Preferred Activities of Selected Fourth Year students:

A Basis to Enhance the English Program

A Term Paper
Presented to
Mrs. Perla Pelayo Demagante
High School Department
University of Perpetual Help System- DALTA

In partial fulfillment of the requirement

For the course
English IV

By

Laryssa Mae V.Estrella

Lyka G. Nakachiyo
Shaira Mae B. Dela Cruz
IV-Prudence

February 28,2012

Table of Contents
List of Tables

Chapter

Page

The Problem Its Background

34

Statement of the Problem

Importance of the Study

Definition of Terms

Scope and Limitations of the Study

Chapter

Review of Related Literature and Studies

79

Chapter

Methods of Study

10

Sources of Data

10

Treatment of Data

10

Chapter

Presentation and Interpretation of Data

12 23

Chapter

Summary of Findings

24 25

Conclusions and Recommendations

25 26

BIOBLIOGRAPHY

27

Appendix

A.

Questionnaire

CHAPTER 1

The Problem And Its Background

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.
The concept of a Universal Language is more significant only now, in the era of world mass
communication. Before this era Greek, Latin, French were to some extent universal languages,
though mainly in Europe.
By a lucky coincidence due to factors above, English, the Universal language, is one of the
simplest and easiest natural languages in the world. The only other simple and easy languages
are constructed ones.
Of course the concept of easiness is relative, and it depends on which language you know
already. However the concept of simplicity is undeniable: English in an easy language to learn

understand and speak. A complex language such as Hungarian would be a very unlikely
candidate for a universal language.
First of all, English Language uses Latin alphabet, the most universal, simple and short one (only
the Greek alphabet is shorter and simpler). In addition, in English, the Latin Alphabet presents its
most "clean" form as a true alphabet with only 26 basic letters and no diacritics;
Verb conjugation is very simple and easy. Even for irregular verbs, there is almost no variation in
person (except 3rd singular in present tense).
Regular verbs have only four forms: Infinitive + Present, Past Tense + Past Participle, 3rd person
singular Present Indicative, Present Participle.
There are almost no Inflections. No number or gender inflection for adjectives, articles, adverbs.
For adjectives there is only comparative and superlative, almost only number for nouns. In
pronouns there are gender and number inflections and only three declension cases (Acc/Dat,
Nom, Gen).
English is one of the most analytical languages, with no significant synthetic, fusional or
agglutinative characteristics. (Carlos Carrion Torres - Vitoria ES Brazil)
Now teachers can give fourth, fifth, and sixth graders the crucial vocabulary practice they need
with this three-volume curriculum proven equally effective for English-language learners
(ELLs) and students whose first language is English.
Research studies have shown that students' vocabulary knowledge strongly correlates with their
success in reading comprehension. This program uses innovative approaches to help students

build a "toolbox" of skills that let them decipher the meanings of unfamiliar words with
confidence.
Ideal for use in classrooms that include both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking ELLs, each
curriculum combines teacher-directed instruction with cooperative group learning (proven
effective for teaching heterogeneous groups of students) and individual activities for
reinforcement.

For each grade, teachers get an age-appropriate, 18-week curriculum that takes just 30 minutes a
day. Each curriculum consists of eight regular lessons that take two weeks each and are built
around a section of a story or novel, and two review lessons that take one week each and use new
activities to reinforce what students have learned. All readings are reproduced in the books, so
theres no need to purchase additional material.
Within each volume of the curriculum, teachers get

a step-by-step Teachers Guide to walk them through each lesson

a range of fun and innovative activities, from peer interviews and "word webs" to old
favorites like fill-in-the-blanks and sentence writing

cooperative group work that pairs ELLs with native English speakers

vocabulary words defined in English and Spanish to aid Spanish speakers

activities that use a child's first language to bolster vocabulary and text comprehension

"teacher tips" that give creative suggestions for engaging children with language

photocopiable pages of in-class work, homework activities, and assessments

With this proven program, both English-language learners and native English speakers will
expand their knowledge of vocabulary words and learn how to generalize the strategies they
learn when they encounter new words outside the classroom.

