CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTINGS

The main problem underlying this study is there are some students who are

unable to carry on a spontaneous communication skills. As, the Department of

English at University of Biskra, somewhere in the country of Algeria has identified

and explores their student attitudes about their speaking skills and communicative

approach regarding to effective communication as noted that students in

University of Biskra still need to assess their way of communication using English

language. Hence, it is very vital that from the start there is an adequate

communication alternative (Hack, 2012).

Due to the limited knowledge in English language vocabulary in Philippines,

language learners face serious problems in the development of their

communicative competency, which is having difficulty for second language or

foreign language when they are required to speak (Light Bow, 2009). Additionally,

Filipino students’ were identified some attributions about their oral communication

anxieties, factors are expectation, training and experience, audience, self-worth,

rejection, verbal fluency, preparation and any other previous unpleasant

experiences in communication aspects. These factors were the reasons giving by

beginning Filipino students to explain the fears they foresee themselves

experiencing when they engaged in communication skills.

In Lawa National High School, it seriously found out that there was a

problem in terms of English Writing and Communication Skills of the students. As

observed, there are students who encounter struggles and difficulties specifically
in oral communication combining the presence of English Writing because

probably the following students have lack of English vocabulary in constructing

ideas orally as well as some students also are not totally fluent in speaking and the

reason behind are they have difficulties in expressing words emotionally that

creates problem of how they manage what words to say and what actions to act.

Moreover, some of them are stammer and got ashamed when they talk to other

people, in short they have lack of confidence in writing and in public speaking.

However, researchers also indicated other contributing factors such as inadequate

background knowledge, poor study skills, difficulty of course work, differences in

language demands for different courses, motivation, maturity, and previous

experiences (Daller & Phelan, 2013). Therefore, it advocates investigations

resourcefulness of researchers to explore other constructs in measuring English

proficiency, as well as other variables that might predict international students'

academic success.

Thus, researchers are interested to further study the relationship between

English Writing and Communication Skills of Grade 11 students in Lawa National

High School.

Statement of the Problem

The study was supervised to determine the relationship between English

Writing and Communication Skills of Lawa National High School-Senior High

School students’ school engagement. Specifically, it search answers to the

following questions below:

1. What is the level of English Writing in terms of

1.1 Interest and Awareness?

1.2 Performance and Opinion?

2. What is the level of Communication Skills in terms of

2.1 General communication skills?

2.2 Personal communication skills?

3. Is there any significant relationship between English Writing and

Communication Skills of the students?

Hypothesis

The null hypothesis was formulated and tested that there is no significant

relationship between English writing and communication skills in Senior High

School, Grade 11 students.

Review of Related Literatures

Presented in this section are the related sources from articles, internet,

books, and other related studies that could assessed the credibility of the study.

English Writing

One of the important skills whereby learners are able to progress

independently to a higher level of intellectual maturity, especially in the case of

English learning is writing. In addition, learning to write fluently and expressively

are the most difficult of the macro skills for all language users regardless of whether

the language in question is a first, second or foreign language (Mohamed & Darus,

2012).

Furthermore, Hyland (2008) stated that writing also is considered with

varied context and cannot be distilled down to a set of abstract cognitive or

technical abilities. This even becomes more complex when writing in a second

language in the academic context (Myles, 2010). Thus, through learning English

will improve writing skills since it will lower students’ self-apprehension and self-

dismay, which are believed to influence students’ writing performance

(Zimmerman & Bandura, 2012).

Apart from, writing is an important ability, it is necessary to build a writing

habit in students. Doing this, students will recognize writing as a normal part of

classroom practice and they come to writing assignments with much enthusiasm.

To achieve the writing habit it is necessary to give the students interesting and

enjoyable tasks to do (Harmer, 2008).

Besides, Faigley, Daly, and Witte (2011), stated that writing apprehension

makes people avoid writing or find writing burdensome, and this reflects on their

written products and can lower the students ability in their writing performances.

Self-efficacy, on the other hand is the individuals’ beliefs in their abilities to perform

a task and this is believed to be an important variable in predicting learners’

performance (Bandura, 2013). It is also claimed to mediate in learners’ capacity,

past achievements, and subsequent performances. Thus, writing self-efficacy is

one’s self belief in his/her ability to write, which may enhance his/her writing

performance. Writing aspect of communication skills was developed through

completing written assignments and reports through their academic program at the

school. Good written communication skills are measured through the clarity of the

writing, the flow of the arguments, using simple and easy to understand sentences,

and written using academic writing style. A written communication also involved
two parties, with the receiver giving feedback, but they do not necessarily have to

communicate at the same time. Giving Communication has traditionally been seen

in society as verbal or non-verbal.

Additionally, past studies have recorded mixed results also about blogging

on the English writing skills among learners with most studies leading to a positive

disposition as they claimed blogging has been found to improve writing skills.

Students were found to believe that using blog in the class as a writing tool was a

good idea as they claimed that they were able to write better and effective write

ups when using blogs and that blogging has allowed them to be creative despite

having limited proficiency in the language (Nadzrah & Kemboja, 2009).

Subsequently, Blackmore-Squires (2010) found that a blog can empower

students to become analytical and critical writer, which in turn improve a student

self-confidence, while claiming that an online writing such as writing on blogs has

many advantages to offer such as; first, encouraging feedback and representing

both writing and reading activity; second, stimulating debate and critical analysis

and encouraging articulation of ideas and opinions; third, offering opportunities for

collaborative learning; fourth, providing an environment in which students can

develop skills of persuasion and argumentation; fifth, creating a more student-

centered learning environment; and sixth, offering informal language reading. The

idea that educational blogging can enhance learning opportunities as the given

reported positive feedback from students on the use of blogs as learning tools as

they increased interactivity and promoted reflective activities among students. In a

study carried out by Blackmore-Squires (2010) regarding the use of blog as a tool
to improve writing in the second language, it was found out that the use of blog

has encouraged learning through collaboration, which was in terms of

communication between peers and tutors, as well as through learner autonomy.

By using blog as a tool of communication, the learner actively constructs

knowledge by translating ideas into words built upon the reactions and responses

of others.

On the same note, Blackmore-Squires (2010) explained that students who

suffer from computer may find themselves frustrated with the blogging activities

and this will eventually hinder their writing improvement. Thus, it was interesting to

investigate how the participants in the study perceived the influence of blogging on

their English writing skills.

One of the elements of generic skills that are essential among students is

communication skills. Through their years in schooling, students would have been

exposed to situations, in and outside of the lecture halls, where they have to use

their communication skills, for example group assignments and class

presentations. Communication skills were measured via a self-administered

questionnaire and it assessed two elements in communication skills, including

general and personal behavior. Generally, communication can be defined as a

process of exchanging information, from the person giving the information through

verbal and non-verbal methods, to the person receiving the information as well.

