PRONUNCIATION PROBLEMS OF BSED ENGLISH 1A STUDENTS OF

STI WEST NEGROS UNIVERSITY

A Research Paper
Presented to
Dr. Glori Edna R. Libo-on
College of Education, Arts and Sciences
STI West Negros University
Bacolod City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

GEDC 1012 – Purposive Communication

Alabado, May Ann C.

Esparas, Rialyn G.
Gerado, Antonio Jr. B.
Insular, Chia Marie
Lindo, Shane Frances E.
Osorio, Marlo C.
Silvestre, Raymund T.
Soteo, Shemry Mari Therese E.
Tapio, Jeissa L.

November 2018

1
 Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Language varies in all places around the world, especially in

pronunciation. It is also one of the hardest struggles among the people in

some countries that utilized English language as a medium of

communication. English pronunciation is one of the most difficult skills to

acquire and learners should spend lots of time to improve their

pronunciation (Aliaga García, 2007; Martínez-Flor et al. 2006; Pourhosein

Gilakjani, 2016). Understandable pronunciation is one of the basic

requirements of learners’ competence and it is also one of the most

important features of language instruction. Good pronunciation leads to

learning while bad pronunciation promotes to great difficulties in learning

language (Pourhosein Gilakjani, 2012).

Some of the native speakers often omits some letters from the

English alphabet. For some instance, countries like Philippines does not

have "c", "f", "j", "q", "v", "x", "z" in their native language which make it hard

for the Filipinos to pronounce English words correctly. Filipino speakers

have what they often refer to as a, “Filipino Accent,” which can often be

very difficult for native English speakers to understand. The reason behind

this confusion is that people from the Philippines mix up several

2
consonants and vowels in English words when they speak, making it

exceedingly difficult for native listeners to understand.

People from the Philippines often substitute the /p/ in a word for

/f/. This becomes especially tricky when those sounds occur close

together. For example: perform, helpful, cup, and perfect. Filipino

speakers also commonly make the mistake of mixing up the /v/ and the

/b/ confused. For example, the words November and very big. Many a

Filipino person often goes to the, “moo bees,” on a Friday night instead of

the movies.

Another sound that Tagalog speakers struggle with is the /th/,

which they substitute with /t/ or a /d/ sound. How many of you Filipino

people, “tank” your “mudder” instead of, “Thank your mother?” Lastly,

many people native to the Philippines confuse the /s/ sound with the /z/

sound, meaning that they often say a /s/ sound where there is commonly

a /z/ sound in English. Filipino speakers don’t just have a difficult time

with consonants, there are several vowel sounds that they struggle with,

as well. The most problematic ones are the /I/ sound and the difference

between it and the /i/ sound and the /a/ sound and the difference

between it and the /ē/ sound. Tagalog speakers have an exceedingly

difficult time due in part to the acceptance of speaking “Filipino English”

with each other, but if you want to be more clearly understood when

3
speaking to a native English speaker, work on these sounds to be more

confident in your English.

Pronunciation is one important factor to become a good speaker. It

is very essential to pronounce certain words correctly to express the

thoughts, ideas and facts, but most students have issues on pronunciation

and this could lead them to misunderstandings and, of course, it can lower

their confidence and self-esteem. Students who have low self-esteem and

confidence when it comes to speaking tend to become less communicative.

Mispronunciation of words may cause humiliation to the speaker,

because, say, people from different countries have language variations, yet

is it inevitable for others, especially native speakers of English, to judge

them. Those students that need the most improvement of pronunciation

are English-major students because, as future English teachers and

models to their future students, it is very necessary for them to pronounce

the words well and correctly so they can teach the same thing to their

students as well. In relation to this, the researchers will have to undergo

a study about the pronunciation problems of BSED English 1A students

of STI West Negros University.

4
 Statement of the Problem

The objective of this study was to determine the pronunciation

problems of BSED English 1A students of STI West Negros University.

Specifically, the study aimed to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of the following

variables:

a. age;

b. sex;

c. high school of origin

2. What is the level of extent of the factors affecting the pronunciation

problems of BSED English 1A students based on the following areas:

a. Oral Recitation

b. Oral Reading

3. What is the level of extent of the factors affecting the pronunciation

problems of BSED English 1A students when grouped according to

the aforementioned variables?

4. Is there a significant difference in the pronunciation problems of

BSED English 1A students when grouped and compared according

to the aforementioned variables?

5
 Hypothesis

This hypothesis was formulated based on the objectives presented:

There is no significant difference in the pronunciation problems of

BSED English 1A students when grouped and compared according to the

aforementioned variables.

Study Variables, Categories and Indicators

Study Variables Categories Indicators

Age Length of time that a 16 to 18,
person alive 19 and above
Sex Biological distinctions Male, Female
High School of Origin Type of school that a Public, Private
student last attended

Theoretical Framework

The theory that was anchored to the study was Distinctive Feature

Theory by Roman Jakobson, Gunnar Fant, and Morris Halle.

