SAMPLE INTERPRETATION OF DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS

Profile of the Students

Table 1 presents the profile of the respondents as grouped accordingly. In terms of age, Comment [J1]: Between the heading and the first
paragraph, there should be 3 single spaces. But
within and between the paragraphs, there should be
20 or 62.5% of the respondents are 16 years old, ten or 31.3% are 15 years old, and one or 3.1% double spaces

14 and 17 years old respectively. It can be traced from the data that all respondents are within

the adolescence stage. This indicates that they are faced with the challenge of second language

learning since it was posited by Johnson and Newport (1989) in their early studies that after the

age of six, the ability to learn a second language begins to decline.

Moreover, concerning gender, the data presents that there are more female respondents, Comment [J2]: Between paragraphs a double
space

having a percentage score of 53.1% or a total of 17 female ESL learners, than male with a

percentage score of 46.9% or 15 male students. A plethora of studies have been conducted to

prove the differences of males and females in various aspects. Most believe that they are

different in their ways of communication. In fact, some experts say that females are better than

males in terms of their ability in speaking English (Smith & Wilhelm, 2002; The Education

Alliance, 2007; Ismiati, 2013; & Halimah, 2010), similarly, this study either looked into the

association between gender and speaking performance of the learners.

With reference to their academic performance, most of the respondents have a ‘very

satisfactory’ grade during the first quarter as evidently shown by 12 or 37.5% of them who

garnered grades ranging from 85 to 89. Meanwhile, seven or 21.9% of them were graded

‘outstanding’ with grades ranging from 90 to 100.It must be noted that an increase in their grade

is apparent in the second quarter. As reflected in the data, the mean score of 84.38 during the

first quarter increased by 1.78 which led to an overall ‘very satisfactory’ rating in the second
quarter. This, in particular, is manifested by 9 or 28.1% of the respondents who were

‘outstanding’, and 13 or 40.6% who were graded ‘very satisfactory. This implies that students

are putting efforts on their learning (Kara, 2009).

Table 1. Profile of the students. Comment [J3]: Three single spaces between the
last line of the preceding paragraph and the table
title.
Frequency
Category (n = 32) Percent
Age (years)
14 1 3.1
15 10 31.3
16 20 62.5
17 1 3.1
Mean = 15.66 SD = 0.602
Sex
Male 15 46.9
Female 17 53.1
English Grade (First Quarter)
Outstanding (90 - 100) 7 21.9
Very Satisfactory (85 – 89) 12 37.5
Satisfactory (80 – 84) 5 15.6
Fairly Satisfactory (75 – 79) 8 25.0
Does not meet Standards (Below 75) - -
Mean = 84.38 SD = 5.37
English Grade (Second Quarter)
Outstanding (90 - 100) 9 28.1
Very Satisfactory (85 – 89) 13 40.6
Satisfactory (80 – 84) 5 15.6
Fairly Satisfactory (75 – 79) 5 15.6
Does not meet Standards (Below 75) - -
Mean = 86.16 SD = 4.97
Monthly Family Income (Php)
5,000- 10,000 19 59.4
10,001- 15,000 3 9.4
15,001-20,000 3 9.4
20,001-25,000 2 6.3
25,001 & Above 5 15.6
Table 1 (continued)

Frequency
Category (n = 32) Percent
Education of Mother
Elementary Undergraduate 1 3.1
Elementary Graduate 4 12.5
High School Undergraduate 4 12.5
High School Graduate 7 21.9
College Under Graduate 2 6.3
College Graduate 14 43.8

Education of Father
Elementary Undergraduate 5 15.6
Elementary Graduate 4 12.5
High School Undergraduate 7 21.9
High School Graduate 2 6.3
College Under Graduate 4 12.5
College Graduate 10 31.25

As regards learners’ socio-economic status, the educational attainment of the parents, in

particular, the data indicate that in terms of degree finished by their mothers and fathers in

college, there are 14 or 43.8% of the former while ten or 31.25% for the latter. According to

Farooq et al. (2011) parents with higher level of education are more likely to help in their

children’s concerns about school.

