1

Chapter 1

The Problem and Its Setting

Introduction

Communication is an important substance of society. It is a

constant part of day to day living. Unconsciously, in every

single second, people may not notice their simple interactions

with other people in their environment. Sharing commonalities,

conveying thoughts and even simple gestures define communication.

Communication is at the core of being human. In schools and

other workplaces, communication takes a major role and like other

fields, interpersonal communication is commonly used.

Interpersonal communication is a direct, intimate, face-to-

face communication, dialogue or conversation between two or more

people. It permits maximum interaction through words and

gestures. Simple chit-chats during discussion hours inside a

classroom, and small talks with long-time-no-see friends at the

mall are situations where interpersonal communication occurs. It

could be an actual encounter between two persons where they are

both aware that a certain conversation is going on. It could also

be unfocused where one simply observes or listens to persons with

whom one is not conversing with. It is also a commonly used form

of communication where aspects such as body language, gestures,

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facial expressions and eye contact are used to communicate and

understand one another (Fortune, 2011). Broadly speaking, there

would be no effective interpersonal communication when there is

no comprehension of thoughts.

The College of the Immaculate Conception is an educational

institution that offers services that support effective

interpersonal communication skills. Therefore, as part of the

Institute of Higher Studies and Institute of Health Sciences, the

student assistants (SA’s) have to establish effective

interpersonal communication skills. Communicating with others is

a big part of their duty. They are to interact with different

kinds of people in accordance to the school’s maintaining

standards.

SA’s in the College of the Immaculate Conception are taking

up BS Education and BS Social Work. As future teachers and social

workers, each of them should develop and enhance their

interpersonal communication skills which they will need in their

future jobs. It can also be their edge to have good communication

skills when applying for any job because ensuring good and

effective communication at work is a fundamental component of

providing high quality services. Good and effective communication

is therefore essential for a successful career.

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Therefore, it is important to study the interpersonal

communication skills of the SA’s so that they would be able to do

their task effectively, build good relationships with their

heads, co-SA’s and school clients and apply the findings and

recommendations of this study to their future endeavors.

Conceptual Framework

According to Andrewes (2010), having a broader and deeper

understanding of the essence of interpersonal communication

skills is a tough edge in today’s competitive world. Student

assistants, when they graduate, must be exposed to the dramatic

change of the social context of every community, in particular

with job finding and soon stability. Being educated and aware of

the productive function of communication as a tool for effective

relationship and task performance is having an access to a world

that promises success in life.

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Input Process Output

-Respondents’ -Problem -Enhanced
profile: identification interpersonal
Age, sex, year
level and office communication
-Data gathering: skills of the
assigned to.
Interview and respondents
questionnaires
-Interpersonal
communication -Improved
-Data analysis
skills be working
described by the relationships of
-Drawing
respondents in the respondents
conclusion
terms of dealing
with heads, co-
with office
heads/admins, co- SA’s and clients
SAs, school
clients and other -Effective task
school personnel performance of
the respondents

Fig.1 Research Paradigm

The research paradigm presented in Figure 1 is patterned on

the system analysis approach. The input comprises of respondents’

profile in terms of age, sex, year level and office assigned to.

It also includes the description of SA’s interpersonal

communication in dealing with their bosses, co-student assistants

and school clients.

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The process involves the data gathering tools: interview and

questionnaire. Problem identification, data analysis and drawing

conclusion are also presented in this box.

The outcome box has the elements of enhanced interpersonal

communication skills of the respondents, improved working

relationships of the respondents with heads, co-SA’s and clients

and effective task performance of the respondents.

Statement of the Problem

The researchers aim to determine the interpersonal

communication skills of SA’s. Specifically, the study will answer

the following questions:

1. How may the profile of the respondents be described in terms

of:

1.1 age

1.2 sex

1.3 year level

1.4 office assigned to

2. How may interpersonal communication skills of respondents be

described in terms of:

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2.1 dealing with office heads/admins and other school

personnel;

2.2 dealing with co-SA’s; and

2.3 dealing with school clients?

