ENHANCING STUDENTS

PERFORMANCE IN ORAL
DISCOURSE
An Action Research Presented to the
Division of City Schools
Olongapo City
Researcher:
Area:
School:
Duration:
Principal :

Eleonor C. Cayabyab
Grade 7 English
Regional Science High School III
November 2012 to March 2013
Danila P. Moncada

ABSTRACT
The study examined the
relationships among the learners
anxiety level, preferred speaking
interventions, type of extended
speaking activities and speaking
starters. The participants were the
30 Grade 7 students of Regional
Science High School-III enrolled
during the School Year 2012-2013.

ABSTRACT
These students are not
necessarily in the lower stream; only;
they need more motivation to
develop self- esteem and confidence
in the speaking activities.
Findings from the instrument given
were interpreted using a designated
table of values with descriptive and
numerical equivalents.

ABSTRACT
Interview was randomly administered
to validate responses and gather
enough evidence to test the null
hypothesis for rejection or acceptance.
Interventions undertaken were based
on the need of the learners and were
inclusive
of
the
communication
strategies and social conversational
skills embedded in the English lesson
as part of oral performance.

INTRODUCTION

Filipino students are generally

not volunteers when it comes to oral
presentations/performances

Fear of criticism due to faulty

pronunciation, diction and grammar
also account for the failure of the
students to articulate their opinions
and feelings.

INTRODUCTION
Students do not like to be the
laughing stock for this leads to
humiliation and eventually lowers
self-esteem.

There are constraints in the

language
classrooms
such
as
students
anxiety,
inappropriate
selection of teaching methodology,
unavailability
of
speaking
opportunities and teachers personal
touch on the subject matter.

INTRODUCTION
The oral skill is very often set aside
and regular classes tend to develop
cognitive processes mostly by reading
and writing. Most of the time there is
no sufficient reflection on how to
encourage
learners
potential
regarding
their
communicative
competence. This situation gets worse
when the institutions concern is to
have learners provided with tools to
do well on future standardized tests.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

What were the causes of the

students anxiety when there are oral
performances?
What interventions could
English
teachers do to motivate students to
speak in front of the class without
hesitation?
How could the teachers extend
speaking
activities
outside
the
classroom to provide further practice
for the students in oral discourses?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Is there a significant difference
between the students rating in
the second and fourth grading
periods in oral performance?
What
common
teaching
strategies could be extensively
used
as
starter
in
oral
discourses?

HYPOTHESIS
The lone null hypothesis was
tested
for
rejection
or
acceptance:
There is no significant
difference between the students
rating in the second and fourth
grading
periods
in
oral
performance

RESEARCH METHOD/ INSTRUMENTS

Descriptive method
Survey questionnaire described the
extent of the students flaws in speaking.
Guided
interview
questions
and
unannounced
observation
of
the
speaking behavior.
Documentation of selected oral practices
and activities was used in analyzing the
progress of students performance.
Data : 2nd & 4th grading grades in oral
performance

PARTICIPANTS
Distribution of the Participants
by Section and Gender
MALE

FEMALE

Total

No.

No.

No.

Diamond

20

13

10

33

Amethys
t
Sapphire

17

10

27

10

10

20

Emerald

10

10

20

Total

17

57%

13

43%

30

100%

PROCEDURE/INTERVENTIONS
INTERVENTIONS/ACTIVITIES
Distribution, Retrieval
Questionnaire

and

Analysis

DATE/S
of

the November 7- 9, 2012

Games via Collaborative Activity- Jigsaw by Slavin, November 12-14, 2012

Kagans Think Pair Share-Square, Picture Strips
Role Playing- group activity ( a portion of the Short November 22-23, 2012
Story 5-6 mins. presentation)
Cooperative Learning- Story Frame

November 28, 2012

Panel Discussion RH Bill

December 6-7, 2012

Dyad-Pinoy Henyo English

associated with Christmas)

Version

Words December 12, 2012

Pair work Magic Balls ( Mock Fortune Telling in January 8, 2013

relation to Future Tense)

PROCEDURE/INTERVENTIONS
INTERVENTIONS/ACTIVITIES
DATE/S
Group Activity -Improvised Field Reporting using the January 17-18, 2013
theme in a Narrative Essay
Pair work -Power Point Presentation of articles taken January 24, 25, 29,
from the various sources focusing on transitional 2013
devices and conjunctions. ( using video material)
Collaborative Activity- Organizing the puzzles in the February 6, 2013
story
Guessing game Mythical and Historical Partners of February 14, 2013
the World
Jigsaw Oration I am the People, I am the
Debate ( Group and Individual Skills)

