CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction
The classroom situation that is composed of students with individual

differences is termed as complex. Students being the center of education require

every teacher to initiate learning and not simply to teach all the lessons for a

certain period of time. Teachers should know their students very well. This will

help the teachers to provide their students with better education. Handling

different students requires professional expertise for the teaching-learning

process to be executed properly.

According to Tenedero (2012), 47 percent of those who dropped out from

school did so because of various financial reasons, 28 percent complained of

high cost, ten percent ought employment and nine percent worked for the family

business. But the more remarkable figure is the 31 percent of drop-outs who said

that they left school because they just didn’t find school work interesting enough.
In connection to this, teachers use different teaching strategies and

teaching methods that will help the students to understand the lesson. In today’s

world, teachers use strategies that will fit each of the students. For instance, they

use instructional materials such as audio-visuals particularly PowerPoint

presentation. As students in techno-world, most of them appreciate this kind of

strategy. Students have different learning styles. It varies on how they retain a

certain lesson in their memory. But then, there will be a problem if the teacher is

not aware of the learning style of the students. It may hinder the students to

understand very well the lesson being taught. Student’s learning style can be

distinguished by the way they want to learn. Teachers should be aware of their
 2

students’ learning style. The students may be a visual learner, an auditory learner

or a tactile-kinesthetic learner.
There are times that a person uses different learning styles in different

circumstances. He might find that one learning style is far better than the other

style. Sometimes, he tends to mix different learning styles for better learning.

Recognizing one’s own style in learning can help a person to come up with better

techniques that he might do to learn. Most of the students nowadays have no

idea of the kind of learning styles they have and oftentimes they’re not aware of

their own style in learning.

In the Philippines, the Department of Education tends to change its

curriculum from one time to another to ensure the improvement in education in

the country. As a matter of fact, this year welcomed a new curriculum adapted

from other countries known as Kindergarten to 12 th year grade (K-12). As for the

present teachers, parents and students are still in the adjustment period in the

said curriculum. Based on the researcher’s personal experience, English in this

curriculum was given a shorter period of study. In public elementary schools, the

teachers using this curriculum teach English only during the second semester.
According to Agana (2007), English as one of the subjects being studied in

the Philippines contributes greatly to one’s success especially when it comes to

business. It is considered as the second language of the country and the means

of communication of different countries to understand each other. Some students

find it hard to study English next to Mathematics especially when they are about

to speak the language. They are afraid to commit mistakes and tend to stutter

whenever they are about to speak the second language especially when they will
 3

speak in a crowd. Teachers use different instructional materials in teaching this

subject to make it easier and fun for the students. Some of them use video clips,

tapes or compact disks especially when they teach the proper pronunciation of

words.
Castaños (2007) assessed that learning English varies from each

individual. It could be for personal fulfillment, career advancement or the pursuit

of job opportunities. She cited the different ways on how a teacher can teach

English to the students. She claimed that first, a teacher should know his

students for him to know the strengths and weaknesses of his students. Second,

the teacher should identify the students’ learning style. Every teacher should

match his teaching style to the learning styles of the students. The third one is

that the teacher should give feedback and support to the students. He should

encourage his students to ask questions and clarify any unclear topic. Next, a

teacher should enrich his students’ vocabulary. This can help them learn English

faster. The fifth one is use of simplified grammatical structures. If the students are

having difficulty in learning English, the teacher should first simplify his examples

so as to make it easier for the students to learn. The teacher may also formulate

some interesting activities that will motivate them to learn English. Lastly, teacher

should let his students do the talking and encourage them to write. This will help

the students express what they have learned. This will help those students who

are afraid to speak and write using the English language.

As a common observation, some college students tend to have difficulty in

English subject for the reason that they still are not aware of the basic rules in
 4

English especially in constructing sentences. Most of them commit errors in

subject-verb agreement. Sometimes they say that the reason in having failing

grade in English is that it is boring. In this, teachers should provide instructional

materials and activities that will make the English subject interesting to the

college students.
In Sta. Teresa College, the teachers are using different instructional

materials in executing their class. The common instructional material they used is

the PowerPoint Presentation. Through experience and some interviews

conducted by the researchers, most of the students become interested in class

discussion if the teacher uses an instructional material and get bored if the

teacher does not use any material in teaching them. They say that through those

instructional materials, they can easily understand the lesson being taught. Also,

they enjoy learning and they appreciate even the hardest topic being discussed

by their teachers.
The target of every institution is improved academic performance of the

students. Studies show that if the teachers fail to make the discussion interesting

to every student then it will affect his academic performance. Academic

performance is said to be an accomplishment which reveals the potential ability

of every student and the success of every school. This encouraged the

researchers to dwell on the area of learning styles and academic performance.

