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MASTERY OF LEARNING COMPETENCIES AND PERFORMANCE

IN ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES (EAPP)

A Thesis
Presented to
the Faculty of College of Teacher Education
BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Batangas City

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION
Major in English Language Teaching

by

JENNELYN I. SULIT

August 2019
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Title : MASTERY OF LEARNING

COMPETENCIES AND PERFORMANCE
IN ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND
PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES (EAPP)

Researcher : Jennelyn I. Sulit

Type of Document : Thesis

Degree : Master of Arts in Education
Major : English Language Teaching
Year : 2018 – 2019
Adviser : Dr. Aida A. Casas

Summary

Learning English equips learners with communicative competence

that can facilitate the process of exploring better avenues for progress. With

the enhancement of competencies in English as its main target, English

language teaching responds to the need for language for greater learning

and quality education as it opens the path to literacy, offers chances for

better job opportunities, and broadens the vision to reach the highest states

of knowledge.

This study determined the Senior High School students’ level of

mastery of the learning competencies in English for Academic and

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Professional Purposes (EAPP) with the end goal of developing an

instructional design that may help students improve their performance in the

said course.

Specifically, the study identified the performance level of Grade 11

students in EAPP during the School Year 2017 – 2018. It also revealed their

levels of attainment of the learning competencies in EAPP relative to reading

academic texts; writing a reaction paper, review, and/or critique; writing a

concept paper; writing a position paper; and writing a report survey, field

report, and laboratory and/or scientific technical report. Through statistical

analysis, the study also determined if there was a significant relationship

between the students’ performance level and the level of attainment of

competencies in EAPP. The difficulties encountered in mastering the

learning competencies in the course were also assessed.

This study utilized the descriptive research with document analysis,

interview, and a researcher-made questionnaire utilized as instruments for

data gathering. Due to its nature and scope, the researcher used Grade 11

students as respondents from four selected secondary schools of San Juan

District offering Senior High School for the School Year 2017-2018. In order

to treat the gathered data, the researcher used Percentage, Weighted mean,

Composite mean, and Pearson r.

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After the data were statistically treated, analyzed, and interpreted, the

study revealed that majority of the respondents perform very satisfactorily in

English for Academic and Professional Purposes (EAPP). The students

nearly mastered the competencies in reading academic texts, as well as in

writing a reaction paper, review, and/or critique, writing the position paper,

and report survey, field report, and laboratory and/or scientific technical

report. However, majority of the students did not master the learning

competencies in writing a concept paper. In addition, a significant

relationship was found between the performance levels of Grade 11

students in EAPP and the level of attainment of the learning competencies

in the said course. On the other hand, the respondents moderately

encounter difficulties in achieving the learning competencies in EAPP, the

most common of which are determining the structure of a specific academic

text read and applying the principles of writing effective reviews and

critiques.

As a result of the analysis, the researcher developed HEARTS, which

is an instructional design that may help the Grade 11 students to master the

learning competencies in EAPP. It was based on the constructivist approach

to learning , which allows students and teachers use and build on prior
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knowledge and experience to construct meaning and continually assess

their understanding to EAPP concepts.

Based on the findings and conclusions drawn from the collected data,

the study recommends that the proposed instructional design may be given

consideration and be used by SHS English teachers to ensure the mastery

of the learning competencies in EAPP. The school administrators may

conduct teaching demonstration seminar/workshops to reveal best practices

in teaching EAPP, especially the components found to be not fully mastered

by the students. They may also maximize the book review committee to

ensure that textbooks and other materials for EAPP are relevant and

responsive.

Moreover, the school administrators may devise new mechanisms in

continuously assessing faculty performance to ensure that they provide the

best instruction in EAPP and other English language courses. The teachers

may use various scientific and technical reports as samples to lessen the

difficulty met by the students in the said component. Lastly, a similar study

may be conducted covering other variables like instructional materials and

teaching approaches in EAPP to address the students’ difficulties in

mastering its learning competencies.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researcher would like to express her gratitude to the following

people for their assistance and provision of fruitful ideas for the completion

of this piece of academic work.

Dr. Rowena R. Abrea, the Dean of the College of Teacher Education

– Graduate School, for her heartfelt support and guidance at all times and

for giving her invaluable guidance, inspiration, and suggestions in her quest

for knowledge;

Dr. Felix M. Panopio and Dr. Aimee M. Guia, the internal panel

members, for their assistance, constructive comments, and suggestions to

improve this research endeavor;

Dr. Corazon B. Cabrera, the external panel member, for her

incomparable help and words of encouragement for the researcher to

pursue this study and arrive with a good research output;

Dr. Aida A. Casas, the research adviser, for her comments, constant

encouragement, invaluable assistance, fruitful suggestions and efforts,

which served as challenges to improve the researcher’s work;

Dr. Realiza Mame, the statistician, for her assistance in the treatment

of the data that yielded significant results;

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Mr. Kristoffer Conrad Tejada, for his efforts in reading and providing

useful suggestions that truly helped the researcher in coming up with this

comprehensive research work;

Dr. Manuela Tolentino, the Schools Division Superintendent of

Batangas Province, for allowing the researcher to distribute the

questionnaire to the selected students of different public secondary schools

in San Juan District.