3. What are the implications of the findings to the SA’s of

College of the Immaculate Conception?

Significance of the Study

This study on Interpersonal Communication Skills of Student

Assistants is significant to the following:

Teachers/office heads/administrators: Results may help them to

guide the respondents to communicate effectively, give them

emotional support and train them to become adaptive to various

situations they might face.

Student assistants: Results may help them understand the

importance of interpersonal communication skills as a tool in

building good relationships, complying with their duties and

preparing themselves in becoming competent professionals.

Researchers: The researchers conducted this study because they

want to help their friends who are working students towards

effective task performance. Also, they are concerned in

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maintaining the school’s standards in terms of communication

competency.

Scope and Delimitation

This study focused on the level of interpersonal communication

skills of SA’s. It involved 45 respondents from 1st-3rd year

student assistants of the College of the Immaculate Conception.

A pre-survey was conducted during the period of January 2014

after which an actual survey was done on February 2014.

Interviews and designed questionnaires were used in the study.

Definition of Terms

The researchers want to give emphasis to key terms found in

their study. Terms are defined operationally.

Communication Skills- It is the ability to interact or

communicate with others effectively and efficiently.

Interpersonal communications- These are face-to-face interactions

among the respondents, their respective office heads and

administrators.

Student Assistants(SA’s)- They are scholars given the privilege

to study with free tuition fee under the working assistance

program.
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Chapter 2

Method and Procedure

Research Method to be Used

The study used the descriptive method of research.

Descriptive method of research is a fact-finding study with

adequate and accurate interpretation of the findings. It involves

either identifying the characteristics of an observed phenomenon

or exploring possible correlations among two or more phenomena.

It does not involve changing or modifying the situation under

investigation, nor is it intended to determine cause-and-effect

relationships. It is concerned primarily to find out the “what

is” of the situation being observed. It describes with emphasis

what actually exists such as current conditions, practices,

situations, or any phenomena.

The researchers decided to use this method because it

focuses on the aimed details and possibilities that will later be

the center of successful recommendations. This helped the

researchers to plan and perform a design that provides

descriptive details about the respondents’ profile and

communication problems.
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Respondents of the Study

The researchers chose as their respondents the SA’s from

1st-3rd year at the College of the Immaculate Conception during

the second semester of the school year 2013-2014. There was a

total of 45 respondents, 38 Education students and 7 Social Work

students. They were chosen since they are assigned in different

areas such as the school library, clinic, canteen and other

department offices. In CIC, those who wish to work as SA’s should

choose between Bachelor of Secondary Education, Bachelor of

Elementary Education and Bachelor of Science in Social Work and

must have a minimum of 21 units of subjects and have at least

four hours of duty each school day.

Area 1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year Total

BSED 13 11 11 35

BEED 1 1 1 3

BSSW 4 3 0 7

Total 18 15 12 45

Table 1. Number of Respondents

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Research Locale

The College of the Immaculate Conception is the research

locale of the study. It is located along Maharlika Highway,

Sumacab Este, Cabanatuan City, at the back of Maria Assumpta

Seminary. It is a Catholic educational institution, founded by

Rev. Fr. Ruperto Rosario, that offers pre-school, grade school,

high school, college and post-graduate programs. It also admits

working students under the Office of the Students and Personnel

Services headed by Mrs. Ma. Merlina R. Mariano.

It has three core values namely Christ-centeredness, excellence

and service and aims to strengthen a person’s mind, faith and

character.
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Fig.2 Locator’s Map

Data Gathering Procedure

The survey was in questionnaire form. The questionnaire was

the main tool used to elucidate or clarify vague answers. The

questionnaire is thought to be the quickest, most dependable and

most inclusive or comprehensive type of data gathering needed to

answer the questions mentioned in the statement of the problem.

The researchers constructed their own questionnaires to determine

the profile and the interpersonal communication skills of the

respondents.

