Assessment of Writing Skills of Senior High School Students As Reflected in Their Research Outputs: Basis For Communication Skills Enhancement Program

Republic of the Philippines
MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

GRADUATE SCHOOL EDUCATION STUDIES
ISO 9001:2015 Panfilo M. Manguera Sr. Rd., Tanza, Boac, Marinduque
Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction
In this highly competitive Modern Age, writing is not only a mere option but a
necessity. The ability to write contributes to academic success. It has become a basic
requirement in civic life and in the global community. Indeed, writing in English is
considered vital in the total development of literacy education and communicative skills
among Filipino students.
Writing is one of the four skills –LSRW (listening, speaking, reading and writing)
in language learning. It is the system of written symbols, representing the sounds,
syllables or words of language, with different mechanisms - capitalization, spelling and
punctuation, word form and function.
Generally, writing is very important that communication is transmitted more
through writing than any other type of media. So, Students need effective writing skills to
meet their academic needs and workplace requirements. Students should improve their
writing skills, for which teachers have to motivate them to have good writing skills, by
providing instruction in writing processes and rules of writing, such as grammar rules and
writing practice.
Thus, the Department of Education (DepEd) has endeavored to improve the
academic performance of Filipino students by implementing the K to 12 Program as
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prescribed by the Republic Act 10533 also known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act.
The Senior High School (SHS) curriculum of the K to 12 Program requires students to
perform well academically. The subjects for SHS demands students to acquire certain
standards in order to pass. These content and performance standards are indicated in the
curriculum guides given by the DepEd. Such standards should be acquired by the
students in order to graduate from SHS. One of the indicators of academic success of
SHS students is having effective and comprehensive academic writing skills.
As a response, the SHS curriculum offers different subjects that seek to enhance
language communication skills, such as academic writing. Some of these are English for
Academic and Professional Purposes (EAPP), Creative Writing, Research in Daily Life,
and Practical Research. EAPP is a course that trains students on academic writing. This
course is the foundation subject for other higher writing courses like Practical Research.
Hence, it focuses on developing students’ academic writing skills in the different
disciplines. Moreover, the course introduces students to research writing skills so that
they can later cope with research undertakings required in their respective disciplines.
Writing has been given great emphasis in the Philippine educational system since
the teaching and learning of English as a Second Language (ESL) support the aim of
enhancing the English competence of Filipino learners. Authorities agree that writing is
one of the highest forms of academic skills for it reflects a person’s level of language
competence, concept development, and abstraction. However, writing is a complicated
process primarily because it requires a combination of skills (Saladino, 2009).
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Writing relies on good fine motor functions, visual-motor planning, attention,
sequencing, thinking, memory, and knowledge of grammar, sentence structure,
vocabulary and the purpose of writing (Steven, 2001). With this nature of writing, many
are convinced that writing is a complex task. It is the most difficult of the language
abilities to acquire; more so, if the language to be used is considered a second. Thus,
students are faced with difficulties in writing that they try to avoid the task for they find it
a struggle.
Frequently writing is accepted as being the last language skill to be acquired.
Mastering written skills is a major challenge for learners. Particularly, writing in English
is considered a challenging task for students who learn English as a second language.
Moreover, the social and cultural background of the ESL learners prevent them from
writing subjects they consider taboo.
Further, ESL learners may experience lexical, syntactical, and morphological
difficulties as influenced by their native language. Interestingly, good writing is much
more than just correct writing. It does not simply mean writing that contains no errors of
grammar, punctuation, or spelling but also responds to the interests of readers. It should
exhibit clearly defined purpose, should present a certain point, should be supported by
specific and clearly connected and arranged pieces of information and should use
appropriate words. Sentences are concise, emphatic and correct.
An academic essay is document that has a defined structure – an introduction, a
body and a conclusion. In writing academic essay, students are required to present a
thesis statement and support it with details and evidences. Further, the academic essay
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follows academic stylistic conventions such as formality, objectivity, explicitness,
caution and structure. However, despite the academic essay writing opportunities offered
to students, it has been observed that students’ academic writing performance remains to
be deficient.
It is not uncommon to find some students who struggle through the writing of
their academic papers in classes which include written reports, concept papers,
examination essays, reviews, reaction and reflection papers, and especially in the writing
of their research papers. . Neither is it uncommon to find some teachers who find it
difficult reading the written outputs in terms of clarity, coherence and/or appropriateness
of expression just to mention some. Such concerns were noted in the study of Wang
2006, who said that teachers observe that students’ compositions remain non-idiomatic,
poorly organized, and grammatically awkward. Students do not follow the aspects of
academic writing.
Thus, this prompted the researcher to pursue this study to find out the SHS
students’ difficulties in writing academic paper and the quality of their written output.
Statement of the Problem
This study is an attempt to evaluate the writing skills of Senior High School of
Makapuyat National High School as reflected in their research output. Specifically it
sought to answer the following questions:
1. How competent are the Senior High School students as to:
1.1 Writing the Review of Related Literature
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2. What are the strengths and weaknesses in writing the review of related
literature of the SHS students in the four districts in the Division of
Marinduque: Boac-Marinduque National High School; (Sta. Cruz)-Makapuyat
National High School; (Gasan)-Bangbang National High School and
(Buenavista)- Buenavista National High School in terms of:
2.1 Content
2.1.1 Introduction
2.1.2 Body
2.1.3 Conclusion
2.2 Coherence
2.3 Citation
2.4 Commentary
2.5 Currency of Literature
3. What are the needs of SHS students in writing review of related literature?
Scope and Delimitation
The study aimed to evaluate the writing skills of senior high school students as
reflected on the available unedited and unpublished manuscripts of senior high school
students’ research output. Forty-four available manuscripts specifically the chapter
2/review of related literature of students from Marinduque National High School (Boac),
Makapuyat National High School (Sta. Cruz), Bangbang National High School (Gasan)
and Buenavista National High School were evaluated and analyzed.
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The analysis of the corpus mainly focused on the proper organization of content
and linguistic structures of the review of related literature. Discourse analysis was applied
in the analysis of the text in the manuscripts of the students. Organization comprised the
way students organized ideas in terms of coherence on how students uses devices to
connect ideas within each sentence and paragraph, so as to organizing ideas from sources
were integrated in the citation, comment and the currency of literature.
The problems encountered by senior high school students in terms of writing the
review of related literature were determined from the unedited and unpublished papers
using the rubrics.
Significance of the Study
The study provide sufficient and useful information to the School Administrators,
teachers, students, parents, and the community at large. This study about Writing Skills
of the selected Senior High School of Science Mathematics and Engineering students
will not only deemed useful in the four schools namely Marinduque National High
School, Makapauyat National High School, Buenavista National High School and
Bangbang National High School, but also in the Division of Marinduque as a whole. The
results of this study will highlight the importance of writing skills of the students in
bridging the gaps in the actual communication standards on their future careers and
workplace. Hence, communicative competence is not only a vital aspect in honing the
skills and confidence of the students but also in securing their success in their chosen
field.
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Specifically, the School Administrators will get information which will be
useful in formulating school’s programs which are based on the needs of the students
especially the proficiency of the students in Academic Writing.
The findings of the study will also beneficial to the Senior High School teachers
to reassess their professional practices in using and teaching the language which later on
help them improve their writing skills. This will further guide them to enhance the
students’ competence in writing by employing teaching approaches and strategies which
will answer the current deficiencies of the students. This will likewise provide them ideas
to generate instructional materials like modified modules in every strand in order to
address the specific needs of the students.
Parents and guardians can use the findings and recommendations of this research
to help and guide their children’s competence and performance in Academic Writing by
providing them opportunities and interventions.
The findings of this research will help students to identify their key strengths as
well as their weaknesses in writing in order to enhance their performance through the
practices they will get from the remedial intervention. They can use the essential
information and feedback from the study to better improve their writing skills.
Lastly, this research will provide meaningful information and knowledge in
enhancing the communicative competency of the students and how it influences their
research writing skills. This will also guide and inspire the future researchers in
conducting related researches in academic writing to determine the writing skills of the
students and its impact on their performance.
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Definition of Terms
Terms used in this study are provided operational definitions for a consistent
readers’ view of the meaning.
Assessment refers to the process of determining the writing skills as reflected in
their research output specifically the review of related literature of the shs students in
terms of: content; coherence; citation; commentary and currency of literature.
Academic Writing is the type of formal writing used in presenting information that
follows a particular tone, which uses concise, formal, and objective language. It also
adheres to traditional conventions of punctuation, grammar, and spelling.
Coherence means the “togetherness” of ideas within a paragraph or a longer
discourse where sentences and paragraphs are shown to link or connect well with each
other using discourse markers and transitional words, phrases or clauses.
Cohesion means the “relation of meaning” which allows the readers to make
connections between the ideas in the text.
Citation is the process of identifying and acknowledging the author/s or sources
of ideas and information by mentioning their names, year of publication, and/or page
number in the textual presentation or discussion.
Competence is the skill or proficiency displayed by a senior high school student in
writing an academic paper.
Commentary refers to the comments, judgments, evaluation made on ideas,
findings, results, conclusions in previous studies on the data.
Corpora refer to the forty-four research output evaluated by the panel of experts.
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Makapuyat National High School it refers to the secondary school at Napo, Sta.
Cruz, Marinduque and is the research locale of the study that offers Science Technology
and Engineering Strand (STEM) in the Division of Marinduque.
Marinduque National High School it refers to the secondary school at Isok II,
Boac Marinduque and is the research locale of the study that offers Science Technology
Mastery Level is the level of the student mastery in the writing of review of
related literature which is categorized as Highly Competent, Competent, Fairly
Competent, Barely Competent, and Incompetent.
Buenavista National High School at Brgy. Uno, Buenavista, Marindquue it refers
to the secondary school at Buenvista, Marinduque and is the research locale of the study
that offers Science Technology and and Engineering Strand (STEM) in the Division of
Marinduque.
Bangbang National High School it refers to the secondary school at Bangbang,
Gasan, Marinduque and is the research locale of the study that offers Science Technology
Science, Technology, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) refers to the strand of
the respondents in the study. This strand belongs to the Academic Track.
Remedial Intervention refers to the output which aims to help students develop
their communicative skills and competence.
Research Output is a piece of formal academic writing done by a student in a
senior high school program as a final requirement.
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Senior High School is the two-year specialized upper secondary education offered
in the K+12 Program.
Writing Skills refer to the set of abilities or proficiency in terms of one’s
grammatical, textual, functional, strategic and sociolinguistic knowledge.
5C’s refers to content, coherence, commentary, citation and currency of literature.
These are the criteria used in evaluating the research output of the senior high school
students.
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Theoretical/Conceptual Framework
Of the four skills in English, writing is considered to be the most complex and
difficult skill to master. This difficulty, according to Richards and Renandya (2002: 303):
“lies not only in generating and organizing of ideas but also in translating these ideas
intoreadable texts”. Writing is a complex metacognitive activity that draws on an
individual’s knowledge, basic skill, strategies, and ability to coordinate multiple
processes.
Hence, writing is very much needed by the students as they do academic work
that requires them to do numerous varied writing tasks. Academic writing is focused in
this study which put together a review of theories, concepts and studies related to writing
competencies, corpus-based discourse analysis subsuming text/linguistic analysis,
language for academic purposes. Theories on which academic writing is
anchored were also Discourse Community