Also, the data revealed that for the monthly income of the family to which the

respondents belong, majority with 19 or 59.4% earns income ranging from Php 5,000 to Php

10,000, while the rest earn more than the minimum. This result implies that most parents, even

some of those who graduated in college, are not employed or are underemployed. Further, this

means that most of the respondents are less likely to be exposed to English language since the

meager financial means their families earn for a month is just sufficient for basic needs. Hence,
subscriptions to English references like magazines, novels, journals and even internet connection

would be of least priority.

Factors Influencing the Speaking Performance of the Students

Table 2 presents the perceived factors that influence the speaking performance of the

students. It reveals that the students have very low to high mean descriptions from the different

perceived factors that influence their speaking performance as indicated by their weighted mean

responses ranging from 1.34 to 3.06. The data specify that the respondents highly recognize time

as a very important factor they should be considered with when preparing for speaking

task(mean score = 3.06). Relevant to this, Tuan and Mai (2015) posited that preparation time is

one of the factors that affect speaking performance. They recommended in their study that

teachers should first improve the performance conditions by giving their students time to prepare

for a speaking task and enough time to perform this task. Moreover, with a weighted mean of

3.00, the learners acknowledge high influence of exposure to media in their speaking

performance. With the different media platforms, such as YouTube, that students can easily

access of via the internet, there are various means through which they can model speaking from.

This negates the assumption made on the findings regarding family income that scarcity on

educational resources can be one of the consequences of low-income generated; however, with

this result, it is revealed that respondents have high exposure to media. Similarly, the data

indicates that the respondents are highly exposed to English language (2.38) and to speaking

activities in and outside the classroom (2.44). Moreover, most of them have high listening

ability, having the computed 2.94 weighted mean score, and are usually highly knowledgeable

on the topics in the speaking tasks they had undertaken (2.72).

Weighted
Items Mean Description
1. Level of exposure to mass media 3.00 High
1. Speech Impediments 1.34 Very Low
2. Listening Ability 2.94 High
3. Communication Anxiety 2.03 Low
4. Knowledge in English vocabulary
words 2.34 Low
5. Mastery of Grammar Rules 2.28 Low
6. Exposure to Speaking Activities in and
outside the classroom 2.44 High
7. Exposure to English language 2.38 High
8. Amount of time needed to prepare and
to perform in a speaking task 3.06 High
9. Topical knowledge 2.72 High
Overall Weighted Mean 2.45 High
Legend:
1.00 – 1.75 Very Low
1.76 – 2.50 Low
2.51 – 3.25 High
3.26 – 4.00 Very High

Meanwhile, on other perceived factors, results show that among all the respondents, there

is a very low case of speech impediments as projected by the computed mean score of 1.34.

Similarly, the learners are found to have low knowledge in English vocabulary (2.34) and low

mastery of grammar rules (2.28). In addition, the datum shows that the respondents have low

level of communication anxiety (2.03). This implies that learners have that confidence in

speaking as most are seemingly unafraid to commit mistakes when engaged to speaking tasks.

Lastly, overall mean of 2.45 likewise suggests that, in general, the students admitted to

highly experience or possess the perceived factors that influence their speaking performance.

With this result, it can be said that these perceived factors are contributory to the speaking

performance, which is either to enhance or to weaken the students’ performance, thus, these must

be put into consideration in the preparation of the instruction.

The study tested the hypothesis that there is no relationship between speaking

performance and the perceived factors that influence students’ speaking performance. Table 11

shows that there are nine computed correlation coefficients with associated probabilities lower

than 0.05, thus there is a reason to reject the null hypothesis.

Table 11. Relationship between speaking performance and the perceived factors
that influence students’ speaking performance.