Description of Instrument

The questionnaire was the main instrument used in this study

in gathering significant data and information. A questionnaire is

a set of questions which need to be answered by selected

respondents to complete the study. The constructed questionnaires

of the researchers were divided into two parts; Part I is the

Profile of the Respondents and Part II is the Interpersonal

Communication Skills of the Respondents. A checklist type of

questionnaire was used by the researchers. Part I includes

gender, age, course enrolled in, year level and office assigned

to. Part II contains the interpersonal communication skills of

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the respondents divided into three parts: A. Dealing with heads

and administrators, B. Dealing with

Co-SA’s and C. Dealing with school clients answered using the

Likert-Scale.

Construction and Validation of the Questionnaire

The researchers constructed the questionnaire based on the

result of the group’s brainstorming about the topic, respondents’

interpersonal experiences and related texts that the researchers

read and analyzed.

Before the questionnaire was distributed to the respondents,

the researchers consulted their English and Statistical critics

for suggestions and comments. The researchers then came up with

the draft of the questionnaire. The thesis adviser reviewed the

items for development then the group finalized the draft of the

questionnaire and gave the revised questionnaire to the thesis

adviser for approval.

Administration of the Questionnaire

The researchers sent a letter addressed to the Dean of

Higher Studies and Dean of Institute of Health Sciences to ask

permission for distributing questionnaires to the respondents.

Upon the approval of the request, the researchers approached the

respondents to answer the questionnaire on their free time.

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Statistical Treatment of Data

The data gathered through the retrieved copies of the

questionnaires were tallied in tables. It is to describe the

respondents’ profile specifically age, gender, year level and

office assigned to the respondents and to treat the data on

interpersonal communication skills in terms of dealing with

office heads and other school personnel, dealing with co-SA’s and

dealing with school clients. The percentage and frequency counts

were used.

In determining the numerical value of each item, the

researchers used the following formulas:

Percentage

% = F/N (100)

Where:

% = Percentage

F = Frequency

N = Number of Respondents

Weighted Mean

WM= TWF/N
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Where:

WM = Weighted Mean

TWF = Sum of Weighted Frequency

N = Number of Respondents

For verbal interpretation of the weighted mean, the scale below

was used:

Intervals Description

3.26 – 4.00 Strongly agree

2.51 – 3.25 Agree

1.76 – 2.50 Slightly agree

1.00 – 1.75 Disagree

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Chapter 3

Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data

This chapter presents the findings, analysis and

interpretation of data gathered in this study. Tables containing

all important data relevant to the study are likewise presented.

I. Profile of the Respondents

1.1 Age

Table 2
The Distribution of Respondents According to Age

Age Frequency Percentage

(f) (%)
15-16 0 0.00
17-18 18 40.00
19-20 15 33.33
21-23 11 24.44
24 above 1 2.22
Total 45 100%

The table shows that majority of the respondents fell under

ages 17-18 with a percentage of 40%. It is followed by ages 19-

20 or 33.33%, ages 21-23 or 24.44% and 24 above or 2.22%. This

finding could be interpreted that majority of the respondents

entered the student assistance program as a typical college

student does.
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The findings of the researchers is backed up by the

Philippine National Statistical Coordinator Board (2010) which

states that the ideal age to enter tertiary or baccalaureate

level ranges from 16-20 years old. Therefore, it agrees that the

required age qualification for student assistant must be 25 years

old and below, otherwise, he or she will not be qualified for the

scholarship program.

1.2 Gender

Table 3
Distribution of Respondents According to Gender
Gender Frequency Percentage
(f) (%)
Male 20 44.44
Female 25 55.56
Total 45 100%

Table 3 shows the distribution of the respondents according

to gender. As viewed therein, 25 or 55.56% of the respondents

were female and 20 or 44.44% were male. The findings show that

there is a lesser male population of first to third year

Education and Social Work students in College of the Immaculate

Conception; that females dominate the student assistants; and

that more females want to pursue the profession of teaching and

social work as their future careers.

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According to Professor Alan Smithers (2009), director of the

Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham

University, males see an impression that teaching and social work

are professions which show more feminine thing and it is somehow

sissy to be fully engaged with it. Moreover, Philip Wiederspan

(2008) stated that the classroom and community environment also

affects the perception of males towards teaching and social work.