Statement of The Problem

Since the researchers experienced varied activities in English, they would go mere
observations and find the perception of the open student who are also undergoing
different activities in English, thus the conduct of this study.
Specifically, it answered the following questions:

1.) What is the profile of the respondents?

2.) What is the most preferred English Activity of the selected students?
3.) What is the implication of the finding to enhance the English Program?

Importance of the Study

The study will be beneficial to the parents because their children will adopt what
they learn from the said activity and they will share it to their friends and family.
This findings of the study will be useful for the teachers because it can specify
whether the students like the activity or not.
It will also be useful to the students because their choice will be given attention by their
teachers and will use the idea and the students will have fun in their activity.The study
will also benefit the English teachers as this will serve as their basis and reference in
planning activities which they can incorporate in their lessons.The result of the study will
be a basis to enhance the English Program and this will be form of the different
subjects.

Definition of Terms
Program - A listing of the order of events and other pertinent information for a public
presentation.

Enhance - To make greater, as in value, beauty, or effectiveness; augment.

Language - Communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary
signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study was limited to the students perception about the Preferred Activities of
the selected 4th Year High School students. It covered the school year 2011-2012. It
included the Business High School and Regular High School of the University of
Perpetual Help System DALTA.
The survey was conducted on sixty (60) students who were present during the
administration of the questionnaire and they were used as the respondent of the study

Chapter 2
Review of Related Literature and Studies
This chapter presents a review of related studies and literature.

The present study aimed at investigating learners' beliefs about different

learning activities and the degree of discrepancy between learners' preferences and
instructors' awareness of those preferences in foreign language learning. The study
involved 603 EFL students majoring in different fields who responded to a
questionnaire on their preferred activities in the "General English" course. In addition,
27 instructors who taught the "General English" course were asked about their
perceptions of students' preferences in the same context. The questionnaire included
40 classroom activities. A comparison was made between these two participant
groups' responses. The results indicate that, in communicative activities, there is a
significant difference between students' preferences and instructors' perception of
those preferences. Students' preferences for communicative activities were
significantly higher than their instructors' beliefs. The results indicate that instructors
are not highly aware of students' preferences in relation to communicative activities.
The results have implications for syllabus and material design and classroom practice.
Learners' preferences are one side of the coin. The other side of the coin is teachers'
awareness of those preferences, which plays a considerable role in influencing their
decision-making processes and classroom behaviors (Spratt, 1999). Some studies
indicate that there are considerable discrepancies of opinions between learners and
their teachers or syllabus experts. A divergence of opinions between these two groups
has been noted in relation to what they prefer, what learners need, and the nature of
language and language learning (Kern, 1995; Kumaravadivelu, 1991; Nunan, 1988a,
1988b). Block (1994, p. 473) found that "teachers and learners operate according to

quite different systems for describing and attributing purpose to tasks." According to
Kumaravadivelu (1991) both teachers and learners bring with them their own
perceptions of what constitutes language teaching and learning. In other words,
learners and teachers interpret classroom activities from their own perspectives, which
may not always match. [-2-]

A prominent example of the divergence of opinion between learners' preferences and

teachers' perception of those predispositions is the study performed by Spratt (1999)
involving EFL learners in Hong Kong. The results of this study showed that "teachers
were able to gauge their learners' preferences with accuracy for 54% of activities" (p.
141), which is a considerable degree of discrepancy. In another study by Barkhuizen
(1998), ESL teachers in South Africa frequently became surprised when they found
out their students' thoughts, feelings and indications.
In considering learners' views towards instructional activities, sociocultural norms of
different societies may also play an important role. In some societies with a top-down
curriculum, social roles of teachers and learners are so rigidly drawn that expecting
learners to participate in decision-making in the classroom may not be viewed as
appropriate. The traditional learning styles and habits of the learners may influence
learners' perceived self-confidence and their knowledge base to make informed
choices in relation to instructional activities. In these contexts promoting learners'
participation in the educational process needs to be done with care and sensitivity. As
Cortazzi and Jin (1999) assert, the culture of learning that students and teachers bring
to classroom becomes an invisible yardstick for judgments about how to teach or
learn, about whether and how to ask questions, and about the role of the textbooks in
the curriculum. They illustrate through examples that mismatches in cultures of
learning can affect participants' interpretation of one another and sometimes lead to
misunderstandings. Using multimethod qualitative research procedures, Rao (2002)
discovered that Chinese students' perceived difficulties with Communicative
Language Teaching had their source in the differences between the underlying
educational theories of China and those of Western countries. Based on the results,

