Republic of the Philippines

CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE-SIPOCOT

Impig, Sipocot Camarines Sur

USE OF TEEN SLANG and the Academic ENGLISH VOCABULARY Level

OF G12 STUDENTS

A RESEARCH PAPER

PRESENTED TO

THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION FOR RESEARCH

CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE-SIPOCOT

IN PARTIALLY FULFILMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THIRD-YEAR COLLEGE

BIAG, MARY JOY A.

PEŇARENDO, ARIEL B.

SALVA, BABY MYRNA B.

SALVADOR, JOLINA Q.

RESEARCHER

March 2022

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 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, teens that belong to Gen Z are using a variety of new slang

words more often in their everyday lives. These can bring confusion to older

generations and somehow affects the development of students’ vocabulary.

As a type of language that consists of words and phrases that are regarded

as very informal, slang creates an impact on the student’s academic English

vocabulary acquisition. On the other hand, words are seen as the cornerstone

of all languages, and vocabulary knowledge is regarded as a necessary

component of all language abilities. Hence, students in today’s generation are

continuously creating their vocabulary language which is having an adverse

result in acquiring the academic English vocabulary of students as a whole.

Slang is one of the linguistic varieties. It is mostly utilized because it

relaxes the mouth and allows people to talk more freely. Moreover, some

reasons influence the appearance of slang words, such as students want to

say something in an easy way, showing their anger, making other people

confused, and wanting to have fun and laugh. Students, on the other hand,

are unaware that they are using slang terms. It's because slang is defined as

"informal, nonstandard words or phrases that tend to arise in society's

subcultures." As a result, they are unable to use it in a formal setting.

According to Zainuddin (2017), when a student is learning in the classroom,

he uses the word 'cool,' which indicates "excellent." He could not realize he

was employing a slang term. As a result, he is unaware that he always uses it,

which eventually affects his academic vocabulary development and

acquisition.

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 Based on the previous explanation above, the purpose of this study is

to enumerate and investigate the common teen slang words and factors that

influence grade 12 students’ acquisition. This study also aims to identify the

level of academic English vocabulary of grade 12 students of San Juan

National High School. Furthermore, this paper is also interested in identifying

the correlation between the usage of teen slang and the academic English

vocabulary of the students. Thus, this research will hopefully help students if

the use of teen slang may affect their vocabulary development and acquisition

of academic English words.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the correlation between teen slang and

academic English vocabulary of grade 12 students of San Juan National High

school SY 2021-2022.

Specifically, this study seeks an answer to the following questions:

1. What are the commonly used teen slang by grade 12 students of

San Juan National High School?

2. What are the factors that influence the acquisition of teen slang by grade 12

students?

3. What is the level of academic English vocabulary of grade 12 students?

4. Is there a significant relationship between teen slang and academic English

vocabulary of grade 12 students?

Objectives of the Study

This study will be guided by the following objectives:

1. To enumerate the common teen slang used by grade 12 students of San

Juan National High School;

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2. To elaborate on the factors that influence the use of teen slang by grade 12

students;

3. To identify the level of academic English vocabulary of grade 12 students;

and,

4. To determine the significant relationship between teen slang and academic

English vocabulary of grade 12 students.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study aims to investigate the commonly` used teen slang and the

academic English vocabulary acquisition of grade 12 students of San Juan

National High School for the SY 2021-2022.

This study focuses on describing the common teen slang used by

grade 12 students and the factors that influence the utilization of teen slang.

The researchers also aim to determine the relationship between the use of

teen slang and academic English vocabulary acquisition. The primary

respondents of this study are the grade 12 students of San Juan National

High School.

In this research, students in lower grade levels are not included to be

the respondents and also, it delimits the other English language variations.

Thus, the researchers were only focused on determining the level of

academic English vocabulary of the grade 12 students.

Significance of the Study

This research will help to increase the study about how teen slang may

impede the academic English vocabulary acquisition of grade 12 students of

San Juan National High School. The findings of this study may be beneficial

to the following:

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Students: This research may allow the students to identify the common teen

slang that students keep on using. This may guide the students on how they

will utilize teen slang properly and how to avoid obstruction on academic

English vocabulary acquisition.

English Language Teachers: This study may help teachers to determine the

factors where students acquire the use of teen slang and able to help

students maintain their good academic English vocabulary whether they are

or they aren’t widely using teen slang in different situations and help them

understand the proper usage of such vocabulary.

Community: This will allow them to understand that teen slang may or may

not influence the students’ English vocabulary acquisition depending on

students’ knowledge about slang words and how students utilize those.