The use of distinctive features in phonology enables us to capture

'natural classes', and, by extension, to generalize regularly occurring

phenomena and to formulate predictions about the behavior of class

members. If we wanted to hypothesize about human processing of

phonology we would use this idea to suggest that human beings process

the patterns of phonology as part of speech planning in terms of these

classes rather than in terms of individual segments. The regularity of

patterning in phonology is part of the evidence for this claim - but the

6
claim is more solid when based on the evidence that when the users of a

language make up new words they do so by producing utterances which

obey the rules of the natural classes their sounds fall into (Jakobson, et.

al., 1941q

Conceptual Framework

The aforementioned theory consists of features of phonology and

phonetics wherein the production of sounds is being discussed. This will

be used as basis on determining the problems in pronunciation of the

respondents.

This theory moved the researchers of the study "Pronunciation

Problems of BSEd – English 1A of STI West Negros University” to conduct

it among the said respondents who needed the most investigation and

improvement of English pronunciation proficiency.

Significance of the Study

The following are the beneficiaries of the study about the

pronunciation problems of BSED-English 1A students of STI West Negros

University:

School Administrators. School administrators will be informed

about this problem existing among students of STI West Negros University.

The school may able to make possible solutions to address to this problem

among the students.

7
 Teachers. The teachers may able to determine the factors affecting

the student’s pronunciation problems so they could formulate new

learning strategies to improve the pronunciation skills of their students.

Students. The result of this study will give awareness to the

students about the factors that affect their pronunciation. This will serve

also as their reference for their future study, homework, etc.

Future Researchers. The result of the study is helpful for the future

researchers because this will give them an overview about the

pronunciation problems among students. This will also serve as their basis

to ensure the validity of their study.

Definition of Terms

These terms were defined conceptually and operationally to give

clarity to the readers:

Age. According to oxforddictionaries.com, age conceptually defined

as a length of time that the person has lived or a thing has existed.

High School of Origin. According to center.serve.org, high school

of origin conceptually defined as the school that the child or youth

attended when permanently housed or school in which the child or youth

was last enrolled in secondary level.

8
 Oral recitation. Conceptually, it is the practice of having the entire

class recite important facts, identifications, definitions, and procedures

within the instruction and later when they need to be revisited. Oral

recitation is just one method of helping students memorize information.

This practice anchors information in the brain and helps students absorb

and retain information upon which understanding and critical thought is

based on slidehare.net.

In this study, it is defined as a practice which anchors information,

in the brain and helps students absorb and retain information upon which

understanding and critical thought is based.

Oral Reading. According to slideshare.net it is a strategy in which

students are required to read a given passage numerous times in order to

gain fluency and comprehension of what has been read.

Operationally, it refers to an activity in which a student participate

in class through reading a printed or written material often used to

measure the reading performance and to examine aspects of reading

accuracy, fluency, and comprehension that cannot be observed directly

from the act of silent reading.

Pronunciation. According to englishclub.com, pronunciation refers

to the way in which we make the sound of words. Cook (1996’ as cited in

Pourhousein Gilakjani 2016) defines pronunciation as the pronunciation

of English sounds pronunciation is learnt by repeating sounds and

9
correcting them when produced inaccurately. When learners start learning

pronunciation they make new habits and overcome the difficulties

resulting from the first language. According to Yates 2002 as cited in

Pourhosein Gilakjani 2016) pronunciation is the production of sounds that

is used for making meaning.

As used in this study, it is the production of sounds that we use to

create meaning. The idea of pronunciation can be described as a

combination of the sounds of the language as well as stress, rhythm and

intonation.

Sex. According to oxforddictionaries.com, sex conceptually defined

as either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans

and most other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive

functions.

10
 Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter talks about the different literature review that are

relevant to our study which is from different reliable sources in the

internet.

Conceptual Literature

Foreign

According to Elkhair Muhammad Idriss Hassan Study, (2014). This

study investigates the problems in English pronunciation experienced by

learners whose first language is Sudanese Spoken Arabic. In other words

to find the problematic sounds and the factors that cause these problems.

Then find some techniques that help the Sudanese Students of English

improve their pronunciation. The subjects for the study were fifty students

from University of Sudan of Science and Technology (SUST), and thirty

university teachers of English language from the same university. The

instruments used for collecting the data were observation, recordings and

a structured questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed both

statistically and descriptively. The findings of the study revealed that

Sudanese Students of English whose language background is Sudanese

Spoken Arabic, had problems with the pronunciation of English vowels

that have more than one way of pronunciation in addition to the consonant

sound contrasts e.g. /z/ and /ð/, /s/ and /θ/, /b/ and /p/, /ʃ/ and /tʃ/.

11
Based on the findings, the study concluded that factors such as

Interference, the differences in the sound system in the two languages,

inconsistency of English sounds and spelling militate against Sudanese

Students of English (SSEs) competence in pronunciation.

Muhammad Azizul Hoque, (2016) It is quite natural that the learners

of English as a second or foreign language encounter problems in their

pronunciation. This paper analyzes some problems concerning

pronunciation of English learners in Bangladesh. Using mixed methods

methodology, the paper provides some problematic English vowel and

consonant sounds the tertiary students make, on the basis of sources like

interview of students and recording it for collecting pronunciation

samples, questionnaire distributed to the teachers for collecting opinions

regarding students‟ English pronunciation, reading a passage that

contains some words of problematic pronunciation and presentation of

some selected tertiary students. The data collected from above sources

have been analyzed following the Standard Pronunciation system of

English. On the basis of findings, some pedagogical implications and

recommendations have been presented for the students and the teachers

to improve existing English pronunciation problems of students gradually.