Correlation
Variables Coefficient Prob. Statistical Inference
Speaking Performance and
Level of exposure to mass media .600 .000 Significant at 0.01
Speech Impediments -.004 .984 Not significant
Listening Ability .546 .001 Significant at 0.01
Communication Anxiety -.702 .000 Significant at 0.01
Knowledge of English vocabulary .708 .000 Significant at 0.01
Mastery of Grammar Rules .429 .014 Significant at 0.05
Exposure to Speaking Activities in
and outside the classroom .598 .000 Significant at 0.01
Exposure to English language .449 .010 Significant at 0.01
Amount of time needed to prepare
and to perform in a speaking task -.721 .000 Significant at 0.01
Topical knowledge .604 .000 Significant at 0.01
df = 31

In terms of the relationship between the students’ level of exposure to mass media and

their speaking performance, the variables are found to be significantly associated at 0.01 level of

significance as projected by the computed correlation coefficient value of 0.600. The data

suggest that as the students exposed themselves to media, their speaking performance is likely to

be improved. This is for the reason that learners can learn a lot from what they view in

televisions, internet, magazines, and so on, as mass media can supply the words which go

beyond the experience of the students (Heinich, Molenda, Russel & Smaldino, 1996).
 In fact, when teacher use multi-media materials during the preparation of simulation

activity such as the video clips, it is evident that the respondents learned new English expressions

as they emulated the words or phrases from the videos and used them in their performance. This

means that through the speaking simulation activity, the learners simulated the situations from

the media presented and at the same time practiced using the target language. Therefore it can be

said that exposing one’s self to mass media helps in enhancing his/her speaking skills. In support

to this, Yanar & Albayrak (2013), inferred in their study that authentic mass media are useful

tools which can arouse curiosity and let students develop their own practice ability, and therefore

perceive their creative capacity while producing natural-speaking expressions. Similarly, this

result is congruent to the conclusions of Alaga & Palencia (2015) that Print and audio-visual

media affect the speaking performance of their ESL respondents. They further recommended for

an enhanced communicative ESL classroom instruction through the use of the different forms of

media.

Conversely, the variable on speech impediments is found to have no significant

relationship to the students’ speaking performance as shown by the computed correlation

coefficient value of -0.004 with a probability of 0.984. This implies that learners’ speech defects

do not really influence their speaking performance. Reason could be that only the students’

inability to produce correct consonant sounds like ‘s’ and ‘r’ was observed by the researcher as

the respondents’ problem regarding speech impediments, but as the result shows, this problem

did not hamper the improvement of their skills in speaking.

As to the listening ability of the student, with the correlation coefficient computed value

of 0.546 and a probability of 0.001, results reveals that at 0.01 level of significance, this

perceived factor significantly influence the students speaking performance, thus, the null
hypothesis must also be rejected. This positive and significant coefficient value suggests that as

the level of the listening ability of the respondents increases, so is their performance in speaking.

This implies, further, that the students listening ability is closely related to the performance of

the students in speaking; hence, it must also be enhanced.

Relevantly, this finding means that in the respondents’ preparation and performance of

speaking simulation activities, their listening abilities assisted in the improvement of their

speaking skills. This is in the sense that as they attentively listen to, comprehend and process the

information they needed, such as the instruction from their teacher, the suggestions of their group

mates, the appropriate expressions to use for the situation and the signals for turn taking, they

were able to respond appropriately and successfully communicate in the said activity. Thus,

listening and speaking are intertwined as a person cannot be able to explicitly respond to ideas

thrown to him/her if he/she was not able to hear and understand the message. Speaking skills

cannot be developed unless listening skills is developed as Doff (1998) said. He stated further

that when one person speaks, the other responds through attending by means of the listening

process. In fact, every speaker plays the role of both a listener and a speaker. Likewise, Barker &

Gaut (2002) posited that speaking and listening are treated as compulsory skills that work

together in the form of meaning negotiation to elicit communication where learners share mutual

influence in the conversation.

Furthermore, the computed correlation coefficient value of -0.702, with a probability of

0.000 at 0.01 level of significance, reveals a negative significant relationship between students’

speaking performance and communication anxiety. This implies that an increase in

communication anxiety results to a decreasing students’ speaking performance or a decrease in

their level communication anxiety would mean an increase in their speaking performance.
Learners’ fear to speak impedes them from speaking in the target language (Fung & Min, 2016).