Parents: This will be beneficial to the parents of grade 12 students. By

understanding how teen slang influences their child’s academic English

vocabulary acquisition. Moreover, parents will monitor and guide their children

on the proper usage of teen slang and maintain their good performance in

acquiring the academic English vocabulary.

Future Researchers: This can be useful for future studies and future

researchers. The findings of this study will be effective by means of reference

on how to improve their expertise about the impact of teen slang on students’

academic English vocabulary acquisition.

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 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

To make it possible, the enrichment of this study, a review of related

literature, and studies were used as a medium. This chapter presents the

review of related literature and studies which helped the researchers gain

background information on teen slang and academic English vocabulary of

the grade 12 students of San Juan National High School. The researchers

also used books, journals, and Internet websites in gathering pertinent data

and information needed.

Teen Slang

According to the article from Manila, Philippines, language is ever-

evolving, and new slang words enter our vocabulary every year to help us

express very specific feelings and situations. Therefore, slang is vocabulary

that is used between people who belong to the same social group and who

know each other well. Slang is a very informal language. It can offend people

if it is used about other people or outside a group of people who know each

other well. We usually use slang in speaking rather than writing. Slang

normally refers to particular words and meanings but can include longer

expressions and idioms (Cambridge Dictionary, n. d.)

Furthermore, Ntaganda (2021) states that it is a fact that slang

promotes confidentiality among his age mates. “With slang, I can talk to my

friend and my dad would never relate,” he says. Moreover, slang helps you to

connect to the people around you. It can create emotions; help you stand out

in a crowd or even provide a sense of belonging. Slang can signify that you

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are part of a group or understand what someone else is saying (“Grammar

Your Dictionary”, n.d.).

However, when there are pros there are also cons. According to

Umutoni (2021) even though slang terms help her communicate with her

friends more, she stated that slang makes us forget the correct words so we

use poor language. A young person may get addicted to always using slang

and when giving a speech, they sound ridiculous. Additionally, the Voice, a

high school newspaper, notes that overuse of slang can negatively affect

people once the terms become too prevalent in a person’s vocabulary

(Newtimes, 2021).

In connection, Pradianti (2013) stated that some students tend to insult

and show their anger by expressing it with slang words. The slang words are

frequently used among teenagers. They have their own words to use when

interacting with their friends and slang words are a marker of teenagers’

identity in their conversation style. Thus, according to Irazoke (2021), she

stated that excessive use of slang has resulted in poor verbal and writing

skills. Students use slang in their assignments and they also show poor

performance in reading as well. In addition, Gilmore (2021), she stated that as

a result of students spending the majority of their day texting or perusing the

internet, many lack readings and writing skills. Oftentimes, students replace

most of their vocabulary with slang terms. Slang terms, like IDK (I don’t know),

SMH (shaking my head), and NVM (never mind), have become a common

sight on students’ assignments. Many teachers are unsure how to combat this

problem as it continues to grow within our virtual environment. Due to

students being on the internet all day, they may have trouble communicating

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in class after spending a large amount of their time using only slang terms.

When students are sending an email or communicating with a teacher in

class, they may talk and write improperly. With that, according to Arran

(2017), he stated that students show poor performance in reading and writing.

According to teachers and professors, students use excessive slang in their

written assignments and papers and they also show poor performance in

reading as well. The reasons are quite apparent; students spend prolonged

hours on social media communicating with their friends in slang which has

badly affected their written and verbal skills. High school teachers narrate that

they get English essays they have never seen before in their teaching career.

According to “Purdue University” (n.d.) we should avoid using slang

(words like y'all, yinz, cool) or idiomatic expressions ("pull someone's leg,"

"spill the beans," and "something smells fishy") in formal academic writing.

These words make your writing sound informal, and hence, less credible.

Furthermore, for non-native speakers of English, these expressions may

prove more difficult to understand because of their non-literal nature. Times

do exist, however, when the use of slang and idiomatic expressions are

appropriate. Think about who your audience is, what they expect, and how

their use of these words may help or hinder your purpose. If you are writing a

very informal or humorous piece, slang or idiomatic expressions may be

appropriate.

Factors that Influence the acquisition of teen slang

Internet

Facebook remains the most popular social networking, accounting for

71% of internet users, (Balakrishnan & Lay, 2016). Lin, Warschauer, and

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Blake (2016, p.143) claim that “language use on the Internet is often criticized

as being less correct and less coherent than other forms of language use, and

as having disrupted adjacency.” Notwithstanding the positive effects of social

media on language proficiency, many scholars lament the harmful effects

these networks might have on one’s interlanguage with particular reference to

erratic spelling and violated grammatical rules (Baldwin, 2012).