pondered.
(Senior High School
Students)
Writing
Competencies/Writing
Skills
Academic Writing
Figure 1. Theoretical Framework
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This study is anchored in the model of Montejo (2015). The process of writing,
academic writing and discourse analysis were taken into account; concepts to consider in
determining the level of writing competencies of SHS students and in analyzing the
corpus.
Likewise, the process of qualitative research and data analysis in
language/linguistic research were also taken into consideration.
Conceptual Framework
Assessment of the
Writing Skills of the
Senior High School
Students as reflected in
Evaluation of the their research output in
Research research output terms of:
Output/Manuscri specifically the review
pts of the Senior of related literature of 1. Content
High Students the research output 1.1 Introduction
(STEM) using a modified 1.2 Body
rubrics. 1.3 Conclusion
2. Coherence
3. Citation
4. Commentary
5. Currency of
Literature
Figure 2. The Research Paradigm
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Figure 2 shows the research paradigm of the study. This paradigm guided the
researcher in undertaking the study of Assessment of Writing Skills of the Senior High
School Students as Reflected in their Research Output. This study also made use of a
modified rubrics of (Montejo, 2015)
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Chapter 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
This chapter presents studies and literature related to the present research on the
evaluation of the writing skills of students.
Writing
Writing is the most challenging area in learning second language. It is based on
appropriate and strategic use of language with structural accuracy and communicative
potential (Dar & Khan, 2015; Hyland, 2003; Mahboob, 2014). Kellogg (2001) opines that
writing is a cognitive process that tests memory, thinking ability and verbal command to
successfully express the ideas; because proficient composition of a text indicates
successful learning of a second language (Geiser & Studley, 2002; Hyland, 2003;
McCutchen, 1984; Nickerson, Perkins, & Smith, 2014). Therefore, learning how to write
has gained considerable importance for the last two decades due to two factors: its use as
a tool for effective communication of ideas, and the extensive research work carried out
in this area to examine various issues faced by L2 writers (Dar & Khan, 2015; Graham &
Perin, 2007; Haider, 2012; Hyland, 2003). Student writers face various writing problems
at different stages of their learning. Generally, these problems can be classified into
linguistic, psychological, cognitive and pedagogical categories (Haider, 2012; Hyland,
2003). They struggle with the structural components
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Academic Writing
Academic writing, in a broad sense, is any writing assignment accomplished in an
academic setting such as writing books, research paper, conference paper, academic
journal, and dissertation and thesis. More specifically, it is writing activity performed to
fulfill a requirement of a college, university, conference, and publication. According to
Irvin (2010), “Academic writing is always a form of evaluation that asks you to
demonstrate knowledge and show proficiency with certain disciplinary skills in thinking,
interpreting, and presenting” (p. 8). Murray (2005) defines academic writing as ‘the set of
conventions used in publishing a paper, or in writing a thesis in a specific discipline’.
Oshima and Hogue (2007) view that academic writing is a kind of formal writing
used in high schools and a college classes, which is clearly different form personal and
creative writing.
In a nutshell, academic writing is a style of written expression with specific
intellectual boundaries, and area of expertise. Studying the definitions of academic
writing given by the scholars, two distinctive features can be identified; academic
writing is: (i) discipline-specific, and (ii) evidence-based ‘discipline-specific’ refers to
the fact that the academic writers strictly maintain the methods and conventions of the
discipline such as font, style, organization, or format of writing. In this way, a good
academic writing gives an identification of the writer’s academic community.
The feature character ‘evidence-based’ indicates that the statements and the
viewpoints put forwarded in an academic test are based on reliable sources. The
assertions and the ideas of the writer are supported by accurate and verifiable facts, and
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real world relevant examples. Irvin (2010) uses the term ‘literacy task’ for ‘academic
writing’, and he discusses two important characteristics of this ‘complex literacy task’:
(a) Academic writing is an argument: Presentation of logical argument is one of the
main characteristic features of academic writing. The arguments are not for the purpose
of winning the disagreeing sides, but they (the arguments) are arranged so carefully that
they support the opinions, but they both desire better understanding of the presentation of
a viewpoint. The presentation “resembles a conversation between two people subject
matter under discussion” (Irvin, 2010, p.10). In this way, a well academic writing holds
the great value of an organized argumentative presentation that consists of strong
supporting evidences. (b) Academic writing is an analysis: Academic writing is the
analytic interpretation of the viewpoint. In the presentation, the writer needs to seek the
answer of ‘how and why questions’ much more than that of ‘what questions’. According
to Irvin (2010, p 10), such analytic 3 presentation involves three important activities:
(i)engaging in an open inquiry where the answer is not known at first, (ii) identifying the
meaningful parts of the subject, and (iii) examining the separate parts and determining
how they relate each other.
Academic writing is a well-structured product with careful considerations to
the factors like audience, purpose, organization, style, flow, and presentation (Swales &
Feak, 2012, p. 3); and these factors are specific to who, why, and how questions. The
audience, related to who question, is the reader or readers of the message of the writer.
The selection of content, organization, explanation, example supplied, and vocabulary in
the writing are determined according to the nature of the audience. Similarly, the purpose
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is concerned with why question, and that guides the focus of writing. Purpose is the
intention of the writing, or the main goal or message of the writer.
Finally, the how question is concerned with the aspects such as organization,
style, presentation, and flow of ideas. Dividing the writing text into three parts-
introduction, body, and conclusion- helps make the writing well organized so that the
readers feel comfortable in understanding the ideas or issues. Likewise, the style of
writing needs to be clear and precise with formal grammar and formal vocabulary.
Formal writing also needs avoidance of using the features like contraction, negation,
weak endings, multi-word verbs, or redundancies. Similarly, good academic writing
requires formal spelling, appropriate punctuation marks, and a good citation and
referencing. It should have fluent flow in the presentation of ideas in such that it
maintains cohesion (connectedness of the consecutive ideas using the techniques like
repetition, substitution, and transition), and coherence (occurrence of the ideas
contextually in orderly sequence), which are discussed in more detail in the following
paragraphs.
Academic writing for first year students, the tertiary landscape is unfamiliar and
expectations are unclear; this is particularly so in the area of academic writing
(Armstrong & Sanson, 2012; Moss, Pittaway, & McCarthy, 2006). Academic writing is
governed by rules and practices that adhere to traditional conventions. Written
communication is a Stage 1 competency for engineers: Effective oral and written
communication in professional and lay domains (Engineers Australia, 2013) and is a
focus of academic and professional development.
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Writing Skills
Writing is the most challenging area in learning second language. It is based on
appropriate and strategic use of language with structural accuracy and communicative
potential (Dar & Khan, 2015; Hyland, 2003; Mahboob, 2014). Kellogg (2001) opines that
writing is a cognitive process that tests memory, thinking ability and verbal command to
successfully express the ideas; because proficient composition of a text indicates
successful learning of a second language (Geiser & Studley, 2002; Hyland, 2003;
McCutchen, 1984; Nickerson, Perkins, & Smith, 2014). Therefore, learning how to write
has gained considerable importance for the last two decades due to two factors: its use as
a tool for effective communication of ideas, and the extensive research work carried out
in this area to examine various issues faced by L2 writers (Dar & Khan, 2015; Graham &
Perin, 2007; Haider, 2012; Hyland, 2003).
Student writers face various writing problems at different stages of their learning.
Generally, these problems can be classified into linguistic, psychological, cognitive and
pedagogical categories (Haider, 2012; Hyland, 2003). They struggle with the structural
components of English; because an inappropriate structure complicates the content and
comprehension of the text, which a reader deciphers through involvement of a mental
process (Quintero, 2008; Nik, Hamzah, & Rafidee, 2010). Similarly, an incoherent text
fails to communicate ideas which causes lack of confidence in learners even if they have
mastered syntactic, lexical and grammatical command over text composition (Rico,
2014). Students’ lack of confidence is also caused by a teaching strategy which does not
conform to students’ learning styles and cultural backgrounds (Ahmad et al., 2013).
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It is argued that poor writing skills originate from two factors: the teacher and the
learner. Teachers lack appropriate pedagogic approach to teach writing, including
providing prompt and effective feedback to students, and most crucially, teachers’ lack of
ability to motivate students. In the Department of Education in Out-of-field teaching is a
reality that many schools. Increasing the supply of teachers to meet demand, while
critical to ensuring the right sort of teachers in the schools in most need, provides no
immediate relief for teachers currently filling in. Support and retraining for these teachers
is the key (Ketchell, 2015). Ketechell 2015 asserted that out-of-field teachers can be
concerned about the negative impact their teaching might have on student learning, such
as lower achievement scores. They have also shown concern that they are unable to
demonstrate content is relevant to everyday life.
On the other hand, students face numerous challenges: effects of L1 transfer lack
of reading, motivation, and practice. Numerous factors that affect students’ writing skills
have been identified in literature. These are associated with the motivation of learners
who are generally unclear about the purpose and significance of their text in their L2
learning. Similarly, social media, inconsistent feedback from teachers, learners’ lack of
analytical and evaluative approach, and large and unmanageable class sizes also
negatively impact the structural and communicative accuracy of the students’ texts
(Pineteh, 2013). Most of the students find it very challenging to obtain sufficient and
relevant source information, paraphrase or summarise information, and use an
appropriate academic writing style (Gonye, Mareva, Dudu, & Sib, 2012; Kalikokha,
2008).
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Numerous factors that affect students’ writing skills have been identified in
literature. These are associated with the motivation of learners who are generally unclear
about the purpose and significance of their text in their L2 learning. Similarly, social
media, inconsistent feedback from teachers, learners’ lack of analytical and evaluative
approach, and large and unmanageable class sizes also negatively impact the structural
and communicative accuracy of the students’ texts (Pineteh, 2013). Most of the students
find it very challenging to obtain sufficient and relevant source information, paraphrase or
summarise information, and use an appropriate academic writing style (Gonye, Mareva,
Dudu, & Sib, 2012; Kalikokha, 2008). It is caused by delayed essay writing instruction,
large classes, students’ negative attitude towards their academic English course, L1
transfer, and lack of dialogue between students and teachers about the constructive steps
that need to be taken to address these problems.
Similarly, outdated textbooks that neither promote the importance of a writing
skill, nor give any opportunities, too consequently fail to invoke an audience (Haider,
2012). Another body of research critiques incompetent teachers who instead of promoting
creative skills urge students for rote learning and exam-oriented language production
(Mansoor, 2005; Rahman, 2002; Siddiqui, 2007).
Students’ writing ability can be improved by fostering their interest, motivation
and enjoyment for writing, through technology (Graham & Perin, 2007). Similarly, some