This feeling shakes their intention to get involve in communication situations (Rahman &

Maarof, (2018). Correspondingly, the findings of Sutarsyah (2017) support this result. His

analysis conveys that the lower anxiety students have, the higher their scores in speaking

performance than those with higher level of anxiety. He also concluded that learners with lower

level of anxiety have better performance in their speaking. It can be said therefore, that the

respondents having low level of communication anxiety could be the reason of their active

participation during the series of speaking simulation activity which led to improvement of their

speaking performance, as evidenced by the post-test results.

Likewise, the learners’ knowledge in English vocabulary shows a significant relationship

to the students’ speaking performance as shown by the computed correlation value of 0.708 with

a probability of 0.000 at 0.01 level of significance. This means that when the learners have wide

knowledge of English vocabulary, it very likely for them to perform better in speaking. This is

because one of the skills in speaking is vocabulary knowledge, and if one has enough

vocabulary, it would be easy for him/her to communicate his/her thoughts as he/she knows the

appropriate English words to use. This corresponds to the findings of Kilic (2019), in his latest

study, in which vocabulary knowledge accounts for 17% variance in speaking performance

which led him into a conclusion that the former is a significant predictor of performance in

productive language skills. This also implies that the respondents’ level of speaking performance

in the pre-test can be attributed to their response to have low vocabulary knowledge before the

intervention period. However, the positive changes in their scores from pre-test to post-test

indicate that speaking simulation activities enhanced their vocabulary. From the speaking

contexts provided, the learners were able to learn new English vocabulary. This supports the
claims that simulation is significant in promoting vocabulary skills (Ranalli, 2008) and students’

second language vocabulary recall (deHaan, Reed, & Kuwada, 2010).

On the other hand, the computed correlation coefficient value of 0.429, with probability

of 0.014 at 0.05 level of significance, suggests a statistically strong relation between students’

speaking performance and mastery of grammar rules. This positive correlation implies that if the

students mastered rules in English grammar then it plausible for them to have better speaking

performance. Conversely, if they are not knowledgeable of these rules, then they are more likely

to perform low in speaking tasks. This means that learners’ speaking performance is highly

influenced by their knowledge of the objects of language. This is similar to the findings of

Hidayatullah (2018) confirming a significant relation between grammar mastery and speaking

accuracy that mastery of the grammar rules is helpful in the improvement of one’s speaking

performance. Though speaking simulation activities focus on fluency rather than accuracy, it is

undeniable that as the learners use the language in speaking, they are able to realize and correct

their mistakes in grammar when the teacher provide feedback after the performances. This could

be the reason behind the improvement in the respondents’ scores in grammar in the post –

intervention assessment. Thus, it can be said that speaking simulation activity is also capable of

enhancing learners’ grammar as claimed by Miller & Hegelheimer, (2006)

Moreover, exposure to speaking activities in and outside the classroom when correlated

with the students’ speaking performance, the computed correlation coefficient value of 0.598

with a probability of 0.000 reveals that these variables are significantly related at .01 level of

significance. This positive relationship indicates that the more ESL learners are exposed to

communicative activities, the greater the probability to enhance their speaking performance,

while less exposure means low speaking performance. In addition, this suggests that exposure to
communicative activities greatly influences the speaking performance of the respondents. This

explains the observation that the learners are able to practice speaking when they are given series

of speaking simulation tasks with embedded learning on vocabulary, pronunciation,

comprehension, fluency and even grammar. Moreover, as they do communicative tasks, their

confidence is also being boosted. Hence, their speaking skills are enhanced, and are eventually

improved. In the same way, exposure to English language reveals a significant relationship to the

students’ speaking performance as clearly shown by the computed correlation coefficient value

of 0.449 at 0.01 level of significance, with a probability of 0.010. This is an indication that

English language exposure is statistically associated to the speaking performance of the

respondents. It suggests that the more these learners are exposed to English language, the better

they perform in speaking. Hence, the respondents’ high exposure to English language is of help

in improving their skills in speaking since they were able to get involved communication directly

or indirectly inside or outside the school using the English language. Again, engaging learners in

series of speaking simulation activities means their exposure to English language as they is use it

in spoken discourse , and through this, they learn the target language. Similarly, Lambine (2008)

posited that the more exposure to the language the children can get outside the school, the more

they learn the target language. This means that having acquired the language is tantamount to

being able to use the language with fluency and accuracy which also means better performance

in speaking. Similarly, the findings of Candilas (2016) supports this result as he concluded that

both formal and informal language exposures had significant association on the student’s

speaking proficiency. He asserted, further, that both home and school environment facilitate the

students’ communication skills.

negative significant relationship to the students’ speaking performance as revealed by the

computed correlation coefficient value of -0.721 with a probability of 0.000 significant at 0.01.