Young people are now most of the time connected with people through

digital social media. They think what they are pursuing in digital social media

is up to date and if they follow those trends, people will find them smart.

Unfortunately, intentionally or unintentionally, they are following that trend of

language acquisition, (Belal, 2014). It’s slightly less in-your-face, but the

Internet is also shifting the words we use to speak to one another, not just the

way we choose to communicate. Our obsession with the Internet even

influences the simple act of talking – out loud, in real life, (Chopra,2013).

Certain acronyms, neologisms, and abbreviations have infiltrated everyday

speech. In connection with this, young generations use some popular terms

like LOL (for “laugh out loud”) which is developed into unique words. It has a

meaning greater than its original abbreviation. LOL is now used as a type of

punctuation to add a joking or cheerful intonation to messages. It doesn’t

always indicate literal laughter. Though the young people are using it with

their friends informally, unintentionally they are acquiring these languages,

and they use them in their formal writing and speaking, (Belal, 2014). They

are using those languages formally in a public place. Hence, they are

destroying their language. Digital social media uses require some unique

adaptations, but it also provides us with a new way of communication.

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 People can now access important information and the trendy online

culture to learn about things that were unknown to them before, as well as

new values and symbols for communication developed for learning in an

online environment that gives rise to new cultural cues. (Quader, 2014, p. 6)

For example, according to Asad et al (2012), people can share their thoughts,

knowledge with each other which also helps them to increase their knowledge

about the world and life.

Peers

According to LaFrance, A. (2016), as language evolves and new terms

enter the mainstream, teenagers are often blamed for debasing linguistics

standards. In some cases, their preferred forms of communication like text

messaging are attacked. A person’s vernacular changes over time may have

as much to do with personality and social standing as it has to do with age.

The factors that prompt teens to experiment with new language apply to

people at many stages of life. An individual might adopt new words when you

start attending a new school or take a new job for example. The endurance of

some slang terms over time, she says, has to do with how people navigate

individual life changes against an also-changing social backdrop. Words and

expressions shift in and out of popular use gradually without much notice. Sort

of the way “yeah” and “yes” have made way for “yessssss” and “yaaaaas” and

“yiss”.

In connection, the way students communicate with one another through

social media and text messaging is creeping into high school classrooms.

Slang terms and text-speak such as IDK (I don’t know), SMH (shaking my

head), and BTW (by the way) have become a common sight on student

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assignments, befuddling some high teachers who are unsure how to fix this

growing problem. According to a survey of 700 students those ages 12 to 17,

85 percent of the respondents were reported using a form of electronic

communication whether through instant messaging, text messaging, or social

media. “I think that students don’t even realize that they’re doing it,”

Sakowhicz notes. “When we’re using this entire social media, we’re not

thinking about spelling words right, so naturally that’s going to translate into

the classroom.” In fact, 64 percent of students in the study are using a form of

shorthand native to texting or social networking (Lytle, 2012). Mahmud (2013),

the idea that men and women are different in their speaking, especially in

politeness. Women talk more than me, talk much, are more polite, are

indecisive/hesitant, complain and nag, ask more questions, support each

other, are more cooperative than man. Moreover, evident in junior high school

students’ daily conversation around the school, they use sward speak

intentionally and unintentionally. Students having simple chats with

classmates around a hallway during break time to having group activities

during classroom discussion. The kind of language they use to convey

through speaking might affect the English language learning process and

student language performance. (Rubiales, 2020)

As many students try to acquire and use sward speak on a daily basis,

they did not notice that it is mixed with their natural language. (Rubiales,

2020). As evident with the country’s education system, many learners are

engaged in using sward speak whether gay or straight. This important factor

may affect their use of language, the acquisition and process of language

development that will improve target competencies (Luistro, 2015).

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Academic English Vocabulary

Academic vocabulary is defined as words that are traditionally used in

academic dialogue and text. Specifically, it refers to words that are not

necessarily common or frequently encountered in informal conversation.

(“Academic Vocabulary, 2022). According to Spivey, B. (2022) Academic

vocabulary includes words used in academic dialogue and texts. It does not

include words students use in general conversation, but academic vocabulary

relates to other familiar words that students do use. For example, rather than

using the simple verb watch, an academic term would be observed. Academic

vocabulary words help students understand oral directions and classroom

instructions as well as comprehend text across different subject areas.

