Volume 3, Issue 1, 2018

P-ISSN: 2672-2984
E-ISSN: 2672-2992
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Knowledge in Emoticons of the ABEL Students

Edna Cardinosa-Queriones1, John Kim Alvaro1, Jayvee Rosete1
Pangasinan State University1

Abstract –. This study aimed to determine the level of Knowledge in Emoticons of the AB English Language
Students of Pangasinan State University, Lingayen Campus. Specifically, it sought to determine the profile of the
respondents in terms of their age, sex, Internet Enabled Devices, Social Networking Sites Access and reason for
using emoticons. This study, in the same manner, also looked into the frequency of the use of emoticons and
significant difference between the levels of Knowledge in Emoticons across the profile of respondents. Descriptive
method of research was utilized in this study. The respondents of the study were forty (40) regular and irregular
Second Year AB English Language Students who were selected through random sampling. The study used survey
questionnaire as tool in gathering the data needed which was employed and adopted to some reliable sources, and
asked some help to those who are knowledgeable in terms of computer mediated communication to guide the
researchers in making the questionnaire. The questionnaire used by the researchers was validated by the
Statistician and Thesis Adviser as the main instrument in gathering and collecting data. The study revealed that
Smartphone is the common internet enabled device owned by ABEL students. Facebook is the most common social
networking site where they frequently use both the animated and traditional emoticons when expressing their
emotions. Based from the findings, the researcher recommended that emoticons could be considered as a technique
for teaching so that the teaching and learning process could be made more enjoyable and interesting and may
result to an effective communication between the students and the teachers. However, both the teachers and the
students should first be knowledgeable on the meanings of these emoticons because failure to understand may also
mean misunderstanding.
Keywords – Animated and traditional emoticons, Computer Mediated Communication
introduction of emoticons can provide visual ‘signals’
INTRODUCTION of how the user feels without the need to expressly
Technological advancement has demonstrated a describe this in words. While these nascent symbols
dramatic shift regarding how individual communicate. appear as cartoon-like representations, serve a variety of
Through communication we have different mediums we important functions: emoticons affect interactions
use for us to express everything we wanted to say positively, influence message meanings, manage
including happiness, disappointment, opinions, status, impressions, and supplement nonverbal (Adams, 2013).
thoughts, or encouragement. Face to face interaction is Much has been written, conducted and studies
almost disappearing; we now live in a time of that focused on grammar, however the use of
accelerating change. We ‘type’, we press ‘send’ and emoticons the so called ‘smileys’ on perception
instantly the message shows up on someone else screen. processes were not given importance wherein fact it is
Responses to such message often need to be popular to all in this digital age . This study requires us
instantaneous. Sometimes, message cannot be easily to know how often individuals use emoticons in their
understood, and it takes time for us to know the real daily conversation in their gadgets/devices and how
meaning of the message. By this, a new form of they interpret it. Generally, emoticons are use as non-
expressing our thoughts and emotions is formulated; it verbal emphasizer of emotions without answering the
is through the use of emoticons. questions as to whether these emoticons are universally
Emoticons are the digital text icons that visually understood. The main aim of this study is to focus on
represent facial expressions and may indicate the self- respondents’ level of knowledge in emoticons and to
reported mood or emotional state of a user within CMC know whether there is a ‘universal understanding’
or Computer Mediated Communication (Antonijevic, between the users and the receivers of it. Basically we
2005; Crystal, 2001; Walther & D’ Addario, 2001). One use emoticons and sometimes we misinterpret the
aspect is that computer mediated communication can meaning of it that could result in misunderstanding
lack the visual and auditory cues we experience face to somehow.
face. It can become harder to convey or interpret
emotions where communication is just a text. The

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P-ISSN: 2672-2984
E-ISSN: 2672-2992
www.sajst.org

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY dominated. It further shows that, 22% or 9 out of 40