Rao suggests that, to update English teaching methods, EFL countries like China need
to modernize, not westernize, English teaching.
As Cray and Currie (1996) suggest, the important point is that teachers do not have to
act on behalf of their learners but with their learners. Attention needs to be given to
students' ways of learning and their preferences and unless teachers are aware of those
preferences they cannot consider them in their teaching activities and classroom
practices.

This study was conducted in order to broaden the scope of studies done in the area of
students' and instructors' perceptions of instructional activities, and to include learners
of a different profile and in a different sociocultural context from previous studies.
It should be noted that the terms likes or Preferences, following Spratt (1999), has
been used in its simplest form. Thus, when students prefer an activity, it means that
they either enjoy it or find it useful. ( http://tesl-ej.org/ej31/a2.html)
Synthesis
The research or the study tells that the related present studies in terms of the methods used and
categories listed in the survey.

This study was conducted in order to broaden the scope of studies done in the area of
students' and instructors' perceptions of instructional activities, and to include learners
of a different profile and in a different sociocultural context from previous studies.
The context of English language teaching in Iran, with its anti-Western sentiments
after the Islamic revolution, the limited amount of exposure to English language and
relative lack of native English speaking tourists and visitors in the country, is different
from the EFL teaching contexts reported in other studies ( e.g., Bada & Okan, 2000;
Nunan, 1989; Rao, 2002; Spratt, 1999). Therefore, it will be insightful to see if similar

findings will be reached. This study will give information regarding this particular
group of learners' perceptions of different activity types and different areas of
language learning, as well as a profile of students' subjective needs. Moreover, the
findings will clarify the areas of mismatch between learners' and their teaches'
perception of different language learning activities. [-3-]
It should be noted that the terms likes or Preferences, following Spratt (1999), has
been used in its simplest form. Thus, when students prefer an activity, it means that
they either enjoy it or find it useful.

http://tesl-ej.org/ej31/a2.html

Chapter 3
Methods of the Study
The following methods and procedures were used in the study:

The data were taken from sixty eight (68) students from Fourth year level
of University of Perpetual Help System DALTA who were present during
administration of the questionnaires. The abovementioned Fourth Year High school
students belong to IV-Wisdom and IV- Fortitude for the Business High school and IVLithium and IV-Francium for the Regular High school.

The questionnaire used was a check list which type is composed of two
parts. The first part focused on the profile of the respondents and the second part
consisted of the checklist of 10 preferred activities in English.

The study used the percentage in treating the data.

F
P=

X100
N

The Formula used to compute the weighted average is shown below.

Number of responses x given weight

Wx=
Number of responses

With the given descriptive rating as follows.

Most Like (ML)= 4.50-5.00

Like(L) =3.5-4.50

Neutral(N)=2.51-3.49

Dislike(DL)=2.5-1.49

Most Dislike(MD)=1.50-2.50

Chapter 4
Presentation and Interpretation of Data
This chapter presents the data and information obtained from the respondents.

Characteristics of the Respondents

The characteristics of the respondents of the study are presented by age and
gender.

Table represents the distribution of respondents According to Age

Table 1
Distribution of Respondents According to Age
Age
%

13-14

15-16

51

17-20

17

0
75
25
TOTAL

68

100

Table 1 presents the distribution of respondents according to age.

As presented in
Table 1, majority of the
respondents belong to the age bracket 15-16 or 75%.

Table 2
Distribution of Respondents According to Gender
Gender

%
Male

39

Female

29

TOTAL

68

57.35
42.65
100

Table 2 presents the distribution of the respondents according

to gender. As presented in Table 2, majority the respondents do male
comprise 57.35%.