metacognitive, cognitive and socio-affective strategies could also be used for enabling the
students to know and practically exercise the writing process (O’Malley & Chamot,
1990). Further, the teachers can adapt their pedagogic approaches and can mutually
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design such tasks that could motivate and encourage students by giving them liberty of
choosing topics of their interest (Pineteh, 2013; Quintero, 2008). It will reshape their
writing patterns, presumably, through extended practice and by involving physical and
cognitive skills which give the writer control over the expression of linguistic and
domain-specific knowledge (Kellogg & Raulerson, 2007). In addition, it will be
convenient for language and content teachers to monitor their students from broad
perspectives (Nik, Sani, Kamaruzaman, Hasbollah, et al., 2010). Most importantly, it is
necessary that attitudes towards writing and dealing with its issues are changed. Teachers
must employ strategies to elicit ideas from students to be penned down on a piece of
paper to promote their verbal ability. Moreover, instant and critical feedback needs to be
given on their output, so that their confidence is elevated (Haider, 2012).
Importance of Writing Skills to High School Students
In the school setting, writing plays two distinct but complementary roles. First, it
is a skill draws on the use of strategies (such as planning, evaluating, and revising text) to
accomplish a variety of goal, such as writing a report or expressing an opinion with the
support of evidence. Second, writing is a mean of extending and deepening student’s
knowledge; it acts as a tool for learning subject matter (Key, 2000; Shanahan, 2004;
Sperling & Freedman, 2001). Because these roles are closely linked, Reading Next
recommended that language arts teacher use content – area texts to teach reading and
writing skills and that content – area teachers provide instruction and practice in
discipline – specific reading and writing.
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Writing is one of the ways to transmit thoughts or ideas to the other people.
Writing is also the important skill in studying English, which need great investment from
the students. Many students in high school do not know the important of writing, so they
only spend a few times for it. It is not true because good at writing can help them study
other skills in English more effectively. Besides that, practicing writing skill will help
students get acquainted with new types of writing as well as consolidate their writing
skill. For example, students study writing skill from low to high, from basic to advance.
At grade 10, students mainly study writing one paragraph or a small part in essay. It
provides students some background knowledge before studying writing tasks at 11th
grade. Similarity, writing tasks in 11th grade will prepare students essential skill to help
them write well at higher level of 12th grade. Writing of 11th grade play an important
role because it prepares needed things for students such as: grammar points, content,
vocabulary and especially is helping them know how to write a paragraph or essay before
they study carefully in 12th grade.
Nowadays, writing is also the key to success in college and university. Most
context of life (school, the workplace, and the community) call for some level of writing
skill, and each context makes overlapping, but not identical, demands proficient writers
can adapt their writing flexibly to the context in which it takes place. Otherwise, almost
college or university required their students to get foreign language certificates for
graduated qualification, and writing is indispensable in these exams. Good at writing can
help students get a good job. At present, many foreign companies need people with high
writing skill level to help them makes contracts or documents in English.
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Assessment
Assessment is important at a student, lecturer, institutional and community level;
and is about understanding the quality of student learning (Australian Universities
Teaching Committee, 2002). A well designed assessment task can encourage students to
study and keep up to date with their work, as well as promote the development of
knowledge acquisition skills. Students require a clear understanding of what is expected
in the assessment task and they also need information about their academic progress.
Coinciding with this, the lecturer needs to know how the students are progressing in their
understanding of key concepts and how proficiently they are mastering the required
skills. The tasks need to be assessed in a manner that ensures academic standards are
upheld (Adie, Lloyd, & Beutel, 2013).
Overarching this is the need of the institution to166 J. Wilkes et al. communicate
high academic standards to ensure graduates are well prepared for practice and
employment (Coates, 2010). Essay tasks form an important, and often early, assessment
component as they are able to assess higher levels of thought and complex intellectual
ideas. To undertake an essay task a student must find, analyze and synthesize
information. An argument has to be structured, and clear and concise evidence provided
to support a point of view without being biased (Toohey, 1999). Essays draw on a
student’s understanding and integration of content, information literacy and academic
writing.
Academics often work in isolation when developing course curricula; however,
the development of an essay writing task is an ideal situation for a collaborative process
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between academic, librarian and learning-support staff (Beckman & Rayner, 2011). This
paper describes the collaborative processes which led to a re-structured essay task that
was responsive and encouraged success and confidence by allowing for the development
of core.
The purpose of a literature review is simple: it is to educate oneself in the topic
area and to understand the literature before shaping an argument or justification. A
literature review is “an important chapter in the thesis, where its purpose is to provide the
background to and justification for the research undertaken” (Bruce, 1994, p. 218).
The writer “extracts and synthesizes the main points, issues, findings and research
methods which emerge from a critical review of the readings” (Nunan, 1992, p. 217) to
build a “coherent argument which leads to the description of a proposed study”
(Rudestam and Newton, 2007, p. 63). Over the years, numerous types of literature
reviews have emerged, but the four main types are traditional or narrative, systematic,
meta-analysis and meta-synthesis. The primary purpose of a traditional or narrative
literature review is to analyse and summarise a body of literature. This is achieved by
presenting a comprehensive background of the literature within the interested topic to
highlight new research streams, identify gaps or recognise inconsistencies. This type of
literature review can help in refining, focusing and shaping research questions as well as
developing theoretical and conceptual frameworks (Coughlan et al., 2007).
The systematic literature review in contrast undertakes a more rigorous approach
to reviewing the literature, perhaps because this type of review is often used to answer
highly structured and specific research questions. The meta-analysis literature review
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involves taking the findings from the chosen literature and analysing these findings by
using standardised statistical procedures (Coughlan et al., 2007).
Polit and Beck (2006) argue that meta-analysis methods help in drawing
conclusions and detecting patterns and relationships between findings. They also discuss
meta-synthesis, a non-statistical procedure, which evaluates and analyses findings from
qualitative studies and aims to build on previous conceptualizations and interpretations.
Of the four approaches described above, the two dominant styles of literature review are
the traditional or narrative literature review and the systematic literature review.
Therefore it is important to distinguish the traditional literature review (which usually
adopts a critical approach) from the systematic literature review (which aims to identify
all the literature in the topic area to ensure that no existing understanding or knowledge is
missed).
The systematic literature review has been long used in healthcare literature (Ernst
and Pittler, 2001) and is a “method of making sense of large bodies of information, and a
means to contributing to the answers to questions about what works and what does not”
(Petticrew and Roberts, 2006, p. 2). The traditional social science and business
management literature review is useful in identifying gaps in knowledge whereas the
systematic review concentrates on promoting research knowledge. Jesson et al. (2011, p.
11) provide a continuum of the different approaches to both of these literature reviews to
highlight new research streams, identify gaps or recognize inconsistencies. This type of
literature review can help in refining, focusing and shaping research questions as well as
in developing theoretical and conceptual frameworks (Coughlan et al., 2007).
25
The systematic literature review in contrast undertakes a more rigorous approach
to reviewing the literature, perhaps because this type of review is often used to answer
highly structured and specific research questions. The meta-analysis literature review
involves taking the findings from the chosen literature and analyzing these findings by
using standardized statistical procedures (Coughlan et al., 2007).
Polit and Beck (2006) argue that meta-analysis methods help in drawing
meta-synthesis, which is a non-statistical procedure; instead it evaluates and analyses
findings from qualitative studies and aims to build on previous conceptualizations and
interpretations. Of the four approaches described above, the two dominant styles of
literature review are the traditional or narrative literature review and the systematic
literature review. Therefore it is important to distinguish the traditional literature review
(which usually adopts a critical approach) from the systematic literature review (which
aims to identify all the literature in the topic area to ensure that no existing understanding
or knowledge is missed).
Literature review, the information gathered from credible articles or studies that
are of relevance, important and valid can be summarized into a document (for example, a
thesis or a dissertation). This can then allow for the rationale or reason for a study to
emerge, which may include a justification for a specific research approach (McGhee et
al., 2007). Second, it provides a starting point for researchers where they are required to
identify and understand what has been written about a particular area. That will usually
mean reading all the relevant texts and then going through each to summarize, evaluate,
26
critically review, synthesize and compare these research studies in their chosen area.
Third, by carrying out a literature review it not only highlights the gaps in knowledge but
it means that students, researchers and managers alike are not replicating or repeating
previous work – it identifies discrepancies, knowledge gaps and inconsistencies in the
literature. Finally, it can support “clarity in thinking about concepts and possible theory
development” (Henwood and Pidgeon, 2006, p. 350).
Coherence
In order to understand best the concept of coherence, it is first important to
provide definition of what coherence in writing is. Coherence refers to how the parts of a
piece of writing are linked together to form a whole – the extent to which it is perceived
to “hang or link together” to form an integrated whole rather than being a set of unrelated
sentences. Bain (1866) first examined the concept of coherence in consonance with the
notion of paragraph. He defines paragraph as a “collection or series of sentences with
unity of purpose or with comparative closeness of relationship”. He further stresses that a
paragraph is not a string of random or detached utterances, but a connected whole, the
nature of the connections must be made apparent.
McCrimmon (1980) supports Bain’s (1866) idea about coherence and states that a
coherent paragraph has sentences that are woven together or flow into each other. He
argues that “if a paragraph is coherent, the reader moves easily from one sentence into
each other. He argues that “if a paragraph is coherent, the reader moves easily from one
sentence to the next without feeling that there are gaps in thought, puzzling gaps, or
points not made”. He also indicates that the writer needs to provide transitions – bridges –
27
between the thoughts expressed in the sentences. Toward this end, coherence is viewed as
the quality that enables a writer and a reader to move easily from one sentence to the next
and read the text as an integrated whole, rather than a series of separate sentences. This
will be a first step towards a model of coherence.
Fleckenstein (1992) asserts that “coherence is as much a reader-based
phenomenon as it is a writer-based creation” (p.81). O’Brien (1995) expresses a similar
view when he states that there is an implicit agreement between the writer and the reader,
