THE PRACTICABILITY OF A

TAGALOG-ENGLISH SOFTWARE

OF BASIC C PROGRAMMING TUTORIAL

A feasibility study submitted to Ms. Lei Unciano

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

of the subject Project Management

by

Ma. Monelli Ponce de Leon

Audelio Monteras

Tashe Pilapil

David Cabrera

Godfrey Tamayo

April 8, 2008

Email address: [email protected]

Email address of Monelli Ponce de Leon: [email protected]

1
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTERS PAGE

I. INTRODUCTION 3

II. RESEARCH LOCALE 9

III. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 10

IV. IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY 27

V. SCOPE AND DELIMITATION 28

VI. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY 29

VII. METHODOLOGY USED 30

VIII. DEFINITION OF TERMS 37

Note:

If you would to find out the following aspects of this project, kindly email the author(s):

1. Project Management Aspect

2. Software Development Aspect

3. Feasibility Aspect

Email address: [email protected] or [email protected]

2
 INTRODUCTION

ANG KODIGO KO SA C, with its motto “Notes ko, notes mo rin,” is a software that teaches the

basic C programming. It contains modules. And each module comprises the following properties: a

video, which displays the syntax of a program being typed in and discussed, and lessons, which are

delivered either orally or in text.

A voice in the background starts to speak when its corresponding video plays on the screen,

providing the learner a class-like atmosphere, while a text lesson, named Notes, contains added

information to support the “unseen teacher”.

This software teaches the use of methods, data types and mathematical operators. Lectures about

declaring variables and writing decision-making statements (ex. For looping statement) are also included.

And the explanation about the difference between C and Turbo C is taken into account. All modules are

delivered in mixed languages, namely Tagalog and English.

The label of the software is a derivative of the Spanish word código. In English, it means code,

which is a sign or symbol used for communication, either discreetly or not. In the Philippines, the

meaning of kodigo (spelling changed to adopt the structure of the Filipino pronunciation, i.e. the k-sound)

is somewhat tainted. When one hears it, that person often thinks of the students that use signs and

symbols during examination periods in order to pass the test without any display of inconvenience.

However, in the case of the software, it signifies something else. Without a doubt, it contains

signs and symbols for the learners to study. But what it makes more than a container of symbols is that it

contributes to the integral perfection of a future programmer.

As the reader might observe, the introduction of this study started with the description of an

application being recommended by the proponents. The main reason is that this whole analysis revolves

3
around it. The proponents believe that there is a latent demand of Tagalog-English software. The word

“latent demand” is used because it refers to a must-have product that is not yet recognized or known1.

The following paragraphs and chapters of this research will explain in further details the major

factors and risks behind the creation of the software ANG KODIGO KO SA C.

Programming and The World

Having the innate talent or acquired skill of a computer programmer is considered to be one of

the greatest gifts from God. Without such skill, this world would not be blessed with applications, which

make our everyday lives easier. They turn complex activities into simple, daily routines, from online

chatting to playing games in cellular phones.

The act of programming associates a programmer with the computer. Even though they do not

physically look alike, they have “something in common”. In short, programming languages erase the

barrier of communication between mankind and computers.

Methods in Learning Programming

To learn computer programming is a daunting task for a student of any type and of any computing

course. It requires patience, commitment and, most of all, the innate ability to understand the complexities

behind any language understood between men and computers.

A programming student starts by studying the concepts of programming. Then, climbing up to

the intermediate level, he absorbs the information of more intricate codes. Last, and certainly the most

important, he goes up to the advanced level; this is the time when confidence in making programs and

writing detailed documentations finally sets in.

There are many ways to learn and develop the skill of computer programming. One can

personally enroll in an institution certified to offer programming courses like AMA University, one of the

1
The 2007-2012 World Outlook for Educational Software, in the ResearchAndMarket,
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/513258 (accessed March 19, 2008)

4
best known IT universities in the Philippines. With this traditional form of education, there is an

assurance that someone shares the knowledge that you need, and check your progress from time to time.

Another mode is by self-directed learning with the help of books and tutorial software products

that can be bought either by shopping or online purchasing. This can be done by people who have great

sense of discipline and unwavering devotion to the said activity. Otherwise, the money spent in buying

educational materials will become valueless.

Online studying is also a form of learning. Internet is probably the biggest “library” in the world.

It contains huge amount of information on any given theme. Furthermore, it contains links that put you

directly to the tutorial sites2 of programming. Also, there are schools that formally teach via Internet, like

University of Phoenix3 and University of the Philippines Open University4. Both institutions offer

programming-related associate and undergraduate degrees for people who cannot have the traditional

form of education because of professional or family obligations and time constraints.

Still, with many choices spread out on the top of the table, a person (i.e. the learner) sometimes

experience limitations in exploring the world of programming. This could be due to budget constraints,

lack of proper learning sources, or the absence of Internet in the area.

Others circumstances include lack of encouragement (e.g. From the environment of the school he

is in), lack of confidence (i.e. In the part of the student himself), lack of concentration (i.e. The student

might be spending more time looking up for the meaning of difficult words in the dictionary rather than

focusing on the content of the educational material he is reading) and many more.

These problems will be further discussed in the third chapter of this study, the Statement of the

Problem.

2
Your link to online programming tutorials, http://www.programmingtutorials.com/ (accessed: March 15, 2008)
3
Online and Campus Programs,
http://www.phoenix.edu/online_and_campus_programs/degree_programs_description.aspx?progversion=34&locatio
nid=0 (accessed: March 15, 2008)
4
History, http://www.upou.org/about/history.htm (accessed: March 16, 2008)

5
 Teaching Programming in the Appropriate Language

This part is proved to be difficult to tackle. Nearly a month ago, from February 9 to 16, a

question was posted in Yahoo! Answers (www.ph.answers.yahoo.com) by the proponents. The question

was: “What do you think of a tutorial software that teaches basic programming of C in Filipino-English

language?”

Eight people answered the question. Two of them said that English should be the only language

to be used because of the following reasons:

1.) It is commonly used in business transactions, especially in the global scale. If the country needs

internationally competitive programmers, one should start in learning proper English.

2.) Most of the references are written in English. Though there are educational materials that teach

programming in other languages, like Spanish or French, English is the only other national

language understood by most Filipinos.

However, despite the fact that the Philippines is the largest English-speaking country in Asia,

there are many studies that show the decline of English proficiency among Filipinos, a national concern

that the present government is trying to solve by conducting and planning to implement English

improvement programs in different elementary and secondary schools5.

A news report stating that the Department of Education, or DepEd, was setting up mentoring

programs for teachers to teach and speak in English was reported last January 4, 2008 in 24 Oras of the

channel GMA-76. This is due to the fact that only 20% of the highschool teachers passed an English

proficieny test conducted in year 2003 by the DepEd.

One must note that before entering any IT universities or colleges, an incoming student should

have graduated from a secondary school. And if this college freshman were required to learn

programming only in English, he should have a strong grasp of English acquired during the years spent in
5
DepEd to focus on English profiency of students, http://www.gmanews.tv/story/76437/DepEd-to-focus-on-English-
profiency-of-students (accessed: March 16, 2008)
6
Only 20% of teachers passed English proficiency test, http://www.gmanews.tv/video/16355/Only-20-of-teachers-
passed-English-proficiency-test (first watched: January 4, 2008)

6
highschool and elementary. But, if the schools he came from did not encourage him enough to learn and

speak it in superior level, what now? And if the student happened to be a talented programmer but had a

low English proficiency, how could this be solved?