The most common method of communication is verbal, using a specific language

where it is a two-way process, with feedback on the message received.

Communication also involves the exchange of ideas, opinions and information with
a specific objective. Apart from oral communication, information can also be

exchanged using symbols or signage by using non-verbal cues. Communication

has also been defined as sharing and giving meaning occurring at the same time

through symbolic interactions (Seiler & Beall, 2008).

Based on these definitions, elements of communication include the person

giving the information, specifically, about the information get and feedback to

respond by the receiver and the repetition of these processes creates knowledge

development of the learners. Accordingly, previous researches on communication

skills among students have been reported by Ihmeideh, Ahmad and Dababneh

(2010). They found that a positive communication environment provides

opportunities to students to learn how to communicate, and, have better

communication skills. Therefore, students need to be given opportunities to

communicate in order to be better prepared for the job market after their studies.

Communication is more effective if the receiver (of the information) can

understand, apply, and practice the skills. Further, communication will be more

meaningful if the physical, spiritual and social factors are taken into account during

the communication process.

On the other side, students need to discuss and negotiate the course of the

project where everyone agrees upon. Another skill that is important in being able

to communicate is to be able to initiate a discussion, able to take criticism, giving

cooperation and able to make concise conclusions on the discussions. This study

found that negotiating skills still need to be improved among students, compared

to the sub-construct culture, language and be politeness. Social communication

also involves interpersonal communication, which is the ability to conduct face-to-

face interactions. This type of communication involves the ability to cooperate,

interact, and negotiate with people from different background (Ihmeideh et al.

2010).

Hence, this type of communication also involves social management skills.

Although the overall communication skills among students are good, there are still

certain aspects that are not up to the expectations of competent employers

(MasitahMisdi, 2010). Communication skills should be cultivated in every course

and lecturers must play a more significant so that the students enable themselves

to communicate better. Thereafter, lecturers must give constructive feedback on

students’ presentations and communication skills wherever possible.

On the other hand, students must actively participate in every activity that

develops their communication skills. As Ilmeideh et al. (2010), reported that the

attitudes towards communication skills among university students are high. This

means that it is easier for universities to develop their communication skills through

appropriate activities. Positive environments for communication provide

opportunities for students to practice their communication skills and participate in

active learning. With this, lecturers should create as many learning activities as

possible to stimulate the provide opportunity for students to practice and horn their

communication skills. It’s the best tactics to improve students’ capacity in terms of

communication.

As a student who’s getting ready to start on their chosen career, he or she

should take the opportunity in any activities that developed communication skills
in a wider and complete aspect so that communication skills can be fully

developed. Students need to put in effort to develop their communication skills to

be able to succeed in their chosen profession (Ihmeideh, et al. 2010). There are

many types of communication skills, but generally it involves oral and written skills,

proposes that there are essentially three types of communication, which are

interpersonal communication, management communication (communication in a

group), and public communication (speech making). The process of

communication generally involves four elements, which are the speaker, the

receiver, communication channel and feedback. Overall, communication takes a

big part of every person’s lives, as its build to make a better and peaceful place

mostly, in communicating combining understanding.

Communication Skills

One of the elements of generic skills that are essential among students is

communication skills. Through their years in schooling, students would have been

exposed to situations, in and outside of the lecture halls, where they have to use

their communication skills, for example group assignments and class

presentations. Communication skills were measured via a self-administered

questionnaire and it assessed two elements in communication skills, including

general and personal behavior. Generally, communication can be defined as a

process of exchanging information, from the person giving the information through

verbal and non-verbal methods, to the person receiving the information as well.

The most common method of communication is verbal, using a specific language

where it is a two-way process, with feedback on the message received.

Communication also involves the exchange of ideas, opinions and information with

a specific objective. Apart from oral communication, information can also be

exchanged using symbols or signage by using non-verbal cues. Communication

has also been defined as sharing and giving meaning occurring at the same time

through symbolic interactions (Seiler & Beall, 2008).

Based on these definitions, elements of communication include the person

giving the information, specifically, about the information get and feedback to

respond by the receiver and the repetition of these processes creates knowledge

development of the learners. Accordingly, previous researches on communication

skills among students have been reported by Ihmeideh, Ahmad and Dababneh

(2010). They found that a positive communication environment provides

opportunities to students to learn how to communicate, and, have better

communication skills. Therefore, students need to be given opportunities to

communicate in order to be better prepared for the job market after their studies.

Communication is more effective if the receiver (of the information) can

understand, apply, and practice the skills. Further, communication will be more

meaningful if the physical, spiritual and social factors are taken into account during

the communication process.

On the other side, students need to discuss and negotiate the course of the

project where everyone agrees upon. Another skill that is important in being able

to communicate is to be able to initiate a discussion, able to take criticism, giving

cooperation and able to make concise conclusions on the discussions. This study

found that negotiating skills still need to be improved among students, compared
to the sub-construct culture, language and be politeness. Social communication

also involves interpersonal communication, which is the ability to conduct face-to-

face interactions. This type of communication involves the ability to cooperate,

interact, and negotiate with people from different background (Ihmeideh et al.

2010).

Hence, this type of communication also involves social management skills.

Although the overall communication skills among students are good, there are still

certain aspects that are not up to the expectations of competent employers

(MasitahMisdi, 2010). Communication skills should be cultivated in every course

and lecturers must play a more significant so that the students enable themselves

to communicate better. Thereafter, lecturers must give constructive feedback on

students’ presentations and communication skills wherever possible.

On the other hand, students must actively participate in every activity that

develops their communication skills. As Ilmeideh et al. (2010), reported that the

attitudes towards communication skills among university students are high. This

means that it is easier for universities to develop their communication skills through

appropriate activities. Positive environments for communication provide

opportunities for students to practice their communication skills and participate in

active learning. With this, lecturers should create as many learning activities as

possible to stimulate the provide opportunity for students to practice and horn their

communication skills. It’s the best tactics to improve students’ capacity in terms of

communication.
As a student who’s getting ready to start on their chosen career, he or she

should take the opportunity in any activities that developed communication skills

in a wider and complete aspect so that communication skills can be fully

developed. Students need to put in effort to develop their communication skills to

be able to succeed in their chosen profession (Ihmeideh, et al. 2010). There are

many types of communication skills, but generally it involves oral and written skills,

proposes that there are essentially three types of communication, which are

interpersonal communication, management communication (communication in a

group), and public communication (speech making). The process of

communication generally involves four elements, which are the speaker, the

receiver, communication channel and feedback. Overall, communication takes a

big part of every person’s lives, as its build to make a better and peaceful place

mostly, in communicating combining understanding in all aspects of living.