Males perceive that these careers are more geared to females’

brains.

1.3 Year Level

Table 4
Distribution of Respondents According to Year Level

Year Frequency Percentage

(f) (%)
First Year 18 40.00
Second Year 15 33.33
Third Year 12 26.67
Total 45 100%

One of the factors to be considered under the profile of the

respondents is the year level. This table reveals that the first

year level has the greatest number of student assistants with a

count of 18 or 40% of the respondents. It is followed by the

second year level which has 15 SA’s with a percentage of 33.33%

and the third year level with 12 respondents or 26.67%. It shows

that as the years pass by, the number of SA’s decreases because
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of various factors such as family problems and inability to

maintain the consistency of their grades.

1.4 Offices Where the Respondents are Assigned

Table 5
Distribution of Respondents According to Offices

Offices Frequency Percentage

(f) (%)
OSPS 2 4.44
CFP 2 4.44
Library 9 20.00
High School 2 4.44
Principal
VPAA 2 4.44
Grade School 2 4.44
Principal
Canteen 3 6.67
Clinic 2 4.44
Sports 1 2.22
Registrar 2 4.44
President’s Office 2 4.44
Health Sciences 1 2.22
Preschool 8 17.78
Dean HIS 1 2.22
Computer Laboratory 2 4.44
Guidance Office 2 4.44
HS THE 1 2.22
OSA 1 2.22
Total 45 100%

It can be viewed in table 5 the offices where the students

are assigned to. It shows that the library has the greatest

number of student assistants with the number of 9 or 20 percent.

It is followed by Pre-school office with the number of 8 or 17.78

percent and Canteen with the number of 3 or 6.67 percent. The

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offices of OSPS, CFP, High School principal, VPAA, Grade School

principal, Clinic, registrar, president, guidance and computer

lab followed with the same count of 2 or 4.44 percent. The

offices with the lowest count of 1 or 2.22 percent are the Sports

office, office of the Institute of Higher Studies and office of

the Institute of Health Sciences. The library has the most number

of SA’s because it is the most used and visited facility of the

school.
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II. Interpersonal Communication Skills of Students

Table 6
Dealing with Office Heads, Administrators and Other School
Personnel

ITEMS WM INTERPRETATION
1. Doesn’t have difficulty in
putting thoughts into words. 2.89 Agree
2. Feels comfortable and
confident whenever talking to
them. 3 Agree
3. Thinks of something witty to
say in response. 3.44 Strongly agree
4. Pays attention to body
language facial expressions
and gestures to understand
them completely. 3.07 Agree
5. Communicates in an
appropriate manner 2.68 Agree
6. Varies the tone, volume and
pitch of voice for effective
self-expression 3.16 Agree
7. Asks repetition of commands
if unsure 3.2 Agree
8. Reflects on what they’re
saying 3.11 Agree
9. Is sure on what and how to
respond 3.05 Agree
10. Tends to be calm when dealing
with the authority figures 3.11 Agree
Grand Weighted Mean 3.07 Agree

Table 6 reveals the findings of the study with regard to the

interpersonal communication skills of student assistants in terms

of dealing with office heads, administrators and other school

personnel. Item 3, “Thinks of something witty to say in response”

obtained the highest weighted mean of 3.44 and verbally

interpreted as “Agree”. Item 5, “Communicates in an appropriate

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manner” gained the lowest weighted mean of 2.68 and fell under

the classification of “Agree.” Table 6 gained a weighted mean of

3.07 and placed under the classification of “Agree.”

The findings imply that respondents are good listeners. It

is a fact that they take considerations before responding to

authority figures. They pay attention to what their bosses are

saying to them and make reflections about their own thoughts.

They organize and link their ideas to make a sensible response.

