Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Introduction

Teaching remains as the noblest profession, not only because it was introduced by

Jesus Christ through His way of life, but also because man himself serves as the ultimate

beneficiary and output of the said profession. Consequently, this fact implies that

teaching as an act of serving corresponds to learning or accepting what is given and

responding to it accordingly. It is shown in a previous study that the applied cycle of

communication in a classroom is that the teacher is the source of information and the

learner is the receiver who responds and reacts depending on what the latter receives

(Fajardo, 2014).

In the context of learning nowadays the use of technology integration has been

acclaimed as a catalyst for educational transformation. Over the past decade, evidence of

good use of technology has emerged in numerous studies (Villanueva, 2014).

Teaching students in the 21st century have been made easier but challenging in the

case of teachers since education requires multifaceted individuals therefore requiring

facilitators of learning to develop students’ various skills. To do this, it has been proved

by researchers that multimedia-aided instruction could be one of the ways in enhancing a

globally competitive individual.

In view thereof, this study will determine the effects of multimedia-aided

instruction done by English teachers to students and its outcome among students.
 Therefore, the researcher is encouraged to determine the effects of multimedia-

aided instruction among Grade 10 students in Ponot National High School in the school

year 2016-2017 to further develop the educational system in the Philippine setting.

Theoretical/ Conceptual Framework

This study is anchored on the Theory of Educational Technology proposed by

Skinner in his book: “The Technology of Teaching”, as cited by Fouts (2000) and

Villanueva (2014) which states that technology integration can do many things to help n

the process of creating more authentic learning environments and more.

According to Fouts, if the learning environment is technologically rich, it can

increase self-esteem and enthusiasm for learning. This can lead to more positive attitudes

for learning, as well as lower absentee and dropout rates. He asserted that having a more

technologically rich learning environment eventually lead to a higher rate in attendance

and scholarships. This is great news for today’s students if they are lucky enough to have

learning environments that are rich in technology (Villanueva 2014).

Reigeluth, et. al (2011) stressed “using technology in the classroom can allow

teachers to effectively organize and present lessons. Multimedia presentations can make

the material more meaningful and engaging.” Studies completed in “computer intensive”

settings found increases in student centre, cooperative and higher order learning, students

writing skills, problem solving, and using technology (Ross, et. al., 2010). In addition,

positive attitudes toward technology as a learning tool by parents, students and teachers

are also improved.

 Another theory that supports the educational technology theory is Skinner’s

Behaviorist that learning is based on the notion of operant conditioning. Behaviors that

are rewarded tend to be exhibited more often than those that are not. Positive and

negative reinforcements increase desired behaviors with rewards. Punishment decreases

undesirable behaviors with aversive stimuli and learning happens inside the mind and

cannot be seen directly. Learning can only be inferred by observing behaviors. Learning

can be understood, explained, predicted entirely on the basis of observable event, namely,

the behavior of the learner along with its environment antecedents and consequence

(Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H., 2010).

Educational technology refers to the use of different types of technologies to

facilitate, enhance and support teaching and learning. Different scholars identify different

forms of educational technologies that are used around the world to facilitate instruction

and learning. Such educational technologies include: computers, internet, mobile phones,

TV/LCD, audio/visual cassettes, CDs, DVDs, blogs, wikis, podcasts and social networks

(referred as web 2.0) and televisions, radio, one way video conferences, emails, and

discussion forums which are referred as web 1.0 (Chen & Bonk, 2008).

Teachers in the classroom on the proper use of multimedia-aided instruction can

stimulate students’ interest in learning, active classroom atmosphere improving teaching

effectiveness that makes learning easy and enjoyable (Villanueva, 2014).

Becta (2009) summarized the key benefits – technology-based integration

promotes greater collaboration among students and encourages communication and the

sharing of knowledge.
 Along this premise, this study rules out the possibility that multimedia-aided

instruction in classroom setting, if used, will appear to have an effect on students’ English

performance. This study anticipates that technology-based learning exposure produces an

impact on students’ learning in a way that it contributes to the recent activities done by

learners nowadays. It is for this reason that this study is going to be conducted in order to

determine the effects of multimedia-aided instruction to students’ English performance.