Interest and Awareness

Beforehand, schools are charged with the responsibility of preparing

students’ to become productive citizens, capable of making a worthwhile

contribution to society. Inherent in this responsibility is the necessity to adequately

engage students in their learning and personal development so that this goal can

be realized. For decade now, it has been realized how crucial a role “interest” plays

in the learning process. Accordingly, as Hidi and Renninger (2008), stated that

“The level of the person’s interests has repeatedly been found to be a powerful

influence on learning “. As, it helps students to be more committed on such things.

Apart from it, they believe that interest influences an individual’s attention,

goals, as well as levels of learning, while (Schraw and Lehman, 2008) are of the

opinion that it determines in part what we choose to learn, and how will we learn

this information. Both, interest and awareness are generally viewed as being of

two types-personal and situational. The former said arise from an actual desire to

understand a particular topic, which it is claimed can persist for a long time.

Adjacent, to both interest and awareness in communication is based on four

basic skills: listening, speaking, reading, and most of all in the field of writing.

Listening and reading are considered as receptive skills; on the other hand,

speaking and writing are productive skills. Writing in a foreign is one of the most

challenging skills for almost all learners. The most important goal of teaching

foreign language is to enable the learners to communicate. According to Johnson

(2008), language skills enhance individual, for example, listening and hearing other

people use language enhances one’s ability to speak, reading helps students

become betters writers and writing helps and enhances the students reading

fluency (Hamadouche, PHD dissertation, 2010).

In truth, Brophy (2010), describes students’ motivation as the extent to

which students will invest time, energy, and attention towards various tasks, goals,

or activities. “Student’s motivation can affect current learning as well as the skills

and strategies learnt previously” (Schunk et al. 2012). Motivation is the strength

that pushes the person to achieve a goal; if the learners do not have motivation,

the learning process is harder. Motivation is the values, beliefs, and behaviors

surrounding learning process. Some productive values and beliefs may lead to
excitement, yet other values may lead to determined hard work. When we motivate

our students we make them learn better than those who show interest and values

awareness.

Performance and Opinions

Primitive, to Nor Aini and Normazla (2009), the study subjects were found

to experience the highest level of communication apprehension when participating

interpersonal communication. Their study also revealed that the major causes of

communication apprehension are the personality trait of the students’ academic

performance in English, Mathematics and Science. High school English teachers

should continue exposing their students to varied oral communication activities to

reduce the students’ oral communication apprehensions. They should employ

engaging and interesting speaking activities that could maximize students’

participation to further enhance their communication skills. Educators especially in

the core subjects like Mathematics and Science should use the English language

effectively in teaching Science and Mathematical concepts to promote the

important use of the English language in their classes and can assist student

performances and opinions if a certain topic.

In this way, previous research on attitudes towards speaking English and

English accents, for example Leppänen et al. (2009), was also a background for

comparison in discussing the results, as was Garant's (2008) study that compared

Finnish and Japanese English educational systems. The results consist of

interviews of Finnish and Japanese adult learners of English. A comparison of

Finland and Japan was seen as useful because of their differences in education
systems and contacts with the English language. The students are not only

acquiring essential concept but at the same time enhancing their oral

communication skills in English. High school students should realize the important

role of English for self-development they should develop positive attitude of

learning it to further understand its demands on the academic tracks. They should

also practice using English in conversing with other people so as to lessen their

difficulty and apprehension in using the language for communication. Lastly, other

research buff are encouraged to conduct related studies, exploring on other grade

levels and other school divisions and examine other factors such as student’s

language anxiety, languages/backgrounds, home, type of school they attended,

and the speaking activities they are engaged into, which may have effects on their

oral communication apprehensions and academic performance. The central

interest of the process approach clearly lies on the cognitive steps that writers go

through when they write. In the 1990s however, there was a new awareness of the

social aspects of writing. In other words writers became more conscious of the

social conventions that govern a particular genre and realized that writing serve a

range of social goals. Teaching writing to non-English speaking learners should

always take into consideration learner global needs as well as their linguistic and

cultural backgrounds. The English language has a significant standing in globally

in terms of communication, hence both oral and written English skills are essential

around the world. However, too many speaking English seems to be very

challenging tasks, since the aim of English education is not only to enhance

knowledge of grammar and written skills but also to teach oral English skills, this
problems needs to be studied in order to cure the situation. In addition, especially

in Finland, the interest in English language media has become stronger, hence it

was an additional aim to learn if this has created pressure for English as a foreign

or second language have been studied somewhat, but the problems that Finnish

and Japanese learners, in particular, experience in speaking English should be

studied more.

Other study also, considered problems were analyzed according to second

language acquisition theory, and the factors affecting them were categorized in

line with Moyer’s (2008) classification, relatedly in Pakistan students were facing a

lot of difficulties in writing English language due to lack of vocabulary, poor spelling,

and poor understanding of grammatical structure. The girls face more writing

difficulties than the male students in English language.

Personal Communication Skills

Our understandings of communication are based on a quick evolving field

that incorporates many different controls either general or personal communication

skills. These domains are not necessarily mutually exclusive and can transcend a

traditional perception. These domains particularly includes self-interaction and

maybe useful into face-to-face interactions through personal communication (e.g.

any kinds of meetings), digital literacy including, email and texting, social media

and virtual environments for instance, portfolios, Facebook, Twitter, and

Instagram. The protocols of communicating within each domain are different in

regards to the length of message, the texts used for specific communicative
purposes, intended audience, acceptable norms, title, spelling/grammar

conventions, and else (Ammon 2010).

In relation to written personal communication, written signs or symbols are

used to communicate. A written message may be printed or hand written. In written

communication message can be transmitted via, letter, report, memo, reports,

bulletins, job descriptions, employee manuals, and electronic mail are the types of

written communication used for internal communication. For communicating with

external environment in writing, electronic mail, Internet Web sites, letters,

proposals, telegrams, faxes, postcards, contracts, advertisements, brochures, and

news releases are used (Wenbin Nah, 2008). Message, in written communication,

is influenced by the vocabulary and grammar used, writing style, precision and

clarity of the language used. Written Communication is the most common form of

communication being used in business.

Any means of meaningful personal communication among humans himself

already known as language. It is a very important means of communication which

is key in every society. One cannot think of a society without language because it

is a very important means of communication. Language sharpens people's

thoughts, guides and controls their entire activity. "It is a carrier of civilization and

culture" (Bolinger, 2011). In the case of the mother tongue, the child learns it easily

due to a favorable linguistic environment and high level of exposure to the

language. According to Bose (2010), "learning a second language requires

conscious efforts to learn it and the exposure to the second language in most cases
is limited." It is argued that, "A Majority of the students have favored classroom

instruction for the second language acquisition" (James, 2012).

Practically, there are so many factors that affect the process of learning a

second language: "attitude, self-confidence, motivation, duration of exposure to

the language, classroom conditions, environment, mother tongue interference,

family background, and availability of competent teachers" (Varghese, 2011).