The primary objective of this study is to respondents were male, while 78% or 31 out of 40
determine the level of knowledge in emoticons of the respondents are female.
AB English Language students of Pangasinan State It also indicates that majority of the respondents
University. It also considers the respondents’ profile in used Facebook as their Social Networking Sites Access
terms of: Age; Sex; Internet enabled devices; Social which has the highest frequency of 40 or all the
Networking sites; and, Reason for using emoticons. respondents. It is followed by Messenger with the
This study also looked into the students’ frequency of frequency of 37 out of 40 respondents, while the lowest
the use of these emoticons and its relationship to the frequency is Twitter with 12 out of 40 respondents.
given profile variables. Based on the accumulated data, Facebook got the
highest frequency so meaning to say that, all of the
MATERIALS AND METHODS respondents have their Facebook Account because it’s
The study used survey questionnaire as tool in very common networking sites and most of the people
gathering the data needed which was employed and nowadays have their Facebook.
adopted to some reliable sources and asked some help Furthermore, majority of the respondents are
to those who are knowledgeable people in terms of using emoticons ‘to express emotions’ which has the
computer mediated communication to guide the highest frequency of 30 out of 40 respondents. It is
researchers in making the questionnaire. The survey followed by the reason, ‘to make the text easier to
questionnaire used by the researchers was validated by understand’ with the frequency of 13 out of 40
the Statistician and approved by Thesis Adviser to respondents. Meanwhile, no respondent answered ‘I
ensure categorized data. This was to determine the level find it hard to use words’. In addition, only 1
of knowledge in emoticons of the respondents and make respondent answered ‘to give the text some art’. Based
an analysis of it. Questionnaire type of instrument had on accumulated data, it implies that respondents
been chosen as research instrument because it measures reasoned out that using emoticons is to express their
information levels, opinions, attitudes, beliefs, ideas, emotions. It is supported by Shatha Ali A Hakami, 2017
feelings and perception. that using emoticons is to effectively express opinions,
Aside from primary gathering tool stated above, feelings and personality that cannot be expressed easily
the researchers also used the internet, books and other in a written text. According to Kato and Scott, 2009,
unpublished research studies related to the study in emoticon usage decreased when people felt extreme
order to get necessary and helpful information needed emotions of anger or guilt, showing a tendency to drop
in order to supplement the facts needed in this study. emoticons for emotionally intense situations.
The statistical treatment of data involved the
use of frequency count and percentage distribution, Table 1 Profile of the respondents in terms of age, sex, and internet enabled
devices, social networking sites accessed and reason for using emoticons
Weighted Mean, Likert Scale, descriptive equivalent
and One-Way ANOVA or F-test.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The Table 1 shows the distribution of
frequencies, percentage and means of the respondents in
terms of their profile like age, sex, internet enabled
devices, social media access and reason for using
emoticons.
It indicates that majority of the respondents are
within age bracket of 18-20 years old, with the 77.5%
or 31 out of 40 respondents. This is followed by those
within the age bracket of 21-23 years old, with 5
respondents’ equivalent to 12.5%. The remaining 4
respondents, equivalent to 10%, are within the bracket
of 24 years old and above. It implies that the second
year AB English Language students are 18-20 years old

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P-ISSN: 2672-2984
E-ISSN: 2672-2992
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Table 2 indicates that most of the respondents Table 4A shows that in Animated Emoticons,
are Fairly Knowledgeable in animated emoticons with the profile of the respondents and the level of
the highest frequency of 25 out of 40 respondents. Knowledge in Emoticons have the significant value that
However, two of the respondents are Slightly higher than the 0.05 alpha level of significance was
Knowledgeable. Based on the gathered data, no computed; the null hypothesis is therefore accepted.
respondent was Not Knowledgeable and Very Highly This shows that the respondents have no significant
Knowledgeable in animated emoticons. The result did difference with the level of Knowledge in Emoticons of
not simplify that respondents are in the middle level or Second Year AB English Language students in terms of
have enough knowledge to identify what is the meaning animated emoticons.
of animated emoticons but most of the respondents got When it comes to variable sex, there is no
lower score. So, the percentage or result was scattered significant difference between the level of Knowledge
and descended. in Emoticons in terms of animated emoticons that has
On the other hand, Table 2 also shows, that significant value of .084 which higher than 0.05 alpha
most of the respondents are Fairly Knowledgeable in level of significance. Male respondents are more
traditional emoticons with the frequency of 27 out of 40 knowledgeable than female respondents in animated
respondents and no respondent was Not Knowledgeable emoticons not only because of their mean. But, it
and Highly Knowledgeable. In general, with the mean implies that if the mean of the male respondents are
of 2.75, the respondents are Fairly Knowledgeable on higher, there was a possibility that most of them will get
the use of traditional emoticons. high score. The mean of female respondent was lower
than male maybe because most of the female got lower
Table 2 Level of Knowledge of the Respondents according to Emoticons score than the others. The percentage was scattered and
descended because of not equal numbers of the female
respondents score. In short, male respondents got higher
score than female respondents. The data also implies
that they have difference with each other maybe
because of the total respondents in male and female are
not equal.