The Schema of the study is presented in figure 1. The topmost rectangle contains

the participants of the study which is Ponot National High School Grade 10 students.

Two arrows from the said rectangle are pointing to the two blocks below it. The first

arrow pointing to the left box contains the students in control group and the arrow

pointing to the right box contains the students in experimental group. From both boxes

are arrows pointing to the center box which the Pretest of both control and experimental

group is exposed. The arrow from the center box containing Pretest is pointing down to

the box containing the topics to be included in the Pretest. An arrow containing the

control group is pointing downward connecting to the traditional method to be used in

teaching the different topics, while the arrow from the experimental group is pointing

downward connecting to the box that contains the technology-based integration in

teaching English utilizing the use of computers, LCD projector and speakers in

presenting the lesson and utilizing video clips, ready-made powerpoint presentation of the

topics. From both boxes are arrows pointing to the lowermost position of the figure

which contains the Post-test to be administered to the students with the arrow signifying

that similar topics during pretest will be included in the post-test.

 Ponot National High School Grade 10 Students

Control Pre-test Experimental

English 10

Grammar Awareness

 Subject-Verb
Agreement

Traditional  Sentence Patterns Multimedia-Aided

Instruction
 Kinds of Sentences
According to Function

Post-test

Figure 1 Schema of the Study

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to investigate how multi-media aided instruction affects the

English performance of Grade 10 students in Ponot National High School during the

school year 2016-2017.

Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the pretest performance of Ponot National High School, Grade 10

students in the:

1.1. Control Group;

1.2. Experimental Group?

2. Is there a significant difference between the pretest performance of the Ponot

National High School Grade 10 students in the control group and experimental

group?

3. What is the post-test performance of the Ponot National High School Grade 10

students in the:

3.1. Control Group;

3.2. Experimental Group?

4. Is there a significant difference between the pretest and post-test performance

of the Ponot National High School Grade 10 students in the control group and

experimental group?
 5. Is there a significant difference between the post-test performance of the Ponot

National High School Grade 10 students in the control group and experimental

group?

6. Is there a significant difference on the pre-post mean gain of the control and

experimental groups?

Hypotheses

The following hypotheses will be tested:

𝐻𝑜1 : There is no significant difference between the pretest performance of the

Ponot National High School, Grade 10 students in control and experimental groups.

𝐻𝑜2 : There is no significant difference between the post-test performance of the

Ponot National High School, Grade 10 students in control and experimental groups.

𝐻𝑜3 : There is no significant difference between the pretest and post-test

performance of the Ponot National High School Grade 10 students in control and

experimental groups.

Significance of the Study

The study will benefit the following in different ways:

Ponot NHS Grade 10 students. They are the direct recipients of this study. After

determining whether the multimedia-aided instruction has a negative or positive effect to

students’ English performance, the teachers will be encouraged to either continue

utilizing it or reject it in the teaching-learning process of these students.

 Ponot NHS English Teachers. This study will give teachers and idea on what aid

of instruction they will employ to improve their students’ performance in English and to

cater students’ needs.

School Administrator. The principal will benefit the success that may be

achieved by teachers once the result of this study will be developed. The performance of

the teachers as well as the students would bring a good performance to the school where

the students and teachers belong.

Future Researchers. The findings of this study may be used by future

researchers who will conduct related investigation. They could utilize the current findings

to support and substantiate the future studies conducted.

All Teachers. The findings of this study will not only be limited to the teachers in

Ponot NHS but as well as to the teachers in other schools so they can develop their

teaching strategies.

Scope and Delimitation

This study will involve the Grade 10 students officially enrolled in Ponot National

High School during the school year 2016-2017. The 25 students in Grade 10 section

Hyacinth will compose the control group while the other 25 students in Grade 10 same

section will compose the experimental group.