Basically, it is useful for personal communication as it is also defend on the attitude

or character of the student.

Perhaps, "The successful acquisition of a second language seems to some

extent, contingent upon learners' views of the language learning environment, the

learning situation, and how they view the target language and its speakers"

(Narayanan et al., 2013). Like the environment and attitude, teacher's competence

is also a variable factor that affects the second language learning. In other words,

what affects the second language is the environment where the learners finds

himself, the knowledge the teacher has in the language and the attitude of the

people who speak the English language. "He should be proficient in the language;

his knowledge of, and expertise in methods and techniques of language teaching

should be of a reasonably high standard" (Varghese, 2011). To learn English

requires constant practice and patience. The kind of feeling that prevails among

students is that it is not possible to achieve fluency or mastery in the English

language. This kind of predetermined limited success approach prevents students

from learning English effectively. Despite the importance of learning English, the

following problems prevent students from learning English Language effectively:

Environment, home background, mother tongue, and duration of exposure,

attitude, classroom conditions, and availability of competence of teachers. It is

based on this background that the researcher intends to look at some phonological

problems in learning English as a second language.

General Communication Skills

Major thing that are essential for an individual to grow and interact

successfully with the world is what we called communication in general aspect.

Communication usually begins with simple body language, gestures, and

vocalizations. As students’ progress to verbal communication, they naturally

develop an early understanding of their native language (Becky Matthews, 2014).

The communication, which is one of the most important elements necessary for

people to adapt to the environment, must be technically known by individuals in

every profession and they must develop their skills in this regard (Balcı, 2013).

People must know the different communication skills that will be useful in their

professional lives. In particular, knowing different communication skills in the

professional groups that require direct contact with people is of a great importance

(Yılmaz, 2009). Means that, by simple gestures individuals can able to

communicate with each other’s well.

Moreover, effective communication skills play a facilitating role in the human

relations. While having a healthy communication ensures it to be meaningful and

satisfying and coping with the issues met during the life, and any situation where

there is not a healthy communication, brings the feeling of not being able to meet

our own needs and along with it, the feeling of loneliness (Korkut, 2011). This
situation reveals the status of being successful / unsuccessful in the relations that

the individuals establish with other people (James, 2012). Due to some unhealthy

communication it is stated that there’s a possibility of causing ineffective

communication of the people in society and can cause grief of the people.

In connection with, the concerned of the difficulties faced by the foreign

students of National University in learning the Filipino language determined and

analyzed that data gathered from ten (10) selected foreign students through

interview were analyzed to find out the difficulties faced by the participants. An

evaluation of the responses yielded the following difficulties: (1) difficulty of

learning two languages at the same time, i.e., the English and Filipino (they

recognized it as Tagalog) languages which are used as media of instruction; (2)

doubt of other students to communicate with them; (3) lack of any teachers to

provide enough time to teach them Filipino; (4) absence of any friend to assist

them in translating Filipino sentences to English; (5) non-existence of a Filipino

course to specifically address their language needs; (6) semantically and

interpretational differences between Filipino and English; (7) lack of knowledge on

the structure of Filipino language; (8) insufficiency of language learning materials

such as books, modules, etc.; (9) embarrassment in speaking in Filipino; and (10)

cultural differences. In line with the foregoing, a quadratic model of language

learning has been specifically developed for the difficulties faced by the

participants. Notwithstanding the difficulties, foreign students in National University

are still eager to learn more about the Filipino language to keep up with the flow of

conversation among campus students (Ancheta & Rosario, 2016).

In contrast, Springer & Collins (2008) reflect on the use of classroom

learning and real world interactional use of language for developing

communication in both academic and social contexts. The need for communicating

in English in academics is the basic requirements of the students. The students

need to interact for developing social and pragmatic communication skills.

Moreover, it is very important to instill the qualities of a good learner in

students before teaching them about fluent communication. Khan (2015), says that

research in second language learning suggest that good language learners use a

variety of communicative strategies to improve their face to face communication

He claims that speaking strategies are one of the most important aspects in dealing

with communication skills, as they improve learners’ confidence and fluency.

Various communication strategies are practiced by an active learner of English

learners to avoid breakdown in communication.

To sum up, English writing and communication skills are variables that can

both expressed connection and play a big role in every individuals in society. As

mentioned above, in Shaw and Weir’s model of writing as a cognitive process.

From this perspective, one may argue that learning to revise is an important part

of learning to write. This is also in line with the genre-pedagogy approach to

teaching writing (Cope & Kalantzis, 2012), which is the theoretical basis for the

English Writing Instruction -questionnaire developed in this study. Also, students

need to discuss and negotiate the course of endeavor where everyone agrees

upon. Another skill that is important in being able to communicate is to be able to

initiate a discussion, able to take criticism, giving cooperation and able to make
concise conclusions on the discussions and found that negotiating skills still need

to be improved among students. Some social communication also involves

interpersonal, personal, and in general communication, which is the ability to

conduct face-to-face interactions, self-integration, and also in all aspects of

communication. This type of communication involves the ability to cooperate,

interact, and negotiate with people from different background (Ihmeideh et al.

2010).

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This study was being anchored on the theory of Schramm (1993), asserts

that communication comes from the Latin “communis” which means “common”

when we communicate, we are trying to establish ‘commonness” with someone.

That is, we are trying to share information, an idea or an attitude. Looking further,
you can find this type of definition “Communication” is the mechanism through

which human relations exist and develop (Schramm, 1993). Since communication

happens around us all the time, the process is often taken for granted. A large

amount of time is spent communicating hence there is need to make sure that

ideas and information are put in a way that everyone involved can understand

neither through writing style or communication style. Thinking about what to say,

working out the best way of saying it finding the right words, making sure that other

person understand and understanding anything he/she says in reply one all vital

in communication.

As Bjork (1992) stated also that, on-and-off communication might serve as

a desirable learning difficulty that harms obtainment performance but benefits long-

term learning of writing skills. Relatively, automatic scoring of objective text

features relied on the readability findings of problems with spelling, grammar, and

vocabulary (Keenan, 1982). This means that since then there are problems

concerning writing skills specifically in terms of using English as the universal

language.

Hence, composing an extended text appears to require the self-regulation

of planning, text generation, and reviewing through metacognitive control of these

writing processes (Zimmerman & Risemberg, 1997). Apparently, as mature writing

requires various transitions among planning, generation, and reviewing (Hayes

1980; Ransdell 1995) as its attempts to solve the content problem of what to say

and of how to say it (Scardamalia & Berieter 1987; 1991). As for individuals

together with language studies, students may able to learn how to explore and
expand learning’s by gathering information which may involve writing and

processing information that initiate expression’ combining the connection of

English writing capability and Communication skills.