This means that increasing the amount of time needed to prepare and to perform in a speaking

task will result to a decrease in the students’ speaking performance. This result is unusual

because, when one is given an ample time to prepare, he/she is likely to achieve better results

when completing a speaking tasks. In support to this, Li, Chen and Sun (2014) concluded in their

study that “too short a time was inadequate for improvement, whereas too long a time

engendered a diminishing effect”. The reason for this could be the preparation time given was

way too long which might cause them to do unrelated activities instead of focusing in preparing

for the speaking tasks. This could mean that giving of just enough time for the learners to prepare

for the speaking simulation task will lead to a better speaking performance. On the other hand,

the result is in contrast with the findings in the early study of Menzel and Carell (1994) which

states a positive correlation between total preparation time and quality of speech performance

which means that the more preparation time is given, the higher the quality of speech

performance.

Lastly, a computed correlation coefficient value of 0.604 with a probability of 0.000

significant at 0.01 likewise shows a significant relationship between the students’ speaking

performance and topical knowledge. The positive correlation between these variables denotes

that when the learner is highly knowledgeable on the topic of the speaking task, the higher the

level of speaking performance. In the same manner, the lower the topical knowledge, the lower

the possibility to have excellent speaking performance. This means that topical knowledge

greatly influence speaking performance of the ESL learners. This corresponds to Bachman &
Palmer (1996)’ assertion that topical knowledge has a great impact on the learner’s speaking

performance. In relevance to this, the learner’s high knowledge on the topics given in simulation

tasks helped them determine how to act appropriately when they performed. The localization of

the said situations or topics could be the reason of the improvement of their speaking

performance as they are able to relate their past experiences and activate their previous

knowledge on these topics.

Generally, as the data show, majority of the above-listed perceived factors that influence

students’ speaking performance showed a significant relationship to the students’ speaking

performance. This implies that the factors perceived are confirmed to be influencers of the ESL

learners’ speaking performance. This also infers that these factors must be considered by

educators when creating lessons which target the enhancement of the speaking skills of the

learners.
Sample Interpretation of Chi-Square Results

Cross-Tabulation on the Relationship between Code-Switching and Students’ Age

The study tested the hypothesis that there is no association between code-switching and

students’ age. As shown in Table 8, the computed X 2 value of 11.774 has an associated p-value

of 0.0028 at 2 degrees of freedom. For this reason, the null hypothesis is rejected.

Table 8. Cross-tabulation on the relationship between code-switching and students’ age.

Type of Code-switching
Age Intra-Sentential Inter-Sentential Total
Tag Switching Switching Switching
Young (17 &
Younger)
Frequency 4 68 - 72
Percent 5.6 95.8 -
Old (18 &
Older)
Frequency 10 27 1 38
Percent 26.3 71.1 2.6
Total 14 95 1 110
Percent 12.7 86.4 0.9 100
Computed X2 = 11.77 4 p = 0.0028 df = 2 **significant at 0.01

A perusal into the table reveals that more students considered old (26.3%) are using tag

switching) than the younger ones. Though both groups have strong preference to intra-sentential

switching, more students considered as young (95.8%) use it than the older ones (71.7%).

Evidently, more students code switch at the middle of the sentence while speaking in English.

The use of tag occurs when tags are put in different parts in an utterance. This is because tags

have “no syntactic constraints, they can be moved freely, and they can be inserted almost

anywhere in a discourse without violating any grammatical rules” (Poplack, 1980, p. 589).
 On the dominance of intra-sentential switching, it allows speakers who are inadequately

proficient in a language to finish what they want to say. It is a more intimate type than inter-

sentential and tag switching since both the code switched segment and those around it must

adapt to the syntactic rules of both languages (Poplack 1980).