English topic that will be covered in the study is limited to grammar awareness

which includes the concepts namely: subject-verb agreement; sentence patterns; and

kinds of sentences according to function.

Definition of Terms

To understand the contents of the current investigation, the following terms are

operationally defined:

Computer. It is an electronic device used to manipulate data so that information

can be generated.

Control Group. It is the group of students who will be exposed to the traditional

medium of teaching English without multimedia.

Educational Technology. This refers to a combination of the processes and tools

involved in addressing educational needs and problems, with emphasis on applying the

most current tools: computers and other related technologies.

English Performance. The term refers to the scores of the student respondents in

the English test. In this study, this refers the score that will be obtained by the

respondents in the pretest and post-test that will be administered by the researcher.

Experimental Group. It is a group of students who will be exposed in teaching

English with the integration of multimedia instruction.

Information and Communication Technology. Defined as a “diverse set of

technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store,

and manage information.” These technologies include computers, the Internet,

broadcasting technologies (radio and television), and telephony.

Microsoft PowerPoint. It is a proprietary commercial presentation program

developed by Microsoft. It was officially launched on May 22, 1990, as a part of the
Microsoft Office suite, and runs on Microsoft Windows and Apple’s Mac OS X operating

system.

Post-test. This term refers to the test to be administered by the researcher to

student respondents after exposing them to ICT integration and the traditional method of

teaching. The scores that will be obtained by the students in the control and experimental

groups will be considered as their post-test performance.

Pretest. In this study, the term refers to the test to be administered by the

researcher prior to the exposure of the student respondents to ICT integration and the

traditional method of teaching English. The score in control and experimental groups will

be considered as their pretest.

Technology Integration. It is the use of technology tools in general content areas

in education in order to allow students to apply computer and technology skills to

learning and problem-solving.

Traditional Method of Teaching. This refers to the teaching method that

employed talk, chalk, board, and eraser in teaching English subject.

 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents literatures which are all significantly related to the present

study.

Literature

Globalization and technological development have markedly transformed our

ways of learning and teaching English as a lingua franca in the 21st century (Block &

Cameron, 2002; Burns & Coffin, 2001; Warschauer, 2000). New technologies have

dramatically increased the possibility of interaction and mobility among people around

the globe, overcoming many barriers of time and space. Countries are much more

interdependent than ever in human history in terms of politics, business, and academics,

uniting themselves to various regional and international organizations (e.g., the European

Union, the United Nations, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development,

and the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation) (Crystal, 2003, 2004). As a result, Crystal

(2003) noted, “There are no precedents in human history for what happens to languages

in such circumstances of rapid change. There has never been a time when so many

nations were needing to talk to each other so much…And there never has been a more

urgent need for a global language” (p. 14). The Economist (1996) predicted even before

the wide diffusion of high-speed internet service, “[Electronic communications] have

created a need for a global language—and English will fill that slot” (para. 3).

Few would argue against the fact that English has achieved a global status,

becoming a means of international communication in the early 21st century

(BruttGriffler, 2002; Crystal, 2003, 2004; McKay, 2002; Seidlhofer, 2001, 2003;

Warschauer, 2000a). According to Crystal (2003), English enjoys a genuinely global

status with a special role that is recognized in every country. English is now an official

language for 85% of about 12,500 international organizations (Crystal, 2003), the most

widely taught as a second and foreign language in the world (Crystal, 2003), the

operating standard for technology, science and medicine (Economist, 1996), and a global

lingua franca of international banking, economic affairs, trade, advertising global brands,

international conferences, international law, science publication, international tourism,

tertiary education, Internet communication, entertainment and many other sectors

(Graddol, 1997). The British Council’s (1995) English 2000 Project found that (a) over

two-thirds of the world’s scientists read in English, (b) three quarters of the world’s mail

is written in English, (c) 80% of the world’s electronically stored information is in

English, and (d) of the estimated 40 million users of the Internet, the majority

communicate in English (Graddol, 1997). In addition, as Warschauer (2001) points out,

in the 21st century, using “English is not only for simple communication, but rather for

the kinds of complex negotiations, collaboration, analysis, critique, and construction of

knowledge required by an information economy and society” (p. 56).