and in turn the reader interprets what is written according to a plan or scheme which
makes the intention of the writer evident. O’Brien (1995) posits that the “structure, plan,
or schema is the procedure that guarantees coherence and therefore communication” (p.
107). Indeed, structure is a necessary attribute of coherence. Lee (2002, p. 33), sums up
the idea of coherence by including the following five features: 1. A macrostructure that
provides a pattern characteristic and appropriate to its communicative purpose (Hoey,
1983; Martin &Rothery, 1986). Macrostructure is an outline of the main categories or
functions of the text. It helps writers and readers understand how sentences in a text are
related to each other and how they contribute to the overall coherence of a text. 2. An
information structure that guides the reader in understanding how information is
organized and how the topic is developed (Danes, 1974; Firbas, 1986). This means that
coherent texts often comply with the principle of giving old information before new
information – schema building or giving the context of situation. 3. Connectivity of the
underlying content evidenced by the relations between propositions (Kintsch& van Dijk,
1978; van Dijk 1980). A proposition is an assertion. It is through the relationships
28
between propositions that the coherence of a text is established. In order to develop
coherence in writing, it is helpful to justify a proposition or exemplify it with elaboration.
4. Connectivity of the surface text evidenced by the presence of cohesive devices.
Cohesive devices are words or phrases that help to establish relationships between
different sentences or between different parts of a sentence. Some examples are pronoun
references (he, she, it, this, that), b. State the minor premise, again including necessary
information. c. State your conclusion. d. Show your position is better by pointing out
defects in the premise or inferences of alternative positions. Explain why the alternatives
cannot solve the problem; or if they can why your solution solves it better. 4. Conclusion
a. Explain the implications of your argument. b. Summarize your argument: the problem
(2a), your conclusion (3c), and the reasons for accepting it (3a and 3b). With reference to
organizational pattern, it is important to describe the location of the main idea(s) or thesis
placement.
According to Hirose (2003), a writer’s position statement either for or against is
considered as a main idea. The location of this opinion-stating sentence can be identified
as one of the following four: (1) Initial (stated in the introduction), (2) Middle (in the
middle section), (3) Final (in the conclusion), or (4) Obscure (not clearly stated).
Furthermore, a macro-level pattern is categorized as one of the following: (1)
Explanation (the writer’s opinion precedes a supporting reason), (2) Specification (the
writer’s opinion and a preview statement of a supporting reason are followed by the
reason), or (3) Induction (a supporting reason precedes the writer’s opinion). The
Explanation (the writer’s opinion on the topic is presented and then supporting reasons
29
are enumerated or a supporting reason is presented by comparing or contrasting two
elements) and Specification are considered instances of deductive style, whereas
Induction (the writer’s opinion is realized in the final section and preceding arguments
constitute supporting premises or reasons which are arranged in a form of enumeration) is
regarded as inductive style (Hirose, 2003, p. 190).
Aside from the text structure, cohesiveness is important to achieving a well-knit
piece of writing. Connor (1996) defines cohesion as the skillful use of explicit linguistic
devices to link sentences and/or paragraphs and parts of texts. Beaugrande and Dressler
(1981) further explain that cohesion concerns the way in which linguistic items of which
a text is composed are meaningfully connected to each other in a sequence on the basis of
the grammatical rules of language.
According to Renkema (1993), cohesion is the connection which results when the
interpretation of a textual element is dependent upon another element in the text. Relative
to coherence in writing is the feature on Support and Elaboration, which pertains to the
extension and development of the topic/subject.
According to Angeles (2005), it refers to building support or evidence through
depth and breadth of facts, examples, descriptions, illustrations, explanations, reasons,
etc. In other words, support and elaboration is the degree to which the main point is
elaborated and explained by concrete, specific details and sufficient, relevant
information. The key to developing support and elaboration involves two important
concepts: sufficiency and relatedness. According to Cali (2003), sufficiency refers to the
amount of details used in writing. This means that good writers supply their readers with
30
sufficient details to comprehend what they have written not only by incorporating enough
information to support their purpose, but also by providing information that is credible
and accurate.
Accordingly, sufficiency in support and elaboration is exemplified by the
effective use of concrete, specific details that help develop the topic, whereas
insufficiency is often characterized by undeveloped details, redundancy, and repetitious
paraphrasing of the same point. However, sufficiency is not enough since support and
elaboration as means of securing coherence in text is determined less by the quantity of
the details than by their quality. To be supportive of the subject matter, details must also
be related to the focus of the writing task. Good writers select only the details that will
support their focus, deleting irrelevant information. In sum, Support and Elaboration
involves the use of sufficient and relevant details to develop the topic. The last feature of
coherence concerns with the mechanical aspects of writing.
Hagemann (2003) described conventions as the use of standard written English,
involving correctness in sentence formation and structure, grammar, usage, and
mechanics that include capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. These “are a courtesy to
the reader, making writing easier to read by putting it in a form that the reader expects
and is comfortable with” (Cali, 2003, p. 2). In a nutshell, the various facets of writing
such as Focus, Organization, Cohesion, Support and Elaboration, and Conventions are
relatively significant measures of coherence in writing.
31
Coherence and Writing Quality
Research exploring coherence of texts has focused on macrostructures (or text
themes), logical relations among clauses and text units, and information structuring in
texts (given-new information, topic-comment, theme-rheme, focus presupposition
structures). All these subsets of coherence notions have proved important for research on
writing as well as for writing instruction (Grabe and Kaplan, 1996) a number of
investigations have been carried out to examine whether and how coherence is achieved
in students’ texts.
In a study of high school writing, Bamberg (1983) found that a text was judged
coherent when the writer announced the topic, established a context for information, and
followed an organizational plan. He argues that structural connections are more
significant than lexical ties and that a global unity of meaning should be achieved before
the writer starts producing actual sentences.
Brostoff (1981) identifies three causes of incoherent writing: failure to make
logical connections between ideas, failure to form a well-structured hierarchy of
relationships among ideas, and failure to make relationships clear to the reader. He
suggests that writing programs should first of all address these causes. Informational
structure research of learner texts has been carried out along several lines. One major line
is represented by topical sentence structure, developed by Lautamatti (1978), using topic-
comment analysis to examine written discourse. Her theory of topical development in
discourse examined the relations between the topic of discourse, the topical subject of a
sentence, the syntactic subject, and the initial sentence element. Nothing that these
32
notions do not always overlap, she explored the various possible patterns in written texts.
This approach is important because it shows that certain patterns of topical progression
may be more readable than others (Burneikaite&Zabiliute, n.d.). Another line of research
in sentence-based functional discourse analysis centers on the topic and given
information.
Following Lautamatti (1978), White (1985) developed a topical structure
approach to study differences in high- and low-quality writing. Looking for topical and
sequential chaining patterns in student essays, Witte found that low-rated essays did not
provide enough appropriate given information and forced the reader to make too many
inferences. Low-rated essays used fewer sequential chaining patterns, making it harder
for the reader to perceive main topics in the essay. Such texts were not reader-friendly.
Overall, differing patterns of topical structure appeared to provide good predictors of
student writing quality.
Moreover, a number of research into the quality of student writing with the aim of
establishing linguistic and textual features that contribute to the overall good or poor
quality of student text have been conducted. The following studies examine students’
texts written in English to identify text features that differentiate the high quality writings
from the low-quality writings. They also seek to determine which text features can
contribute to coherence in writing and to establish the linguistic and textual
characteristics of effective texts and ineffective texts.
33
Cohesion
In relation to ESL essay writing cohesion, many researchers agree that cohesion,
on the macro level is related to linking ideas whereas on the micro level, it is concerned
with connecting sentences and phrases. "The concept of cohesion is a semantic one; it
refers to relations of meaning that exist within the text, and that define it as a text". Many
researchers have highlighted the importance of text cohesion claiming that a text stands
as a text by means of cohesion. But for cohesion, sentences would be fragmented and
would result in a number of unrelated sentences. Reviewed studies pinpointed that
cohesion constitutes a serious problem to some of the students. Many researchers in
different countries have paid our attention to the different aspects of cohesion problems
from which students complain. However, to the best of my knowledge, no single
Egyptian study tackled coherence and cohesion in students’ English writing. Hence, the
current study is exploring the coherence and cohesion problems that student teachers of
English face in their English essay writing. This, in turn, will inform my research whether
these problems in the Egyptian context are similar to or different from those of the
previously reviewed studies.
Citations
In recent decades, there has been increasing interest in the citation practices of
academic writers, as reference to other texts is considered one of the distinguishing
features of academic writing (Thompson & Tribble, 2001).
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Citations in academic writing are central to persuasion, as they permit writers to
engage in dialogue with source texts; provide justification and evidence for arguments
and claims; demonstrate familiarity with the literature; show (dis)alignment with
particular scholarship; and establish credibility (Hyland, 2000).
Researchers examining citations in academic writing have focused on the
practices of professional writers of research articles (RAs) (e.g., Bloch & Chi, 1995;
Charles, 2006; Hu & Wang, 2014; Hyland, 1999; Swales, 1986; Thompson & Ye, 1991)
and first language (L1) and second language (L2) student writers of master’s theses and
doctoral dissertations (e.g., Coffin, 2009; Petrić, 2007; Thompson, 2005; Thompson &
Tribble, 2001), as well as have conducted comparative analyses of L1 or L2 graduate
student research writing and published RAs (e.g., Mansourizadeh & Ahmad, 2011;
Samraj, 2013). These studies have revealed that differences exist in writers’ citation
practices.
Specifically focusing on student writers, several researchers have explored not
only how citations are constructed linguistically but also how they function within
writers’ texts. Thompson (2001) and Thompson and Tribble (2001), for example, studied
surface forms and rhetorical functions of citations in doctoral dissertations. They found
that discipline has an effect on both form and function of citations in doctoral student
texts. Building on Thompson (2001), Petric (2007) compared the rhetorical functions of
citations in low- and high-rated master’s theses composed by L2 graduate students across
various European countries. She found that high- and low-rated theses differed
contrastively in their use of citations. While the primary rhetorical function of citations in
35
both groups was attribution (i.e., to attribute information to a source), high-rated thesis
writers utilized citations for a greater variety of functions such as to evaluate sources,
establish links between sources, and show connections between the work of the writer
and sources.
Writers of low-rated theses, in contrast, generally limited their use of citations to
the attribution function, thus producing descriptive texts that overemphasize display of