In connection, the more vocabulary words learners know, the more

they will be able to understand what they heard and read as well as the more

effective learners will be capable of saying or writing what they want to when

speaking or writing. Especially when learners read some academic texts, they

find some vocabularies they do not know. These vocabularies might be called

academic words (AW). Moreover, learners are able to apply the knowledge of

academic words to write their writing work. Unlike some fewer formal types of

writing, academic writing focuses on technique and how it should be used to

best communicate ideas. If students learn about style and how to write essays

early on in their academic careers, they find it much easier to write essays.

(“The Importance of Academic Words”, IPL, n.d.)

According to Reading Rockets (2022), vocabulary refers to the words

we must understand to communicate effectively. Educators often consider

four types of vocabulary: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Listening

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vocabulary refers to the words we need to know to understand what we hear.

Speaking vocabulary consists of the words we use when we speak. Reading

vocabulary refers to the words we need to know to understand what we read.

Writing vocabulary consists of the words we use in writing. Furthermore,

vocabulary plays a fundamental role in the reading process and contributes

greatly to a reader's comprehension. A reader cannot understand a text

without knowing what most of the words mean. Students learn the meanings

of most words indirectly, through everyday experiences with oral and written

language. Other words are learned through carefully designed instruction.

(“Vocabulary”, Reading Rockets, 2022)

“Learning vocabulary is a continual process of language and literacy

development, which begins in the early years of life, and continues through

schooling and beyond. "Knowledge of vocabulary meanings affects children’s

abilities to understand and use words appropriately during the language acts

of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Such knowledge influences the

complexities and nuances of children’s thinking, how they communicate in the

oral and written languages, and how well they will understand printed texts."

[p. 333] (Sinatra, Zygouris-Coe, and Dasinger, 2011, cited in Vocabulary,

2021) Moreover, writing a vocabulary is constantly growing like a “toolbox”

filled with like grammar, punctuation, and capitalization rules; figurative

language; rhyme; rhythm; and…vocabulary. Just as really good mechanics

can pull out the right tools to make a good engine even more powerful, good

writers can pull out the right tools at the right time to make good writing even

more powerful. One tool that can “power up” your writing is a strong

vocabulary.

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 A writing vocabulary encompasses the words you can easily summon

and use. From action words to descriptive words and beyond, a strong

vocabulary facilitates precise writing and helps you avoid vague words. As

you broaden your range of vocabulary, you become better able to describe

specific settings, emotions, and ideas. You also hone a skill that’s known

among writers as “painting with words.” The most valuable vocabulary words

are those that you can recall and use almost automatically. After all, learning

vocabulary is only valuable if you can actually use your new words in a piece

of writing and—equally important—use them correctly. If you ask a published

author for writing tips, you’ll likely be told that it’s better to correctly use

common words than to incorrectly use complex words. Fortunately, a key

benefit of a better vocabulary is being able to use both common and complex

words with equal precision. In addition, Oral vocabulary knowledge obviously

helps with reading comprehension. That is, children must be familiar with the

meanings of the majority of the words within a written sentence if they are to

understand its meaning. This can be thought of as a late effect of oral

vocabulary – first, you need to identify the words, then you need to

understand their meanings. (Wegener and Castles, 2018)

According to Cambridge university press: (2018), Learning vocabulary

through listening is one type of learning through meaning-focused input.

Learners would need at least 95% coverage of the running words in the input

in order to gain reasonable comprehension and to have reasonable success

at guessing from context. Van Zeeland and Schmitt (In press) found that 95%

coverage was adequate for listening to informal narratives. Staehr (2009)

found 98% coverage was needed for academic listening. A coverage of 98%

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(one unknown word in every 50 words, or about two or three unknown words

per minute) is not surprisingly better than less coverage (Bonk, 2000; Hu and

Nation, 2000; Schmitt et al., 2011; van Zeeland and Schmitt, 2012). Studies of

spoken language, especially colloquial spoken language used in informal

situations, indicate that a vocabulary of around 3,000-word families is needed

to provide around 95% coverage (Adolphs and Schmitt, 2003, 2004; Webb

and Rodgers, 2009a, 2009b). Around 5,000–6,000 words are needed to get

98% coverage. More formal academic spoken language makes more use of

the vocabulary in the Academic Word List, which provides around 4%

coverage of university lectures. Typically, as vocabulary size increases, so

does written comprehension (Schmitt et al., 2011).

Synthesis

Information acquired from prior studies highlights the similarities and

distinctions, providing crucial insights into the current study's goal of

evaluating the further use of teen slang and academic English vocabulary.

