SPEAKING ENGLISH AS EXPERIENCED BY SELECTED GRADE 7

STUDENTS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

A Research Presented to

the Faculty of Senior High School

Ozamiz City National High School

Ozamiz City

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the subject

Practical Research I

by

KATHLEEN C. RIVERA

May 2024
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The researchers expresses her sincerest gratitude and appreciation to the following

who have given support for the success and completion of this study:

The Lord Almighty, for the courage, strength, and wisdom that He has bountifully

showered to the researcher;

Dr. Cynthia S. Superable, the Dean of the Graduate School and the chairperson of

the Thesis Committee, for her valuable inputs and insights leading to the fulfillment of

this paper;

Dr. Esther L. Baluyos, Dr. Aida G. Abasolo, and Dr. Perlito D. Jomuad, the panel

members, for their valuable comments, suggestions, and recommendations given during

the deliberation of the research output;

Dr. Haydee D. Villanueva, her adviser, for her invaluable guidance and

suggestions leading to the development and completion of this study;

Dr. Analyn S. Clarin, the Principal in the Junior High School Department of

Misamis University, for the permission given for the conduct of the study;

The students, for their willingness and cooperation as the participants of the

study;

Her parents, Vivian C. Rivera and Edgardo C. Rivera, for the love, inspiration,

unconditional support financially, morally, and spiritually; and

Lastly, profound gratitude to everyone who served as God's instrument in turning

this thesis experience into an accomplishment.

 ABSTRACT

Speaking the English language can be difficult for some second language learners. This
study explored the difficulties and experiences of using the English language among
selected Grade 7 students at Misamis University in Ozamiz City. The study used the
phenomenological research design. Six students served as the study's participants, and
they were selected through the purposive sampling technique. Research-made Interview
Guide was used in gathering the data. The Moustakas’ steps of data analysis were used in
analyzing the data gathered. The study yielded four themes, namely: speaking difficulties
experienced, psychological and physical struggles in class, adverse outcomes of speaking
difficulties, and coping with the English-speaking difficulties. The participants
experienced recurrent deficiencies in the target language and encountered various
struggles in performing oral activities in their English classes. The English-speaking
difficulties deeply impact the language learners, but they endeavor to overcome their
linguistic limitations. Thus, attaining a good proficiency in the English language entails
recognizing the difficulties and exerting the necessary effort to overcome the

Keywords: difficulties, English, experiences, proficiency, struggles

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE . . . . . . . . . . i

APPROVAL SHEET . . . . . . . . ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT . . . . . . . . iii

DEDICATION . . . . . . . . . iv

ABSTRACT . . . . . . . . . . v

TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . . . . . . vi

LIST OF TABLES . . . . . . . . . ix

LIST OF FIGURE . . . . . . . . . x

Chapter

1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . 1

Rationale of the study . . . . . . . . 1

Theoretical Framework . . . . . . . 6

Conceptual Framework . . . . . . . 11

Conceptual Presentation of the Study . . . . . . 14

Statement of the Problem . . . . . . . 15

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY . . . . . . 16

Design . . . . . . . . . . 16

Setting . . . . . . . . . . 17

Participants . . . . . . . . . 18

Instrument . . . . . . . . . 19

Data Gathering Procedure . . . . . . . 19

 Ethical Considerations . . . . . . . 20

Data Analysis . . . . . . . . 21

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION . . . . . . . 22

Difficulties Experienced . . . . . . . 22

Psychological and Physical Struggles in Class . . . . 24

Adverse Outcomes of Speaking Difficulties . . . . . 26

Coping with the English-speaking Difficulties . . . . 27

4 SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS . 34

Summary . . . . . . . . . 34

Findings . . . . . . . . . 35

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . 35

Recommendations . . . . . . . . 36

REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . 37

APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . 39

Appendix A – Interview Guide . . . . . . 43

Appendix B - Informed Consent . . . . . . 44

Appendix C - Transcriptions . . . . . . . 44

CURRICULUM VITAE . . . . . . . . 61
Appendix A

INTERVIEW GUIDE

 Ask the participant the following demographic profile:

Age:____________

Sex:____________

Opening Question:

 How important do you think is learning to speak English?