12
 There are several problems that related to pronunciation and TEFL,

such as; in ED there is no subject that focuses on pronunciation. Indeed,

there are some simple and enjoyable exercises to practice pronunciation.

According to Jenkins (2007) mentioned on her article, Global English and

Teaching Pronunciation, that an implication global English for

pronunciation teaching that is students should be given plenty of exposure

in their pronunciation classrooms to other non-native accents of English

so that they can understand then easily even if a speaker has not yet

managed to acquire the core features. For EIL, this is more important than

having classroom exposure to native speaker accents. It means that

students should have non-native accents of English in order to help them

understand what the speaker means even though he or she cannot get the

RP pronunciation.

Moreover, Griffiths (2007), Integrating Pronunciation into Classroom

Activities, found that addressing issues (pronunciation) regularly during

the language feedback or group correction stage of lesson helps to focus

learners’ attention on its importance and lead to more positive experiences.

He also described that pronunciation work can be kept simple and employ

exercises which are both accessible and enjoyable for students, whatever

their level is. Whenever students do a freer speaking activity, the main aim

is usually at developing their spoken fluency in the language. However, the

activity also serves to work on students’ accuracy through the feedback

we give them on their use of language. It means that lecturers should give

13
the feedback on students’ pronunciation regularly so that students will

have positive attitude towards the pronunciation.

There are several problems that related to pronunciation and TEFL,

such as; in ED there is no subject that focuses on pronunciation. Indeed,

there are some simple and enjoyable exercises to practice pronunciation.

According to Jenkins (2007) mentioned on her article, Global English and

Teaching Pronunciation, that an implication global English for

pronunciation teaching that is students should be given plenty of exposure

in their pronunciation classrooms to other non-native accents of English

so that they can understand then easily even if a speaker has not yet

managed to acquire the core features. For EIL, this is more important than

having classroom exposure to native speaker accents. It means that

students should have non-native accents of English in order to help them

understand what the speaker means even though he or she cannot get the

RP pronunciation.

Based on those statements above, Okita (2007), Teaching

Pronunciation, concluded the activities that can be passed in teaching

pronunciation are: 1.) explaining Daniel Jones’ phonemic symbols, using

a chart of English vowels and consonants; 2.) using minimal pair

exercises; 3.) getting learners to memorize pronunciation patterns to

predict on which vowel the primary stress is placed in a word, and; 4.)

14
distinguishing the differences in the sounds of a vowel or consonant in a

given word.

Local

Although most Filipinos are not native English speakers, they have

little difficulty in speaking grammatically correct English. Fifty percent of

the problems in English grammar are because of changes in the ending of

words. This is because Filipino languages do not have words that change

their endings. We change the beginning syllable or reduplicate a middle

syllable but not the last syllable. This is in contrast to Latin and Spanish

where verbs all change end-ings (Barcelon, 2016)

This was an advantage of Ateneo boys who were made to learn Latin.

They learned to conjugate and change the endings of the words. When

teaching Spanish you start with Spanish songs which Filipinos already

sing. But the first verb to conjugate “AMO” meaning: “I LOVE”. “YO AMO,

TU AMAS. EL AMA, NOSOTRO AMAMOS, VOSOTROS AMAIS, EL-LOS

AMAN” (I love. You love. He loves. We love. You love. They love.) As you see

all the Spanish verbs change their endings but in English only the third

person singular changes (He loves).

But in Tagalog or Bisaya or any of the local languages that I know,

the endings do not change. Accordingly the Filipino speaker has a problem

with third person singular present, which adds an “s”.

15
 Other English forms that change the ending are English nouns in

the plural. They add an “s” or “as” (“Ball” becomes “balls”; “field” becomes

“fields” etc., in the plural.) As was mentioned 50 per-cent of the mistakes

of Filipino writers and speakers in English grammar consists of these two

additional “s” at the end of words. Imagine correcting 50% of potential

problems in two simple rules.

Another 10 percent comes from the propositions because in most

local languages there is only one preposition, namely “sa.” But in English

they are more descriptive. Where we put “sa” in five different instances,

English has a dozen prepositions which are more descriptive of what is

being talked about. English preposition include: “in” con­notes inside; “on”

connotes on top; “with” connotes togetherness; without, within, out, of, to,

across, towards, amid, unto, all of them are translated in the local di-alects

with “sa.” English, therefore, is more descriptive and the local languages

more practical and easier. The Filipino native speaker will, therefore, have

some difficulty with prepositions.

Another 10 percent is with the problem of English verbs having three

forms, namely: present, past, and past participle. “I go.’ I went’ and “I have

gone.” There are about a hundred of these verbs and they simply have to

be memorized. A helpful ob-ser-va-tion here is that the past and past

participle of the regular verbs are the same, and end in “ed” (“I worked.”

and “I have worked.”)