Al Jahromi (n.d.) A quantitative study of the Perceived Impact of Social

media Networks on Bahraini user’s English Language Learning; Belal (2014)

Influence of Digital Social Media in Writing and Speaking of Tertiary Level

Students. In connection, the study of Sadeghi (2013) aims to determine the

impact of achievement motivation on the vocabulary learning of Intermediate

EFL learners. The previous studies are related to our present study because

they aim to investigate the effect and Influence of Social Media on the

language learning and speaking and writing skills of the students which are

related to our study that is pertaining to vocabulary acquisition of the students.

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 Rullu (2017) Slang in the EFL classroom Interaction; Irazoke (2021)

The use of Slang words Among Junior High School Students in Everyday

Conversation, In addition, Rubiales (2020) studied the implications of linguistic

deviation of the sward speak to the language competencies of the student.

These previous studies are related to our study because it aims to determine

the use of slang words by the learners that affects their conversation and

interaction with others and also the students’ language competencies. In

connection to our study, it may affect the students’ academic English

vocabulary acquisition with the continuous use of newly coined words that

deviates from the formal way of using words. All the previous studies are

related to the present study because they aim to explain the factors and use

of slang words that may affect the language learning or the vocabulary

learning of the learners.

The present study is different from the studies of Al Jahromi (n.d.),

Belal (2014), Sadeghi (2013), Rullu (2017), Irazoke (2021), Rubiales (2020),

because the previous only investigate the slang words, and factors that affect

the language learning or vocabulary learning of the learners while the present

study will investigate the correlation between the use of teen slang and

academic English vocabulary of the learners.

This study will emphasize the commonly used teen slang, the factors

that influence the acquisition of teen slang by the students, and the level of

students’ academic English vocabulary. Furthermore, this study is also eager

to determine the significant relationship between the use of teen slang and the

academic English vocabulary of the students. This study will also serve as a

16
basis on how to regulate the use of slang words to not affect the vocabulary

enrichment of the students, especially in academic English.

Theoretical Framework

This study supports theories that serve as the foundation to strengthen

the claims of the researchers. There are five theories in this study that is

related to the research topic entitled “Teen slang: Academic English

vocabulary” such as follows: Involvement Load Hypothesis (Laufer and

Hulstijn, 2001), Vocabulary Learning Strategies Theory (Schmitt,1997), Social

Learning Theory (Bandura, 1977), Diffusion of Innovation (Roger, 1962),

Universal Grammar Theory (Chomsky, 1960).

Laufer and Hulstijn’s Involvement Load Hypothesis (2001), is useful for

predicting the outcomes of tasks. The theory gravitates around the idea that

learners’ engagement in the establishment of the meaning of newly

encountered vocabulary is paramount for acquisition. Laufer and Hulstijn

present three categories generating such involvement load: need, search, and

evaluation. Need signifies the motivation to understand or use a word. Search

draws on the concept of noticing (Schmidt, 1990), and signifies the attention

paid by students to find out the meaning of a word. This is done by turning to

a dictionary or by consulting an authority. Evaluation occurs when the learner

has to make a syntactic and semantic choice between words, contrasting

them for precision. If tasks inspire students to engage in these activities, this

increases the involvement load, and so, the chances of acquiring target

vocabulary. This theory is relevant to the current study because it explains

how students learn and acquire new vocabulary words, particularly teen

17
slang. It can also detect when students are given a task that requires them to

consider and then utilize a new term in the most appropriate context.

Schmitt argued that the lack of attention to vocabulary learning

strategies is due to the lack of a comprehensive list or taxonomy and

developed a comprehensive inventory of individual vocabulary learning

strategies. He distinguished the strategies that learners use to determine the

meaning of new words when they first encounter them from ones, they use to

consolidate meanings when they encounter the words again. Schmitt’s

Vocabulary Learning Strategies Theory (1997) defines categories such as

determination, social strategies, memory strategies, cognitive strategies, and

metacognitive strategies. Determination strategies are used “when faced with

discovering a new word’s meaning without resource to another person’s

expertise” (p. 205). Social strategies are used to understand a word “by

asking someone who knows it” (p. 210). Memory strategies are “approaches

which relate new materials to existing knowledge” (p. 205). The definition of

cognitive strategies was adopted from Oxford (1990) as “manipulation of

transformation of the target language by the learner” (p.43). Finally,

metacognitive strategies are defined as “a conscious overview of the learning

process and making decisions about planning, monitoring or evaluating the

best ways to study” (p. 205). Compared to other classification schemes,

Schmitt’s theory is considered the most extensive. This theory assists the

study since it provides a basis for how does the academic English vocabulary

acquisition of the students takes place. The following strategies determine the

process of how do the students at their age discover, creates, understand,

and acquire new words such as teen slang.