Core Questions:

1. What are your difficulties when speaking English?

2. What do you feel or experience before participating in an oral activity

required by your English class?

3. What have you experienced or felt after an oral activity knowing your

difficulties?

4. In what ways do you think the English-speaking difficulties have affected you

as a student, psychologically and academically?

5. How do you cope with the difficulties in speaking English?

Exit Question:

 How do you cope when you receive a negative remark or response from your

classmates because of your performance in English?

Appendix B

INFORMED CONSENT FORM

1. I volunteer to participate in the research undertaking to be conducted by

Kathleen C. Rivera from Misamis University Graduate School. I understand that the
research is designed to gather information about the experiences of students with
English-speaking difficulties. I will be one of the participants to be interviewed.

2. My participation in this research is voluntary. I understand that I will not be

paid for my participation. I may withdraw and discontinue participation at any time
without penalty. If I decline to participate or withdraw from the study, no one will be
told.

3. This research will involve my participation. If however, I feel uncomfortable in

any way during answering the interview questions, I have the right to decline my
participation.

4. I understand that the information to be gathered will be treated with

confidentiality. I will not be identified in the paper. Only the researcher will have access
to the data of the research.

5. I understand that this research has been reviewed and approved by the Graduate
School of Misamis University.

6. I have read and understood the purpose of the study. I voluntarily agree to
participate in this study.

___________________ ___________________
Participant’s Signature Date
 For further information, please contact:
Kathleen C. Rivera
Contact #: 09563250185
Email: riverakathleenc@gmail.com

Appendix C

TRANSCRIPTION

Participant 1. Learning to speak English is important because it is our means to

communicate with other people living abroad. If we don’t know how to speak English, it
would be difficult for us to communicate with those people who only understand the
English language. Honestly, I am not so comfortable speaking English because I am not
that confident to speak it. There were times that when I speak, I stuttered because I get
too anxious on what to say. It feels like my mind goes blank from time to time when I
speak English. If I were to rate my English-speaking skills, it would be 4. My difficulties
when speaking English are my grammar and being anxious on what to say. I think the
reason why I have difficulties in grammar because grammar is a complicated lesson and I
sometimes felt confused with its many different rules although it was being taught years
before. Also, I feel so bothered to what I will say; thinking I might get wrong, and my
classmates might judge my performance in English. Just like before, my cousins who are
fluent in speaking English judged me because my English wasn’t right, and I just went
silent and thought of myself to learn more and learn from my mistakes. I am not really
sure of how many of my classmates have problems in grammar, but maybe 14. When my
classmates expressed difficulties in speaking English while delivering their ideas, I just
listen and sometimes I reflect it to myself and think that I should try to avoid those
mistakes that my classmates have said. If I were to rate my grammar skills, it would be 5.
I felt so nervous and scared before participating in an oral activity because I am afraid of
committing mistakes and thinking that my classmates would judge me. I sweat a lot when
I get nervous and scared; also, my heart beats fast every time there is a speaking activity .
I felt embarrassed and at the same time scared because I committed errors in expressing
my ideas and there’s a possibility that I might receive a failing score. I felt like I wasn’t
good enough. Also, I get embarrassed thinking that my classmates would laugh or tease
me because of my performance in English. For example, when I was in grade 5, I had my
presentation in my TLE subject where I presented my projects in front of the class and
while I was explaining I saw my classmate who was laughing at me because I committed
mistakes in grammar. At that time, I was so anxious and embarrassed, and I was really
afraid because of my poor performance. I felt embarrassed to myself because I can’t
speak fluently in English, and it lowers my self-confidence in participating orally in every
class discussion. For example, I get hesitant to participate in the class discussion because
I know that I easily get too anxious when I speak English that I end up stuttering and
unsure of what I say. The ways I coped my English-speaking difficulties were through
reading stories written in English just like Manga and practicing my English-speaking
skill. Manga is a comic book where there are illustrations and texts written in the English
language. I sometimes read English stories at home because I know it can improve my
grammar and through reading, I will be able to familiarize the correct structure/forms of
the sentences. I practice speaking English at home with my mother. I also converse with
my aunt who is currently living in America. We sometimes call via messenger, and it
helped me improved my English-speaking skill. I haven’t experienced being laughed at
or received a negative remark from my classmates, but I experienced it with my cousins.
My cousins were good at speaking English and there was one time that I spoke English
with them then my cousins judged me because my English wasn’t right. What I did was I
just went silent and just ignored them and I said to myself that I need to improve the next
time.