Conclusion

Based on the results, several conclusion were drawn. First, the level of students’ speaking

performance, when exposed to speaking simulation activities, is improved as their skills in

vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency in speaking English, grammatical accuracy, and the

application of communication strategies are enhanced at a certain degree.

Second, the improvement in the quarterly grades of the students is indicative of how

much effort learners put in their ESL learning. The role of prior or stock knowledge in English is

to help learners accomplish communicative tasks with ease and can lead to better speaking

performance. Third, educational assistance and preparation accessible for learners whose

mothers finished degrees in college helps in developing speaking confidence. Mothers are

serving their purpose to be their children’s teacher at home. Thus, quality assistance provided by

them significantly help in the improvement of their children’s abilities in learning.

Fourth, factors in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) such as learners’

academic performance in English, mothers’ education, level of exposure to media, listening

ability, communication anxiety, knowledge of English vocabulary, mastery of grammar rules,

exposure to speaking activities, exposure to English language, amount of time needed to prepare

and perform in a speaking task, topical knowledge and metacognitive strategies, especially

strategies along evaluating, significantly influence students’ speaking performance. Varying

techniques, methodologies, and strategies make learning more apt and effective when catered

according to diverse needs;

Fifth, the use of speaking simulation activities is highly regarded by ESL learners. This is

because they see simulation activities as a tool to improve their skills in speaking and confidence
in using the language. As well, these activities challenge and at the same time motivate them to

communicate in their English class. Sixth, metacognitive strategies are useful and helpful when

preparing and performing speaking simulation activities. Better performance in speaking is

apparent when students make use of metacognitive strategies especially strategies along

evaluating and planning. Evaluating metacognitive strategies significantly related to learners

speaking performance while planning metacognitive strategies explains variance in learners’

speaking performance. Lastly, speaking performances of students can be attributed to several

factors beyond attitudinal reason, making teaching and learning preparation a priority to be

considered by teachers.

Recommendations

Based on the conclusions of the study, the following recommendations are endorsed:

1. Speaking Simulation Activities must be used in English classes to enhance the

speaking performance of the students. The lesson exemplar proposed could be

adapted by the teachers to formulate theirs that suit the needs and characteristics

of their learners.

2. Curriculum planners of English subjects should craft programs that promote the

enhancement of the speaking skills of the learners since it is seen to be the

weakness of most learners, nowadays. Specifically, the inclusion of speaking

simulation activities in lesson planning must be carried out.

3. Teachers of ESL should focus more on the improvement of the speaking skills of

the learners by making speaking simulation activities a regular part of their

English classes. As well, they should consider constantly giving feedback to the
 learners after their performance in speaking tasks most especially for the

enhancement of their grammar accuracy and on the reduction of communication

anxiety among them.

4. Parents, being part of the stakeholders of academic institutions, should be

informed of the importance of the support they can provide at home for their

children to improve the speaking skills of the latter such as exposing them to

speaking activities and in the use of English language, providing feedback on the

speaking performance of their children and the likes.

5. The researcher should share the results of the study to the language department in

the school to heighten their awareness as to what considerations they must bear in

mind as they employ teaching strategies in the teaching-learning process and how

they could improve the skills of the learners in speaking.

6. Teachers of English should distinguish the value of determining learners’ attitudes

towards speaking tasks as they develop the latter's’ speaking abilities for doing so

is essential in determining their readiness to engage, and their feedback serves as

a basis for preparing other teaching plans to cater to future learners. (Ogilvie,

Cragg & Foulds, 2011)

7. Educators must also teach the learners about metacognitive strategies that the

latter may use before, during, and after the performance of speaking activities and

increase awareness among them on the significance of the use of these strategies

in the improvement of their speaking performance.

8. Future researchers may conduct a parallel study using the developed lesson

exemplars as an intervention to enhance the speaking skills of the ESL learners.