This is not to withstand the fact that programming is also used to teach languages. 11 Languages

of the World, a language tutorial software produced by Transparent Language, Inc. 7 is a good example of

this. It teaches the basic greetings and vocabulary of 11 languages, with Spanish, Japanese and Russian to

name a few. It also contains English lessons for Spanish speakers. It provides interactive games,

listening and speaking activities, and references for the user.

Online Web-based CALL, or Computer-Aided Language Learning, is also becoming famous

nowadays8. With its unique modules that contain multimedia support, it certainly helps the second

language acquisition of the student. There are also softwares developed for language translation and

automatic speech recognition.

In short, if the computer technology can be used to teach the native tongue of a non-English

speaking country, which has been proved for the last few years as a very successful implementation, then

is it possible to do the reverse? To use the indigenous language of a certain country, like Philippines, to

educate the students in computer programming, and to mold them as its future brilliant and competitive

programmers?

C as the First Programming Language for Beginners

C, which was developed by Dennis Ritchie in year 1972, is the programming language said to be

apt for a student who is just starting to learn the art of programming. Its suitability is explained further by

an excerpt of C by Dissection:

In many educational institutions, it is the the language of choice for a first programming
course and for a language to be used for computer science instruction. A key reason for this is
that C has drifted down the curriculum from more advanced courses to more introductory

7
www.transparent.com (accessed: March 16, 2008)
8
Andrew Laghos and Panayiotis Zaphiris, Computer-Aided Language Learning (Idea Group Inc., 2005),
http://www.soi.city.ac.uk/~zaphiri/Papers/Ency-CALL.pdf (accessed March 16, 2008)

7
 courses. Further, C comes with many useful libraries, and it is supported by sophisticated
integrated environment.9

A study about the individual differences of gifted students in studying C as their first

programming language was conducted during 1998-2001 by Tammy Rosenthal and Patrick Suppes of

Stanford University10. Below is an excerpt of the study, stating the reason why C was chosen as the

introductory course:

The reasons to switch to C were mainly practical; C is very popular and provides
background for C++ and object-oriented programming. The specific characteristics of C are such
that it usually takes more time for a beginner to grasp the fundamentals of programming in
general, as well as to master the essential syntax of C to enable writing the first programs.

Some of the results of their study are that the differences of the students in performance in the C

course depend on the main problem of the assignments and not on age, etc.

To add here, a book titled Computing for Life: C & HTML PROGRAMMING is currently being

sold in the National Bookstore of Glorietta mall in Makati City. The book, written by Nimfa Aleta R.

Dela Cruz, describes itself as an educational material for highschool students. This proves that C can be

studied by anybody interested in programming, regardless of age and mental capability of the person.

Furthermore, the syntax of C is easy to memorize, and it does not occupy too much space in the

computer memory. It is widely used for applications.

To end this part, it may be stated here that C is being taught in AMA Computer Learning Center,

Las Piñas City, the alma mater of the proponents, as a mandatory subject for the first-year students of all

courses.

9
Al Kelley and Ira Pohl, C by Dissection: The Essentials of C Programming. 4th ed. (Boston: Addison Wesley ,
2001), Preface.
10
Tammy Rosenthal and Patrick Suppes, Gifted Student’s Individual Differences in Computer-Based C
Programming Course (California: Stanford University, 2002), 1-44, http://epgy.stanford.edu/research/ (accessed
March 16, 2008)

8
 RESEARCH LOCALE

The study was primarily conducted in Las Piñas City and Muntinlupa City. They were chosen

because they are the two nearest locations to the proponents, who are currently studying in AMA

Computer Learning Center, mainly known as ACLC, of Las Piñas city.

Furthermore, the city of Muntinlupa has a steady list11 of schools, colleges and universities that

offer courses and subjects that are related with computer programming. The same goes with Las Piñas

City12, where one can locate AMA College, one of the known IT schools in the region.

11
Colleges, universities, and technical schools,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muntinlupa_City#Colleges.2C_universities_and_technical_schools (accessed: March
14, 2008)
12
Education, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Pi%C3%B1as_City#Education (accessed: March 14, 2008)

9
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The proponents of the project and students of ACLC studied basic C programming on their first

year in college. They experienced what other students experienced, too. And, for what they went through,

it could be said that they had first account of problems that inspired them to develop an application. That

is, a software that teaches the fundamental programming of C in a well-disposed and straightforward way.

Whether one likes it or not, a student usually encounters difficulties in learning a programming

language because of the following:

1. The teaching method of the teacher is not consistent and clear, which loses its effectiveness.

It is a common knowledge that each teacher has his own technique of teaching, from giving

quizzes to providing help in students who need to endure a difficult lesson. Some teachers hold group

activities, while others present visual aids. Most of the teachers interviewed13 for this study discuss their

lessons first before giving any activity, like homework, tests, or “machine problems”14.

Nonetheless, the best method used by all teachers is to give the students hands-on activities.

According to an ACLC teacher, who taught programming for six years, during these times, the rate of

interest of the students is high. It arouses curiosity, and they can dissect closely the syntax of a program.

In any case, hands-on activities should be firmly required. Programming is all about hands-on activities,

so this type of teaching method is not considered out of the ordinary.

Yet, there is a certain method that was found unusual during the process of interview. According

to a senior lecturer from Alabang, who taught web development in abroad for 5 months, instead of

discussing, she puts the questions (i.e. not just one, but many questions) to the students. She explained

that with discussion, in which she is the one who does the talking, the student might appear to be

listening, even though his mind could be somewhere else. So, with her technique, the student is forced to

learn. Besides, she added, her students like to answer more than to listen.

13
Please see Chapter VII. Methodology Used.
14
This is the term used for hands-on activities.

10
 Any person who interviewed the teacher described previously might get confused with her

response in the beginning. But, if one thinks of its advantage, she may be somewhat accurate: The

student will be obliged to read his programming materials given by the school, and not to depend entirely

on her instructor’s explanations.

But then, one must take note that not all students are avid readers of textbooks. In a survey 15

conducted by the proponents, 114 out of 154 people, who include students and professionals, learn their

subjects easily by class discussions. Including 54 of the 114 individuals who gain knowledge faster by

class discussions, 72 prefer reading books, e-books and handouts.

There are three major factors that affect the efficiency, consistency and enthusiasm of a teacher.

The first one is the course outline of the school, and the second factor is the readiness of the school to

provide the teacher the resources he needs.

Informatics Computer Institute, also known as Informatics, a school located inside the Festival

Supermall of Muntinlupa City and part of Informatics Philippines, has a wide range of courses, from

programming to photography. And, according to a senior instructor of Informatics, their syllabuses are

recognized globally (i.e. they are also used in other countries, like Singapore). He added that the

curriculum given by the Informatics should be the only one followed by all their teachers. This is strictly

implemented because Informatics wants to produce graduates that excel in their own chosen fields.

Still, after the interview of four Informatics’ instructors, it showed that they have different

methods in following the syllabuses of their school. Nevertheless, they abide by the rules of Informatics.

Not all tertiary institutions are privileged like Informatics. There are some case scenarios in

which the school is not able to present any proper syllabus to the teacher, which leads to the confusion of

the latter. Others are unsupportive of their teachers; for example, if an instructor requests for materials to

aid him with his lessons, the response of the administration is quite late. With cases like these, it is highly

expected that students will graduate from these schools without actually learning anything.