Table A. Difference between the Profile Variables and the Level of

Knowledge in Animated Emoticons
Table 3 shows that out of 40 respondents, 37%
with the highest frequency of 15 respondents are
always using emoticons. This is manifested by the use
of emoticons to the messages, which shows that they
could easily express their feelings or emotions. It also
shows that the frequency of Always and Often are very
close. It implies that those students are using emoticons
in their daily communication.

Table 3 Frequency of use of Emoticons

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 Volume 1, Issue 1, 2016
P-ISSN: 2672-2984
E-ISSN: 2672-2992
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Table 4B shows that in Traditional Emoticons, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

variable sex has significant value of .035; Internet The following conclusions are drawn based on
Enabled Devices has a significant value of .000 which the salient and significant findings.
less than 0.05 alpha level of significance was computed. The students vary in their age and sex. The
This means that these profiles variables of the Internet enabled device is Smartphone; Facebook is
respondents have something to do with the Level of commonly used and followed by the Messenger. With
Knowledge in Emoticons of the Second Year AB regards to their familiarity of emoticons, respondents
English Language Students of Pangasinan State were absolutely familiar to these computer mediated
University, Lingayen Campus; the null hypothesis is communication apps. With regards to their frequency of
therefore rejected. This shows that these profile use, respondents’ response that most of them always use
variables of the respondents has a significant difference emoticons. And with regards to their reason for using
with the level of Knowledge in Emoticons of Second emoticons, ‘to express emotion’ was their highest or
Year AB English Language students in terms of best reason why they use it. The students are fairly
traditional emoticons. knowledgeable in animated emoticons and traditional.
When it comes to the difference between the There is significant difference between the level of
male and female respondents, they have differences in knowledge in emoticons of the respondents and profile
the level of knowledge in traditional emoticons because variables except for the age, familiarity of emoticons,
the results are not that quite far but still male frequency of use of emoticons and reasons for using
respondents have higher knowledge. It implies also that emoticons.
even though there are no equal total respondents in male Based from the findings and conclusions the
and female their level was still the same or male researchers strongly suggest the following
respondents more often in using emoticons in their non- recommendations: (1) The teachers should step up in
verbal communication. using computer mediated communication especially on
Table 4.B also shows that the age of the emoticons ;(2) The respondents need to gain more
respondents, Social Networking Sites Access and knowledge in emoticons and be updated in social media
Reason for using Emoticons of the respondents have enable to avoid conflicts or misunderstandings with
higher significant than the 0.05 alpha level of other people;(3) The respondents should be smart in
significant. This means that this profile variables and using emoticons and they are to think first what kind of
the level of Knowledge in traditional emoticons of the emoticon they are going to use in communicating to
Second Year AB English Language students have no minimize misunderstanding and avoid conflicts; and,
significant across them. (4) Future researchers are encouraged to conduct the
same study using bigger number of respondents from
Table 4B Difference between the Profile Variables and the Level of
Knowledge in Traditional Emoticons different courses in PSU-Lingayen Campus or outside
the campus and they must conduct similar study to
validate the results of the study.

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P-ISSN: 2672-2984
E-ISSN: 2672-2992
www.sajst.org

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