16
 What becomes problematic here is the use of auxiliary verbs.

Auxiliary verbs take the present form or the past participle form rather

than the past tense form (“I did go.” NOT “I did went”). What removes some

of the problem is that regular verbs have the same form for the past tense

and the past particle. (“I might work.” I have worked.” Are cor­rect. But “I

might worked” is wrong.

Philippines is an English-speaking country, but that doesn’t mean

every English speaker in the world will understand everything we say.

Using the language is one thing, knowing the right way to pronounce

English words. Of course, we have to forgive ourselves if we sometimes

commit mistakes–after all, Filipino is our national language. But then

again, it shouldn’t be a hindrance for you to improve your English

speaking skills. Some blame it on a unique language called “Philippine

English” and what they call “Filipino accent,” while others think it’s just

an excuse for not learning how to speak English the right way. Regardless

of what you believe, there is indeed a standard way to speak the universal

language, the mastery of which will give you an edge in both local and

international job markets.

This paper describes the evolution of studies of Philippine English

phonology over more than three decades, and then goes on to discuss the

results of a recent data-based study of the Philippine English accent

which, following Llamzon (1997), groups representative speakers of

17
Philippine English into three groups: an acrolect group, a mesolect group,

and a basilect group. The results of this research provide a description of

distinctive phonological features at the three levels, shared in and between

speakers of such groups. Finally the paper concludes by suggesting a

number of possible directions for future research, suggesting that future

studies of Philippine English phonology will be concerned not so much

with making statements about a ‘standard’ Philippine pronunciation, but

rather with describing descriptions of a range of accents, differentiated

both according to geography (and first language background) and

according to social-group membership.

As phonology is concerned, both boys produced alveolar stops where

one would expect interdental fricatives in MAE, a pattern also observed in

their parents and documented in the PE literature (see Bautista, 2001b;

Tayao, 2004). Ben also produced /b/ where one would anticipate the /v/

in MAE, a pattern also observed in his mother and consistent with PE

phonology (Tayao, 2004). Ben and his parents also demonstrated non-

MAE lexical stress in their pronunciation of some words, which is also

consistent with PE.

One basilectal, one mesolectaland one acrolectal speakers whose L1

are Philippine native languages were chosen for the study. Aside from their

noticeable accents when they speak in English, they were classified based

on their demographic profile taking into account social variables such as

18
(1) reported frequency of use of PE in different domains; (2) reported

preference for English for different activities; (3) the respondent's self-

assessment of their ability to use English (Tayao, 2004). Also, they have to

be at least (1) 18 years of age, (2) university students or graduates, (c) and

must be born and raised in the Philippines (Dayag, 2007).

For verification, the speakers were asked to read a passage and

fifteen sentences in English to check their pronunciation. Dayag (2007)

describes mesolectal speakers use syllable-timed rhythm, substitution of

interdental fricatives /th/ by alveolar stops /t/ and /d/ and the movement

towards the second syllable, dropping of final consonants (Gonzales 1997;

Tayao 2004). The audio recordings were evaluated by the researchers to

determine whether the accent abide to the phonological features described

by Llamzon (1997) for each Filipino lectal speaker.

Although the evidence only took form in a conversation, it still serves

as a reminder that one has to focus away from Manila and examine the

bigger picture. Similar to Tayao (2004), Dumdum et al. (2004imply the

emergence of a local English in the Philippines, particularly Cebu English,

complete with its set of idiosyncrasies as opposed to other Philippine

Englishes (e.g. Iloilo English).

The mesolect variety, on the other hand, is spoken by celebrities,

government officials, academia, and the mass media. Tayao (2004)

characterizes mesolectal speakers as individuals who use the language

19
extensively, such as in the workplace. This variety is considered an

intermediate type in the lectal continuum, with the acrolectal variety on

one end and the basilectal variety on the other.

It would be interesting to see how research in Philippine English

would progress if these models were to be incorporated into future studies

on Philippine Englishes. What would be more fascinating is if these new-

wave studies (see Villanueva, 2016) can look into the relation of language

and the social sphere as Tinio (2013), Bolton and Bautista (2004), and

Tayao (2004) pointed out in proto-Philippine Englishes studies (i.e. Yaya

English); that is, if more investigations into the relationship between social

factors and the basis for the variation of the local Englishes can be made.

Synthesis

One of the researcher named Elkhair Muhamma, (2014) investigate

the problem involving fifty students from University of Sudan of Science

and Technology (SUST) in English pronunciation which their first language

is Sudanic. Based on the findings, the study concluded that factors such

as Interference, the differences in the sound system in the two languages,

inconsistency of English sounds and spelling militate against Sudanese

Students of English competence in pronunciation. On the other hand

Researcher named Muhamma Azizul Hogue (2016) study about the

problem concerning pronunciation of English learners in Bangladesh.

Problematic questions and interview the respondents is the main tool used

20
to gathered information. On the basis of findings, some pedagogical

implications and recommendations have been presented for the students

and the teachers to improve existing English pronunciation problems of

students gradually. Furthermore, Barcelon (2016) distinguished that most

Filipinos are not native speakers, they have little difficulty in speaking.

And one of the factors is the changes in ending of words. According to his

research Filipino language do not words that change their endings.

21
 Chapter 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses descriptive research method used, sources

of data, and data-gathering process employed in the analysis of the

pronunciation problems of BSED-English 1A students of STI West Negros

University.