15
Please see Chapter VII. Methodology Used.

11
 The excerpt written below is from a report published on December 2004 by Pearl2, a five-year

program (2002-2007) funded by the Canadian International Development Agency to help the

development of medium and small Philippine enterprises:

Despite the number of IT schools operating in the country, the curricula in these schools
do not meet industry needs and the graduates are not considered skilled enough by the industry
for immediate hiring. There are also a limited number of senior personnel with the experience and
aptitude to manage projects. No formal training for this position is available, and the expertise is
acquired through experience on the job16.

Nowadays, the government is solving the disorientation about these curricula by teaming up with

associations and multinational companies, that is, the only ones that can ascertain what they really require

from a graduate. One good example of this is the Fly High: Philippine Software 2010, a project started in

year 2005. It is funded by Microsoft and headed by PSIA, or Philippine Software Industry Association.

Its main goals are to help the software industry of the Philippines and to make a contribution to the

economic programs of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The citation below is one of the steps taken by the said project. It also includes the sectors that

will be accountable for the software education:

Action Item #2: Introduce Competency-Based Training and other measures such as
structured Internships to Enhance Employment Readiness: The Philippines currently produces
many college graduates with the potential to be employed as ICT knowledge workers. But there is
a gap between formal education and job-related training. This gap should be filled. One way is to
assure that the educational sector is attuned to market needs. Another is to institutionalize
structured internships in which students must work fulltime for a significant period in a real-life
development environment.
Measure: Software education curricula, faculty qualifications, requirements for
graduation, graduates hired, employer satisfaction
Timeline: Immediate with full implementation by 2006; ongoing refinement thereafter
Accountability: PSIA, ITFP, educational sector, TESDA, CHED.17

Another example is the news posted in the website of Positive News Media, an online news

organization, last March 5, 2008. The news stated that Intel Technology Philippines, a local subsidiary of

16
Pearl2 Project, State of the Sector Report – Philippine Software Development 2004 (Manila: Ample Printing,
December 2004), 7.
17
Fly High: Philippine Software 2010,
http://www.outsource2philippines.com/download/Fly_High_Philippine_Software_2010.pdf (accessed: January 9,
2008)

12
Intel Corp., the world’s largest semiconductor company, together with DepEd, DOST (Department of

Science and Technology) and other academes, made public a report on two new programs conducted for

teachers who were absolute amateurs in technology integration and those teaching information and

communication technology (ICT)18.

The report also announced that their two programs, the “Intel Teach Getting Started” and “Intel

Teach Skill for Success”, have trained around 9,698 pre-service and in-service teachers were trained in

2007. As of today, there are 84,340 teachers trained under Intel Teach.

Intel also funded Col, or Communities of Learning, which is “…a network of institutions sharing

information, expertise, and resource to support technology integration in schools.” Intel also works with

some leading universities to improve their engineering curricula.

The third, and most probably, the only factor a teacher can approve, disapprove or modify, is his

behavior. An ACLC teacher said that, once a teacher becomes lenient to his students, he starts to become

ineffective. He added that laxity should not be tolerated, which is the reason why he is somewhat strict

with his classes.

To expand the explanation of the third factor, a teacher should always remember that when he

becomes a close friend of his class, his vulnerabilities tend to show up. There is nothing wrong with

being kind but sometimes, the students, especially when they simply feel lazy, can easily say, “No,” to

whatever the instructor asks them to do.

2. The student either lacks basic computer literacy or innate interest in programming.

This is a fact: Not all students are meant to be computer programmers or software developers in

the future. It is a common scenario in which a graduate does not use his degree on his actual job. A

nursing graduate may become a businessman, an HRM alumnus turns into a secretary, or a teacher whose

major is Science teaches English.

18
Education, DepEd, DOST, Intel train teachers for ICT, in the Positive News Media,
http://www.positivenewsmedia.net/am2/publish/Education_20/DepEd_DOST_Intel_train_teachers_for_ICT.shtml

13
 According to the Philippine Software Industry Association, there are 37,600 IT graduates

annually19. And, somehow, in the year 2007, the Philippines has an estimated 21,000 software developers

whose skills range from the widely-used technologies, such as Java, C++, SQL, to mid-ware languages

like COBOL. One might wonder, “Where do the 16,600 go?” It does not really matter what happened to

the 16,600 alumni. It is likely possible that they have chosen other line of work, and what is important is

that their computer literacy20 is technically not mediocre.

The saddest scenario one does not want to see is this: An incoming college freshman who plans to

take up a programming course and does not know how to use a mouse and work around MS Office. The

literacy rate of the Philippines is high, ranging between 93-96%; this refers to the act of reading and

writing. High computer literacy, i.e. the basic knowledge of using a computer, is yet to become possible.

The blame cannot be put on the tertiary institutions. It is the duty of the elementary and

secondary schools to boost the skills of the students in Math, Science and basic computer utilization for

them to face the challenges of an IT college with confidence.

In the past few years, with the exception of science high schools and private institutions, more

and more public schools (who have the most enrollees) are gaining access in computer technology. But

not everybody benefits from it. Usually, only students belonging in higher-class sections, sometimes

dubbed as “special” or “cream of the crop”, have computer subjects.

However, through the efforts of the incumbent government, non-government organizations and

private companies, diverse projects (ex. Adopt-A-School program) are being implemented into different

schools to totally eradicate computer illiteracy. And last January 11, 2008, Positive News Media reported

that congressmen filed a proposal that could integrate computer literacy program into the curriculum of

elementary schools21. The House Bill 3089, or the Education for the 21st Century Act, intends to grant
19
PSIA, “The Philippine Software Industry,” PSIA,
http://psia.org.ph/ABOUTUS/INDUSTRY/tabid/64/Default.aspx
20
Though developing ANG KODIGO KO SA C software will not solve this problem, the proponents consider
computer illiteracy as one of the reasons why a student sometimes loses his eagerness to learn and excel in the
course he chose in an IT school.
21
Education, Solons want computer literacy included school curriculum, in the Positive News Media,
http://www.positivenewsmedia.net/am2/publish/Education_20/Solons_want_computer_literacy_included_school_cu
rriculum.shtml (accessed: March 20, 2008)

14
the students computer literacy skills such as information gathering, critical analysis and communication

with the latest technology. In filing the bill, Rep. Narciso D. Santiago III cited a study in which the

students whose teachers picked up computer training performed better than other students.

To summarize the things said above, the incoming freshman, who could be hiding a talent in

programming, should have enough time allotted for him to learn the simple parts of the computer, from

hardware to software, and to know the main uses of all those parts.

Another factor that contributes to the disinterest of a student to learn is, actually, he himself.

Most of the people believe that each one has an inborn talent, whether it is computer hacking or gift-

wrapping. And the decision to develop it depends upon the person who owns it. Yet, second skill

acquisition is typically noted as ingenious.

Nevertheless, when a person enrolls in a school, he forms a pact with it. He is bound to follow

the school rules while he is inside of its premises. He becomes a learner whose main responsibility is to

pass the subjects, even if his instructor is adept or not in teaching.

Though there are some who suggest having a definite screening of students (ex. “Do you like

programming? Yes or No. Do you think you can survive the hardships of learning programming? Yes or

No.), the proponents believe that any ordinary folk can learn programming by stirring up his curiosity. If

it turns out the person can only survive the beginner level and not the next one, it does not matter. As

long as he has properly exercised the skill, then this is considered a success in the part of the learner.

