Teachers College.” The respondents of the

study are composed of twenty (20) randomly selected Grade 7 learners of National

Teachers College as long as they are watching some of the Filipino Youtubers. The

results of this study are relevant only to the respondents of this study, for those who are

learning how human develop language and researchers who conduct research about

topics in language behavior. The researchers consider working on this study to find out

the influence of Filipino Youtubers to the language behavior of Grade 7 learners. To

know also their influence to certain situations like having a conversation with peers,

family or in Public speaking. The respondents will answer some question regarding on

how they are influenced by Filipino Youtubers in situations.

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Conceptual framework

The Influence of Filipino Youtubers in the language behavior of Grade 7

learners in National Teachers College

Determine the influence of Filipino Youtubers to the

language behavior of Grade 7 learners.

Influenced language behavior of Filipino

Youtubers to Grade 7 learners in different
situations.

Analyze why Grade 7 learners are influenced by

Filipino Youtubers' language behavior.

Conceptual Paradigm of the Study

Definition of Terms

 Language - the method of human communication, either spoken or written,

consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way.

 Language Behavior - describes a behaviorist theory on how humans develop

language.

 Behaviorism - a school of psychology that takes the objective evidence

of behavior (such as measured responses to stimuli) as the only concern of its

research and the only basis of its theory without reference to conscious

experience.
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 Behaviorist – a person who advocates or practices behaviorism.

 Speaker – a person who speaks.

 Listener - a person who listens, especially someone who does so in an attentive

manner.

 YouTube - a video sharing service that allows users to watch videos posted by

other users and upload videos of their own.

 Youtuber - a person who uploads, produces, or appears in videos on the video-

sharing website YouTube.

 Language acquisition - the process by which humans acquire the capacity to

perceive and comprehend language as well as to produce and use words and

sentences to communicate.

 Language environment - The language environment includes everything

the language learners hear and see in the new language. It holds very impportant

roles in the success of language learners. It is the responsibility of the

second language teachers to create a good language environment to their students.

 Language development – is the process by which children come to understand

and communicate language during early childhood.

 Verbal operant – is a term used within the verbal behaviour approach to describe

one of the components of expressive language.

 Language assessment – staff work with speech communities to better understand

their patterns of language use and gather information for language development

planning.
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 Language skills - Listening, speaking, reading and writing are the four language

skills we need to develop for complete communication.

 Language as communication - system made up of a group of written and sound

symbols that people of a region or country use for writing or talking. On the other

hand, sending as well as receiving messages, either by verbal or non-verbal

methods, equates to communication.

 Linguistic adaptation - is a phenomenon where language representations change

in response to linguistic input.

 Language evolution - is the gradual change in human language over time. It

involves the origin and divergence of languages and language families, and can be

considered analogous to biological evolution, although it does not necessarily

occur through the same mechanisms.

 Language Comprehension - of day to day functioning in

adulthood. Comprehension of written and spoken language relies on the ability to

correctly process word and phrase meanings, sentence grammar, and discourse or

text structure

 Language delays - is a type of communication disorder.

 Intervention program - is a treatment method used by the mental health

community, and utilized in a number of ways to better the situation of individuals

who have become dependent on various substances or activities.

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Review of Related Literature

2.1. Language Behavior

According to Doug Kaufman, Language Behavior explains a theory of behavior

on how language is formed by humans. F.B. Skinner was a behaviorist with an interest in

acquiring language in humans. He proposed that language was gained, just like any other

skill, by reinforcing environmental responses. As a result of interacting with the

environment it is a process of building language skills on top of one another. Language

behavior is formed and sustained by a language environment— by people that reply

to behavior in certain ways due to the practices of the group of which they're members.

Such behaviors and ultimately the resultant contact between speaker and listener produce

the phenomena that are considered under the rubric of language behavior here.(Passos,

2012). There are many applications of Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior for

improving the language skills of youngsters and adults with language delays. In Sundberg

and Michael we suggested that greater gains may well be made with language delayed

populations by incorporating Skinner’s behavioral analysis of language into existing

behavioral programs. the subsequent suggestions were made: incorporate mend training

into the daily intervention programs; incorporate intradermal training into the daily

intervention programs when appropriate; make use of the motivating operation (MO) as

an variable in language training; use Skinner’s analysis of the verbal operands as a

framework for language assessment instead of the expressive-receptive formulation; use

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Skinner’s analysis of the verbal operands as a framework for a language intervention

curriculum instead of the expressive-receptive formulation; use a functional analysis of

verbal behavior to research errors and verbal deficits much within the same way that

descriptive and functional analyses are wont to analyze behavior problems; and make use

of Skinner’s analysis of automatic reinforcement. (Bondy, 2015)