Power

February 22-23, 2013

March 6, 7,8, 2013

THE SPEAKING MOMENT

Identification of
the Causes of
Speaking
Anxiety

Interventions
to Speaking A
ctivities

Extension of
Speaking
Activities

Teaching
Strategies as
Starters of Oral
Discourse

Strengthen self-confidence and self- esteem

Enhanced performance in oral discourse
The Cultural Moment conceptualized by Tinjaca and Contreras (2008)

VENUS RAJS MAJOR

MAJOR

Question: What big mistake have you done in

your life and what did you do to make it right.
Answer: Thak you so much Sir for that wonderful
question. Good evening ladies and gentlemen,
good evening Las Vegas.
You know what Sir, in my 22 years of
existence, I can say theres nothing major major, I
mean problem that I have done in my life because I
am very confident with my family with the love that
they are giving me, so thank you so much that I am
here, thank you, thank you so much.

PROCESSING: MAJOR
MAJOR

Is the major major utterance really a major

flaw when it comes to English language usage?
Dr. Felipe Jocano finds something cultural in it. He
explains the Filipino habit of emphasizing
something in Filipino by repeating certain words
like ang ganda, ganda ( very beautiful). Rajs
major major problem means so big a
problem.She uses Filipino English in answering
the interview. In standard English, it is not
acceptable but acceptable in Filipino English.
Did Venus Raj lack self confidence or she was just pressured
in answering the question?

RESULTS , DISCUSSIONS AND

INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Mean and Rank for the Causes of Speaking Anxiety

I feel intimidated when ..

Mean Rank

1. My English teacher talks to me in front of the

class
2. My classmate communicates to me in English

3.90

3.40

3. I talk to my English teacher inside and outside

the classroom
4. I communicate to my classmate inside and
outside the classroom

3.53

2.30

10

RESULTS , DISCUSSIONS AND

INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Mean Rank

I worry if .
5. My classmates speak better English and get
higher grade than I do
6. I speak better English and get higher grade than
my classmates
7. My classmates commit mistakes in speaking
English
8. I commit mistakes in speaking English
9. My classmates correct my mistakes in speaking

3.60

3.10

3.17

4.77
4.13

1
3

10. My teacher corrects my mistakes in speaking

4.23

Average Mean

3.61 - Often

Relevant Litt. For Anxiety

Level

Woodrow
(2006)
accorded
that
inferiority due to second language
anxiety has a debilitating effect on

learners.
Dornyei (2002)Self-esteem and
self-confidence
are
like
the
foundations of a building: if they are
not secure enough, even the best
technology will be insufficient to
build solid walls over them.

RESULTS , DISCUSSIONS AND

INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Mean and Rank for the Extension of Speaking Activities
I prefer to improve speaking English by .
Mean Rank
1.Using English outside the classroom, at home and 2.70
5
in the community
2. Watching English oriented films/movies.
3.47
2
3. Listening to English newscast and documentaries 3.37
3
4. Viewing videos and film clips of notable 2.90
4
celebrities who are native and second language
speakers of English
5.Utilizing the social networking sites by 4.63
1
delivering messages, notes and comments in
English.
Average Mean
3.41 - Sometimes

Relevant Litt. For Extensions

of Speaking Activities

Vigotsky (1978) stated that extending

speaking activities outside the classroom
would
provide
meaningful
learning
especially if articulated both in a social
context and in the daily life of the learner,
thus students have an active and creative
participation in oral engagement.
Getting feedback on oral and written
performance constituted the pillars of
dynamic interaction.

RESULTS , DISCUSSIONS AND

INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Mean and Rank for the Speaking Interventions

Mean Rank

I like the ..
1.Warm up activities or starters before oral
performances
2. Motivation/praise of the teacher
3. Regular use of multi-media in class discussion
4. Use of conversational English free from
grammatical restrictions and structure
5.Variation in the teaching of speaking activities
Average Mean

4.86

5.00
4.63
4.93

1
5
3

4.97

4.88 - Very Often

Relevant Litt. For Extensions

of Speaking Interventions
Hwang
(2002)
believed
that
motivating the class and engaging
them in challenging activities by
providing opportunities increases self
confidence.
Richards and Lockhart (1994)
conveyed
that
using
varied
motivational scheme led the learners
discover their learning strategies.

Relevant Litt. For Extensions

of Speaking Interventions
William James ( 1997) The deepest
principle in human nature is the
craving to be appreciated.
Charles Schwab (1997) The way to
develop the best in a person is by
appreciation and encouragement.
When self-confidence is gone, there
is nothing to build upon. ( Bits and
Pieces)

RESULTS , DISCUSSIONS AND

INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Mean and Rank for the Starters in the Speaking Activities
I prefer to start the speaking class by having..