Research Design

The research design refers to the overall strategy that you choose to

integrate the different components of the study in a coherent and logical

way, thereby, ensuring you will effectively address the research problem;

it constitutes the blueprint for the collection, measurement, and analysis

of data. (Labaree, R.V., 2009).

In this study, the researchers used the descriptive research design

to analyze and derive the result of the study.

Locale of the Study

The study was conducted at STI West Negros University located at

Burgos St., Bacolod City. STI West Negros University (STI WNU; or

colloquially shortened to West Neg.), is a private university located in

Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines Association of Colleges and

Universities – Commission On Accreditation (PACU-COA) and awards

degrees in associate, bachelors, masters, and doctorate levels.

22
 Respondents of the Study

This study was conducted to 23 first year students of BSEd English

of STI West Negros University. The researchers sought to determine the

level and the factors affecting the pronunciation problems of BSEd

students.

Research Instrument

The researchers formulated set of questions to answer the objectives

of this study. In this case, a self-made survey questionnaire as an

instrument to collect data on the study about the pronunciation problems

of BSED-English 1A students of STI West Negros University.

Moreover, the survey questionnaire is separated into two parts; the

profile of the respondents and the areas which the study is focused

includes the oral recitation and oral reading. In student’s questionnaire,

the respondents had to choose and tick an appropriate option from five

options for each item or questions. For analysis, the researchers converted

the responses into mathematical figure.

Rating Response Verbal Interpretation

5 Always Very Great Level of Extent

4 Sometimes Great Level of Extent

3 Frequently Moderate Level of Extent

2 Seldom Some Level of Extent

1 Never Small Level of Extent

23
 Validity of the Research Instrument

The instrument must be validated in order to obtain factual and

reliable information from the respondents of the study. In this case, the

researchers sought the approval from the validators to validate the

research questionnaire.

The validators were the experts in the fields of Psychology,

Mathematics, Linguistics, and Psychometrics.

Reliability of the Research Instrument

In this study, a survey questionnaire was used as an instrument

because it obtained factual and quantifiable data from the respondents.

Moreover, it helped the researchers to avoid biases and the responses were

gathered objectively. The instrument consisted of structured questions

which were verified and undergone validation processes from the experts.

In testing the reliability of our research instrument, the researchers used

the T-test and the mean in analyzing the data gathered.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers first asked permission from teachers and students

through a letter to conduct a survey. It was assured to the interviewees

that their identities would be kept confidential. The researchers then

English 1A students of STI West Negros University. It took almost ten to

fifteen minutes to survey.

24
 Analytical Scheme

The studies are applied in the process of quantitative analysis. The

collected information is put into group of respondents and gathered in

agreement with the question that act as the system points and to establish

certain pattern in all answers. The summary of the collected information

is done based on the answers of the respondents.

Statistical Tools

Data analysis for the questionnaire is done by using the common

statistic. The t-test and mean. The T-test helps compare whether two

groups have different or similar average value. It can also help determine

if two population means are equal. Mean, on the other hand, helps to

describe a set of data by identifying the central position within the set of

data (Francisco, et. al., 2016). The entire questions were individually

analyzed to consider all the factors and support with descriptive analysis.

25
 Chapter 4

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

The purpose of this chapter is to develop and analyze the research

data that were collected from BSED English 1A students of STI West

Negros University.

Profile of the Respondents

The Table 1 illustrates the profile of the respondents of the study.

When grouped according to age, the students who age 19 and above got

the higher percentage than those who age 16-18. It shows that students

that age 16-18 have a percentage of 30.43 and those that age 19 and above

have a percentage of 69.57. When grouped according to sex, female

students’ percentage was higher than that of male students. Male students

have a percentage of 30.43 while female have 69.57. When grouped

according to high school of origin, the students who came from public

schools got the higher percentage than that of those who came from private

schools. Students whose came from public schools have a percentage of

65.22 while those who came from private schools have a percentage of

34.78.

26
 Table 1

Profile of the Respondents

Variables Groupings Frequency Percentage

Age 16 to 18 7 30.43
19 and above 16 69.57
Sex Male 7 30.43
Female 16 69.57
High School of Public 15 65.22
Origin Private 8 34.78

Result Found from Students’ Survey Questionnaire

The results of students’ responses are presented below through two

separate tables. First table will show the actual mean of responses given

to each statement or the area of Oral Recitation. Then, the second table

show the actual mean of student’s responses on each items. Then the

second table will show the average numbers after converting the responses

into percentage.

The Table 2 illustrates the means of the student’s response in every

questions on the survey questionnaire. The mean of the student’s

responses on the given questionnaire is four (4) which was interpreted as

“Great Level of Extent”. It interprets that the students are agree that they

are having problems in pronunciation. The table below shows the data:

27
 Table 2

Level of Extent of the factors affecting the Pronunciation Problems

of BSED English 1A students based on Oral Recitation

ITEMS MEANS INTERPRETATION

1. How often do you

recite in English class 3.70 Great Level of Extent
discussions?

2. How often do you

use the English
3.61 Great Level of Extent
language as a means
of communication?