Table 3
Number of Teenagers Prefer Debate
F

W
5(Most Like)

17

25

1.25
4(Like)

21

30.88

3(Neutral)

24

35.29

2(Dislike)

7.35

1.24
1.06
0.15
1(Most Dislike)

TOTAL

68

1.47

0.01
100

3.71
Table 3 presents the distribution of the respondents that likes
Debate as their preferred activity. As shown in the table, majority of the
respondents 24 or 35.29% like debate as their preferred activity. On the
other hand 1 or 1.47% never like debate as their preferred activity. This
implies that the students prefer an interactive and representational
argument.

Table 4
Number of Teenagers Prefer Essay/Poetry Writing

F
%

20.59

5(Most Like)
1.03

14

22.06

4(Like)
0.88
3(Neutral)
1.38

31

45.59

10.29

2(Dislike)
0.21
1

1.47

1(Most Dislike)
0.01

68

100

TOTAL
3.51

15

Table 4 presents the distribution of the respondents that likes

Essay/Poetry writing as their preferred activity. As shown in the table,
majority of the respondents 31 or 45.59% like Essay/Poetry Writing as
their preferred activity. On the other hand 1 or 1.47% never like
Essay/Poetry writing as their preferred activity. This implies that the
students prefer to improve their English skills in terms of writing.

Table 5
Number of Teenagers Prefer Film Showing
F
%
61.76

W
5(Most Like)
3.09
4(Like)

42
18

26.47

1.06
3(Neutral)
0.31

10.29

1.47

2(Dislike)
0.03

1(Most Dislike)

TOTAL

68

0
100

4.49

Table 5 present the distribution of the respondents that likes

Film showing as their preferred activity. As shown in the table, majority of
the respondents 42 or 61.76% like film showing as their preferred activity.
On the other hand 1 or 1.47% never like film showing as their preferred
activity. This implies that the students also prefer to watch films for them
to learn and also to enjoy.
Table 6
Number of Teenagers Prefer Library Period
F
%
27.94

W
5(Most Like)
1.40

19

4(Like)
47.06

32
1.88

3(Neutral)
19.12

13
0.57

2(Dislike)
5.88

4
0.12

1(Most Dislike)

0
TOTAL

68

100

3.97
Table 6 presents the distribution of the respondents that likes
Library period as their preferred activity. As shown in the table, majority
of the respondents 32 or 47.06% like Library period as their preferred
activity. On the other hand 4 or 5.88% never like Library period as their
preferred activity. This implies that the students prefer to read and
research in the library for them to enhance their skills in English.

Table 7

Number of Teenagers Prefer Literary Costume

F
%
14.71

W
5(Most Like)
0.74

10

4(Like)

26

38.24

1.53
3(Neutral)

25

36.76

1.10
2(Dislike)

10.29

0.29
1(Most Dislike)

0
TOTAL

100

68
3.58

Table 7 presents the distribution of the respondents that likes

literary costumes as their preferred activity. As shown in the table,
majority of the respondents 26 or 38.24% like Literary costume as their
preferred activity. On the other hand 7 or 10.29% never like Literary
costume as their preferred activity. This implies that the students prefer
to be creative in their costumes.
Table 8
Number of Teenagers Prefer Public Speaking
F
%
11.76

W
5(Most Like)
0.59

4(Like)
26.47

18
1.06

3(Neutral)

24

35.29

1.06
2(Dislike)

13

1(Most Dislike) 5

19.12

0.38

7.35

0.07

TOTAL

68

100

3.16

Table 8 presents the distribution of the respondents that likes

Public speaking as their preferred activity. As shown in the table, majority
of the respondents 24 or 35.29% like public speaking as their preferred
activity. On the other hand 5 or 7.35% never like public speaking as their
preferred activity. This implies that the students also want to gain their
confidence speaking in the front of many people.