3. Budget Constraints

a. Tertiary Institutions in the Philippines

The Philippines has a large private higher education sector. According to a study conducted by

Charisse Gulosino, an MA student of Columbia University22, three quarters of Filipino students were

enrolled in private colleges and universities. And when an institution is called “private”, the constant

22
Charisse Gulosino, Evaluating Private Higher Education in the Philippines: The Case for
Choice, Equity and Efficiency, ncspe.org/publications_files/537_OP68.pdf (accessed: March 20, 2008)

15
expectation is that its tuition fees and materials are all expensive. Nevertheless, according to a UNESCO

2005 World Report, there was a 50% increase in the enrollments of Philippine tertiary schools in 2004 23.

This proves how Filipinos prioritize education; no matter how costly schooling is, parents are ready to

give everything for the sake of the future of their children.

However, the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) showed a data in which the

average family living wage for a family of six stands at P664.87 as of July 2007 24, and the national

average daily cost of living is P313.38. And this datum about the daily cost of living does not include any

college tuition fee, which ranges between P10, 000 – P30, 000 per semester.

Though there are scholarships available for students who need financial assistance, they are only

open for those who have excelled in their studies. They do not include pupils who, unfortunately, have

low grades. Which leads to this question: What if the student, who has low grades in Math and Science

subjects, has an innate gift in programming that finally comes out of its shell?

b. Educational materials

According to the teacher who taught in abroad25, schools in cities like Dubai are very focused on

their students. They provide their students with laptops and educational materials, along with other

equipments needed. Though the matter of tuition fee was forgotten to ask (i.e. If the handing of laptop is

free or included in the tuition fee), such information was awe-inspiring. Meanwhile, the case is different

here in the Philippines. Sometimes, it is either the student, who already pays excessive amounts for his

tuition fees, buys his own materials, or borrows them from someone else.

In this section, two topics shall be discussed: first, the current state of bookstores and the prices of

books, and second, the real condition of educational softwares.

i. Books

There are three ways to have a book. The first one is to go to the library and borrow what you

need; its only disadvantage is that libraries impose a limited number of days on lent books. Second way,
23
UNESCO, UNESCO World Report: Towards Knowledge Societies (Paris: UNESCO Publishing, 2005), 90.
24
Alexander Martin Remollino, “Oil Price Hikes Drain Drivers’ Income,” Bulatlat, December 16-22, 2007,
Vol. VII, No. 45.
25
Mentioned in page 10.

16
download the Portable Document Format (.pdf) file of the book; this is the best since it is free, unless it is

for sale online. The third way, which is still probably most preferred by many, is to buy your own books.

There are many bookstore chains in the Philippines, namely Goodwill, Rex Bookstore,

Powerbooks, and National Bookstore. Still, when looking for the desired book, the usual first destination

of a searcher is National Bookstore. It is the largest bookstore chain in the country. And, inside one of its

branches, one will observe that the number one priority of National Bookstore is organization. Their

books are categorized in sections according to their topic; if a person is looking for a Harry Potter book,

he can discover it in the Children’s Book section. And it is guaranteed that a person will not take a long

time in looking for a book; the nameplate of each section can be easily seen.

Buying programming-related books are easy to find, but difficult to purchase most of the times.

The programming books are located in the Computer section of the bookstore. The nineteenth page of

this study shows a table26 of the most inexpensive books about C programming. They are written by

Filipinos who are either a professor or an alumnus of programming. Except the book in the first row, all

of them are located in four National Bookstore branches visited for this study.

The book written by Nimfa Aleta R. Dela Cruz describes itself as a high school textbook. Since

there are no known programming subjects in public secondary schools, it is definitely assumed that this is

used in science high schools and private secondary schools. The best illustration of this is the Philippine

Science High School; they have subjects like Introduction to Programming, or Computer Science 2 for

sophomores, and Software Project Planning, which is also known as Computer Science 3 for third-year

students27. Also, the ACLC teacher28 who taught programming for 6 years mentioned that she taught

programming in Queensrow Integrated Science High School, i.e. a private school.

Other C programming books found cost more than P300 (please see Table 3.2 on page 19). Their

user level ranges from beginner to advanced.

26
Table 3.1, page 19.
27
Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Science_High_School_System (accessed: March 21, 2008)
28
Mentioned in Page 10.

17
 Other books of common programming languages being sold include C++ (price range: P395 –

P995), C# (P550), Java (P395 – P2474), COBOL (P482), SQL (P284), Qbasic (P502), HTML (P705 –

P1895), Pascal (P165 – 334), Perl (1599), Visual Basic 6.0 (P295 – P795) and others.

The counterpart of National Bookstore is Booksale. Though it offers new ones, it is more famous

for selling second-hand books. The prices of their books are absolutely affordable. For example, while

conducting an examination of bookstores, a unique book about C was found in Booksale branch of

Festival Mall. The full title of the book is Macintosh C Programming Primer: Inside the Toolbox Using

THINK C(TM) (Volume 1) by Dave Mark and Cartwritght Reed. Published circa 1993, its cost was P90.

Another book found costless in the Booksale branch of SM Southmall is the Creating Web Pages

Simplified (c1997) of MaranGraphics, a Canadian computer book publisher. It teaches basic HTML

programming and web designing. Its price is only P60.

But probably, the best book bought from Booksale is the Java for Computer Information Systems

(c1999) by Andrew C. Staugaard Jr. It was bought last year by Monelli Ponce de Leon, an ACLC student

and the leader of this project, paying only P240; this is not like the prices of Java books found in National

Bookstore. The book taught basic but excellent Java programming, and it (i.e. the book) was the reason

why she survived her subject IntApp1, or Internet Application 1.

There are also other second-hand bookstores inside of Ayala Town Center and Festival Mall, only

they are not yet widely-recognized like Booksale. Most of the people say one can also find multiple used

bookstores (i.e. another term for second-hand bookshops) along the road of Recto, Manila.

However, there are many differences between a bookstore and a second-hand bookshop. A

bookstore has a direct supplier (i.e. distributing agencies), while a second-hand bookshop gets its supplies

by buying and selling used and out-of-print books from consumers. In short, if a book from a bookstore

gets out of stock, they can simply call their distributing agency, while in a second-hand bookshop, one

can simply hope for another person to sell his copy.

18
 Name of Book Price Writer User Level Branch Location
1. Computing for Life: C & P194 Nimfa Aleta R. Dela Beginner Glorietta Mall
HTML PROGRAMMING Cruz
2. Introduction to Turbo C P195 Copernicus P. Pepito Beginner SM Southmall, Ayala
Programming Town Center, Festival
Mall, Glorietta Mall
3. WORKBOOK IN C P275 Paulino H. Gatpandan & Beginner SM Southmall, Ayala
PROGRAMMING: Computer Azenith M. Rollan Town Center, Festival
Programming 1 Mall, Glorietta Mall
Table 3.1 List of C programming books below P300 in National Bookstore