3. How often do you

auto-correct
3.83 Great Level of Extent
mispronounced
words?

4. How often do you

engage yourself to the
Moderate Level of
conversation or 3.22
Extent
argument using
English language?

5. How often do you

find yourself eager to Very Great Level of
4.48
learn English Extent
language?

6. How often do you

mumble the words in 3.39 Great Level of Extent
oral recitation?

7. How often do you

feel uncomfortable in
3.43 Great Level of Extent
pronouncing English
words?

28
8. How often do you
memorize the
4.00 Great Level of Extent
pronunciation of the
word?

9. How often do you

Moderate Level of
use fillers for your 3.43
Extent
mispronunciation?

10. How often do you

have confidence in
3.65 Great Level of Extent
speaking regardless of
your pronunciation?

The Table 3 illustrates the means of the student’s response in every

questions on the survey questionnaire. The mean of the student’s

responses on the given questionnaire is four (4) which was interpreted as

“Great Level of Extent”. It interprets that the students are agree that they

are having problems in pronunciation. The table below shows the data:

Table 3

Level of Extent of the factors affecting the Pronunciation Problems

of BSED English 1A students based on Oral Reading
ITEMS MEANS INTERPRETATION
1. How often do you
read English books,
4.09 Great Level of Extent
texts, articles and
etc.?
2. How often do you
find yourself confused
Moderate Level of
with the 3.39
Extent
pronunciation of the
English words?

29
3. How often do you
encounter difficult
3.70 Great Level of Extent
words in English
reading?
4. How often do you
check the dictionary
(or other sources) for
4.43 Great Level of Extent
the pronunciation of
words that are new to
you?
5. How often do you
skipped words while
3.09 Moderate Level of
reading if you don’t
Extent
know the correct
pronunciation?
6. How often do you
mispronounced word Moderate Level of
3.39
whenever you are Extent
reading it aloud?

7. How often do you

participate in oral 3.96 Great Level of Extent
reading?

8. How often do you

practice the
4.22 Great Level of Extent
pronouncing English
words?
9. How often do you
correct others who Moderate Level of
3.09
mispronounced Extent
English words?

10. How often do you

articulate English 3.83 Great Level of Extent
words correctly?

30
 The Table 4 shows the result of the means based on the variables in

the area of oral recitation. In the variables of age, respondents ages 16 to

18 has the total mean of 3.66, while the respondents ages 19 and above

has the mean of 3.82. The male respondents has the total mean of 3.14,

while the female respondents has the mean of 3.88. Respondents from

public schools has the mean of 3.71, while respondents from private

schools has the mean of 3.65.

Table 4

Level of Extent of the factors affecting the Pronunciation Problems

of BSED English 1A students when grouped according to the
variables in Oral Recitation

RESULT OF THE MEANS BASED ON THE VARIABLES

Verbal
Variables Frequency Means
Interpretation
Age
16 to 18 Great Level of
7 3.66
Extent
19 and above Great Level of
16 3.82
Extent
Sex
Male Moderate Level
7 3.14
of Extent
Female Great Level of
16 3.88
Extent
High School of
Origin
15 3.71 Great Level of
Public
Extent
8 3.65 Great Level of
Private
Extent

31
 The Table 5 shows the result of the means based on the variables in

the area of oral reading. In the variables of age, respondents ages 16 to 18

has the mean of 3.29, while the respondents ages 19 and above has the

mean of 3.85. The male respondents has the total mean of 3.14, while the

female respondents has the mean of 3.88. Respondents from public

schools has the mean of 3.71, while respondents from private schools has

the mean of 3.84.

Table 5

Level of Extent of the factors affecting the Pronunciation Problems

of BSED English 1A students when grouped according to the
variables in Oral Reading

RESULT OF THE MEANS BASED ON THE VARIABLES

Verbal
Variables Frequency Means
Interpretation
Age
16 to 18 Moderate Level
7 3.29
of Extent
19 and above Great Level of
16 3.85
Extent
Sex
Male Moderate Level
7 3.14
of Extent
Female Great Level of
16 3.88
Extent
High School of Origin
Great Level of
Public 15 3.71
Extent
Great Level of
Private 8 3.84
Extent

32
 When group and compared according to the variables in the area of

oral recitation, the Table 6 shows that in the variables of age and sex, the

P-value is greater than the critical value of 1.721. It implies that there is

significant difference between the means of the samples. Therefore, the

null hypothesis is rejected. On the other hand, in the variable of high

school of origin, the P-value less than the critical value of 1.721. It implies

that there is no significant difference between the means of the samples.

Thus, the null hypothesis is accepted.

Table 6

Significant difference in the Level of Extent of the factors affecting

the Pronunciation Problems of BSED English 1A students when
grouped and compared according to the variables in Oral Recitation

VARIABLES CRITICAL
P-VALUE VALUE INTERPRETATION
AGE MEANS (0.05)
16 to 18 3.29
19 and 2.33 1.721 Significant
3.85
above
SEX MEANS
Male 3.14
3.5 1.721 Significant
Female 3.88
HIGH SCHOOL
OF ORIGIN
MEANS
Public 3.71
0.21 1.721 Not Significant
Private 3.65

33
 When group and compared according to the variables in the area of

oral reading, the Table 7 shows that in the variables of age and high school

of origin, the P-value is less than the critical value of 1.721 with a level of

confidence of 0.05. It implies that there is no significant difference between

the means of the samples. Therefore, the null hypothesis is accepted. On

the other hand, in the variable of sex, the P-value greater than the critical

value of 1.721. It implies that there is a significant difference between the

means of the samples. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected.