Conceptual Framework
This study is anchored on the concept of input-process-output that

provides the basis for organizing multi-media presentations that will help the

students learn English easily.

 5

The conceptual framework of the study emphasizes the importance of

knowing the learning styles and the academic performance of the students in

English subject. This relates with the present study as regard to the examination

of the inputs through the use of the questionnaire and through documentary

analysis prior to organizing instructional materials.

In the first phase, the researchers identified the respondents and their

learning styles. The learning styles of the students were identified using a

questionnaire adapted with permission from Derrick Bowman. The

questionnaires were given to all first year college students. Their answers were

encoded to the website www.whatismylearningstyle.com to know their learning

styles. In the second phase, the academic performance of the students in English

was identified. A letter was presented to them to get their approval in getting their

grades from the registrar’s office. The data gathered must be secured especially

their grades. They must be held confidential. The purpose of this is to gather the

information that will be the basis in organizing media presentations that will be

used in teaching English. The third phase is the output or the implementation of

the organized media presentations.

The flow of the study is best presented in the conceptual paradigm in

Figure 1.
 6

Academic
Learning
Performance
Styles

Instructional Materials
Figure 1
Research Paradigm

Statement of the Problem

The study assessed the learning styles and the academic performance of

the first year college students of Sta. Teresa College.

Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:
1. What are the learning styles of the respondents?
2. What is the level of academic performance of the first year college

students in English?
3. Is there a significant relationship between the learning styles of the

students and their academic performance in English?

 7

4. What multimedia presentations can be proposed to enhance the

academic performance of the first year college students of Sta. Teresa College?
Hypothesis

Ho: There is no significant relationship between the learning styles of the

students and their academic performance.

Significance of the Study

Students have individual differences. They have different ways to learn

and understand a certain topic. Though they are not aware of their own learning

style, they can still have good grades in class. Learning style tells us how we

manage our academic performances and how we interpret every lesson. The

study will be beneficial to the stakeholders of Sta. Teresa College in its aim to

achieve specified goals for the improvement of the learners.

School Administrators. They will gain insights on how they can compel

with their plans in developing an improved program that will fit the different

learning styles of the students. This may be a big step towards the achievement

of goal that every institution wants and that is to make every student learn.
Teachers. This may guide them to have an improved instructional material

that may serve as their instrument to teach the students with different learning

styles. The study can also be an assistant to every teacher in having new

concepts needed for his/her teaching of a particular subject.

Students. This may help them to be aware on what kind of learning style

they have. Likewise, the students may be able to enhance their skills and abilities

using their learning style. They may also improve in other subjects.
 8

Parents. The result of the study may be a great help to the parents for

them to enhance similarly their children’s learning styles. They may provide

related activities that may fit their children’s manner of learning.

Future Researchers. They may use the result of the study as their

reference in undertaking a parallel study.

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study
The focus of this study is to determine the learning styles of the college

students and their academic performance in English as basis for organizing

multi-media presentations.
The total number of respondents in this study is 128 students. It is based

on how many students agreed to get their final grades in English last semester

from the Registrar’s Office. Data were based on the result of the questionnaire

adapted with permission from www.whatismylearningstyle.com. The researchers

gathered the information through the libraries of different schools including the

National Library. Other pertinent information were gathered from the internet.
The study is limited to the three learning styles, visual, auditory and tactile-

kinesthetic.
Definition of Terms
For clearer understanding of this research, the researchers defined some

important terms.
Academic Performance. In this study, it refers to the final grade of the

students in English.
Auditory Learners. These are learners who learn best through hearing

things (Fleming, 2013). In this study, they are the students who prefer using

sound and music in the course of their study.

Effect. This is something that produces a specific impression or supports

a general design or intention (www.thefreedictionary.com/effect). In this study, it

 9

refers to the impact of the learning styles on the academic performance of the

students.
Instructional Materials. These are educational resources used to

improve students’ knowledge, abilities, and skills to monitor their assimilation of

information and to contribute to their overall development and upbringing

(encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Instructional+Materials). In this study, they

refer to the different materials used by teachers to ensure learning and to make

learning easier to the students.

Kinesthetic Learners. Those learners who learn through experiencing or

doing things (Fleming, 2013). In this study, they are those learners who prefer

using their body, hands, and sense of touch.

Learning Styles. These refer to the concept that individuals differ in

regard to what mode of instruction or study is most effective for them (Pashler et.

al, 2013). In this study, these refer to how the students learn and understand a

certain topic.
Strategies. These are careful plans or methods (www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/strategies). In this study, these refer to the special plan of

action of the teachers to enhance the learning of the students.

Visual Learners. Those learners who learn through seeing things

(Fleming, 2013). In this study, they are the learners who prefer using pictures,

images and spatial understanding.