Both centrifugal and centripetal forces can be found everywhere in recent days

(see Crystal, 2004 and Oxford, Massey, & Anand, 2005 for detailed examples related to

language and language teaching). As for English as a lingua franca, Burns (2003) argued

that it means both “compliance and resistance as speakers, native and non-native, pull in

different linguistic directions” (p. 22). The number of people learning English as an

international language is rapidly growing throughout the world, more countries have
adopted English as an official language, and American culture permeates the world

accompanied with the spread of American English. In short, globalization requires

mutual intelligibility and common standards (Crystal, 2003; Graddol, 1997; Yano, 2001).

At the same time, however, varieties of English are developed in different regions, non-

native speakers strive for keeping their local identities, and there is a growing concern

about linguistic imperialism that marginalizes indigenous languages around the world

(Canagarajah, 1999; Phillipson, 1992). Kubota’s (2002) comments on three dimensions

of English language education in Japan (i.e., increased ethnic, linguistic, and cultural

diversity in the local communities, the prevalence of English, and increased linguistic and

cultural nationalism) clearly manifest two different sides of the same coin – the existence

of both converging and diverging forces of globalization. Moreover, the center of gravity

has been gradually shifting from speakers of English as a first language to those of

English as a second/foreign language (Crystal, 2003; Yano, 2001). Thus, it may well say

that all English users, both native- and non-native speakers, should have a right to take a

share in the future of English and should be considered as legitimate owners of English

language in the 21st century since “language is an immensely democratizing institution”

(Crystal, 2004, p. 23).

Furthermore, like the way globalization affects the United States, as it does other

countries (Giddens, 2000), the spread of the English language is not particularly of great

advantage to monolingual, native speakers of English over all bi- or multilinguals in the

global age. Rather, it is increasingly becoming an opportunity in the disguise of a threat

or challenge, especially to those who learn English as an international language. In other

words, in the age of global networked society and diglossia (i.e., using English for
international communication, and other languages for local, regional and national

communication), the ability to speak two or more languages may enable one to have a

head start over those who speak only English.

Having said that, it is increasingly important to direct our attention to the centroid

shift observed in the field of second/foreign language learning through technology, from

accuracy to accuracy plus fluency, and to accuracy plus fluency plus agency

(Warschauer, 2000b, 2004). As technology advances from the mainframe computer to the

personal computer to the networked, multimedia computer, the paradigm of CALL-based

English teaching and principal objectives has changed, accordingly. Each phase of CALL

development2 is reflected in social, economic and technological circumstances in a

certain period (see Chapelle, 2001; Levy, 1997; Warschauer, 1996). For example, the

current phase, Integrative CALL, views language learning as engaging in new discourse

communities and developing social interaction, not merely achieving accuracy and

fluency (Warschauer, 2000b). In this paradigm of CALL, increasing agency and a sense

of identity by using new technologies is considered a prime objective, in addition to

authenticity of the input and authorship of the language learner (Kramsch, A’Ness, &

Lam, 2000). That is, appreciating human agency, “the power to take meaningful action

and to see the results of our decisions and choices” (Kramsch et al., 2000, p. 97, quoting

Murray), in the use of English language and information technologies is of vital

importance in the 21st century. It is mainly because “[the pleasure of agency] has to do

with the power to construct a representation of reality, a writing of history, and impose

reception of it by others” (Kramsch et al., 2000, p. 97).

 Warschauer’s (2000) comment is also noteworthy in this regard: “if English is

imposing the world on our students, we can enable them, through English, to impose their

voices on the world” (p. 530). To this end, understanding the impact of individual learner

characteristics, ICT, and sociocultural environments on their language learning process

should be the starting point in order to gain power over the grip of driving forces.
Studies
 Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Method

Research Environment

Research Respondents

The respondents of this study are the two hundred sixty (260) Grade 10 students
in Ponot National High School.
Research Instrument

Procedure of the Study