Table 7
Significant difference in the Level of Extent of the factors affecting
the Pronunciation Problems of BSED English 1A students when
grouped and compared according to the variables in Oral Reading

VARIABLES CRITICAL
P-VALUE VALUE INTERPRETATION
AGE MEANS (0.05)
16 to 18 3.66
19 and 0.18 1.721 Not Significant
3.82
above
SEX MEANS
Male 3.14
3.5 1.721 Significant
Female 3.88
HIGH SCHOOL
OF ORIGIN
MEANS
Public 3.71
0.5 1.721 Not Significant
Private 3.84

34
 Chapter 5

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

The discussion and summary of the findings is based on the

objectives formulated in the study. The conclusion and recommendations

are presented to the beneficiaries of the study.

Summary of Findings

This research was to identify the factors of English Pronunciation

problem of BSEd English 1A students of STI West Negros University. The

result after processing the data will show based on the variables of the

study.

Based on the Table 1 which presents the profile of the respondents,

when grouped according to age, the students who age 19 and above got

the higher percentage than those who age 16-18. It shows that students

that age 16-18 have a percentage of 30.43 and those that age 19 and above

have a percentage of 69.57. When grouped according to sex, female

students’ percentage was higher than that of male students. Male students

have a percentage of 30.43 while female have 69.57. When grouped

according to high school of origin, the students who came from public

schools got the higher percentage than that of those who came from private

schools. Students whose came from public schools have a percentage of

65.22 while those who came from private schools have a percentage of

34.78.

35
 In oral recitation, the item 5 has a highest mean of 4.48. This implies

that most of the BSEd – English students are eager to learn English

language which is one of the reason why they had chosen this course.

While the item 4 that has a lowest mean of 3.09 which means that the

students are frequently engaged themselves in a conversation or argument

using English language. Assume that they are non-native speakers of

English language, instead they are using their native language when

communicating with other people around them. Moreover, in the area of

oral reading, the item 4 that has the highest mean of 4.43, which

concludes that they always checked the dictionary (or other sources) for

the pronunciation if they encountered a new word. On the other hand,

item 5 has the lowest mean of 3.09, which means they frequently skipped

the words while reading if they could not recognize the correct

pronunciation. Based on the analysis presented in the Table 2 and 3, the

level of extent of the factors affects their pronunciation problem is “Great

Level of Extent” although most of the respondents answered “Frequently”

that corresponds to the items in the survey questionnaires and got a total

mean of 4.

The Table 4 reveals the result of “Great Level of Extent” in the

variables of age and high school of origin but for the males on the variables

of sex has a result of “Moderate Level of Extent”. On the other hand, Table

5 tells that the respondents aged 16 to 18 in the variables of age and males

on the variables of sex has a “Moderate Level of Extent” while the rest of

36
the variables expressed a “Great Level of Extent” according to the result of

the means. In relation to this, the researchers was able to determine the

P-value in each variable using the T-test. The null hypothesis is accepted

on the variables of age in oral reading and the high school of origin both

in oral recitation and oral reading. On the other hand, the oral recitation

on the variable of age and both oral recitation and oral reading on the

variable of sex were hypothetically rejected because the P- value is above

the critical value which equal to 1.721. Thus, there is significant difference

on the aforementioned variables.

Conclusion

The study “Pronunciation Problems of BSEd English 1A students of

STI West Negros University” was conducted on the last week of October

2018. The researchers undergone a study to the total of 27 respondents

from 1st year students taking the course BSED-English at STI West Negros

University to investigate their pronunciation proficiency. A survey was

conducted through a survey questionnaire as an instrument to obtain

information and to find out the factors that demotivate the students. After

carefully examined and determined the data, the following prominent

findings that the researcher came up.

From the findings, the researchers conclude that the pronunciation

proficiency of BSEd-English 1A students of STI West Negros University are

greatly affected by the factors including their age, sex, and high school of

37
origin. The respondents that age 16 to 18 are the most affected on

pronunciation problems when it comes to oral recitation and oral reading.

While the male respondents are the most affected on pronunciation

problems when it comes to oral recitation and oral reading. In addition,

the respondents from private schools are the most affected on

pronunciation problems when it comes to oral recitation. The respondents

from public schools are the most affected on pronunciation problems when

it comes to oral reading.

There is a significant difference in the level of extent of the factors

affecting the pronunciation problems of BSED English 1A students in Oral

Recitation when grouped and compared according to the variables of age

and sex but there is no significant difference according to the variable of

high school of origin. Moreover, there is a significant difference in the level

of extent of the factors affecting the pronunciation problems of BSED

English 1A students in Oral Reading when grouped and compared

according to the variable of sex but there is no significant difference

according to the variables of age and high school of origin.