Name of Book Price Writer Branch Location

Algorithms in C, Parts P442 Robert Sedgewick SM Southmall
1-4, 3rd Edition
C by Dissection, 4th P582 Al Kelley & Ira Pohl SM Southmall, Ayala
Edition Town Center, Glorietta
Mall
C How to Program, 4th P628 Harvey M. Deitel & Ayala Town Center,
Edition Paul J. Deitel Festival Mall, Glorietta
Mall
A First Book of ANSI P872 Gary J. Bronson Glorietta Mall
C, 4th Edition
Computer Science: A P898 Behrouz A. Forouzan & SM Southmall, Festival
STRUCTURED Richard F. Gilberg Mall, Glorietta Mall
PROGRAMMING
APPROACH USING C,
3rd Edition
JAMSA'S C/C++/C# P992 Kris Jamsa, PhD, MBA Glorietta Mall
PROGRAMMER'S
BIBLE: The Ultimate
Guide to C/C++/C#
Programming,
2nd Edition
Table 3.2 List of C programming books above P300 in National Bookstore

Name of Book Price Writer User Level Branch Location

C Programming: Visual P550 Larry Ullman & Marc Beginner Out of Stock
QuickStart Guide Liyanage
Programming in C, 3rd Edition P159 Stephen Kochan Beginner Out of Stock
5
Table 3.3 List of C programming books above P300 in DataBlitz

19
 Furthermore, a bookstore sells high-quality books, while a second-hand bookshop cannot

guarantee up-to-date and first-rate books; a few months after using Java for Computer Information

Systems, its pages started to tear apart. And, like what was said before, National Bookstore prioritizes

organization. Booksale is another story; it simply classifies together the books according to their topic, no

nameplate of section or whatsoever. Nevertheless, both stores can provide outstanding educational

materials according to their contents.

Aside bookstores and second-hand bookshops, there is another type of store that vends computer-

related books. Its name is DataBlitz, a chain of retail stores that is more famous for selling computer

game softwares and CD-version or cartridge games for Playstation consoles (ex. PS2, PS3, PSP or

PlayStation Portable), Nintendo’s GameCube and GameBoy, and Xbox. They have 18 branches all over

the Philippines (their branch in SM Southmall, the nearest one in ACLC, closed down a few months ago).

Some of the books they sell are quite expensive; their cheapest programming books (i.e. not a

single copy about C) cost between P395 – P495. Five branches were called for this study, and all of them

are currently out of stock of any C programming book (please see Table 3.3, page 19) that they used to

sell. One sales assistant remarked that they hardly sell books because their store is more concentrated on

games and commercial softwares.

ii. Educational Softwares

Programming tutorial software as a method of skill acquisition is not yet totally recognized by

many Filipino students. This is understandable because softwares only started to spread around the

country in mid-1980s, while books are a long-established source of information. And what is more, some

believe that there are answers and references a book can give and a software cannot.

But, like what was said before, not everybody is fond of reading. Some people learn things better

by listening and watching. And educational softwares can execute the power of multimedia (i.e. video

and sound), which makes the lessons more appealing and catching to learn.

Moreover, some programming books actually contain an optical disk, or CD, inside one of their

covers, specifically the back cover. Though the optical disk might only exhibit a few programs connected

20
with certain exercises given by the book, this proves the fact that even the authors of such books believe

in learning through visualization.

DataBlitz may be the only retailer that sells original softwares. Some of their educational

softwares include programming, languages, encyclopedias, etc. It is difficult to find a tutorial software

about C programming because their main products focus on Visual Basic, Visual C ++, Visual C#, and

MS Office. Moreover, most of them cost more than P300 (ex. a tutorial software about C# is P590).

So, to find an affordable application, a user can usually find it in stalls that sell pirated softwares.

Some of them are said to be P100 only, while others are in between P200 – P300. But one certain fact is

this: not a single educational software exceeds P500.

It should be noted that this study tries to find out the feasibility of a Tagalog-English software

developed by the proponents. Though they do not promise anything, since this study did not concentrate

on the aspect of commercialization (i.e. marketing analysis, financial analysis, etc.), they discussed the

ideal price of their software (i.e. if it gets mass-produced): between P100 – P150.

To fight software piracy, the government organized a task force named PAPT or Pilipinas Anti-

Piracy Team on August 16, 2005 to stop it. It is composed of 3 members, the NBI (National Bureau of

Investigation), OMB (Optical Media Board) and PNP (Philippine National Police). One of their recent

raids confiscated P28.5 million worth of computers with pirated software29. Currently, it is said that the

software piracy rate is at 70%.

Yet, some people think that the incumbent government should not take it against software pirates.

According to a blog by Abe Olandres30, a professional blogger and founder of Pinoy Tech Blog, pirated

educational softwares helped increase the computer literacy of the country. He also defended those

Internet cafes that used illegal softwares to offer their computer rentals at affordable rates, ranging

between P20 – P25 (As one might observe, the usual customers of computer cafes are boys, who like to
29
Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team, “Anti-Software Piracy Crackdown Resumes: NBI seizes PhP 28.5 M worth of
computers with pirated software in recent raid,” http://www.papt.org.ph/news.aspx?id=2&news_id=79&paging=1
(accessed: March 23, 2008)
30
Abe Olandres, comment on “Software Piracy and Computer Literacy”, Pinoy Tech Blog, comment posted April
11, 2006, http://www.pinoytechblog.com/archives/software-piracy-and-computer-literacy (accessed: March 20,
2008)

21
play online games. It may be presumed that boys have higher computer literacy than girls). The blog

seemed to state, too, that if it were not for pirated softwares of Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Flash and

Dreamweaver, the number of web designers of the country would not increase; according to him, most

Filipino freelancers use them.

But then, with the latest emergence of FOSS or Free/Open Source Software, some believed that

software piracy is finally getting solved because reliance on imports and piracy will be lesser. The

excerpt below from Free/Open Source Software: Open Standards states that, when one uses an FOSS, he

attains four major freedoms. These freedoms are what define and make an FOSS different from

proprietary software:

Freedom to run the program, for any purpose;

Freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs;
Freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others; and
Freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public.31

Philippines itself advocates the use and promotion of FOSS with its House Bill No. 1716,

commonly known as FOSS Act of 2007. It was filed and launched by Bayan Muna Representative

Teodoro A. Casiño on August 1, 2007. Moreover, the bill notes interesting reasons why FOSSs are

economical:

Once considered the realm of geeks, computer experts and cyberspace activists, FOSS is
now steadily gaining ground among a broad range of information and communications
technology (ICT) consumers – from home users and barangays, schools to large corporate
enterprises and government agencies – who are looking for alternatives to the expensive,
overbearing and restrictive products of proprietary software monopolies like Microsoft, Unix, and
Adobe, among others.
Unlike proprietary software, FOSS is cheap (in fact, most FOSS are distributed gratis to
the public by their own developers and can be freely distributed), flexible and development-
friendly (FOSS source codes are accessible to consumers who may study, modify and customize
the software), interoperable (FOSS adhere to open standards and are meant to work across
various platforms and protocols) and safe (the opening of the source codes and the use of open
standards have allowed hundreds of thousands of users around the globe to serve as a virtual
research and development team, providing patches and solutions to bugs and glitches in real time
over the internet).32

31
Nah Soo Hoe, Free/Open Source Software: Open Standards (New Delhi, India: Elsevier, 2006), 4.
32
House Bill No. 1716. Explanatory Note. http://www.bayanmuna.net/data_files/HB/HB-1716-FOSS.pdf (accessed:
April 4, 2008)

22
 4. All of the educational materials available in the country are written only in English.

English is recognized as the lingua franca of business. The knowledge of this language is usually

required in professions and occupations. This is the reason why more than a billion people in the world

know English at a certain level.