There is a national effort to define graduate attributes, and communication

skills abilities are threaded throughout them. Using the University of Melbourne as

an example of this trend, published undergraduate attributes include “ability and

self-confidence to comprehend complex concepts, to express them lucidly,

whether orally or in writing, and to confront unfamiliar problems” (James, 2002).

Additionally, for postgraduates, guidelines highlight “the capacity to communicate

effectively the results of research and scholarship by oral and written

communication”.

However, Baldwin (2002) stated that across websites the term

‘communication skills’ is often tied to concerns of individuals but in and of it is not

a focal concern of faculty and staffs policies. At one site, for example,

undergraduate Bachelor of Engineering (BE) students were promised to eventually

“possess abroad knowledge base of their chosen discipline and of other disciplines

so as to facilitate effective communication with those other professionals with

whom engineers routinely communicate”; and “have verbal and written

communication skills that enable them to contribute substantially to society”.

Another way is being positioned within a framework of good teaching practices. At

some universities, for example, academic staffs are asked to “assist in the

development of students' communication skills through providing opportunities for

practice of and feedback on presentations in a range of media (e.g. oral, graphic,

written)”.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Figure 1, illustrates the conceptual framework of the two variables in the

research. Concept is an idea of how something is, or how something should be

done. While conceptual framework; is an analytical tool with several variations and
contexts. It is used to make conceptual distinctions and organize ideas. Strong

conceptual frameworks capture something real and do this in a way that is easy to

remember and apply (Obi, Chidimma Rachael, 2018.)

The independent variable is the English Writing which is defined in terms of:

Interest and Awareness, Performance and Opinions. The indicators were adapted

from the Naresuan University, Phayao Campus, Thailand

questionnaire(file:///C:/Users/Weng/Downloads/ Documents/14_appendix.pdf ).

The first indicator is interest and awareness which refers to the students’ interest

in writing and awareness in studying writing skills. Second, the performance and

opinions also refers to the students’ opinions toward writing activities, especially in

students’ performance tasks in class. The third one is opinions which also refer to

the students’ opinions toward processing writing materials in classroom.

On the other hand, the dependent variable is the communication skills of

the SHS, grade 11 students. It was adapted from the study of Takahashi

(https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1440819.2006.01488.x) (2006),

which defined the following indicators general communication skills and personal

communication skills. The general communication skill refers to non-verbal cues

or the uses of body gestures of a certain students when it comes to socialize

others. Finally, the personal communication skill also refers to the personal

communication aspect as part of the existence.

Conceptual Framework

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

English Writing Communication Skills

1. General
1. Interest and Awareness
communication skills
(Students’ interest in
2. Personal
writing and awareness of communication skills

studying writing skills)

2. Performance and Opinion

(Students’ opinions toward

writing activities)

3. Opinions (Students’

opinions toward process

Figure
writing1.materials)
Conceptual framework showing the variables of the study
Significance of the Study

This study is significance in determining the solution of the problems related

to English writing that affects Communication Skills of the grade 11 students.

Specifically, the findings was beneficial to the following; school administrator,

teachers, students, parents, and lastly to the researchers.

The result of this study was used as a reference of the school administrator

in formulating school policies, learning activities and developmental programs in

relation to English writing skills and communication skills.

This serves as a guide for the teachers in English relative to the information

on the level of the students’ English writing and communication skills to improve

their teaching practices and strategies.

It also helps students find essential information as regards their English

writing which could provide guidance on a better communication skills

developmental aspect.

This is also beneficial to parents for their children may able to step another

stage of educational attainment beyond the upcoming grade level since results will

guide all of them in choosing opportunities and interventions that should be

provided to their children as to enhance their English writing ability and

communication skills.

Lastly, this study also helps the researchers compile their tasks as well as

entailing their knowledge to a certain subject in order to form a successful study.

Definition of Terms

To facilitate the clarity and understanding of the study, the following terms

were defined operationally;

English writing- in this study it defines as the ability of a student in terms of

writing in English form or; the capacity of the student into writing approach by using

the universal language (English). It is an important skill whereby learners are able

to progress independently to a higher level of intellectual maturity, especially in the

case of English language learning. In addition, learning to write fluently and

expressively are the most difficult of the macro skills for all language users

regardless of whether the language in question is a first, second or foreign

language as supported by the study of (Mohamed &Darus, 2012).

Communication skills- in this study also it refers to a skill which is very vital

for it helps the student to communicate better. A few researchers have defined

communication as verbal communication, written communication, non-verbal

communication, listening and giving feedback (Nur’ashiqinNajmuddin, 2010). In

our globalized world, university students need to master communication skills in

different cultural contexts (Penbek, Yurdakul, &Cerit, 2009).

CHAPTER II

METHODOLOGY

In this section the researchers’ presents more systematic statistical

analysis, which examines the relationships between the two variables and which

provides evidences of the following skills; English Writing and Communication

Skills. It involves the following parts research design, research locale, research

respondents, research instruments, data gathering procedure, and statistical

treatment of the data or statistical tool.

Research Design

This study used descriptive correlation under non-experimental kind of

quantitative research. Researchers described and examined relationships among

two variables the independent and dependent variables; basically, this research

design developed competencies conducted quality research that produces

credible research findings. Descriptive correlation was used to determine the

relationship between English Writing and Communication Skills of grade 11-SHS

students using mean and pearson r.

Research Locale

Municipality of Don Marcelino can be located in the Province of Davao

Occidental that was formerly belongs to the Province of Davao del Sur particularity

in Mindanao. It comprises of 15 barangays namely Barangay Talaguton, Barangay

Baluntaya, Barangay Kinanga, Barangay Lanao, Barangay Nueva Villa, Barangay

Dalupan, Barangay Lapuan, Barangay Mabuhay, Barangay Calian, Barangay

Linadasan, North Lamidan, East Lamidan, South Lamidan, West Lamidan, and

Barangay Lawa.

Lawa National High School is located in the peaceful Barangay of Biton 1,

Lawa, Don Marcelino, Davao Occidental, Mindanao Philippines .It offers a good

quality-education and smart equipped facilities that can motivates and helps

students cultivate their learning’s. Fortunately, every section has about 40-50

above learners and the overall population of the school is more than 1000

students. This institution attracts other students from distant Barangays because

the facilities in LNHS campus is almost complete and the discipline accommodated

by the school regulations are very strict yet appropriate. Above all, it is an ideal

school that every ones envision.

Figure2: Research Locale Showing the Location of Don Marcelino in the

Philippine Map
Research Respondents

The respondents of the study were grade 11 students of Lawa National High

School – Senior High School Department, of school year 2018-2019.

Table 1. shows the distribution of the respondents of the study based on the

no. of students in three sections.