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 The Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1977) focuses on observation

as an important aspect of learning, that models the behavior of learners

accordingly. It is a theory of the learning process and social behavior which

proposes that new behavior can be acquired by observing and imitating

others. It states that learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social

context and can occur purely through observation or direct instruction, even in

the absence of motor reproduction or direct reinforcement (Smith, 2012).

Hence, cognition, environment, and behavior all mutually influence each other

to enhance the learning process (Smith and Smith, 2008).

Furthermore, this theory incorporates some of the implicit principles of

peer pressure. Specifically, students observe other students and model their

own behavior accordingly. Sometimes it’s to emulate peers; other times it’s to

distinguish themselves from peers. Harnessing the power of this theory

involves getting students’ attention, focusing on how students can retain

information, identifying when it’s appropriate to reproduce a previous

behavior, and determining students’ motivation. This theory underpins this

research by supplying and validating information on the factors that influence

teen slang and how it affects students in today's society. As a result, students

will notice and adopt teen slang that they hear and perceive from others while

surfing the internet and engaging with friends. Furthermore, without realizing

it, this may prompt them to use those words frequently, obstructing the

students' academic English vocabulary acquisition.

The Diffusion Innovation Theory (IDT) by Rogers (1962) proposes that

if certain innovations (ideas or products) are considered valuable by

individuals of a social system, then these will be accepted and applied. Those

19
innovations that have higher relative usefulness face a higher rate of

adoption. While the main focus of the adoption models has been on

organizations, where the acceptance of new technologies is crucial to

improves performance. Thus, factors that affect the rate of innovation diffusion

include the mix of rural to urban within a society's population, the society's

level of education, and the extent of industrialization and development.

Different societies are likely to have different adoption rates—the rate at which

members of a society accept an innovation. In fact, Hong and Tam (2006)

concentrated on the Multipurpose Information Appliances Adoption Model to

see how individuals adopt innovations. This theory strengthens the findings

since it implies that teen slang is an essential component of the generation's

language. As a result, most people, particularly teenagers, gradually embrace

and use it. Those will be adopted and applied in their daily lives as well as in

numerous circumstances, whether consciously or unintentionally.

Chomsky’s Universal Grammar (1960) a theory in linguistics suggests

that the ability to learn grammar is built into the human brain from birth

regardless of language. Linguists became interested in a new theory about

grammar, or the laws of language, the theory often focused on the effortless

language learning of young children. Chomsky didn’t believe that exposure to

a language was enough for a young child to become efficient at

understanding and producing a language. He believed that humans are born

with an innate ability to learn languages. According to Chomsky’s theory, the

basic structures of language are already encoded in the human brain at birth.

This “universal grammar theory” suggests that every language has some of

the same laws. For example, every language has a way to ask a question or

20
make something negative. In addition, every language has a way to identify

gender or show that something happened in the past or present. If the basic

grammar laws are the same for all languages, a child needs only to follow the

particular set of rules that his peers follow to understand and produce their

native language. In other words, his environment determines which language

he will use, but he is born with the tools to learn any language effectively.

Thus, this theory supports this study by explaining that every student has an

innate to learn any kind of language.

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 INVOLVEMENT
LOAD
HYPOTHESIS
Laufer and
Hulstijn (2001)

UNIVERSAL VOCABULARY
6/l
GRAMMAR TEEN SLANG: LEARNING
THEORY ACADEMIC STRATEGIES
ENGLISH THEORY
Chomsky VOCABULARY
(1960) Schmitt (1997)

DIFFUSION SOCIAL
LEARNING
OF
THEORY
INNOVATION
Bandura
Roger (1962)
(1977)

Figure 2: Theoretical Paradigm

22
 Conceptual Framework

Figure 2; shows the conceptual paradigm of the study. It follows the

Input-Process-Output or the IPO model to show the flow of the process of

conducting the study.

Input. It contains the common teen slang that is used by the grade 12

students of San Juan National High School. It also includes the factors that

influence the acquisition of teen slang and the level of academic English

vocabulary of grade 12 students.

Process. The process that this study includes the prepared request

letter to the advisers of the grade 12 students, creating and approval of survey

questionnaires, conducting surveys, and reviewing the data that will be

gathered.

Output. The outcome of this study is the identified relationship

between teen slang and English vocabulary acquisition of grade 12 students

of San Juan National High School.

23
THE USE OF TEEN SLANG TOWARDS ENGLISH VOCABULARY
ACQUISITION OF G12 STUDENTS

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

1. The commonly 1. Prepare a Relationship

used teen slang by request letter to the between teen slang

grade 12 students. advisers of the and academic

2. The factors that grade 12 students English vocabulary

influencing the together with the list acquisition of grade

acquisition of teen of names 12 students of San

slang by the grade 2. Creating survey Juan National High

12 students. questionnaires. School

3. The level of 3. Approval of the

academic English survey

vocabulary of grade questionnaires.