English is considered as the second main language of the Philippines. Once a medium of

instruction in the schools, it was replaced by Filipino (the official name of the country’s main language),

which is also known as Tagalog (i.e. the main dialect of Manila), with the implementation of 1973

Constitution33. Such act led to the translation of educational materials into Filipino, like History and

Physical Education. Still, there are some books that retain English, such as Math and Science subjects.

There is no known programming book or educational software that teaches in Tagalog. Even the

three programming books written by Filipinos are all in English34.

Most of the best software developers of the world come from the United States (45%), Japan

(25%) and Europe (24%)35. The remaining 6% is dominated by other Asian countries like India and

Philippines. Since the national language of the United States is English, the reader is invited to take a

closer look at Japan.

Japan is known as the major player in technology. Most of the latest innovations in technology

are from this country. And when it comes to software development, Japanese emphasize on the state-of-

the-art and state-of-practice. They use the word software factory to, “…describe organizations that adopt

factory-type methods that lead towards the more efficient development of software.”36

The approach of teaching programming in Japan is the same as in the Philippines, only their

equipments are far more advanced than the Philippines’. But the main advantage Japanese have over the

other countries is that they always create and discover. They are often ready to face and embrace

something that is ‘not yet recognized’ in technology.

33
1973 Constitution of the Philippines, Article XV, General Provision, Section 3.
34
See page 17.
35
PSIA, Industry Profile: Software Development, http://psia.org.ph/ABOUTUS/INDUSTRY/tabid/64/Default.aspx
(accessed: February 10, 2008)
36
DACS, Software Development in Japan, https://www.dacs.dtic.mil/techs/management/node2.php (accessed:
March 22, 2008)

23
 Furthermore, they are also looking for ways to improve their already modern approach in

teaching programming. An example of this is a technical report that describes about a Life Game System

being developed by its author, Okama Hiroshi:

Teaching material of computer programming education for novices includes many

exercises of text processing and numerical computation. The teaching material have the
advantage of simple expression for basic concept of programming and syntax of programming
language. The teaching material also have disadvantage. It is difficult that the learner feel an
interest in the material. Programs in the material are commonplace. Because the output of the
material is static and too simple. Life game system for teaching material is developed to
compensate the disadvantage. A piece of the game system races for survival by cell division and
movement as an unicellulate. Leaner needs to program the action of the piece. The game system
aims that the learner feels an interest in the programming, makes collaboration and feels
creativeness of programing. To achieve the aim, a design of the proposed material is shown. The
achievemetn of the aim are shown with questionnaire.37

Though the proponents cannot tell whether Japanese programming lecturers teach C as the

preparatory subject of their students, they found a website that contains a PDF file, which describes a

proposed method in teaching computer programming38. It is written by two students of a graduate school

of science and technology, together with two members of an engineering faculty in Niigita University, a

national university in Japan. The programming language to be taught is C.

Moreover, the book written by the C developers Dennis Ritchie and Brian Kerninghan, The C

Programming Language (c1988), was translated into Japanese and produced by Kyoritsu Shuppan, a

Japanese publishing company. Besides C, there are other programming-related books written in Japanese.

On the Internet, there are websites that define or teach C, such as the following links:

1. http://www.sgnet.co.jp/c/

2. http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_Programming_Language

37
Okama Hiroshi, Development of an Life Game System for Teaching Material of Computer Programming
Education, http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200305/000020030503A0051416.php (accessed: March 22, 2008)
38
Toru Tamaki, Takeshi Hagiwara, Yoshinobu Maeda and Yasuo Nakamura, An Approach To Teaching A Computer
Programming Language, http://www.eml.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/member/staff/tamaki/study/wccee2004slides.pdf
(accessed: March 22, 2008)

24
 Returning to the main topic, this study focuses on the practicability of a Taglish software in the

country. Taglish is a slang used to describe the combination of Tagalog and English languages (i.e. both

are spoken at the same time). And, in current times, most of the people speak and can read in Taglish.

The survey conducted with 154 respondents shows a positive outcome. Excluding those who

provided multiple answers, it showed that 73 prefer Taglish, 51 learn better in English, and only 13 are in

favor of Tagalog. To add here, 27 of the respondents (20 students and 7 professionals) agreed to give

their views about the development of Taglish software.

Here is the result of the students’ opinion poll: One student prefers to learn programming from the

experts because, for him, they have the true knowledge, and a software has a tendency for limited

information. Another student said that it is craziness. Two are not that interested to learn C because they

are focused on other subjects. One pupil stated that English should be used so that foreigners could also

utilize the application.

One student likes the concept, though she expressed her doubts (ex. What if the students become

accustomed to Taglish tutorials, and their only references are purely English?). Six simply said “okay,”

with two of them adding that it might sound enjoyable. And eight students expressed their interest in the

software, believing that it would provide multiple benefits for their skill acquisitions and future.

As for the outcome of the IT professional’s opinion poll, one firmly believes that the software

would not be effective because the target market is small for him. One asked if C++ tutorial software

could be possible, with the medium of instruction either completely English or purely Tagalog.

One individual approved of the software, though he said that based on his experience, those

individuals who can explain and justify their codes in English are one step ahead, especially if either their

bosses happen to be foreigners, or if they are planning to work in abroad. Two more considered the idea,

though they added that a tutorial software could never be used as a major reference of C programming.

Only two professionals fully accepted the idea, remarking that the software of the proponents could be

truly helpful to those who would like to learn C programming; one of them suggested that additional

references would be great.

25
 Meanwhile, most of the teachers interviewed for this study said they teach in the language

suitable to the situation; if they have a foreign student, someone who can only understand English, they

will only speak English. If the student can understand the lesson better in Tagalog, they use the native

language. When asked for their opinion about the proposed software, three instructors replied by saying

that only English could be used because most of the references are written in that language. Another three

said that the proponents should choose only one language because, according to one of them, there should

be consistency or uniformity in the part of the language. Two teachers pointed out that it does not matter

what language will be used, as long as the software is interactive and user-friendly. Only three teachers

expressed their approval of the software.

To sum this all up, most of the individuals, though some seem skeptical of the idea of a software

like ANG KODIGO KO SA C, expressed their support for it. This only proves that learning programming

is definitely not limited in one language.

26
 IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will be greatly influential to those individuals who are planning to write any research

about developing programming tutorial software either in Tagalog or in Taglish. Moreover, this will

provide enough knowledge for those who want to create and market such softwares. This study has

reported enough information regarding with the mediums of instruction used in all practices of learning.

This will be also beneficial to those who need a recent report about the software development and

computer literacy of the country. Though they are minor reasons for the creation of the software ANG

KODIGO KO SA C, they are certainly considered part of the entire field. Furthermore, the references

about the said topics are mentioned in footnotes.

This study can be also helpful to those people who are looking for costless educational materials

that teach C programming, because this consists of tables where the prices, authors and locations of such

books are written. Likewise, there is a huge possibility that they can be considered as references by those

who are planning to write any thesis connected with the main issues here.

It is also quietly supposed that this study will be valuable to those teachers and instructors who

are looking for another approach in teaching C programming. It is a surety that they will find this

revolutionary for the contemporary method of Filipino instruction.

But, the most important of all, this is essential for those students who need assistance in

understanding the complexities behind C programming without undergoing too much difficulties. The

software created for them is supposed to teach the foundation of programming in a supportive and

straightforward method. With such knowledge, learning other types of programming languages will

become uncomplicated for them.