2.2 YouTube

YouTube is one of the world’s premiere video sites. It allows you to create your

own channel and gives you the freedom to upload or watch videos of your choice. It also

features comment threads in your videos that you manage and a counter that allows you

to keep track or see who’s viewing your videos. (LLC YouTube, 2011). YouTube today,

more than 10 years later, is bigger than ever. YouTube's content creators were at the

forefront of this growth as they became the platform's face. Each YouTube user decides

who and what they want to watch, so it goes without saying that certain video makers

gain a bigger following than others. This habit of posting video clips which are

considerably unprofessional has become a path for many people to success. Each year,

thousands of YouTube channels make six figures, which is a ridiculous amount of money

and a career that most of us can only dream of (YouTube, 2015) In the research entitled

“Social Media Engagement: What motives user participation and consumption on

YouTube?” A study of 1143 registered YouTube users conducted online surveys in light

of the Uses and Gratifications process that helped gage user behavior. Results showed

that the strongest predictor of liking and disliking videos for participation on YouTube

was the calming motive for entertainment; commenting and uploading being strongly

predicted by the motive for social interaction; sharing being strongly predicted by the
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motivating details. Passive consumption of content in the form of video viewing was

predicted most strongly by relaxing motives for entertainment and reading comments

predicted by motive-seeking knowledge.(Khan, 2016).

METHODOLOGY

This chapter explains the method used by the researcher in determining the

influence of Filipino Youtubers in the Language Behavior of Grade 7 learners in National

Teachers College. This part of the study shows the research design, sources of data,

sampling techniques, participants, research instrument, and data gathering procedure.

Research Design

The researcher used descriptive method in the study of the influence of Filipino

Youtubers in Language Behavior of Grade 7 learners in National Teachers College. The

quantitative method was used by gathering information such as common language or

words they adapt with their Favorite Youtuber and how often do they apply it in their life

in different situations.

Sources of Data

This research utilized primary data. The primary data were obtained in National

Teachers College by means of survey questionnaires for Grade 7 learners.

Sampling Techniques

The sampling technique used by the researcher was stratified sampling wherein

the researcher surveyed twenty Grade 7 learners in National Teachers College who are

watching Filipino Youtubers.

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The Participants

The participants of this study to assess the influence of Filipino Youtubers in the

Language behavior were Grade 7 learners in National Teachers College. The researcher

gathered the data of twenty random participants who are watching youtube.

The Research Instrument

The research instruments used in this study was survey questionnaire formulated by the

researchers. The survey questionnaire was divided into two parts. The first part was about

the information they have and what language or words they adapt from Filipino

Youtubers. The second part was about how often they apply it in their life in different

situations.The questionnaire had frequency indicators (Always, Often, Sometimes,

Never) to specify the most common language the participants adapt in different

situations. A rating scale was used to aid the participants in answering the survey

questionnaire.

Table 1. Survey Rating Scale

ARITHMETICMEAN INTERPRETATION

4 = 4.0-3.27 Always

3 = 3.26-2.51 Often

2 = 2.50–1. 75 Sometimes

1 = 1.74-1.0 Never
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Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers took the following steps in gathering the needed data for this

study.

Phase I.The researcher comes up to brainstorming of the given topic. The

approval of the final title was on the 10th of January, 2020.

Phase II.The researcher started the study on the second week of January 2020.

The researcher prepared the sample instrument that was used to collect the information.

The sampling tool, which is the questionnaire on the srvey checklist, will be checked on

the 20th of January, 2020.

Phase III. The researcher conducted the study through distributing a survey

questionnaire to gather data. The survey questionnaire was composed of information they

have and different situations of adapting the language behaviour of Filipino Youtubers to

Grade 7 learners through checklist format.

Phase IV.The data gathered were analyzed through the given response of the

participants in survey questionnaire on the first week of February 2020. The researcher

based on Liker scale. To show the data collected in this study, a graph will be prepared.

Data Processing and Statistical Treatment

Descriptive analysis of data was employed for the responses in the interview.

Responses were analyzed and grouped accordingly. Description was formulated based on

the responses given by the grade 7 learners in National Teachers College.

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The weighted mean was used to interpret the data by determining the average

score among the ratings of the respondents which were shown in the survey

questionnaire.

X is the repeating value

x̄ is the weighted mean

n is the population
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Results and Discussion

This section summarizes the answers and conjectures made on the conduct of the

study. Various situations are studied to determine the influence of Filipino Youtubers in

the language behavior of Grade 7 learners in National Teachers College.

The Influence of Filipino Youtubers in the language behavior of Grade 7 learners in

National Teachers College.

The following data and figures present the influence of Filipino youtubers in the

language behavior of Grade 7 learners in National Teachers College in different situation

through the collection of the different statements. As presented, the Grade 7 learners in

National Teachers College, adopted the language behavior in three different situations

with peers, family, and in Public Speaking. Nevertheless, most of the Grade 7 learners

adopted their language behavior with their peers.