12 students. 4. Conducting of

surveys to the

grade 12 students.

5. The gathered

data will be

thoroughly

reviewed.

FEEDBACK

Figure 2: Conceptual paradigm

24
 Definition of Terms

To clarify the terms in this study, here are the further explanations

presented through conceptual and operational definitions.

Teen Slang

Slang is an informal non-standard variety of speech characterized by

newly coined and rapidly changing words and phrases. It is used in the

informal setting, especially in the young generation/teenagers. In this study,

teen slang is one of the varieties of language that consider as informal.

Therefore, the researchers conducted a study about this kind of language to

determine whether it affects the academic English vocabulary acquisition of

grade 12 students.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary refers to all words in a language that are understood by a

particular person or group of people. It is also the basis for language skills and

acquiring a second language. Thus, in this study, it refers to words that do not

necessarily in common or frequently encountered and used by the students.

These are primarily standard English words.

Academic English Vocabulary

Academic English vocabulary is defined as words that are traditionally

used in academic dialogue and text. These types of words are used to explain

a concept; they are not necessarily common or frequently encountered in

informal conversation. In this study, academic English vocabulary refers to the

standard English words that students should be able to use for educational

purposes.

25
Vocabulary Acquisition

According to Rupley, Logan, and Nichols (1998), vocabulary

acquisition requires the ability to discuss, elaborate, and use multiple contexts

or technical connotations to demonstrate a clear understanding of word

meanings. In this study, vocabulary acquisition refers to acquiring teen slang

from the different factors that highly influence its usage.

Internet

The Internet is a vast network that connects computers all over the

world. Through this, people can share information and communicate from

anywhere with an Internet connection. In this study, the internet is one of the

sources of teen slang. Hence, most of the slang words that are usually utilized

by the students come from the internet.

Peers

Peers belong to the same societal group especially based on age,

grade, or status. Thus, in this study peers are also one of the sources of teen

slang. Wherein, grade 12 students are teenagers that’s why their peers are

also teenagers which are equal to their standing. Teen slang is more

commonly created and used by teenagers.

Levels of Academic English Vocabulary

The levels of academic English vocabulary are used to measure the

vocabulary size and knowledge of students about the given language or

words. In this study, it pertains to the level of attainment reached by the

respondents who are grade 12 students based on the result of the test that

will be given to them. According to the Common European Framework of

Reference (CEFR), there are six levels in ascending order namely English

26
Level A1 (Beginner), English Level A2 (Elementary), English Level B1

(Intermediate), English Level B2 (Upper-Intermediate), English Level C1

(Advanced), and English Level C2 (Proficient).

English Level A1 (Beginner)

A person with an English level A1 is called a 'beginner'. At this level

one can: a) understands and use common everyday language and very basic

vocabulary; b) introduce himself and others and can ask and answer

questions about personal information like what's his name, how old he is, and

where he's from; c) communicate with other people in a simple and basic way;

d) read very short, simple texts with basic vocabulary.

English Level A2 (Elementary)

English level A2 is the second level of English. A person with English

level A2 is called an 'elementary' learner. At this level, a person has learned

the basics of English and can communicate with others about simple and

everyday subjects. A person with an A2 level of proficiency cannot understand

academic texts or English-language TV series, movies, etc. At this level one

can: a) communicate about basic personal information; b) interact in basic

and routine conversations; c) understand basic topics of everyday

communication.

English Level B1 (Intermediate)

The third level of English is B1. A learner at this level is called

'intermediate'. At this level, people have mastered the basic everyday topics,

but they cannot fully function in an English-based work or study environment.

At this level one can: a) comprehend the main points of a text about common

subjects; b) interact with other English speakers about common subjects,

27
especially while traveling; c) write simple texts on common subjects and their

interests; d) communicate about their past experiences, their opinions, their

hope for the future, etc. Thus, a learner with a B1 level of proficiency can

communicate in a limited way about common subjects and somehow manage

to understand more specific information.

English Level B2 (Upper-Intermediate)

The fourth level of English is B2. A person at this level is called 'upper-

intermediate'. At this level, learners can fully function in work or study

environments. Although they are not quite fluent and proficient. At this level

one can: a) comprehend the main points of longer and more difficult texts; b)

communicate with native English speakers fluently; c) write complex texts

about different subjects and express their opinions. Hence, a person with a B2

level of proficiency is able to work or study in an English-based environment.