To the respondents, for exerting effort and finding time in reading and

answering the research instrument which provided substantial results and

baseline data for this study;

To the researcher’s friends and family, for giving her words of

encouragement and for serving as inspiration and driving force in fulfilling

this noble work. This would always not have been possible without their

unwavering and unselfish love and support given to the researcher at all

times;

Above all, to the Almighty God, for giving her the strength, knowledge,

ability and opportunity to undertake this research study and to complete it

satisfactorily. Without His blessings, this achievement would not have been

possible.

Jennelyn I. Sulit
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DEDICATION

This noble piece of work is whole-heartedly dedicated to my beloved

family, professors, friends, colleagues, and loved ones who gave their full

support and faith in me to make this piece of work possible.

To the future researchers, mentors and other researchers who may

appreciate its content, this is also for you.

Above all, this is for our Almighty God who never fails to give us

knowledge and strength at all times.

Jennelyn I. Sulit
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE……………………………………………………………………...i

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY……...........…………………...……………………..ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT….……………………………………………...…....vi

DEDICATION………………………………………………………..……….…viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS...………………………………………...……………ix

LIST OF TABLES…..………………………………………………..............xi

LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………................xiii

CHAPTER

I. THE PROBLEM

Introduction…...……………………….………………………....1

Statement of the Problem……………….…………………..…7

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study……….…..…8

Significance of the Study………………...………...…………….9

II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Conceptual Literature………….…...…………………………11

Research Literature……………………...………………….......42

Synthesis………………………………....………...……..…….55

Theoretical Framework……………………...…...…….…......60
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Conceptual Framework………………….…....…….……….....67

Hypothesis….…………………..………...………...…………..72

Definition of Terms…………………….……………..……..…..72

III. RESEARCH METHOD AND PROCEDURE

Research Design…………………....……….…………….……76

Subjects of the Study……………………………………...........77

Data Gathering Instrument………….…………...…………......78

Data Gathering Procedure……………….……………......…81

Statistical Treatment of Data……………………………...…..82

IV. PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND

INTERPRETATION OF DATA…….…...………………….…..84

V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Summary……………………………....…………..……………169

Findings…….………..…………..………………………..........170

Conclusions……………………….…………...…………….....175

Recommendations……………….……………………….....…176

BIBLIOGRAPHY...……………………………………………...……...…….178

APPENDICES...…………..…………………………………….……...….....184

CURRICULUM VITAE
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LIST OF TABLES

Table No. Page

1 Distribution of Respondents …....…...…………………………………77

2 Performance Level of Grade 11 Students

in EAPP………………………………………………...…………85

3 Level of Attainment of the Learning

Competencies in Reading
Academic Texts…………………………….………............…...88

4 Level of Attainment of the Learning

Competencies in Writing a Reaction
Paper, Review, and/or Critique….……….………............…...90

5 Level of Attainment of the Learning

Competencies in Writing a
Concept Paper…………………….……….………............…...93

6 Level of Attainment of the Learning

Competencies in Writing the
Position Paper…………………….……….………............…....95

7 Level of Attainment of the Learning

Competencies in Writing a Report
Survey, Field Report, and Laboratory
and/or Scientific Technical Report……….………............…...98

8 Relationship between the Performance

Level and the Level of
Attainment of Competencies…….……….………..........…....100

9 Difficulties in Achieving the Competencies

in Reading Academic Texts………………………….........….105

10 Difficulties in Achieving the Competencies

Writing a Reaction Paper, Review,
and/or Critique….……….………......................................….111
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11 Difficulties in Achieving the Competencies
Writing a Concept Paper……….………..………............…...115

12 Difficulties in Achieving the Competencies

Writing the Position Paper……….……….………............…..118

13 Difficulties in Achieving the Competencies

Writing a Report Survey, Field Report,
and Laboratory and/or Scientific
Technical Report……….…………………………............…...122
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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No. Title Page

1 Theoretical Paradigm on the Mastery of Learning

Competencies in English for Academic
and Professional Purposes.……….…....…...…………….….64

2 Research Paradigm on the Mastery of the

Learning Competencies in English for
Academic and Professional Purposes.……….…....…...…….70