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The figure below states that sixty-five percent of the Grade 7 learners preffered watching

youtubers for Entertainment. While twenty percent is for their unique content, ten

percent for other reasons like because of their sense of humor, moral of vlogs and

experiments done by the Youtuber. Lastly, Five percent because of the trend and their

fame.

For Entertainment Unique Content Trend/Fame Others

5% 10%

20%
65%

Figure 1.The reasons why they are watching their favorite youtuber.

In figure 1, most of the students chose for entertainment because they can choose what

kind of video they want to watch everyday. There is no denying that YouTube has

become a legitimate source of entertainment for millions, tired just a decade. YouTube is

now competing with a number of the largest television programmes and infrequently, it

wins in terms of views. Many claim that YouTube will become an all-encompassing
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video channel that viewers can watch and listen and play as interactive experiences,

integrating computer games into the web site (Kenyon 2016). Least of the student chose

Trend/Fame because teenagers are more relatable to YouTube influencers

than mainstream celebrities (Defy media, 2015).

The figure below states forty-two percent of the grade 7 learners’ choses sometimes for

the given situations with peers. While thirty-eight percent of them choses often, thirteen

percent choses always and seven percent choses never.

Always Often Sometimes Never

7% 13%

42%
38%

Figure 2.The influence of Filipino youtubers in the language behavior of grade 7

learners’ situations with peers.

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In figure 2, forty-two percent of the grade 7 learners’ choses sometimes for the given

situations with peers because most of them just adopt the language but not their choices

of words or slang terms when conversing with

peers.Obviously most students establish appropriate habits for positive social experiences

with peers (Stephens, 2016). Also, they adapt the positive attitude of each youtuber.

Seven percent choses never because they are maybe shy to talk about their favorite

youtuber and they are afraid to get criticize by their peers that’s why they are not

comfortable with it.

The figure below states forty-two percent of the grade 7 learners’ choses never for the

given situations with their family members. While thirty-three percent of them choses

sometimes, twenty-two percent choses often and three percent choses always.

Always Often Sometimes Never

3%

22%
42%

33%

Figure 3.The influence of Filipino youtubers in the language behavior of grade 7

learners’ situations with their family members.

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In figure 3, forty-two percent of the grade 7 learners’ choses never for the given

situations with their family members because many parents don’t know about their

children's online behavior and the YouTubers they support (Westenberg, 2016). They still

respect their family and they can control themselves when conversing to family members.

Three percent choses always because they are so close to their family, theyemploy the

language behavior when conversing to their family members, and some of their family

members also watches YouTube that’s why they can relate to each other.

The figure below states forty-one percent of the grade 7 learners’ choses sometimes for

the given situations in Public Speaking. While thirty-percent of them choses often,

nineteen percent choses never and ten percent choses always.

Always Often Sometimes Never

10%
19%

30%

41%

Figure 4. The influence of Filipino youtubers in the language behavior of grade 7

learners’ situations in Public Speaking

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In figure 4,forty-one percent of the grade 7 learners’ choses sometimes for the given

situations in Public Speaking because not all the time they are delivering speeches in their

school and according to a book Public Speaking: Practice and Ethics, we should always

use formal words in delivering speeches. While ten percent choses always because they

are the ones who delivers speech for fun and adapt the language behavior at the same

time like adding some of the famous words created by their favorite youtuber.

The influence of Filipino Youtubersin the language behavior of the participants in

different situations.The following table shows the weighted mean for every term and its

remarks.

Situations Weighted Mean REMARKS

1. Conversing with Peers 2.58 OFTEN
2. Conversing with Family Members 1.87 SOMETIMES
3. Public Speaking 2.31 SOMETIMES

The influence of Filipino Youtubers in the language behavior of Grade 7 learners was

adapt most in conversing with Peers.

Conclusions

Based on the findings of the study the following conclusions were drawn:

1. Grade 7 learners’ watched a lot of Filipino Youtubers for Entertainment.

2. Grade 7 learners adapt the language behavior of Filipino youtubers in different

situations with their peers, family members and in Public Speaking.

3. Grade 7 learners mostly adapt the language behavior of their favorite youtuber in

conversing with their peers.

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4. Grade 7 learners mostly adapt the slang terms created by their favorite youtuber.

Also they adapt the choice of words and choice of languge to use like Bisaya,

Ilocano, English or Tagalog in their daily life.

5. Most of the Grade 7 learners chose Cong TV as their favorite youtuber and adapt

the word Paawer.

Recommendation

In line with this study, the researcher recommends this for further improvement, due to

the limited resources and lack of concrete data. In terms of location, the researcher

acclaimed to conduct this in more specific places where respondents are indeed watching

Filipino youtubers. For the future researchers, it is recommended to conduct to have a

profound understanding about the language behavior of the target respondents in adapting

different language behavior of Filipino youtubers. Moreover, this study could be a future

reference and a good beginning for future developing research in terms of language

linguistic.
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