27
 SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

The scope of this study focused on the main issues that greatly influenced the development of the

software ANG KODIGO KO SA C. These are the methods of learning and teaching programming in the

country, and the current state of educational materials and their chief locations.

Current and former programming students are first approached since they are the ones who will

greatly benefit from this project. They are the lone individuals who can certainly tell what type of market

the proponents are expecting. As what was said before, two types of students have been approached: the

students who are presently enrolled in schools, and those who previously studied programming (that is,

professionals practicing their skills at present). The first type is far more important because the students

serve as the backbone of this project (i.e. if ever this software will be produced, they are the target

market), while the latter provides the equilibrium (i.e. as IT professionals, they have further knowledge

about the world of programming and learning it, and their experiences as previous pupils imparted

wisdom and enlightenment on this project).

Programming teachers and instructors are said to have the greatest influence in shaping up the

future movers and shakers of the world of computing, programming and information technology. This is

the reason why it was firmly believed that interviewing them provided a great help to the study.

Educational materials also share the center of attention because they are used both by students

and teachers. The examination of the materials and their locations (i.e. bookstores, etc.) suggest that the

proponents have been absolutely thorough in order to find out if there were any programming material

that could teach in Filipino language.

28
 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

This project study has two main objectives. The first one is to prove the practicability of a

Tagalog-English software of basic C programming tutorial, and the second objective is to develop the said

software.

29
 METHODOLOGY USED

The following methods are used for this feasibility study:

A. Conduction of Survey for Students

Before conducting any survey, the proponents came up with 16 questions, with four of them as

sub-questions (Please see figure 7.1):

The first question is for the proponents to know how many respondents (i.e. mostly students) do

have a computer at home. Owning a computer is accepted as a vital tool in learning and practicing the

programming language being studied.

Number two is composed of many queries regarding with the technical features of the computer a

respondent often uses. This particular part of the survey is important because, with this, compatibility

issues between the software, which the proponents developed, and the computer of the user would be

acknowledged.

The third question, which asks the respondent about the programming language they already

studied, is vital. It shows the possible number of people who have yet to study C.

Number four inquires about the best methods used by the respondent for programming skill

acquisition. The fifth question was included because the proponents wanted to know if there were people

who would still like to learn the background of C or not. It is somewhat important because some students

consider History, of any topic, as a very boring subject. But then, according to Mr. Arthur Weasley,

“Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain.”39

And the last two questions, numbers 6 and 7, are the most important parts of the survey. Number

6 raises the issue about the most preferred medium of instruction of all the students, while Number 7 asks

whether the student wants to study or, in some cases, re-study the basic C programming.

For the conduction of the survey, the proponents chose six zones, five of which are campus zones.

The target number for each zone was supposed to be 25 students. Still, it was not accomplished

39
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (New York: Scholastic Press, 1999), 329

30
 Figure 7.1

THE SURVEY FORM FOR STUDENTS

Pangalan:_______________________ Kurso:________________
Kasarian:___________ Edad:_____

SURVEY FORM

Objective: We, the ACLC students, are conducting this survey for us to understand the essential needs of our fellow
students in learning a complex programming language.

Instruction: Paki-check sa bilog ng bawat pangungusap ang iyong magiging sagot.

1. May computer ba kayo sa bahay ninyo?

Mayroon, may computer kami sa bahay namin.
Wala, nakikigamit lang ako... Kung ganoon, saan ka nakikigamit ng computer?
Sa school ninyo Sa computer shop Sa bahay ng kaibigan/kamag-anak
Etc. (specify) _____________________

2. Ano ang specs / features ng computer na ginagamit mo?

a. Operating System:
Win 95 / NT / 98 / 2000 / XP/ VISTA: Please specify: _________
Macintosh: Please specify: __________
Others: Please specify: __________
b. RAM: a. 128 MB b. 256 MB c. Others: Specify __________
c. May DVD o CD-ROM drive? Mayroon Wala
d. May video support at/o sound card? Sound card lang Video support lang
Mayroon pareho Wala pareho
e. May Internet connection? Mayroon Wala
e.1. Ano ang Internet browser ninyo?
Mozilla Firefox Internet Explorer Others: Specify _______________

3. Ano na ang mga napag-aralan mong computer language?

C C++ Java HTML
Others: (specify) __________________________

4. Sa anong paraan madali kang matuto?

Self-studying: Paano?
Film viewing Online learning / browsing Reading books/e-books/handouts
Others: (specify) ____________________
Formal Education: Paano?
Class discussion Others: (specify) ____________________

5. Gusto mo pa bang matutunan sa isang computer language ang history nito?

Oo Hindi

6. Sa pag-aaral, sa anong lenggwahe mas madali kang matuto?

Tagalog English Taglish
Others: (specify) ____________________

7. Interesado ka bang matuto ng C - language mula sa isang tutorial software?

Oo Hindi

31
because not all of the prospective respondents in one zone agreed to be surveyed. The table below shows

the location of each zone, and the number of surveyees of each zone.

Location Zone No. of Students

Las Piñas City AMA College 24

AMA Computer Learning Center 29
St. Francis of Assisi College 22
SM Southmall and Other Places 31

Muntinlupa City Informatics Computer Institute 18

Manila Technological University of the Philippines 22

Total: 146

All zones were personally visited, with the exception of Technological University of the

Philippines or better known as TUP. The TUP survey was carried out with the help of Joey Bong D.

Palmiano, an 18-year old sophomore who is taking up B.S. Computer Education in the said academe.

The proponents also carried out an online survey40 during February 9-16. Same questions were

also asked. With the assistance of Rellmon Ponce de Leon, a junior web developer for 2 years, four

individuals answered thru emails. One person replied via Yahoo! Groups. And for the finality of the

survey, the list of respondents was added with three more because of Yahoo! Answers. All in all, there

were 154 participants, including seven IT professionals.

Based on those who did not hesitate to reveal their age, the age of the respondents ranges between

16 and 30. Though most of the courses of the participants are related in programming subjects, like

Computer Science or Information Technology, there are some that the proponents thought were not, but

now they are. These are the Hotel and Restaurant Management (with 5 respondents), Tourism, Education,

Psychology, Electronics and Communications Engineering or B.S. ECE, and Instrumentation and Control

Engineering Technology or B.S. ICET (one participant for each course).

40
Please see Methodology Used: Online Methodology of this study.

32
 B. Conduction of Interviews for Teachers

Before any interview was conducted, the proponents came up with questions (see below) that

would create a major impact on the feasibility study:

1. How long have you been working as a computer-programming teacher? (Pls specify the years & the
schools)
2. What are the programming languages that you teach?
3. What is the method that you use to make the students learn your subject? Why do you think this
method is the most effective?
4. What is your preferred medium of instruction? (English, Tagalog, or Taglish)
5. What do you think of the current trend being used to teach programming in your school? Is it effective
for honing the students to become excellent computer programmers in the future? Or does it need
improvement?
5.1 If it does, what are the areas needed to be improved?
6. What do you think of the current trend being used to teach programming in our country? Is it effective
for honing the students, who will then become the future foundation of computer programming in the IT
sector of our country? Or does it need improvement?
6.1 If it does, what are the areas needed to be improved?
7. What do you think the school administrators (i.e. the school of the teacher itself) can do in order to
solve these?
8. Do you use tutorial software in teaching your students?
9. What do you think of a software that teaches basic programming of C? Note: Taglish is the medium of
instruction. (Will it be feasible or not?)