Although they still may not be able to express themselves in more technical

subjects other than their own.

English Level C1 (Advanced)

English level C1 is the fifth level of English. Learners at this level are

called 'advanced'. At this level, they can fully function in any kind of situation

and can talk about a wide range of subjects either related or not related to

their field of study. At this level one can: a) comprehend the variety of topics

inside or outside their own field of the subject; b) convey their opinions without

much effort and with fluency; c) communicate without difficulty in any

situation; d) write very acceptable texts about most subjects inside or outside

their own field of subject.

28
English Level C2 (Proficient)

The final level of English is C2. A person at this level is called

'proficient'. A learner reaching this level can officially be called a 'bilingual' and

is equal to an educated English speaker. At this level one can: a) comprehend

everything written or spoken; b) express and understand information about

any kind of topic, technical or not; c) communicate fluently and effortlessly

about different arguments and opinions. Therefore, a person with a C2 level of

proficiency is able to use language more professionally than that an average

native speaker.

Assumption

This study is based on the following assumption:

1. Teen slang usage and the factors that determine its acquisition are

intertwined.

2. The acquisition of academic English vocabulary by grade 12 students is

highly influenced by teen slang.

Hypothesis

This study uses the “Null hypothesis” that serves as a guide that there

is no significant relationship between teen slang and academic English

vocabulary acquisition of the grade 12 students of San Juan National High

School.

29
 CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research design, the setting, the research

respondents, the research instrument, data gathering, and the statistical

treatment of the study.

Research design

This study will be using descriptive – correlational qualitative design.

Descriptive method to enumerate the commonly use teen slang, the factors

that influence the acquisition of teen slang by the students, and the level of

the academic English vocabulary of the grade 12 students. Correlational

method for the researchers to explain the relationship between the use of teen

slang and the academic English vocabulary acquisition of the G12 students of

San Juan National High School.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers prepared a letter to the principal of the school, after it

was approved, the researchers moved on to the next phase which is the data

gathering process. Data was collected by gathering the aggregated survey

results of the grade 12 students. The researchers-made survey questionnaire

was validated by the research adviser and panels. The approved

questionnaire was implemented and tested on the respondents of the study to

determine the commonly used teen slang, the factors that influence the

acquisition of teen slang by the students, and the level of the academic

English vocabulary of the grade 12 students. After collecting the aggregated

30
data, it was subject to data analysis and applied statistical treatment to

interpret the variables of the study. The study was also used a correlational

statistical tool to determine the relationship between Teen slang and

Academic English vocabulary of the G12 – students. Research implications

were constructed after the data analysis result and findings.

Research Instrument

The research instrument that the researchers used in this study was a

researchers-made “survey questionnaire” to determine the commonly used

teen slang, the factors that influence the acquisition of teen slang by the

students, and also to determine the level of academic English vocabulary of

the G12 – students. The questionnaire was divided into two parts wherein the

part I of the survey was to gather the data regarding the factors that influence

the student’s acquisition of teen slang words (A), and the commonly teen

slang words by the grade 12 students. The part II of the questionnaire was to

gather data regarding the academic English vocabulary of the G12 – students.

The format of the questionnaire was a checklist-style wherein there are

numbers of provided items followed by five tabled columns labeled as 5

(always), 4 (often), 3 (sometimes), 2 (rarely), and 1 for (never). These were

applied for both the first part and the second part of the survey questionnaire,

except for part 1 (A), which will be answered by (Yes/No) using indicators.

Research setting

31
 Respondents

The grade 12 students of San Juan National High School were

selected to be the respondents of the study. It consists of (399) students as

the population of the research. The researchers used Slovin’s formula to

accurately select a sample population that will serve as the respondents of the

study with a margin error of 0.05.

Statistical Treatment

To ensure the truthfulness and objectivity of the results, this study will

use various statistical instruments for analysis to interpret the data.

Weighted mean, was used to test the weight or probability, the

quantitative outcome will be summed up.

Frequency count and percentage techniques were used to describe the

representation of the participant.

For correlational, chi-square was used to determine the relationship

between the two variables.

OTHERS:

Others:

1. Please follow the previous format being used by the University in writing
research (delete the heading since we are not adopting this kind of format in
the college of education)
2. Observe proper spacing and margins of the manuscript

32
3. In the RRL, follow the format of writing an essay (start with an introduction,
the body which includes the studies “compare and contrast the content”, then
give a clincher or concluding statement on how these studies will help you
achieve the goal of your study)
4. Revise the content of your Conceptual Framework (add the other
processes)
5. Give proper citation of your conceptual definitions
6. Follow the APA 7th edition in referencing

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