Mean

Rank

1. Role playing
2. Games
3. Pair work
4.Group activity using Cooperative
learning
5.Ordinary/traditional class discussion

2.70
4.77
2.67
3.00

5
1
4
3

4.50

Average Mean

3.53 - Often

Relevant Litt. For Speaking

Starters
Learners found role-plays as a venue to
practice English, face the opportunity to
display social skills and pragmatic
knowledge
within
the
context
of
interaction as mentioned by Aliakbari
and Jamalvandi ( 2010).
Nunan (2003) also stated that pair work
could be used to increase the amount of
time that learners get to speak in the
target language during lessons.

Relevant Litt. For Speaking

Starters
Castrillon (2003) asserted that role
playing constituted useful tools for the
students to participate actively and
require them to work cooperatively.
Lee (1979) During a game, learners are
not thinking about correct grammar or
syntax and are good improvisation in
promoting spontaneous communication to
make the students go out of their shell.

Relevant Litt. For Speaking

Starters

Group activities via Cooperative Learning

as posited by Jacobs (1998) confirmed it is
possible to increase oral production of
students through teamwork.
In CL students are not relatively passive
recipients of knowledge, but rather active
participants and responsible for their own
learning. Teamwork means working
to
accomplish shared goals ( Nunan,1989) &
Kohonen, 2000)

RESULTS , DISCUSSIONS AND

INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Test on Significant Difference Between The Two Variables
Using t-Test for Correlated/Dependent Samples
Statistical
Tool

t-test

Qualitative
Description

Significant
Difference

t
Computed
Value

3.464

t
Tabular
Value
2.045

Level
Degrees
of
of
Significance Freedom

0.5

29

Decision

Reject the
null
hypothesis

SUMMARY/CONLUSION
This action research was
concerned with what relationships
the
speaking
interventions,
starters and extensions have
something to do with anxiety and
boost participants ability in oral
performance.

SUMMARY/CONLUSION
Interventions which pre-conditioned
and unconsciously immersed participants in
speaking engagement, resulted to a
significant
difference
in
the
oral
performance grades of the respondents in
the 2nd and 4th grading in favor of the
recent grading.
This was a manifestation that
students confidence and self- esteem were
raised; thus lessening the anxiety levels in
the speaking class.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND
IMPLICATION
This study implies that students
potentials
in speaking need to be
harnessed
for
they
have
different
preferences on what they would like to
engage in before actually performing any
oral task. With the aforesaid implication,
here are some of the recommendations:
Teachers must keep on raising students
confidence level as pre-requisite to engage
in an enthusiastic speaking activity;

RECOMMENDATIONS & IMPLICATION

Regular monitoring of the students speaking

performance should be institutionalized in every
language class so that the learners will become
self-directed speakers;
Students must learn to practice the language
inside and outside the classroom despite
inconveniences in the social contexts in order to
self-discover their flaws and potentials in
speaking and
Further research on additional activities and
interventions to enhance students performance
in oral discourse is essential to validate and
improve the findings of this study.

SAMPLE INSRUMENT
Student Survey
Student #______
Please give your honest response to each statement by checking the appropriate
column of your answer.

Causes of Speaking Anxiety

I feel intimated when
1. My English teacher talks to me
in front of the class
2. My classmate communicates to
me in English
3. I talk to my English teacher
inside and outside the classroom
4. I communicate to my classmate
inside and outside the classroom

Never
1

Seldom
2

Sometimes
3

Often
4

Very
Often
5

TABLE OF VALUES
QUESTIONNAIRE
Scale

Range

Qualitative
Description

Descriptive Rating

4.50 -5.00

3.50-4.49

2.50-3.49

1.50-2.49

Seldom

The event happens rarely or 1%-34% of the time.

1.00-1.49

Never

The event does not happen at all times or 0% of the

time.

Very Often The event happens at all times or 90%-100% of the

time.
Often

The event happens many times or 65%-89% of the

time.

Sometimes The event happens every now and then or 35%64% of the time.

TABLE OF VALUES
INTERVIEW
Descriptive Value

Numerical Value

Yes

Sometimes

No

Informal Interview
1.Do you have family members who can help you speak better
English?
a. Yes
b. No
2. What specific speaking activities do you prefer in the English
class?
a. Solo recital like poetry interpretation, monologue, oration
and
declamation
b. Role playing with a partner
c. Group activity with 4-6 members
d. Formal speaking activities
3. Do you think the speaking tasks in the classroom helps you to
speak
English outside the classroom? ( Why?)
a. Yes
b. Sometimes
c. No
4. In pair and group work, to whom do you prefer to work with and
Why?
a. Proficient in English
b. Not so proficient in English
5. When doing pair and group work in speaking activities, do you
still
need interference of the teacher? Why?

PICTURES

PICTURES

PICTURES

PICTURES

PICTURES

PICTURES

PICTURES

PICTURES

PICTURES

PICTURES

Thank you for

listening