Table 1. Distribution of the Respondents of the Study

Name of the Section Population Percentage (%)

Aguinaldo 56 38.35 %

Macapagal 52 35.61 %

Laurel 38 26.02 %

Total 146 99.98 % or 100 %

Research Instruments

The instrument used in the study was the adaptive or modified

questionnaires. It was prepared by the researchers and presented to the PR2

adviser Mr. Karl June Taban for content checking, comments, and suggestions.

There are two sets of questionnaires being used in gathering data from the

respondents. The first set of Questionnaire is on English writing. It was measured

in terms of: interest and awareness, performance and opinions. The second set of
questionnaire is the Questionnaire on Communication skills. It was being

measured through the following indicators; general communication skills and

personal communication skills. The scoring guide for the analysis of this study was

based from 5 likertz scale.

The scoring guide in the analysis of the responses for the level of English Writing:

RANGE DESCRIPTIVE INTERPRETATION

EQUIVALENT
OF MEANS

4.50 - 5.00 Very High This means that English writing is always
experienced by the students.

3.50 - 4.49 High This means that English writing is often

experienced by the students.

2.50 - 3.49 Moderate This means that English writing is

sometimes experienced by the students.

1.50 - 2.49 Low This means that English writing is rarely

experienced by the students.

1.00 - 1.49 Very Low This means that English writing is not
experienced by the students.
For the degree of communication skills, the following scales are as follow:

RANGE DESCRIPTIVE INTERPRETATION

EQUIVALENT
OF MEANS

4.50-5.00 Very Positive This means that the communication skill is

manifested all the time.

3.50-4.59 Positive This means that the communication skill is

often times manifested by the students.

2.50-3.49 Fairly Positive This means that the communication skills is

sometimes manifested by the students.

1.50-2.49 Negative This means that the communication skill is

rarely manifested by the students.

1.00-1.49 Very Negative This means that the communication skill is

never manifested by the students.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers observed the following steps in the gathering of data:

1. Asking Permission in conducting the Study.

The researchers asked permission to the school principal named Mr.

Genciano M. Cambalon requesting Grade 11 students to conduct the study in

Lawa National High School.

2. Distribution and Retrieval of the Questionnaire.

With the approval of the school principal the researchers personally

administered the questionnaire to the Grade 11 students of Lawa National High

School. Subsequently, the retrieval of the questionnaire and the answer sheets

were made possible through the help of the teachers of Lawa National High School

campus.

3. Collation and Tabulation of Data.

The researchers gathered and tabulated the answers of the respondents.

The questionnaire for English writing was being tallied based from the two

indicators namely; interest and awareness, performance and opinions. While the

questionnaire for communication skills was being tallied also according to its two

indicators; general communication skills and personal communication skills.

Statistical Tool

The following statistical tools were used in the findings, analysis and

interpretations of the data:

Mean.

This was used to determine the degree of English writing and also the

degree of communication skills of the respondents.

Pearson r.
This was used to determine the significant relationship between English

Writing and Communication Skills.

CHAPTER III

PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS

Presented in this chapter are the results of the findings. The topics were

discussed and presented as follows: level of English writing; summary on the level

of English writing; degree of communication skills; summary on the degree of

communication skills; and the significance on the relationship between English

writing and communication skills.

LEVEL OF ENGLISH WRITING

Interest and Awareness. Table 2 presents the level of English Writing of

students in terms of interest and awareness. The level of English writing of

students in terms of interest and awareness has an overall mean of 3.756 or high.

This means that English writing is often experienced by the students. Through a

detailed analysis, it was observed that among items in interest and awareness with

the highest mean is I think a writing activity is essential and useful with a rating of

4.178 or high. This is followed by I wish to be a good writer with a rating of 3.910

or high. As well as, I like an English writing activity with a rating of 3.753 or high.

Then, I like to share knowledge and opinion with friends by using writing works

with a rating of 3.609 or high. And lastly, writing skills are simple for me with a

rating of 3.328 or moderate. Consequently, among the five questions, obviously

the question who got the high mean is the question number 5 which is I think a

writing activity is essential and useful with a rating of 4.178 or high.

Table 2. Level of English Writing of students in terms of Interest and

Awareness

No. Interest and Awareness Mean Descriptive Standard

Equivalent
Deviation

1 I like an English writing 3.753 High 0.906

activity

2 I wish to be a good writer 3.910 High 1.036

3 Writing skills are simple for 3.328 Moderate 0.976
me

4 I like to share knowledge 3.609 High 0.985

and opinion with friends by
using writing works

5 I think, a writing activity is 4.178 High 0.973

essential and useful

Overall 3.756 High 0.975

So, based on the result, it is given that the Grade 11 students think that

writing activity is very essential and very useful. Hence, by looking at our own

attitudes to the writing process it provides us with useful insights, reflections and

the essential empathy needed for addressing the writing needs of children who

experience difficulties. Thus, the useful starting place also is the attitudes of the

students themselves. Indeed, provided that many fascinating, alarming and

enjoyable comments regarding attitudes to the writing curriculum that they are

presented with ( Stuart Dyke, 2018).

Performance and Opinions. Shown in Table 3 is the data on the level of

English writing of students in terms of performance and opinions. English writing

of students in terms of performance and opinions has an overall rating of 3.728

described as high. This means that English writing in performance and opinions is

often experienced by the students. Through a detailed analysis among the items

in the English writing in terms of performance and opinions, the one with the

highest mean is I agreed that process writing is essential and useful with a rating

of 4.198 or high; then followed by I had a chance to share and exchange opinions

and ideas with friends with a rating of 3.890 or high; then My teacher suggested

me about writing techniques and information with a rating of 3.849 or high; then

According to my opinion, studying process writing is a learner-centered approach

with a rating of 3.794 or high; then Friends and partners provided me suggestions

and information about writing techniques with a rating rate of 3.705 or high; I like

writing-process and I enjoyed with writing classes with a rating rate of 3.657 or

high; then Writing skills are practiced by me via pair and work group, etc. with a

rating rate of 3.623 or high; then My language competence is used to create pieces

of writing with a rating rate of 3.589 or high; then While process writing being

conducted in class, I was able to help friends with a rating rate of 3.582 or high;

and lastly I along with my friends and partners planned and discussed the topic

given or in which we were interested with rating rate of 3.390 or moderate.

Table 3
Level of English Writing of students in terms of Performance and Opinions
No. Performance and Opinions Mean Descriptive Standard
Equivalent
Deviation

1 Writing skills are practiced 3.623 High 0.940

by me via pair and work group,

etc.