Effective listening is one tool to build resilience and

maintain balance in life. It is a way in which a person

understands others and a way in which he or she attempts to get

other people to understand him or her. If a person doesn’t listen

attentively, he or she will not understand and will not be

understood. (Ron Breazeale, Ph.D., 2011)

Table 7
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Dealing with Co-SA’s

ITEMS WM INTERPRETATION
1. Interrupts the speaker to
express own point. 3.22 Agree
2. Makes eye contact with them
when listening 2.91 Agree
3. Doesn’t find difficulty in
making friends 3.20 Agree
4. Knows how the members feel
about each other 2.89 Agree
5. Interpret others mood when
communicating 2.82 Agree
6. Puts self into other person's
shoes when talking 3.00 Agree
7. Is quick to offer advice on
their problems. 3.04 Agree
8. Worries about what to say
when talking to them 2.69 Agree
9. Feels free to politely voice
my disagreement 2.87 Agree
10. Lets the speaker finish his
sentence before giving
opinion. 1.87 Slightly agree
Grand Weighted Mean 2.86 Agree

Presented in Table 7 are the problems encountered by the

student assistants with their Co-SA’s in terms of understanding

the feelings behind each other’s words and later expressing their

reactions about it. Item 1, “Interrupts the speaker to express

own point” gained the highest weighted mean of 3.22 and has the

verbal interpretation of “Agree.” Item 10, “Lets the speaker

finish his sentence before giving opinion” obtained the lowest

weighted mean of 1.87 and has the verbal interpretation of

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“Slightly agree.” Table 7 got a weighted mean of 2.86 that has

the verbal interpretation of “Agree.”

The findings imply that SA’s find time to react and express

their opinions about what they hear from their Co-SA’s. They have

the connections of being understood instantly without even

finishing the conversation. However, it reflects the fact that

they can’t afford to wait for their turn to speak. There are also

some possibilities that feelings get hurt without them knowing.

It quietly produces the aura of being a fighter of what they

believe is right.

Today, more than ever, kids interact with people of

differing ethnicities, religions, and cultures. As Teachers, who

are the parents inside the classrooms, we have to increase

diversity with regards to Individual differences, reflecting the

communities where families live and work (Nemours, 2012).

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Table 8

Dealing with School Clients

ITEMS WM INTERPRETATION
1. Does not get irritated with
hard headed visitors/clients 2.87 Agree
2. Decides whether or not to
listen based on the speaker’s
appearance and how they talk. 2.23 Slightly agree
3. Is a good judge of character 2.58 Agree
4. Avoids difficult
conversations and
confrontations
2.89 Agree
5. Understands and respects the
views of others 3.44 Strongly agree
6. Expresses ideas clearly
2.98 Agree
7. Speaks fluently in English 2.41 Slightly agree
8. Uses jargon and technical
language whenever possible. 2.51 Agree
9. Uses uncommon words when
talking to others 2.11 Slightly agree
10. Is approachable when
clients and visitors are confused 3.09 Agree
Grand Weighted Mean 2.71 Agree

As presented in table 8, item 5, “Understands and respects

the views of others” obtained the highest weighted mean of 3.44

and placed under the classification of “Strongly agree.” Item 9,

“Uses uncommon words when talking to others” gained the lowest

weighted mean of 2.11 and placed under the classification of

“Slightly agree.” Table 8 obtained a weighted mean of 2.71 and

placed under the classification of “Agree.”

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The findings imply that the respondents treat school clients

in an appropriate manner. They give full attention and provide

honest, direct and comprehensive information. The respondents

avoid the unfamiliar instead they use simple words to make

themselves easily understood by the visitors. They embody

accountability and respect the clients. They do not make

generalizations based on physical appearance, gender and

backgrounds.

Words are one of the most important elements of oral

communication. They enable us to receive knowledge and

information from sources outside ourselves. They make us

reexamine what we know and help us communicate to others our

beliefs, opinions, sentiments and experiences. Our choice of

words determines the ideas we receive, how we think, and the

accuracy with which we communicate these thoughts and feelings.

In oral communication, meanings are relayed or affected by the

way we say the words, by the tone of our voice, and by our body

movements. Yet, the words themselves must mean the same thing to

the listener as they do to the speaker if we want to achieve

effective and accurate communication. Failure to understand this

may result to communication breakdown in our workplaces. (Teri

Burgos-Gutierrez, 2006)
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III. Implications of Findings to SA’s

As for the general findings, “Let the speaker finish his

sentence before giving opinion” got the lowest rank. This

implies that the respondents are always ready to react

even without understanding the whole story of their co-

SA.