knowledge of the field rather than analysis of the literature. In addition to other
dimensions, Coffin (2009) examined writer stance, or the affective position taken toward
cited sources, in an L1 film studies doctoral dissertation. She found that this dissertation
writer principally took a non-committal stance toward cited sources rather than taking a
strong positive or negative position. This finding is not different from what has been
discovered in RAs (Hyland, 1999), where writers of these texts also take a more neutral
stance toward cited propositions. Unlike students, however, RA writers also tend to take
strong evaluative positions toward cited sources. Further, dissimilar to students, when RA
writers assume a strong negative stance, they are inclined to take “extreme care in
making such a criticism” and the sources are generally not directly named (Bloch & Chi,
1995, p. 236).
Additionally, Adel and Garretson (2006) and Swales (2014) examined citation
practices of university student writers in the Michigan Corpus of Upper-level Student
Papers (MICUSP), an approximately 2.6 million-word corpus of A-graded student course
papers across 16 disciplines, seven text types, and four student levels (senior
undergraduate to first-year PhD) at the University of Michigan. Adel and Garretson
36
(2006) found marked disciplinary divisions in the way citations are used, similar to
Hyland (1999), but also found disparities between MICUSP papers and Hyland’s
findings, especially in regard to citation integration.
Adel and Garretson (2006) argue that one possible reason for these differences
may be “the editing process and size restrictions of academic journals” (p. 278), which
compel RA writers to use more non-integral citations (i.e., parenthetical or superscript
citations). Exploring citations in the biology subcorpus of MICUSP, Swales (2014) found
differences between subfields but no noteworthy disparity between undergraduate and
graduate students. Both groups included the sources in the sentence grammar (i.e.,
integral citations) much more commonly than found in previous studies of both biology
master’s theses (Samraj, 2013) and RAs (Hyland, 1999).
Supporting Adel and Garretson (2006), Swales (2014) contends that learning to
use non-integral citations takes not only more time and experience, but their use may also
be dependent on factors such as writing experience, discipline, and genre (Adel &
Garretson, 2006; Hyland, 1999; Samraj, 2013). While these studies have revealed the
surface forms and rhetorical functions of citations in high-rated disciplinary writers’
texts, little is known about the stance student writers take in relation to cited sources. Yet,
as Adel and Garretson (2006) hypothesize, “stance is unusually integrated with
attribution in student writing” (p. 280). Therefore, consideration of stance in the analysis
of citations can contribute to a better understanding of how student writers evaluate
multiple voices through citations.
37
Furthermore, while researchers have investigated L2 undergraduate student
writers’ use of sources, most of these studies have focused on the challenges that L2
students experience in integrating sources in their writing and the problems they have
with source-based writing such as plagiarism and ineffective paraphrasing (e.g.,
Campbell, 1999; Keck, 2006; Shi, 2004, 2010). Further, gaining a deeper appreciation of
these students’ citation practices can provide composition teachers with valuable insight
for assisting learners in developing resources and strategies to integrate sources more
effectively in their writing.
Referencing
Pablo, J. C. et. al (2018) also indicated that as pertains referencing, most of the
students’ writings have no citations. They have not cited any references in their academic
essays, as this observed (80%) times from their academic essays. Several parts of the
essays are adapted and copied and do not have any citations at all, leading the students to
commit the act of plagiarism. The huge challenge of 21st century writing is plagiarism. It
is a challenge for teachers to correctly guide their students in lifting and borrowing ideas
and pieces of information in order to avoid plagiarism to avoid wrongful appropriation
and publication of another author’s language, thoughts, ideas or expressions, and the
representation of them as one’s own original work. Lastly, it can be gleaned from the
students’ essays that the students incurred incorrect way of citing sources, which recurred
(20%) times. The students’ academic essays contain ideas and details that are not
properly cited.
38
He mentioned that one of the confusions of students in writing academic essays is
the correct way of writing citations. Documenting sources through in-text citations and
works cited is an important convention of academic writing. Students who are not
familiar with the different formats of documenting sources create the difficulty of
incorrect citing of sources.
39
Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the research design, locale, the respondents, procedures and
the statistical treatment of the gathered data in the assessment of writing skills of Senior
High School students as reflected in their research output.
Research Design
The study utilized a qualitative research based on discourse analysis. A mixed-
methods approach was employed for data collection and analysis that included a rubrics-
based evaluation and discourse analysis.
Evaluation of the research output of the SHS students from the different
schools in the four districts in the schools division of Marinduque: Marinduque National
High School (Boac), Makapuyat National High School (Sta. Cruz), Bangbang National
High School (Gasan), and Buenavista National High School (Buenvista) focused on
qualitative analysis of corpora from a genre of academic writing. Data from the results of
the evaluation were subjected to discourse analysis to determine the level of writing
competencies.
Discourse analysis is qualitative-descriptive design also employed in the
corpora. Discursive analysis was applied to obtain descriptive data that helped determine
the writing competencies.
40
Research Locale
The corpus of the study was gathered in the four schools that offers Science
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Strand in the fours districts in the Division of
Marinduque here are as follows: Marinduque National High School located at Brgy. Isok
II, Boac, Marindque, Makpauyat National High School at Brgy. Napo, Sta Cruz,
Marinduuqe, Bangbang National High School at Bgry. Bangbang, Gasan, Marinduque
and Buenavista National High School at Brgy Uno, Buenavista, Marinduque.
Corpora
Forty-four (44) available unedited and unpublished research output of Senior
High School students enrolled in Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in
the School Year 2017-2018 served as the corpus of the study which was retrieved from
the four districts in the Schools Division of Marinduque: Marindque National High
School (Boac), Makapuyat National High School (Sta. Cruz), Bangbang National High
School (Gasan) and Buenavista National High School (Buenavista).
Data Gathering Instruments
The study used an adapted rubrics patterned from the standardized criteria set by
(Montejo, 2015) to identify the Writing Skills of the SHS students. Moreover, the
modified Rubrics in Evaluating Academic Writings of (Montejo, 2015) was used to
assess students’ research output specifically the review of related literature. The
researcher-made checklist has six criteria. Each criterion has set of descriptors that will
41
be used by the panel of experts. These criteria include the 5C’s: Content (Introduction);
(Body); Conclusion, Coherence, Citation, Commentary and Currency of Literature.
The criteria on ‘content’ including introduction, body, and conclusion looks into
the treatment of the organization of the body parts of the paragraph, assesses the fluency
of expression, statement and support of ideas, appropriate paragraphing, effective essay
parts, coherence and cohesion. Moreover, coherence focuses on the effective use of
transitional expressions and other signposts that make the structure of the document clear.
Further, citation covers ably citing of primary and secondary sources. Commentary
indicate source of data/information and/ or summary statement, highlighting statements
and discuss implications, problems exceptions and/or recommendations. Likewise, relate
data/information to current study and synthesized finding across studies and disciplines,
comparing and contrasting outcomes, perspectives, and methods. Lastly, currency of
literature focus on literature written over the last five years.
On the other hand, the modified Rubric of (Montejo, J. 2015) was used in the
evaluation of the overall quality of the research output/manuscripts contain five rating
scales. Each scale has a corresponding point: a) Highly Competent (5 points); b)
Competent (4 points); c) Fairly Competent (3 points); Barely Competent (2 points); and
Incompetent (1 point).
Research Procedure
The researcher sought permission to conduct the study from the Office of
Superintendent of the Schools Division of Marinduque. Afterwards, the researcher
42
identified the secondary schools which offer Science Technology Engineering and
Mathematics. Then, the researcher sent letters to the principals and heads of the schools
to ask permission to conduct the study. Consequently, the researcher discussed the study
to the teachers of STEM from the chosen schools. Among six districts of Marinduque,
four of offers Science Technology, Engineering Strand, among those are: Marinduque
National High School (Boac), Makapuyat National High School (Sta. Cruz), Bangbang
National High School Gasan), and Buenavista National High School (Buenvista).
Afterwards, the researcher asked for sample of the research output/manuscript of their
students as subjects for scrutiny.
The researcher asked permission to the principal and subject teacher of the said
schools to have a copy of the research output of their students specifically the part of the
review of related literature. Furthermore, there were six panel of experts/language experts
who evaluated the retrieved research output/manuscripts of the students. Some of the
evaluators who were involved in this study are accredited editors of MSC-Graduate
School, and two of the evaluators are Senior High School Teachers in the Department of
Education teaching English and Research subjects. One of the evaluators is a TESOL
holder and paper presenter in research fora and serves as resource speaker in trainings or
seminars on effective communication.
The manuscripts were evaluated using a modified rubric to identify the students’
writing skills in reference to a set of criteria.
43
Data Analysis
A set of rubric for the evaluation of academic output discourse was made based
on the modified rubrics of Montejo (2015). It aimed at determining the writing
competence based on the evaluation of language structures and coherence. The results of
the evaluation provided data which were subjected to descriptive and quantitative
analysis. The rubric described criteria for the following indicators:
1. Content
1.1 Introduction. A well-articulated introduction that provides a clear logical, and
succinct description of content, scope, and organization of the review, which was
draws the reader’s attention to a central concern, debate, or contention. Outlines
the significance of the topic, main arguments and defines key terms. Research
Questions/aims are clearly articulated, interrelated and follow a logical sequence.
1.2 Body. Conducts a thorough process identifying credible and relevant
literature.
Shows understanding of the strengths and limitations of the literature used and
limitations identified are logical. Justifies inclusion and exclusion of articles.
Presents high quality sources and presents organizing principle and applies it to
the literature discussed.
1.3 Conclusion. Succinctly describes findings of all sources cited and addresses
the research question/aim. Excellent and through summary from literature
review with robust transition to methods chapter.
44
2. Coherence. Review is very well organized, containing an introduction, body
paragraphs, and conclusion. Paragraphs containing clear topic sentences, focus on
a single issue, are coherent, and organized according to an obvious pattern of
argument. Effective use of transitional expressions and other signposts that make
the structure of the document clear.
3. Citation. Adeptly cites sources. Ably cites primary and secondary sources.
4. Commentary. Proficiently indicate source of data/information. Provides
introductory/ and or /summary statement. Includes highlighting statements and
discuss implications, problems, exceptions and/or recommendations. Relate
data/information to current study. Findings are synthesized across studies and
disciplines, comparing and contrasting outcomes, perspectives, and methods.
5. Currency of literature. The literature presents the latest work done in the field.
The focus is on literature written over the last five years. Specific reasons are
given for the use of any literature that is not current.
The levels of competency in the rubrics are describes as highly competent,
competent, moderately competent, fairly competent, and incompetent with the
equivalent rating as shown below:
Rating Scale Descriptive Equivalent