Table 9
Number of Teenagers Prefer Show and Tell
F
%

W
5(Most Like)

39.71

27

1.99
4(Like)

22

32.35

1.29

17.65

3(Neutral)
0.53
2(Dislike)

12
6

8.82

1(Most Dislike) 1

1.47

TOTAL

100 4

0.18
0.01
68

Table 9 presents the distribution of the respondents that

likes Show and Tell as their preferred activity. As shown in the table,
majority of the respondents 27 or 39.71% like show and tell as their
preferred activity. On the other hand 1 or 1.47% never like show and tell
as their preferred activity. This implies that the students prefer to share
their ideas by showing something and telling about it.
Table 10
Number of Teenagers Prefer Skill Building/ Reading Enhancement
F
%

5(Most Like)
23.53

16

1.18
4(Like)

25

36.76

1.47
3(Neutral)

20

2(Dislike)

1(Most Dislike)

29.41

0.88

8.82

0.18

1.47

0.01
TOTAL

68

100

3.72

Table 10 presents the distribution of the respondents that

likes Skill building/ Reading Enhancement as their preferred activity. As
shown in the table, majority of the respondent 25 or 36.76% like Skill
building/Reading enhancement as their preferred activity. On the other
hand 1 or 1.47 % never like Skill Building/ Reading enhancement as their
preferred activity. This implies that the students prefer to improve their
vocabulary and their reading skills.

Table 11
Number of Teenagers Prefer Speech Choir
F
%

W
5(Most Like)

27

39.71

1.99
4(Like)
32.35

22
1.29

3(Neutral)

12 17.65

2(Dislike)
0.18

8.82

1(Most Dislike)
1.47

0.53

0.01
TOTAL

68

100

Table 11 presents the distribution of the respondents that

likes Speech choir as their preferred activity. As shown in the table,
majority of the respondents 27 or 39.71% like Speech choir as their
preferred activity. On the other hand 1 or 1.47% never like Speech choir as
their preferred activity. This implies that the students prefer to gain their
confidence and to enhance their teamwork with each other.
Table 12
Number of Teenagers Prefer Word and Quote for the day
F
%

W
5(Most Like)

29.41

20

1.47
4(Like)
1.65

28

3(Neutral)

14

2(Dislike)

41.18
20.59 0.62
4.41

1(Most Dislike)

0.09
4.41

0.04
TOTAL

68

100

3.87

Table 12 presents the distribution of the respondents

that likes Word and quote for the day as their preferred activity. As shown
in the table, majority of the respondents 28 or 41.18% like Word and
quote for the day as their preferred activity. On the other hand 3 or 4.415
never like Word and quote for the day as their preferred activity. This
implies that the students prefer to improve their vocabulary and to
express their thoughts to others.

Chapter 5
Summary Of Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations
The following were the findings of the study
Summary of Findings
The following questions served as guidelines in concluding the study

1. What is the profile of the respondents?

1.1 Majority of the respondents belong to the age bracket of 15-16.
1.2 Majority of the respondents are male.

2. What is the perception of the respondents on preferred activities in English?

2.1 The respondents rated debate with neutral as their preferred activity
2.2 The respondents rated Essay/Poetry writing with Most Like as their preferred activity.
2.3 The respondents rated Film Showing with Most Like as their preferred activity.
2.4 The respondents rated Library Period with Like as their preferred activity.
2.5 The respondents rated Literary Costume with Like and Neutral as their preferred activity.
2.6 The respondents rated Public Speaking with Neutral as their preferred activity.
2.7 The respondents rated Show and Tell with Most Like as their preferred activity.

2.8 The respondents rated Skill Building/ Reading Enhancement with Like as their preferred
activity.
2.9 The respondents rated Speech Choir with Most Like as their preferred activity.
2.10 The respondents rated Word and Quote for the day with Most Like as their preferred
activity.

3. What is the implication of the findings as basis to enhance the English Program?
3.1 Students should be encouraged to join the different English activities for them to gain their
confidence, to give them ideas or knowledge and also to enhance their English skills.

Conclusions
Based from the findings of the data gathered, the following conclusions were drawn.

1. Majority of the respondents are male and belong to the 15-16 age bracket.

2. Majority of the respondents being teenagers themselves have given an honest objective
perception on their preferred activity.

3. Majority of the respondents prefer Film Showing, Show and Tell and Speech Choir as
their preferred activity.

4. Majority of the respondents prefer on their own activity.

Recommendations

In view of the conclusions stated, the following recommendations are hereby

forwarded.

1. Conduct a university- wide study on similar topics to substantiate the result of

this study.

2. Strengthen the University Mission statement by incorporating the result of the

study in the following areas.

Bibliography

http://www.englishstudydirect.com/OSAC/langacmenu.ht
m

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project-based_learning