This implies that in some way, SAs may or may not hit

the point of the person they are communicating with. On

the positive side, reacting or giving their opinion even

if the speaker is not yet done talking, makes the

interpersonal communication effective in a sense that

they do understand what the both parties want to say

though the communication process has not yet ended. While

on the negative side, reacting in advance loses the

standard value of respect which is very important to make

the interpersonal communication appropriate and the

relationship stronger. Everyone must bear in mind that

listening with respect is better than giving the possible

solutions of the problem. SA’s must understand that

listening is a sign of respect and even if they are eager

to say something they must be patient to wait for their

turn.
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Its implication to the better work performance of the

SA’s is that good social relationship with different

people who are communicating with them won’t just be at

the level of formality but more importantly understanding

humanity with respect, thus, creating a competitive

standard of the school in terms of interpersonal

communication. It will also prepare the SA’s on the real

scenarios they have to encounter as future teachers and

social workers.
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Chapter 4

Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

I. Profile

Age

As to the age of the respondents, there are 18 or 40

percent of the respondents who are 17-18 years old and 2.22

percent are 23 and above.

Sex

As to sex, male respondents cover 20 or 44.44 percent while

25 or 55.56 percent are female respondents.

Year level

The highest number was dominated by First year SA’s,

comprising of 18 or 40.00 percent. It was followed by Second year

SA’s with a count of 15 or 33.33 percent and Third year SA’s with

a count of 12 or 26.67 percent.

Office Assigned to

Majority of the SA’s were assigned to the library comprising

9 or 20.00 percent. The Sports office, office of the Institute of

Higher Studies and office of the Institute of Health Sciences

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were the offices with the least number of SA’s with only 1 or

2.22 percent.

II. Interpersonal Communication Skills of Student Assistants

Dealing with office heads, administrators and other school

personnel

Item 3, “Thinks of something witty to say in response while

listening” obtained the highest weighted mean of 3.44 and

verbally interpreted as “Strongly agree”. Item 5, “Communicates

in an appropriate manner” gained the lowest weighted mean of 2.68

and fell under the classification of “Agree.” The findings gained

a weighted mean of 3.07 and placed under the classification of

“Agree.”

Dealing with co-SAs

Item 1, “Interrupts the speaker to express own point”

acquired the highest weighted mean of 3.22 and has the verbal

interpretation of “Agree.” Item 10, “Lets the speaker finish his

sentence before giving opinion” obtained the lowest weighted mean

of 1.87 and has the verbal interpretation of “Agree.” The

findings got a weighted mean of 2.86 that has the verbal

interpretation of “Agree.”
 30

Dealing with school clients

Item 5, “Understands and respects the views of others”

obtained the highest weighted mean of 3.44 and placed under the

classification of “Strongly Agree.” Item 9 gained the lowest

weighted mean of 2.11 and placed under the classification of

“Slightly Agree.” The findings obtained a weighted mean of 2.71

and placed under the classification of “Agree.”

Conclusions

Based on the findings the researchers concluded the

following:

1. Majority of the ages of the SA’s ranged between 17-18,

most of them are female, on the first year level and assigned to

the library.

2. The SA’s always think of a witty response before talking

to authority figures.

3. The SA’s are very eager in expressing themselves, they

often act impatient to wait for their co-SA’s to finish speaking.

4. The SA’s are hospitable to school clients and they use

comprehensive and simple words to be easily understood by the

visitors.

Recommendations:
 31

1. The school must conduct seminars that will develop their

communication skills.

2. The office heads should monitor the interpersonal

communication skills of their SA’s and give feedbacks for

improvement.

3. The SA’s must be appreciative of and pay attention to

others. They should practice respect while somebody is

talking.

4. The SA’s must acknowledge others’ opinions and express

concern and sympathy especially in difficult situations.