5 Highly Competent
4 Competent
3 Fairly Competent
2 Barely Competent
1 Incompetent
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Chapter 4
PRESENTATION, ANLYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
This chapter presents the analysis and interpretation of data substantial in
determining the writing skills of the Senior High School students and remedial needed to
address the identified problems in the writing competence.
Level of Writing Competencies/Skills
Based on the research output, the panel of experts evaluated the level of writing
competencies as to the writing of the Review of Related Literature. The levels are
categorized as highly competent, competent, fairly competent, barely competent and
incompetent. Each manuscript has been coded as R1 until R44 which refers to Research.
Table 1 presents the Level of Writing Competencies in Writing the Review of
Literature and Studies of the four Districts in the Schools Division of Marinduque.
Table 1.
Level of Writing Competencies in Writing the Review of Literature and Studies
Indicators Total Descriptive Equivalent
Mean
Research Output
1. Content
1.1 Introduction 3.0 Fairly Competent
1.2. Body 3.0 Fairly Competent
1.3. Conclusion 2.8 Fairly Competent
Combined Mean 2.9 Fairly Competent
2. Coherence 2.9 Fairly Competent
3. Citation 2.8 Fairly Competent
4. Commentary 2.7 Fairly Competent
5. Currency of Literature 2.8 Fairly Competent
Total Mean 2.8 Fairly Competent
46
It revealed that in terms of ‘content’ is Fairly competent with a combined mean of
2.9 while ‘commentary’ got the lowest mean of 2.7 verbally described as Fairly
Competent. In general, the indicators to measure the level of writing competencies are
Fairly Competent with a total mean of 2.8. The results indicated that students has
difficulty in writing their review of related literature. Hence, they need guidance in
writing the review of related literature.
As shown in Table 1, the learning competencies have the corresponding
grammatical and discourse competence that could be developed.
Among the seven identified learning competences, three competencies aimed at
determining the grammatical competence of the students which are done through
constructing an objective and essay type test about the grammar rules in Subject-Verb-
Agreement. These are found in the subject matter of Reading Academic Texts and
Writing the Reaction Paper/Review/Critique. Four competencies in discourse competence
are in the subject matter of Reading Academic texts, writing concept paper and position
paper and this determined using the results of the evaluation of the argumentative
discourse of the students.
It is implied that the following competencies developed both the discourse and
grammatical competence because they write (discourse) academic texts and they use
grammar rules (grammatical) in constructing meaningful sentences.
This outcome agreed to Pablo, J. C. et. al (2018) statement that such difficulty has
also appeared to a number of research papers in the Arab world that spotlighted students’
coherence problems in writing English academic essays due to absence of connectives in
47
their writings. Many of the students’ essays disregard the rule of coherence. Most
students are aware of the importance of coherence in writing academic essays, yet they
find it quite difficult to achieve. It is then implied that in order for students to observe
coherence in their essays, they have to prepare an outline to see the relationship of one
paragraph to the next paragraph.
The results shows that students did clearly indicate source of data/information that
provides introductory and or/ summary statement that highlights statements and discuss
implications, problems, exceptions and recommendations.
The results support the explanation of Pablo, J. C. et. al (2018) that one of the
most difficult parts about writing an essay is establishing the structure. When an essay
utilizes poor structure, the essay itself becomes incoherent and unreadable. Therefore, in
order to achieve organization in writing an academic paper, it must have a logical
structure. Sentences that express different ideas and details must have connection with
each other. The ideas expressed in sentences must be related.
Literature review is “an important chapter in the thesis, where its purpose is to
provide the background to and justification for the research undertaken” (Bruce, 1994, p.
218). The writer “extracts and synthesizes the main points, issues, findings and research
methods which emerge from a critical review of the readings” (Nunan, 1992, p. 217) to
build a “coherent argument which leads to the description of a proposed study”
(Rudestam and Newton, 2007, p. 63).
48
Table 2 presents the results of the evaluation of the strengths of the senior high
school students in Makapuyat National High School in writing the review of related
literature.
Table 2.
Strengths of the Senior High School Students in Writing the Review of Related Literature
in Makapuyat National High School
Descriptive
Indicators R19 R20 R21 R22 R23 R24 Total
Equivalent
1. Content
1.1 Introduction 3.7 3.2 4.0 3.3 4.3 2.8 3.6 Competent
1.2 Body 3.5 2.8 4.0 4.0 4.3 3.7 3.7 Competent
1.3 Conclusion 2.2 2.0 2.3 2.3 3.5 4.0 2.7 Fairly Competent
Combined Mean 3.1 2.7 3.4 3.2 4.1 3.5 3.3 Fairly Competent
2. Coherence 2.8 2.8 3.3 3.0 3.8 3.8 3.3 Fairly Competent
3. Citation 3.5 2.7 3.8 2.7 3.3 3.3 3.2 Fairly Competent
4. Commentary 3.0 2.8 3.3 3.0 4.0 4.0 3.4 Fairly Competent
5. Currency of Literature 3.2 2.7 4.2 3.0 3.3 3.3 3.3 Fairly Competent
Total Mean 3.1 2.7 3.7 2.9 3.6 3.6 3.3 Fairly Competent
It showed that ‘content’, ‘body’ got the highest mean of 3.7 followed by
‘introduction’ with a mean of 3.6 shared the same descriptive equivalent as Competent.
In general, the average mean was 3.3 verbally described as Fairly Competent.
It revealed that the students provides an introduction that provides a clear, logical,
and succinct description of content, scope, and organization of the review of related
literature which draw the reader’s attention to a central concern, debate, or contention.
Moreover, students were able to outline the significance of the topic, main arguments and
defines key terms.
Thus, the body shows understanding of the strengths and limitations of the
literature used and limitations identified are logical. Further, justifies inclusion and
49
exclusion of articles. Presents organizing principle and applies it to the literature
discussed. Well-developed, coherent discussion of the literature and its relevance.
The result is related to the study of (McGhee et al., 2007), Literature review, the
information gathered from credible articles or studies that are of relevance, important and
valid can be summarized into a document (for example, a thesis or a dissertation). This
can then allow for the rationale or reason for a study to emerge, which may include a
justification for a specific research approach. Second, it provides a starting point for
researchers where they are required to identify and understand what has been written
about a particular area. That will usually mean reading all the relevant texts and then
going through each to summarize, evaluate, critically review, synthesize and compare
these research studies in their chosen area. Third, by carrying out a literature review it not
only highlights the gaps in knowledge but it means that students, researchers and
managers alike are not replicating or repeating previous work – it identifies
discrepancies, knowledge gaps and inconsistencies in the literature. Finally, it can support
“clarity in thinking about concepts and possible theory development” (Henwood and
Pidgeon, 2006, p. 350).
50
Table 2.1 presents the results of the evaluation of the weaknesses of the senior
high school students in Makapuyat National High School in writing the review of related
literature.
Table 2.1.
Weaknesses of the Senior High School Students in Writing the Review of Related
Literature in Makapuyat National High School.
Descriptive
Equivalent
1. Content
1.1 Introduction 3.7 3.2 4.0 3.3 4.3 2.8 3.6 Competent
1.2 Body 3.5 2.8 4.0 4.0 4.3 3.7 3.7 Competent
It revealed that ‘content’, ‘conclusion’ got the lowest mean of 2.7 described as
Fairly Competent. It implied that students failed to generate complete summary of
literature, only tentative conclusions and brief transitions to method chapters.
Polit and Beck (2006) discussed that meta-analysis methods help in drawing
meta-synthesis, which is a non-statistical procedure; instead it evaluates and analyses
findings from qualitative studies and aims to build on previous conceptualizations and
interpretations. Of the four approaches described above, the two dominant styles of
literature review are the traditional or narrative literature review and the systematic
literature review. Therefore it is important to distinguish the traditional literature review
(which usually adopts a critical approach) from the systematic literature review (which
51
aims to identify all the literature in the topic area to ensure that no existing understanding
or knowledge is missed).
Table 2.2 presents the results of the evaluation of the weaknesses of the senior
high school students in Marinduque National High School in writing the review of related
literature.
Table 2.2.
Literature in Marinduque National High School
Descriptive
Indicators R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12 R13 R14 R15 R16 R17 R18 Total
Equivalent
1. Content
Fairly
1.1 Introduction 3.8 2.7 3.3 4.2 3.5 3.2 2.8 2.8 3.5 4.2 3.3 3.8 4.2 4.0 4.0 2.8 3.3 3.3 3.5
Competent
Fairly
1.2 Body 3.5 2.7 3.7 3.7 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.8 3.8 3.8 3.0 3.2 4.0 4.2 4.0 2.8 3.3 3.5 3.4
Competent
Fairly
1.3 Conclusion 3.8 2.5 3.5 3.2 3.0 3.8 2.7 2.8 3.2 4.0 2.7 3.5 3.5 4.0 3.5 2.7 2.7 2.7 3.2
Competent
Fairly
Combined Mean 3.7 2.6 3.5 3.7 3.3 3.3 2.7 2.8 3.5 4.0 3.0 3.5 3.9 4.1 3.8 2.8 3.1 3.2 3.4
Competent
Fairly
2. Coherence 3.7 2.5 3.7 4.0 3.7 3.8 2.7 2.7 4.0 4.5 2.8 3.2 3.2 3.7 3.2 2.5 2.8 2.8 3.3
Competent
Fairly
3. Citation 3.8 3.2 3.7 3.8 3.2 3.0 2.5 2.8 3.8 4.2 3.8 4.0 4.2 4.2 3.3 2.0 3.7 2.3 3.4
Competent
Fairly
4. Commentary 3.5 3.0 2.7 4.0 3.5 3.2 2.3 2.3 3.2 3.8 2.8 4.0 3.7 4.0 3.7 2.3 2.7 2.5 3.2
Competent
5. Currency of Fairly
3.2 2.8 3.5 3.8 2.8 2.6 2.5 3.3 3.2 4.5 2.8 3.0 3.7 4.2 2.7 2.8 3.2 2.8 3.2
Literature Competent
Fairly
Total Mean 3.6 2.8 3.4 3.8 3.3 3.2 2.6 2.8 3.5 4.1 3.0 3.5 3.8 4.0 3.5 2.6 3.1 2.9 3.3
Competent
It showed that the students got Fairly Competent both in ‘commentary’ and
‘currency of literature’ with a mean of 3.2.
It revealed that the students encountered difficulties in providing introductory
and/ or summary statement that include highlighting statements and discuss implications,
problems exceptions, and/ or recommendation. Similarly to the currency of literature,
students literature failed to represents the latest work done in the field that focus is
literature written over the last five years.
52
It implied that students have difficulty in evaluating, critically reviewing,
synthesizing and comparing the research studies in their chosen area.
As discussed by (Vardi, 2012), writers must articulate contradictions, gaps,
inconsistencies, and the relationship to the problem under examination They must also
make decisions about sources in terms of breadth, selection, relevance, currency,
availability and authority. Literature reviews demand sophisticated intellectual literacies
and high-level thinking skills (Bruce, 2001; Turner and Bitchener, 2008). In addition,
writing a literature review is a complex process of constructing language by using others’
voices to establish kinship and authority within a discourse community (Thompson,
2005).
Table 2.3 presents the Weaknesses of the Senior High School Students in writing
the Review of Related Literature in Bangbang National High School.
Table 2.3.
Literature in Bangbang National High School
Descriptive
Indicators R25 R26 R27 R28 R29 R30 R31 R32 R33 R34 R35 R36 R37 R38 Total
Equivalent
1. Content
Barely
1.1 Introduction 3.0 2.0 2.7 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.8
Competent
Barely
1.2 Body 3.0 2.0 2.8 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.8
Competent
Barely
1.3 Conclusion 3.0 2.0 2.3 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.1
Competent
Barely
2. Coherence 3.0 2.2 3.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.8
Competent
Barely
Combined Mean 3.0 2.0 2.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.9
Competent
Barely
3. Citation 3.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
Competent
Barely
4. Commentary 3.0 2.0 2.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.7
Competent
5. Currency of Barely
2.3 2.0 2.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.7
Literature Competent
Barely
Mean 2.8 2.0 2.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.9
Competent
53
It revealed that in both of ‘commentary’ and ‘currency of literature’ got the lowest
mean of 1.7 described as Barely Competent. Therefore, students
It inferred that the students are inadequately indicate source of data/information.
May or may not provide introductory and/ or summary statement. Further, rarely relate
data/information to current study. Thus, there is a limited understanding or integration
displayed of literature reviewed. Moreover, numerous sources of literature are over ten
years and no specific reason is given for the use of this noncurrent literature.
As (Haider, 2012; Hyland, 2003) discussed student writers face various writing
problems at different stages of their learning. Generally, these problems can be classified
into linguistic, psychological, cognitive and pedagogical categories. They struggle with
the structural components of English; because an inappropriate structure complicates the
content and comprehension of the text, which a reader deciphers through involvement of
a mental process (Quintero, 2008; Nik, Hamzah, & Rafidee, 2010). Similarly, an
incoherent text fails to communicate ideas which causes lack of confidence in learners
even if they have mastered syntactic, lexical and grammatical command over text
composition (Rico, 2014). Students’ lack of confidence is also caused by a teaching
strategy which does not conform to students’ learning styles and cultural backgrounds
(Ahmad et al., 2013).
It is argued that poor writing skills originate from two factors: the teacher and the
learner. Teachers lack appropriate pedagogic approach to teach writing, including
providing prompt and effective feedback to students, and most crucially, teachers’ lack of
ability to motivate students. In the Department of Education in Out-of-field teaching is a
54
reality that many schools. Increasing the supply of teachers to meet demand, while
critical to ensuring the right sort of teachers in the schools in most need, provides no
immediate relief for teachers currently filling in. Support and retraining for these teachers
is the key (Ketchell, 2015).
Ketechell 2015 asserted that out-of-field teachers can be concerned about the
negative impact their teaching might have on student learning, such as lower achievement
scores. They have also shown concern that they are unable to demonstrate content is
relevant to everyday life.
On the other hand, students face numerous challenges: effects of L1 transfer lack
of reading, motivation, and practice. Numerous factors that affect students’ writing skills
have been identified in literature. These are associated with the motivation of learners
who are generally unclear about the purpose and significance of their text in their L2
learning.
Similarly, social media, inconsistent feedback from teachers, learners’ lack of
analytical and evaluative approach, and large and unmanageable class sizes also
negatively impact the structural and communicative accuracy of the students’ texts
(Pineteh, 2013). Most of the students find it very challenging to obtain sufficient and
relevant source information, paraphrase or summarise information, and use an
appropriate academic writing style (Gonye, Mareva, Dudu, & Sib, 2012; Kalikokha,
2008).
Numerous factors that affect students’ writing skills have been identified in
literature. These are associated with the motivation of learners who are generally unclear
55
about the purpose and significance of their text in their L2 learning. Similarly, social
media, inconsistent feedback from teachers, learners’ lack of analytical and evaluative
approach, and large and unmanageable class sizes also negatively impact the structural
and communicative accuracy of the students’ texts (Pineteh, 2013). Most of the students
find it very challenging to obtain sufficient and relevant source information, paraphrase or
summarise information, and use an appropriate academic writing style (Gonye, Mareva,
Dudu, & Sib, 2012; Kalikokha, 2008). It is caused by delayed essay writing instruction,
large classes, students’ negative attitude towards their academic English course, L1
transfer, and lack of dialogue between students and teachers about the constructive steps
that need to be taken to address these problems.
Table 2.4 presents the Weaknesses of the Senior High School Students in writing
the Review of Related Literature in Buenavista National High School.
Table 2.4.
Weaknesses of Senior High School Students in Writing the Review of Related Literature
in Buenavista National High School.
Descriptive
Equivalent
1. Content
1.1 Introduction 2.5 3.5 4.3 3.5 3.5 2.8 3.4 Fairly Competent
1.2 Body 2.7 3.7 4.0 3.5 3.7 2.8 3.4 Fairly Competent
It revealed that ‘commentary’ got the lowest mean of 2.8 described as Fairly
Competent. Therefore, they were able to synthesized findings across studies; research
outcomes, perspectives and methods are compared and contrasted not comprehensively.
56
It is implied that to critique the literature (identify arguments for and against
theories, assess value of research claims, and identify limitations in previous research), to
identify gaps in literature (to identify the gap in knowledge and areas that have only been
partially researched) and to inform proposed research (provide a rationale,
background/context for proposed research and guide selection for an appropriate design
and methodology).
It is similar to the findings of (Boote and Beile, 2005), a more complete review of
related literature should take the form of a critical discussion, showing insight and an
awareness of differing arguments, theories, and approaches. It should be a synthesis and
analysis of the relevant published work, linked at all times to own research purpose and
rationale.
In the discussion of Younger et al. (2004: 248), by explaining what has been done
and what has not been done the researcher gives a justification of own contribution. In the
discussion section, literature is used to support and criticize the findings of others in light
of new findings.
57
Table 3 presents the needs of senior high school students in writing review of
related literature. It showed writing competencies to be developed in research writing of
the students.
Table 3.
The Needs of Senior High School Students in Writing Review of Related Literature
Needs of Senior High Input to the Enhancement of Communication Skills Total Mean Equivalent
School Students in Description
Writing the Review of
Related Literature
1. Content
Arranging the topics to be discussed Fairly
Moves in Research Paper Introductions Competent
Move 1
Establishing a research territory: a. by showing that the
general research area is important, central, interesting,
problematic, or relevant in some way; b. by introducing
and reviewing items of previous research in the area,
(obligatory)
1.1 Introduction Move 2
Establishing a niche a. by indicating a gap in the previous 3.1
research, raising a question about it, or extending
previous knowledge in some way. (obligatory)
Move 3
Occupying the niche : a. by outlining purposes or stating
the nature of the present research, (obligatory); b. by
announcing principal findings, (optional); c by indicating
the structure of the research paper. (optional)
(Swales’ CARS moves.)