Recommendations

The researchers believed that the study raises several ideas that

merit further research about the factors affecting students and the levels

of pronunciation. In particular, based on the survey and its own

deliberations, the researchers offers the following recommendations.

38
 Students should expand their knowledge in pronunciation through

watching foreign movies, listening to music, reading English books could

help a lot and learn how to use certain words with proper pronunciation

by using the dictionary. Students can also look for tongue twisters and

practice it every day because it will help them to develop their

pronunciation skills.

The future researchers should conduct additional surveys,

interviews and study with higher response. Examine how pronunciation

can be developed to guide every student's response to concerns about the

pronunciation problems, so as to ensure the actions taken by the

researchers are appropriate and contribute to advancing the level of

pronunciation to every future respondents.

Moreover, the school management should recruit some teachers,

who have better qualification as well as a good command in English.

Besides they should not appoint those teachers who have local accent

problem. The schools can hold some seminars for the family members of

the students, where effective advices would be provided regarding this

problem. Teachers should learn some different and effective approaches to

teach pronunciation so that the students could find it interesting.

39
 REFERENCES

Alliaga García, C. (2007). The Role of Phonetic Training in L2 Speech

Learning.
Proceedings of the Phonetics Teaching and Learning Conference
(PTLC2007), University College, London. Available at
http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/ptlc/ptlc2007_web_procindex.html

Anderson, S. K. 2001. How to Improve Your English Pronunciation,

London,
N.L.

Avant, R. B. 2009. English Pronunciation Problem of Filipino students.

MS thesis. University Of Florida, Gaines Ville.

Avant, J. 1999. English Pronunciation Problem around Asia,

Washington, D.C.

Bashford, H. H., K. D. Walsh and A. Sawhney. 1999. English

Pronunciation of Asian People, Canberra, Australia.

Bautista, K. 2000. How to Avoid Mispronouncing English Words,

Caloocan, Manila.

Berger, K. W. 1967. Inroduction To Pilipino Phonetics And

Pronunciation, Kent, Ohio USA.

Esmael, M. B. M. and Santos, A. (2011). Pronunciation Difficulties of

Grade 12 of Antipolo National High School, Antipolo, Manila.

Essays, UK. (November 2013). The Importance of Pronunciation for

English Students English Language Essay. Retrieved from
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-language/the
importance-of-pronunciation-for-english-students-english
language-essay.php?vref=1

Francisco, et. al, 2016. Practical Research 2 Quantitative Research,

Manila, Philippines.

Griffiths R. A. 2007. Implication Global English for Pronunciation,

Mcgraw Hill, Boston.

Garcia, J. G. 2013. Filipino English Pronunciation Problem, Tondo,

Manila.

Hamilton, M., et. al (2018). Clinical Implications for Working with

40
 Nonmainstream Dialect Speakers: A Focus on Two Filipino
Kindergartners. Retrieved from:
https://www.google.com.ph/amp/s/www.researchgate.net/public
ation/230195927_The_evolving_study_of_Philippine_English_phon
ology/amp

Tetlow, A. J. 2009. What You Should Avoid: A Guide To Develop Your

English Pronunciation, Washington, D. C.

INTERNET SOURCES

www.dictionary.com>browse>pronunciation

www.harding.edu

www.link.springer.com

www.researchgate.net

www.rpdp.net>Bam>pdf>Oralrecitation

www.ukessay.com

www.msu.edu/course/ase/232/df-theory.html

www.slideshare.net

41
 APPENDICES

A QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE PRONUNCIATION PROBLEMS OF BSED-

ENGLISH 1A OF STI WEST NEGROS UNIVERSITY

Direction: Fill out the blank with correct information below. Put a check

on the boxes that corresponds to your personal data.

Name (optional): ___________________________________________

Sex: Age: High School of Origin:

Male 16 - 18 years old Public

Female 19 and above Private

Instructions: Read the following questions carefully. Check the boxes that

corresponds to your answers on the given table below.

Legend:

5 – Always

4 – Sometimes

3 – Frequently

2 – Seldom

1 – Never

42
 A. On Oral Recitation

How often do you… Always Sometimes Frequently Seldom Never

5 4 3 2 1
1. recite in English
class discussions?
2. use the English
language as a means
of communication?
3. auto-correct
mispronounced
words?
4. engage yourself to
the conversation or
argument using
English language?
5. find yourself eager
to learn English
language?
6. mumble the
words in oral
recitation?
7. feel uncomfortable
in pronouncing
English words?
8. memorize the
pronunciation
of the word?
9. use fillers for your
mispronunciation?
10. have confidence
in speaking
regardless of your
pronunciation?

B. On Oral Reading

How often do you… Always Sometimes Frequently Seldom Never

5 4 3 2 1
1. read English
books, texts,
articles and etc.?

43
2. find yourself
confused with the
pronunciation of
the English words?

3. encounter
difficult words in
English reading?

4. check the
dictionary (or other
sources) for the
pronunciation of
words that are new
to you?

5. skipped words
while reading if you
don’t know the
correct
pronunciation?

6. mispronounced
word whenever you
are reading it
aloud?

7. participate in
oral reading?

8. practice the
pronouncing
English words?

9. correct others
who
mispronounced
English words?

10. articulate
English words
correctly?

44