Participant 2. It is very important to learn to speak English so that I can communicate to

people who can only speak the English language. Also, it is important to learn to speak
English so that I can easily get a job, since nowadays, companies hire people who have
good communication skills.

To be honest, I am not so comfortable talking in English with my classmates because I

know in myself that I am not that good in English, I sometimes mispronounced words
and I sometimes stuttered when I speak. If I were to rate my English-speaking skills, it
would only be 5. My difficulties when speaking English are my grammar, vocabulary and
pronunciation. There was one time that I used the English language in expressing my
ideas and I was having a hard time thinking on what the first thing should be to say and
what’s next, and what appropriate words to say, it seems that the words are on the tip of
my tongue that I cannot say it. I sometimes mispronounce some words when speaking
maybe because I haven’t encountered those words yet and maybe because I have not
indulged myself in reading. I am not so fond in reading because I easily get bored when I
read. If I were to rate my pronunciation problem, it would be 7. If I were to rate my
grammar problem, it would be 8. I felt nervous like my heart beats so fast, and I was
sweating because I am afraid that I might be wrong to what I will say. Also, I get really
anxious because I know myself that I am not good in speaking English and that surely, I
could commit mistakes during oral activity. And I am also afraid that my classmates
would criticize me because of my mistakes in my performance in English. I felt
embarrassed and at the same time sad because I committed mistakes in my pronunciation
as well as in my grammar. I am afraid that my classmates would think less of me or say
something to me because of my performance in English. Sometimes, I felt down on
myself knowing that I was not good enough in speaking English unlike my other
classmates who are good at expressing themselves. Due to my English-speaking
difficulties, I felt hesitant and shy communicating with my classmates. Also, because of
my difficulties in speaking English, I rarely participate in the class for I am afraid that I
might commit errors and I might be judged by my classmates. It seems that because of
my difficulties, affected my confidence to communicate with others using English. The
way I coped my English-speaking difficulties are by asking help or advice from my
auntie and by practicing speaking English. For example, when I am not so sure with my
grammar, I tend to ask my aunt if what the correct one to use. Also, I sometimes read
books like English stories for me to improve my vocabulary. I also practiced speaking
English by talking to myself and sometimes converse with my friends. I practice thrice a
week for me to improve my English-speaking skills. I experienced it when I was in Grade
3, it was when I expressed my ideas in English, and I was stammering at that time and I
made mistakes in pronouncing some words. Some of my classmates were laughing and I
got sad, but I just think positively that it will just pass and I will just try to improve the
next time.

Participant 3. It is important to learn to speak English so that it will improve our speech
as well as improve our grammar. It is also important to learn to speak English so that we
can learn how to speak properly and for us to avoid mistakes when speaking. I am not so
comfortable communicating English with my classmates or teachers because I am not
used in talking English. Also, I am not comfortable speaking English maybe because I
still don’t have much knowledge of the English grammar and I’m not that confident to
speak in English. If I were to rate my English-speaking skills it would be 5. My
difficulties when speaking English are I stutter and get so anxious when I speak. I
stuttered maybe because I felt very nervous like my hands were shaking and that I could
not think properly on what to say, it’s like I can’t concentrate well when I speak English.
Also, I get so anxious when I speak because I am afraid that I might get wrong and I am
worried that my classmates would judge or laugh at me because of my performance in
English. I also have difficulties in vocabulary because I sometimes get confused to what
should be the appropriate word to use. The actions I made to improve my difficulties
were I sometimes practice speaking with my friends using English. We talk like twice a
day. I felt nervous like my hands were shivering and at the same time excited. I felt
nervous knowing that there will be an oral activity, it’s like being nervous is a natural
feeling for me when I am about to speak. There were times that I get nervous because I
am afraid that I might make mistakes but most of the time the reason why I get nervous is
in a sense that I’m going to speak in front of many people.