2 I along with my friends and 3.390 Moderate 1.006

partners planned and discussed
the topic given or in which we
were interested

3 My language competence is used 3.589 High 0.951

to create pieces of writing

4 Friends and partners provided me 3.705 High 0.983

suggestions and information
about writing techniques

5 My teacher suggested me about 3.849 High 1.019

writing techniques and
information

6 I had a chance to share and 3.890 High 0.947

exchange opinions and ideas with
friends

7 While process writing being 3.582 High 0.922

conducted in class, I was able to
help friends

8 I like writing-process and I 3.657 High 0.992

enjoyed with writing classes

9 According to my opinion, studying 3.794 High 0.909

process writing is a learner-
centred approach
10 I agreed that process writing is 4.198 High 0.958
essential an useful

Overall 3.728 High 0.963

Wherefore, among the ten questions, noticeable that the question number

10 got the high mean which is I agreed that process writing is essential and useful

with a rating of 4.198 or high. Basically, writing is a way of expressing thoughts,

and good writing comes from good thinking and preparation (Harmer, 2001). In

order for students to write something, it seems workable to offer them the

opportunities to think about the topic in question. In effect, the students perception

objectively agreed think that writing process is significant and as useful (Rafida

Abd Karim, Abdul Ghani Abu, Farah Natchiar Mohd Khaja, 2016).

Summary of English Writing of Students

Table 4 presents the summary on the level of English writing of students in

terms of interest and awareness as well as performance and opinions. English

writing specifically in interest and awareness got the highest mean score with a

rating of 3.756 or high. This means that it is often experienced by the students. As

well as, English writing in performance and opinions got 3.728 or high mean score

also. This means that it is often experienced by the following students.

Table 4
Summary of English Writing of Students
No. English Writing Mean Descriptive Standard
Equivalent
(x) Deviation

1 Interest and Awareness 3.756 High 0.975

2 Performance and Opinion 3.728 High 0.963

Overall 3.742 High 0.969

English writing specifically in interest and awareness got the highest mean

score with a rating of 3.756 or high. As given above, schools are charged with the

responsibility of preparing students’ to become productive citizens, capable of

making a worthwhile contribution to society. Inherent in this responsibility is the

necessity to adequately engage students in their learning and personal

development so that this goal can be realized. For decade now, it has been

realized how crucial a role “interest” plays in the learning process. Accordingly, as

Hidi and Renninger (2008), stated that “The level of the person’s interests has

repeatedly been found to be a powerful influence on learning “.

Degree of Communication Skills

General Communication Skills. Reflected in Table 5 is the data on the

degree of Communication Skills in terms of General Communication Skills.

Communication skills in terms of General Communication Skills have an overall

rating of 3.922 described as positive. This means that communication skills in

terms of general communication skills is often experienced or manifested by the

students.

Majority of the items were rated as positive. These are as follows; Eye

contact with a rating rate of 4.116 or positive; then Speaking loudly with a rating

rate of 3.965 or positive; then Using gestures with a rating rate of 3.993 or positive;

then Good appearance with a rating rate of 3.897 or positive; then Choosing

suitable sentences with a rating of 3.876 or positive; then finally Showing

enthusiasm with a rating rate of 3.684 or positive.

Table 5
Degree of Communication skills in terms of General Communication Skills

No. General Communication Skills Mean Descriptive Standard

Equivalent Deviation
(x)

1 Eye contact 4.116 Positive 0.898

2 Using gestures 3.993 Positive 0.898

3 Showing enthusiasm 3.684 Positive 0.987

4 Good appearance 3.897 Positive 0.922

5 Speaking loudly 3.965 Positive 0.866

6 Choosing suitable sentences 3.876 Positive 0.967

Overall 3.922 Positive 0.923

So and so, question number one got the high mean score among the six

questions given which Eye contact with a rating rate is of 4.116 or positive. More

specifically, nonverbal cues deal with subtle ways of expressing people’s feelings.

Commonly, significance of non-verbal signals can be described in terms of

positiveness, potency or status, and responsiveness. So the students approach

will emphasize feelings, attitudes, and evaluations as the basic referents of

nonverbal behaviors into communication (Albert Mehrabian, 2017).

Personal Communication Skills. Shown in Table 6 is the data on the degree of

communication skills in terms of writing. Communication skills in terms of personal

communication skills have an overall rating of 3.616 described as positive. This

means that communication skills in terms of personal communication skills is often

experienced or manifested by the students.

Table 6
Degree of Communication skills in terms of Personal Communication Skills

No. Personal Communication Skills Mean Descriptive Standard

Equivalent Deviation
(x)

1 Greeting 4.253 Positive 0.981

2 Asking question 4.082 Positive 0.984

3 Finding communication tips 3.910 Positive 0.931

conversing

4 Speaking positive feelings to other 3.869 Positive 1.065

people

5 Active listening 3.863 Positive 1.065

6 Saying yes to other peoples 3.582 Positive 1.008

request
7 Saying no to other peoples request 3.267 Fairly 1.045
Positive

8 Asking someone for something 3.842 Positive 1.852

9 Starting a conversation 3.664 Positive 1.039

10 Continuing good points of others 3.589 Positive 1.035

11 Counting good points of others 3.5 Positive 1.097

12 Joining other peoples 3.321 Fairly 1.030

conversations Positive

13 Ending the conversation politely 3.520 Positive 0.962

14 Explaining own situation 3.664 Positive 1.005

15 Promising 3.486 Fairly 0.984

Positive

16 Getting formation for a delay 3.554 Positive 0.954

17 Negotiating with other people who 3.582 Positive 1.028
have a different opinion

18 Showing embarrassment 3.260 Fairly 1.057

Positive

19 Expressing negative feelings to 3.191 Fairly 1.039

other people Positive

20 Ignoring minor blame that is not 3.328 Fairly 1.044

own faults Positive

OVERALL 3.616 Positive 1.008

Through a detailed analysis, it could be observed that among items in

personal communication skills with the highest mean is Greeting with rating mean

of 4.253 or positive; then Asking question with a rating rate of 4.082 or positive;

then Finding communication tips conversing with a rating rate of 3.910 or positive;

then Speaking positive feelings to other people with a rating rate of 3.869 or

positive; then Active listening with a rating rate of 3.863 or positive; then Asking

someone for something with a rating rate of 3.842 or positive; then Starting a

conversation with a rating rate of 3.664, or positive; then Explaining own situation

with a rating rate of 3.664 or positive; then Continuing good points of others with a

rating rate of 3.589 or positive; then Negotiating with other people who have a
different opinion with a rating rate of 3.582 or positive; then Saying yes to other

peoples request with a rating rate of 3.582 or positive; then Getting formation for a

delay with a rating rate of 3.554 or positive; then Ending the conversation politely

with a rating rate of 3.520 or positive; then Counting good points of others with a

rating rate of 3.5 or positive; then Promising with a rating rate of 3.486 or fairly

positive; then Ignoring minor blame that is not own faults with a rating rate of 3.328

or fairly positive; then Joining other peoples conversations with a rating rate of

3.321 or fairly positive; then Saying no to other peoples request with a rating rate

of 3.267 or fairly positive; then Showing embarrassment with a rating rate of 3.260

or fairly positive; and lastly Expressing negative feelings to other people with a

rating rate of 3.191 or fairly positive.