The first and second questions are concerned with the teaching experience of the teacher. The

number of years in this line of work and the programming languages one teaches are vital because they

mirror the skillfulness and expertness of the teacher in the chosen field.

Question number 3 inquires about the chosen technique of the teacher in instructing the students,

while the fourth one is a question on the subject of the medium of instruction the teacher uses while

holding class discussions. Both questions reflect the perception of the teacher about himself. It is

believed that the confidence of the teacher on his teaching methods greatly affects the learning ability of

the students.

Questions number 6 and 7 seek the opinion of the teacher in relation to the current state of

teaching programming in his respective school and in the whole country, together with the solutions the

school administrators can provide in order to improve the said state.

The second to the last question asks the teacher whether he uses a tutorial software as a method of

teaching programming. And the last question, which is certainly the most important one, looks for the

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view of the teacher in regards to the feasibility of a Tagalog-English software of basic C programming

tutorial.

With the questions finally completed, the proponents chose the institutions where the teachers

would come from; the institutions are universities that have 4-year courses, colleges that offer ladderized

courses (i.e. within 2 years), and technical schools that provide short programming courses. Then, the

proponents requested ACLC to issue a formal letter, which came in 7 copies, to be given to these

institutions. After the distribution of the letters to their respective addresses, everything expected

followed suit: the approval of the school and the setting up of schedules for interview.

The table below shows the total number of teachers that were met, together with the name and

location of their schools. It also shows the precise dates when they were interviewed.

NAME OF THE NO. OF TEACHERS DATE OF INTERVIEW LOCATION OF THE

SCHOOL INTERVIEWED SCHOOL
AMA COLLEGE 1 FEBRUARY 20, 2008
3 LAS PIÑAS CITY
FEBRUARY 27, 2008

ACLC 2

DE LA SALLE 2 FEBRUARY 22, 2008 TAFT, MANILA

UNIVERSITY

INFORMATICS 4 MARCH 10, 2008 ALABANG,

COMPUTER MUNTINLUPA CITY
INSTITUTE
Total No. of Teachers: 12

Teachers from AMA College, ACLC and Informatics were all personally talked to, while the

professors from De La Salle University replied thru emails. Out of 12, only one instructor (i.e. From

Informatics) does not teach programming; still, her views were taken for the reason that she works closely

with her co-teachers (i.e. programming academicians).

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 The range of the teaching experience of the academicians is between 7 months to 8 years. The

programming languages that they commonly teach are C, C++, Java, HTML (i.e. HyperText Markup

Language), Visual Basic, Javascript and SQL (i.e. Structured Query Language). Though not all of them

teach these, the other programming languages being taught are C#, Prolog, ASP (i.e. Active Server

Pages), PHP (also known as Hypertext Preprocessor), Visual Basic .NET, and assembly programming

language.

C. Inspection of Educational Materials

Four branches of National Bookstore and two branches of Booksale were visited for this study

between February 25 and March 9 of 2008. The table below shows the location of each branch.

Name of Store Branch Location

NATIONAL BOOKSTORE SM Southmall, Las Piñas City

Ayala Town Center, Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Festival Mall, Muntinlupa City
Glorietta 1 Mall, Makati City

BOOKSALE SM Southmall
Festival Mall

The interior of each branch, which includes the organization of books and the ambiance of the

area, was observed. As for the books, prices and contents were compared with one another.

Only one branch of DataBlitz was personally visited (i.e. on February 25, 2005 in Ayala Town

Center). The rest of inspection was made by phone calls. Five branches of DataBlitz, including the one

from Ayala Town Center, were called up last March 23, 2008, between 11:00 in the morning and 1:00 in

the afternoon; they were located in Rockwell (Makati), SM Bicutan (Taguig), The Podium

(Mandaluyong), Rockwell and Greenbelt 1 Mall (both located in Makati City).

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 The inspection was done without giving any notice to the store managers or mall administrators.

The main reason is that the time given to the proponents would not be enough to ask for their formal

permission, which included writing an official letter for them.

D. Online Methodology

Conduction of Survey for Students

Sites like Yahoo! Groups (www.groups.yahoo.com), where a person can join or create a group

that shares his hobbies and passions, and Yahoo! Answers (www.answers.yahoo.com), where an

individual can ask any question of any topic, were visited to help the proponents with their project.

Inspection for Educational Materials

The main websites of DataBlitz (www.datablitz.com.ph) and National Bookstore

(www.nationalbookstore.com.ph) were taken a look at to expound the research of this study.

Research

Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com), the most famous search engine in the Internet, and Wikipedia

(www.wikipedia.com), an online encyclopedia, were mostly utilized in order to find certain topics that

would support this feasibility study.

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 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Adobe Photoshop - A graphics editor developed and published by Adobe

Systems, and the current market leader for commercial
bitmap and image manipulation (Definition from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Photoshop)
Adopt-A-School program - A program that encourages any private company to help
with renovation of faculties of the public school it chooses
ASP - The acronym for Active Server Pages
- Microsoft's first server-side script engine for dynamically-
generated web pages (Definition from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Server_Pages)
Assembly programming language - A low-level programming language that uses mnemonics as
codes for instructions
B.S. ICET - A degree in Technological University of the Philippines that
means Bachelor of Science, Instrumentation and Control
Engineering Technology
C - A structured programming language developed by the
American computer scientist Dennis Ritchie in 1972
CALL - Please see Computer-Aided Language Learning
COBOL - The short term for Common Business-Oriented Language
- An old programming language that is still being used today
Columbia University - An Ivy League university in the USA
Commercial software - Another term for proprietary software
- Refers to a software that is commercially produced and
protected by a copyright against software piracy
Computer literacy - The basic knowledge of using a computer
Computer-Aided Language Learning - An approach that uses computer technology to teach
languages
Filipino language - The national language of the Philippines
- Synonymous with Tagalog, the dialect widely used in
Manila
FOSS - Please see Free/Open Source Software
Free/Open Source Software - Refers to a software that can be edited and distributed by
anyone even without the consent of its original designer
ICT - The acronym for Information and Communication
Technology
IntApp1 - Please see Internet Application 1
Internet Application 1 - A subject in ACLC that mainly teaches Java programming
ITFP - The acronym for Information Technology Foundation of
the Philippines
Macromedia Dreamweaver - A web development application
Macromedia Flash - Commonly used to create animation, advertisements,
various web page components, to integrate video into web
pages, and more recently, to develop rich Internet
applications (Definition from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macromedia_Flash)
Mr. Arthur Weasley - Please see Weasley, Mr. Arthur
Open university - Refers to an institution that offers online courses
PDF - The common extension name of books that are printed

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 through computerization
Philippine Software Industry Association - An organization of Filipino-owned software companies
Phoenix University - A university that offers online courses
PHP - Also known as Hypertext Preprocessor
- A computer scripting language, originally designed for
producing dynamic web pages (Definition from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PHP)
Portable Document Format - Please see PDF
Prolog - A logic programming language
Proprietary software - Please see Commercial software
PSIA - Please see Philippine Software Industry Association
Software - An application or computer program being used by a
computer user to do a certain task
SQL - The short word for Structured Query Language
- A programming language used to connect an executable
program with a database
Stanford University - A private university located in California, USA
Tagalog - The main dialect in Manila
- Synonymous with Filipino language
Turbo C - A compiler used to compile codes written in C
UNESCO - The acronym for United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization
University of Phoenix - Please see Phoenix University
Weasley, Mr. Arthur - One of the main characters in Harry Potter books

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