I sometimes felt excited in participating in an oral activity because it will help me

improve my English-speaking skills as well as I would know what needs to be improved
for myself when speaking English. I am not so sure to how many of my classmates have
problems in speaking English but maybe 5-10. If my classmates were having trouble
speaking English, I would feel bad or sorry in a sense that they would feel embarrassed of
themselves. Sometimes, I felt disappointed and embarrassed. I felt disappointed and
embarrassed for myself because I got mistakes in my speech. When I get embarrassed,
my body won’t move. Apart from Speech and Drama and English, I also get embarrassed
to other subjects like Science and Math because I’m afraid that I can commit mistakes
because I am not really sure of my answers. Knowing that I have these English-speaking
difficulties, it motivated me to improve myself to be better in communicating English and
helped me learn from my mistakes. Also, because of my English-speaking difficulties it
affected as well my confidence, like because of it, I get hesitant or shy to participate in
the discussions especially when my teacher called my name, I sometimes don’t answer.
In terms of academics, yes, it affected as well my performance especially that I lack
participation which I think would result to a low grade. The way I coped my difficulties
in speaking English is by practicing speaking English. I practice speaking English like
twice a week with my siblings. Also, build more my confidence in speaking so that I
won’t be shy or hesitant anymore when participating in every oral activity or recitation. I
will also improve my grammar through studying grammar lessons and reading English
stories like love stories and books that talk about animals. I have not experienced yet
being laughed at or received negative remark from my classmates.

Participant 4. Learning to speak English is very important as it enhances your skill as

well as a means to communicate with other people outside the country. It is important to
learn to speak English so that we can better communicate and understand one another
especially those people who only speak English and can’t understand Filipino or Bisaya. I
could say that I am not that comfortable in speaking English with my classmates or
teachers because I know myself that I am not fluent in speaking English, I don’t have the
confidence to speak straight English and I’m worried that my classmates would criticize
me when I cannot express my thoughts or ideas well. If I were to rate my English-
speaking skills it would be 4. I think my difficulties when speaking English are my
pronunciation and grammar because I sometimes mispronounced some words that I am
not familiar with. I also have difficulties in grammar in which I could not exactly
construct well my sentences when I speak, it’s like I am not so sure if what I will say is
right or wrong. I think the reasons why I have difficulties in grammar and pronunciation
are not being able to read enough and I already forgot the lessons in grammar. I know
reading is important to improve my grammar and pronunciation, but the problem is that I
rarely read. I rarely read maybe because I find reading books boring, and I easily get tired
when I read a book. But despite it, I sometimes watch English movies which I think
would also help me improve my English-speaking skills. I felt very nervous like my
hands were shaking maybe because I know in myself that I don’t have much stock
knowledge, I am not so confident in using English and I’m afraid that I might be
stammering when I deliver my ideas and that I don’t want to happen because I don’t want
to get embarrassed in front of my classmates. As far as I remember, when I was
stammering, my classmates were just silent, and they just listened to me. Also, I am not
so sure of how many of my classmates were having difficulties in speaking English. I felt
embarrassed and sorry for myself because I was not fluent in using the English language.
Also, I felt worried that my classmates would criticize me because of my performance in
English. But despite it I will just tell myself to strive more to become fluent in speaking
English just like the others. When I get very embarrassed, I was just being silent and
sometimes I thought less of myself knowing that I was not good in my performance. I
also get embarrassed answering in my other subjects like Science, Math, and TLE
because sometimes I was not so sure of my answers.

I think it affected my self-confidence knowing I have difficulties in speaking English. For

example, when I’ll be asked to share my ideas in front of the class, I would be hesitant
thinking I might get embarrassed due to my errors in expressing myself using English.
My speaking difficulties would also affect my participation in the class especially during
oral recitation I could not participate well because of my deficiency in the English
language, and it resulted in having a low grade. The ways to overcome my English-
speaking difficulties are to read English stories and watch English movies for me to
understand more words/vocabulary. I sometimes practice speaking English at home for
me to know how to speak well. For example, I practice speaking English with my friends
like twice or thrice a week. I was being laughed at by a classmate before during my
elementary days because I mispronounced some words, and I wasn’t really able to
effectively deliver my ideas. I felt down but I just ignored them and then I tell myself to
strive more and learn from my mistakes.