In personal communication skills among the 20 questions the question

number one got the high mean score which is Greeting with the rating mean of

4.253 or positive. As individual know, greeting in a conversation is very important

as it is traditionalized in society but some also deficits based on a parent semi

structured and direct assessment for their child. However, improving greeting in a

conversation skills is requisite for more extended and complex social interactions

among others (Stephanie A Hood, Kevin C Luzynski, Daniel R Mitteer, 2017).

Therefore, students in grade 11 are necessary and still needed to continue

improving their greeting aspect to conform a better communication or conversation

well.

Summary of Communication Skills

Table 7 presents the summary on the degree of communication skills in

terms of general communication skills, and personal communication skills. All the

indicators in communication skills were rated fairly positive. The communication

skills in terms of general communication skills got the highest mean score with a

rating of 3.922 described as positive.

Table 7
Summary of Communication Skills

No. Communication Skills Mean Descriptive Standard

Equivalent Deviation
(x)

1 General Communication 3.922 Positive 0.923

Skills

2 Personal Communication 3.616 Positive 1.008

Skills

Overall 3.769 Positive 0.965

This means that the students often to communicate well in general. The

overall mean score of students’ communication skills in terms of personal

communication skills was 3.616 described as positive. This reveals that the

students often communicate with others well in custom.

The communication skills in terms of general communication skills got the

highest mean score with a rating of 3.922 described as positive. As, major thing
that essential for an individual to grow and interact successfully with the world is

what we called communication in general aspect. Communication usually begins

with simple body language, gestures, and vocalizations. As students’ progress to

verbal communication, they naturally develop an early understanding of their

native language (Becky Matthews, 2014).

Significance of the Relationship between English Writing and

Communication Skills

Presented in Table 8 is data on the significance of the relationship between

English writing and Communication Skills.

Table 8
Matrix on the Significant Relationship between English Writing and
Communication Skills of Grade 11 students

INDIPENDENT VARIABLE DEPENDENT VARIABLE

ENGLISH WRITING COMMUNICATION SKILLS

R-value 0.720**

P-value 0.000

**.Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

The overall correlation coefficient value between English writing and

Communication Skills of Grade 11 SHS students is 0.000, which is significant at

α = 0.05 level of significance. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected. This implies

that there is significant relationship between English writing and Communication

Skills.

The result implies that a communication skill is affected by the students’

English writing. However, the findings affirmed with the theory of Hamer (1991),

asserts that communication is not only oral. More often some people also

communicate with each other through writing. According to him, teaching how to

speak and how to write fluently means “communicative”. Anyways, there are clear

differences affect the way of teaching and practicing a particular person.

CHAPTER VI

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Presented in this chapter are the summary of findings, conclusions, and

recommendations of the study.

Summary

The study was conducted to determine the relationship between English

writing and communication skills of senior high students particularly in grade 11.

Specifically, it sought answers to the following questions:

1. What is the level of English writing of senior high school students in terms

of:

1.1 Interest and Awareness?

1.2 Performance and Opinions?

2. What is the degree of communication skills of senior high school students in

terms of:

2.1 General Communication Skills?

2.2 Personal Communication Skills?

3. Is there any significant relationship between English Writing and

communication skills of senior high school students?

The null hypothesis was formulated and tested that there is no significant

relationship between English writing and communication skills in Grade 11 students.

Descriptive correlation method was used by the researcher in this study. This was

the most accurate design to assess the level of English writing and the degree of

communication skills. The respondents of the study were 146 grade 11 students of Lawa

National High School. Universal sampling method was used to determine the

respondents. A modified questionnaire on English writing and communication skills was

used in the study. The statistical tools used were Mean and Pearson’s r.

The findings of the study were summarized as follows:

1. These were the mean ratings for each of the indicators of the level of English

writing respectively: 3.756 – interest and awareness, and 3.728 – performance and

opinion. The overall rating was 3.742 or high. This means that the English writing of Grade

11 students were often experienced or manifested by the respondents. The finding was

affirmed by Hidi and Renninger (2008), stated that “The level of the person’s interests has

repeatedly been found to be a powerful influence on learning “. Schools are charged with

the responsibility of preparing students’ to become productive citizens, capable of making

a worthwhile contribution to society. Inherent in this responsibility is the necessity to

adequately engage students in their learning and personal development so that this goal

can be realized. For decade now, it has been realized how crucial a role “interest” plays

in the learning process.

2. These were the mean ratings for each of the indicators of the degree of

communication skills respectively: 3.922 – general communication skills, and 3.616 –

personal communication skills. The overall rating was 3.769 or positive. This means that
communication skills were often times manifested by the respondents. The result was

affirmed by Durukan & Maden (2010) stated that the communication, which is a science

of expressing and coming to an agreement, should make the meanings common among

people and the skill of using the language and nonverbal communication which play the

most effective role in the realization of the communication, should reflect the skill of

establishing an effective communication of the source. Effective communication skills play

a facilitating role in the human relations. While having a healthy communication ensures

it to be meaningful and satisfying and coping with the issues met during the life, and any

situation where there is not a healthy communication, brings the feeling of not being able

to meet our own needs and along with it, the feeling of loneliness (Korkut, 2011). This

situation reveals the status of being successful / unsuccessful in the relations that the

individuals establish with other people (James, 2012).

3. The overall correlation coefficient value between English writing and

communication skills was 0.000. The finding showed a significant relationship, thus, the

null hypothesis is rejected. The findings affirmed with the theory of

Hamer (1991), asserts that communication is not only oral. More often some people also

communicate with each other through writing. According to him, teaching how to speak

and how to write fluently means “communicative”. Anyways, there are clear differences

affect the way of teaching and practicing a particular person. Appertaining to this, it is

suggests that through language and meaningful communication using second language

it develops communication skills. In order to acquire language, the learner needs a source

of natural communication.
Conclusions

As a student it is part of everyday living and eagerness to learn new things. As we

all know that communication is not only oral. More often some people also communicate

with each other through writing. Most especially, in terms of English writing as it is use for

international medium of communication.

Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions are drawn:

1. There is a high level of English writing in grade 11 students.

2. There is a positive degree of communication skills in Grade 11 students.

3. There is a significant relationship between English writing and communication

skills. It means that the higher the level of English writing the higher the degree of

communication skills.

Recommendations

Based on the above-mentioned findings and conclusions of the study, the following

recommendations are given:

1. School administrator should continue supporting teachers’ motivational

engagement towards the students’.

2. Teachers should continue utilizing activities that enhances writing and

communication skills of students.

3. Future researchers if possible should find parallel study to provide adequate

information of the study that will serve as a basis or guide for both students and teachers

to have an equip ability in English writing and effective communication skills.