Paraphrasing/Summarizing ideas/theories/findings taken Fairly
from resources. Competent
● the key issues which underlie the research
project;
● the major findings on the research topic, by
whom and when; (highlighting statement,
1.2 Body citation)
3.1
● the main points of view and controversies that
surround the issue being investigated;
(highlighting and commenting)
● a critical evaluation of these views, indicating
strengths and weaknesses of previous studies
on the topic; (commenting)
General conclusions about the state of the art at the time of Fairly
writing, including what research still needs to be done; that Competent
is, the gap that remains in the research that the study will
1.3 Conclusion aim to fill. (commenting, relating to present study) 3.0
(Paltridge & Starfield, 2007)
2. Coherence Coherent synthesis and evaluation of ideas from different Fairly

sources. Ideas are well-linked within and between 2.9 Competent
58
paragraphs. Logical movement of ideas from one point to

another and develops the argument.
Organizing a review containing an introduction, body
paragraphs and conclusion with a clear topic sentences,
focus on single issue, are coherent, and are organized
according to the pattern of argument.
Using appropriate transition words(discourse markers or
conjunctive adverbs) to connect ideas between paragraphs,
topics or sections
Adeptly cites sources. Demonstrates understanding of Fairly
“central, non-central and non-reporting styles of reporting”. Competent
Ably cites primary and secondary sources.
Reporting on Previous Research:

 an author is directly reported as being
responsible for a particular finding or argument
and placed in subject position in the sentence
(central reporting);
 an author is reported as being responsible for a
particular finding or argument but with their name
being given less focus by being placed in
brackets at the end of the relevant statement
3. Citation (non-central reporting);
 the results of a piece of research are presented 3.0
with less focus being given to the author or the
actual study and no ‘reporting verbs’ such as
‘claim’ or ‘shown’ are used (non-reporting).
Examples:
 Central reporting: ‘Burke (1986) discovered that
many students would like to become integrated
into Australian society.’
 Non-central reporting: ‘It has been shown that
students have often performed successfully in
their own education system before they seek
entry to the particular university (Ballard 1991).’
Non-reporting: ‘Instead of motivation producing
achievement, it may be that achievement produces
motivation (Spolsky 1989).’
Includes highlighting statements and discusses implications, Fairly
problems, exceptions and / or recommendations. Competent
Highlighting the results.

• Assess standard theory, common beliefs, or general
practice in the light of the given data.
4. Commentary • Compare and evaluate different data sets.
2.8
• Assess the reliability of the data in terms of the
methodology that produced it.
• Discuss the implications of the data. (Swales and Feak,
1994, p.79)
Using appropriate reporting verbs to express statement,
judgment, opinion, suggestion or disagreement. (e.g.
mentioned, pointed out, emphasized, believe
5. Currency of Literature The literature represents the latest work done in the field. Fairly
(Using the latest work The focus is literature written over the last five years. 2.8 Competent
done in the field.)
59
As shown in the table, the needs of senior high school students in writing review
of related literature have the corresponding input to the enhancement of communication
skills which was anchored in the study of Montejo (2015).
The identified needs are based from the results of the weaknesses of the students
in writing review of related literature. It revealed that in ‘commentary’ and ‘currency of
literature’ highly needs a remediation with a total mean of 2.8 which described as Fairly
Competent.
It inferred that the students failed to generate good summary from literature with
robust transitions to methods chapter.
The outcome is related to the discussion of Younger et al. (2004: 248) , by
explaining what has been done and what has not been done the researcher gives a
justification of own contribution. In the discussion section, literature is used to support
and criticize the findings of others in light of new findings. In the case of findings show
similarities to earlier studies and further to that “a complexity of constructions of subject
and teaching”.
60
Table 4 presents the comparative performance of the respondents. It aimed at
determining the writing skills of the four schools in terms of writing the review of related
literature.
Table 4.
Comparative Performance of the SHS Students
Marinduque ED Makapuyat ED Bangbang ED Buenavista ED Mean
Indicators
NHS NHS NHS NHS
1. Content
1.1Introduction 3.5 FC 3.6 C 1.8 BC 3.4 FC 3.1
1.2 Body 3.4 FC 3.7 C 1.8 BC 3.4 FC 3.1
1.3 Conclusion 3.2 FC 2.7 FC 2.1 BC 2.9 FC 2.7
Combined
3.4 FC 3.3 FC 1.8 BC 3.2 FC 2.9
Mean
2. Coherence 3.3 FC 3.3 FC 1.9 BC 3.1 FC 2.9
3. Citation 3.4 FC 3.2 FC 2.0 BC 3.1 FC 2.9
4. Commentary 3.2 FC 3.4 FC 1.7 BC 2.8 FC 2.8
5. Currency of
3.2 FC 3.3 FC 1.7 BC 2.9 FC 2.8
Literature
Grand Mean 3.3 FC 3.3 FC 1.9 BC 3.1 FC 2.9
It revealed that in terms of content, specifically the ‘body’ and ‘conclusion’
Makapuyat National High School is Competent with a verbal rating of 3.6 and 3.7 with a
grand mean of 3.3, while Bangbang National High School got the lowest mean in all of
the indicators 1.9 verbally described as Barely Competent.
In general, most of the schools are Fairly Competent in writing the review of
related literature except of Bangbang National High School which were described as
Barely Competent with a grand mean of 1.9.
61
Chapter 5
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter presents the summary of findings, the conclusion drawn from the
findings and the recommendations based on the conclusion.
Summary of Findings
This study was undertaken to assess the Writing Skills of Senior High School
Students as reflected in their research output. It specifically centered on these questions:
(1) How competent are the Senior High School students as to: (1.1) Writing the Review
of Related Literature (2) What are the strengths and weaknesses in writing the review of
related literature of the SHS students in the four districts in the Division of Marinduque:
Boac-Marinduque National High School; Sta. Cruz-Makapuyat National High School;
Gasan-Bangbang National High School and Buenavista- Buenavista National High
School in terms of: (2.1)Content (2.1.1)Introduction, (2.1.2) Body, (2.1.3) Conclusion,
(2.2) Coherence, (2.3) Citation, (2.4) Commentary, (2.4) Currency of Literature and (3)
What are the needs of SHS students in writing review of related literature?
The study employed descriptive type of research with qualitative research design.
It employed a rubrics-based evaluation, discourse and text analysis.
The results of the analysis and interpretation of findings are as follow:
I. Evaluation of the Research Output in Writing Review of Related
Literature
The results of the evaluation of the research output in writing review of
related literature, in terms of ‘content’ is Fairly competent with a combined
62
mean of 2.9 while ‘commentary’ got the lowest mean of 2.7 verbally
described as Fairly Competent. In general, the indicators to measure the level
of writing competencies are Fairly Competent with a total mean of 2.8. The
results indicated that students has difficulty in writing their review of related
literature. Hence, they need guidance in writing the review of related
literature.
II. Strengths of the Senior High School Students in writing the Review of
Related Literature
Among four schools only Makapuyat National High School were found
Competent in terms of ‘content’, ‘body’ it can be inferred that students were
able to outline the significance of the topic, main arguments and defines key
terms.
III. Weaknesses of the Senior High School Students in writing the Review of
Related Literature
Students from Marinduque National High School and Buenavista National
High School were found Fairly Competent in ‘commentary and ‘currency of
literature’; Makapuyat National High School were found Fairly Competent in
terms of ‘conclusion’; and Bangbang National High School described as
Barely Competent in all indicators.
IV. The Needs of Senior High School Students in Writing Review of Related
Literature
63
The identified needs are based from the results of the weaknesses of the
students in writing review of related literature. It revealed that in
‘commentary’ and ‘currency of literature’ highly needs a remediation with a
total mean of 2.8 which described as Fairly Competent.
It inferred that the students failed to generate good summary from literature
with robust transitions to methods chapter.
V. Annotations of Evaluators
The annotations of the evaluators also revealed that students research output
in terms of content it needs to be well-organized for there is no clear, logical
description of the content, scope and the organization of the Review. Moreover,
some literature identified do not address the variables or the Research Questions
in the study; some literature are not related or relevant to the present research-
some lack credibility; the discussion needs further elaboration; several RRL are
too short; do not give substantial discussion; do not discuss the concerned
parameters of the study.
Furthermore, most RRL do not have the Complete Citations or the sources
are not clearly cited; some really do not acknowledge the sources; do not have
citations, at all. Hence, the RRL lacks the credibility; there is no mention of what
has been done; and what has to be done. Almost all the RRL do not have that
concluding paragraph summarizing, describing the findings of all researches
reviewed or cited and citing the implications of these findings to the present study
to be conducted.
64
Conclusions
The following conclusions were drawn from the results of the study:
1. The students writing competence is at Fairly Competent the results
indicated that students has difficulty in writing their review of related
literature. Hence, they need guidance in writing the review of related
literature.
2. Makapuyat National High School was the only one found Competent in
terms of ‘content’, ‘body’ it can be inferred that students were able to
outline the significance of the topic, main arguments and defines key
terms.
3. With these findings, there is a need for remediation towards the
enhancement of the communication skills of the senior high school
students particularly in mastering ‘commentary and ‘currency of literature
‘, as well as in writing academic texts coherently and cohesively.
Recommendation
Based on the conclusions generated from the findings, the following
recommendations are herewith given.
1. The School Curriculum Developers should devise teaching strategies that will
address the identified writing difficulties of the students. These strategies should
integrate more academic writing activities and exposure to English to enrich the
learning experiences of the students.
65
2. School Administrators should send teachers for trainings and seminars related to
academic writing.
3. Senior High School Teachers are encouraged to use variety of activities and offer
constant academic writing practices and drills to the students to address the
identified writing difficulties.
4. Students should be provided with more academic writing activities to have
constant exposure to reduce their identified difficulties. They are encouraged to
read sample academic papers/essays, which they can use as guides in writing their
own.
5. Other Research Enthusiasts are encouraged to conduct a similar study on a wider
scope to validate the results and findings of the present study.
6. More studies should be conducted to explore the writing skills of students not
only in writing academic paper but also to the other academic writing categories
such as writing a review paper, concept paper, position paper and technical
writing.
66

Assessment of Writing Skills of Senior High School Students As Reflected in Their Research Outputs: Basis For Communication Skills Enhancement Program

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Assessment of Writing Skills of Senior High School Students As Reflected in Their Research Outputs: Basis For Communication Skills Enhancement Program

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Republic of the Philippines

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

among Filipino students.

in language learning. It is the system of written symbols, representing the sounds,

syllables or words of language, with different mechanisms - capitalization, spelling and

punctuation, word form and function.

Generally, writing is very important that communication is transmitted more

Thus, the Department of Education (DepEd) has endeavored to improve the

academic performance of Filipino students by implementing the K to 12 Program as

SHS students is having effective and comprehensive academic writing skills.

Hence, it focuses on developing students’ academic writing skills in the different

competence, concept development, and abstraction. However, writing is a complicated

process primarily because it requires a combination of skills (Saladino, 2009).

Writing relies on good fine motor functions, visual-motor planning, attention,

sequencing, thinking, memory, and knowledge of grammar, sentence structure,

Frequently writing is accepted as being the last language skill to be acquired.

writing subjects they consider taboo.

Further, ESL learners may experience lexical, syntactical, and morphological

difficulties as influenced by their native language. Interestingly, good writing is much

appropriate words. Sentences are concise, emphatic and correct.

An academic essay is document that has a defined structure – an introduction, a

follows academic stylistic conventions such as formality, objectivity, explicitness,

Statement of the Problem

Makapuyat National High School as reflected in their research output. Specifically it

sought to answer the following questions:

1. How competent are the Senior High School students as to:

1.1 Writing the Review of Related Literature

literature of the SHS students in the four districts in the Division of

Marinduque: Boac-Marinduque National High School; (Sta. Cruz)-Makapuyat

National High School; (Gasan)-Bangbang National High School and

(Buenavista)- Buenavista National High School in terms of:

2.5 Currency of Literature

Scope and Delimitation

students’ research output. Forty-four available manuscripts specifically the chapter

and Buenavista National High School were evaluated and analyzed.

were integrated in the citation, comment and the currency of literature.

using the rubrics.

Significance of the Study

Specifically, the School Administrators will get information which will be

especially the proficiency of the students in Academic Writing.

students’ competence in writing by employing teaching approaches and strategies which

to generate instructional materials like modified modules in every strand in order to

address the specific needs of the students.

providing them opportunities and interventions.

Lastly, this research will provide meaningful information and knowledge in

students and its impact on their performance.

readers’ view of the meaning.

Assessment refers to the process of determining the writing skills as reflected in

terms of: content; coherence; citation; commentary and currency of literature.

adheres to traditional conventions of punctuation, grammar, and spelling.

Coherence means the “togetherness” of ideas within a paragraph or a longer

other using discourse markers and transitional words, phrases or clauses.

connections between the ideas in the text.

Citation is the process of identifying and acknowledging the author/s or sources

number in the textual presentation or discussion.

Competence is the skill or proficiency displayed by a senior high school student in

writing an academic paper.

Commentary refers to the comments, judgments, evaluation made on ideas,

findings, results, conclusions in previous studies on the data.

and Engineering Strand (STEM) in the Division of Marinduque.

and Engineering Strand (STEM) in the Division of Marinduque.

related literature which is categorized as Highly Competent, Competent, Fairly