Participant 5. Learning to speak English is important because it is the international

language, and most people speak this language. And learning to speak English would
help us communicate with other people around the world. I could say that I am not really
comfortable speaking English because I sometimes made mistakes when I speak English.
There was one time that my sister corrected me because my grammar was wrong. There
were other times as well that when I speak English; I have trouble pronouncing some
words. If I were to rate my English-speaking skills it would be 5. My difficulties when
speaking English are my grammar, vocabulary, and my pronunciation. I have problems in
grammar maybe because I haven’t really absorbed or engaged in with the grammar
lesson. My other problem is I could hardly understand the meaning of some English
words (vocabulary), the reason that I have vocabulary problems maybe because I don’t
usually read English books. I rarely read books because I sometimes easily get bored
when reading and in my opinion, it didn’t really entertain me. I prefer watching movies
than reading books because I find watching movies very exciting whereas reading does
not give me excitement. I sometimes have problems pronouncing some words especially
those English words that are difficult to pronounce. I also experienced stuttering when
speaking English because sometimes I feel very pressured thinking that I might make
mistakes. The actions I’ve made to improve my English-speaking skills were by always
watching English movies and there were times as well that I tried reading English books
like stories and dictionary for me to improve my grammar as well as my vocabulary and
pronunciation. I get really nervous because I am afraid that my answers are wrong, and I
worry that my classmates would judge me. So far, I haven’t experienced being laughed at
by my classmates, but I experienced being corrected by my sister because my grammar
was wrong and what I did was just think that I’ll improve more so I can avoid making
mistakes next time. When I get really nervous, I easily get sweaty, my hands shiver and
sometimes when I get really pressured, I could hardly catch up my breath. When I
mispronounced words, my teachers would sometimes correct me. I think half of my
classmates were also having trouble speaking English like when they mispronounced
words and made some grammatical errors. When I hear my classmates stuttering or
mispronouncing words, I sometimes think of what the right pronunciation of that word
like should be I would say to myself that he should have said it this way. I would feel
relieved and proud of myself even though I made some mistakes. I am proud in a way
that I spoke up despite of my grammar errors. There were times also that I overthink, like
I overthink why I have said the wrong word or mispronounced it when in fact it should be
said this way. I felt a little regret because of my mistakes. I get nervous as well in Filipino
subject because I rarely speak Tagalog that’s why I sometimes mispronounced words.
Also in Math, I am afraid that I might get wrong because I am not so good in numbers. It
made me think the need to know more. The need to know how to speak English well and
improve myself to be better in communicating using the English language by
pronouncing words correctly and by studying grammar lessons.

In terms of academics, I am afraid to be called in the class discussion especially when

there’s oral recitation, also, I get hesitant to participate and answer the questions thrown
at me. I felt being left out in the class which would result to my low ratings. The ways I
coped my English-speaking difficulties were by means of watching English movies like
cartoons, whenever we watch cartoons with my siblings; we sometimes converse as well
using English. Also, I improve my English-speaking skills by reading English books. I
often read English Dictionary and English stories like twice a week. I haven’t
experienced being laughed at or received a negative remark from my classmates, but I
experienced being corrected from my sister. There was one time that my sister corrected
me because my grammar wasn’t right. What I did was I just accepted what she said and
thought of myself to become better the next time.

Participant 6. It is very important to learn to speak English because if someone doesn’t

know how to speak our language then we can just communicate with them using English
since it is a common language that most people speak. I am not so comfortable talking in
English with my classmates/teachers because I am not so good in English. I get too
anxious on what to say when I speak English and when I speak, I sometimes make
mistakes in grammar. If I were to rate my English-speaking skills it would be 5. I don’t
have much confidence in myself when speaking English because I am not so sure on
what to say and I tend to forget on what to say next. It feels like my mind goes blank
when speaking English that’s why I am hesitant to speak. I also have problems in
grammar, for example, I am not so sure of what correct forms to use. I have problems in
grammar maybe because I already forgot the rules in grammar, and it seems that
grammar is difficult to learn because of its many rules. If I were to rate my skill in
grammar it would be 5. I felt nervous and anxious on what to say. I felt nervous and
anxious because I am afraid that I might make mistakes and that my classmates would
judge me. Whenever I get so nervous, my hands tend to shiver and my skin gets cold
before participating in an oral activity. I felt relieved because I already finished delivering
my speech/ideas and at the same time I felt embarrassed because I have a feeling that I
wasn’t good enough in expressing my ideas and that I’m worried that my classmates
would criticize me because of my speaking performance. I also get embarrassed in my
other subjects just like English and Science. It was when I spoke using English during an
oral recitation and then I get embarrassed because I was stuttering, and I forgot on what
to say next. It affected my self-confidence because when there’s a speaking activity, I
usually don’t participate because I’m afraid that I might commit mistakes in grammar, or
I might mispronounce words and I’m afraid that my classmates would say something to
me or laugh at me because of my performance. In terms of my academics, my English-
speaking difficulties have affected my participation in every class discussion. I rarely
participate in the class, for example, when my teacher calls my name, I get hesitant to
open my microphone because I know in myself that I cannot speak properly in English,
and I don’t want myself be embarrassed. The way I coped my English-speaking
difficulties is through reading. I often read English stories at home just like adventure
books as well as English magazines (National Geographic). And when there’s an oral
activity, I sometimes prepare myself by writing down notes and by reciting it multiple
times so by the time that it’s my turn to speak, I can effectively deliver my ideas. I
sometimes practice speaking English by talking to myself. I felt sad but at the same time I
thought of myself to not mind what they said, and I will just try to improve myself the
next time.
 CURRICULM VITAE

PERSONAL IN

Name : Kathleen C. Rivera

Age : 27 years old

Address : Purok-3, Banadero, Ozamiz City

Misamis Occidental

Parents : Mr. Edgardo C. Rivera

Mrs. Vivian C. Rivera

EDUCATION

Graduate : Master of Arts in Education

Major in English Language Teaching
Misamis University, Ozamiz City
July 2022

College : Bachelor of Secondary Education

Major in English
Misamis University, Ozamiz City
 October 2015

Secondary : Ozamiz City National High School

Lam-an, Ozamiz City
Misamis Occidental
March 2011

Elementary : Felipe Carreon Memorial School

Banadero, Ozamiz City
Misamis Occidental
March 2007

PROFESSIONAL ELIGIBILITY

Professional Teacher
Secondary Level
March 2015

WORK EXPERIENCES

June 2016 – Present : Teacher

Junior High School Department
Misamis University, Ozamiz City

SEMINARS/TRAINING ATTENDED

 Qualitative Research: Understanding and Crafting Research Problem Using the

Case Study Design
Via Zoom
Misamis University, Ozamiz City
December 2021

 2nd International Conference on Biodiversity and Climate Change 2021

(INonBaCC 2021)
Via Zoom
Misamis University, Ozamiz City
September 2021

 2021 In – Service Training (INSET) for Junior High School Teachers

 Via Zoom
Misamis University
August 2021

 How To Create Quick, Easy and Effective Self-Learning Modules Using PPHI-
SIBS Print Resources”
Via Zoom
Misamis University, Ozamiz City
August 2020

 Using Different Techniques in the Delivery of Flexible Learning Modalities

Misamis University, Ozamiz City
August 2020

 Ensuring Safety and Security of University Resources Based on Intellectual

Property Rights
Misamis University, Ozamiz City
August 2020

 Asynchronous and Synchronous Learning Modality

Misamis University, Ozamiz City
August 2020

 2020 Whole Child Education Roadshow: Supporting and Engaging the Filipino
Whole Child
Capitol University, Cagayan de Oro City
January 2020

 Seminars on Developing Publishable Research

Misamis University, Ozamiz City
August 2019

 2019 In-Service Training (INSET) for Junior High School Teachers

Lourdes College, Cagayan de Oro City
April 2019

 2018 In-Service Training (INSET) for Junior High School Teachers

Lourdes College, Cagayan de Oro City
May 2018