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Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM

Every area of a student's education benefits from their proficiency in the

English language. The majority of students' knowledge and many of their abilities

are acquired through the English language. Learning English is primarily

intended to equip the student with the skills necessary to contribute effectively to

class discussions and articulate his or her opinions. Learning English is difficult

since it involves more than just understanding and using words in conversation.

Nevertheless, communicating and taking up its spirit requires an intellectual,

physical, and emotional reaction. Learning English requires assimilating a new

culture, way of thinking, and emotional state. The English language aids learners

in excellent communication, comprehension, and sharing of ideas and

experiences (Vecchio & Guerrero, 2019).

In the Philippines, according to the article by Business Mirror Editorial last

2019, the advantage for the Filipinos who are proficient in using the English

language is being eroded by rising competition from other Asian countries and

needs to step up its efforts in improving the teaching and learning of English,

developing it as a vital skill of the workforce.

Department of Education states that 10 out of 30 barangays that are

lacking the proficiency in using the English language are in Mindanao. The

reason behind its low rate in proficiently speaking the English language is the

lack of quality
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education and facilities to perform different activities and programs that

could help students enhance their English-speaking skills (Roa, 2018).

RocketNews24 conducted an interview with some Japanese and Korean

citizens. A Korean citizen said that he has been learning the English language

since he was from third or fourth grade. But even with all those years of English

education, it didn’t seem like it prepared him for using it in real life. When he was

asked on his thoughts in learning the English language, he responded that it was

just like any other subject in school, such as math or science. The class focused

on learning grammar and memorizing it for the tests. However, these tests did

not even evaluate language ability; rather they focused on academic progress

and most of the time they forgot what they studied right after the exam. He also

stated that when he hears someone speaking in English, he starts sweating and

will get anxious.

Lastly, this study was conducted in learning to determine the difficulties

and challenges encountered among Grade 11 HUMSS students in Agusan

National High School Senior High School, in order to proposed an Action plan to

enhance their academic performances.

Theoretical framework

The study aimed to better understand the difficulties that HUMSS students

face when learning English as a second language and investigated the potential

impact of constructivism theory, linguistic theory, and language acquisition on

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their language learning process. This research seeks to provide helpful insights

into the tactics and treatments that can help HUMSS students overcome

language challenges.

CONSTRUCTIVISM THEORY

The theory of constructivism theory supports this study by Jean Piaget

and Lev Vygotsky, 1960s. Constructivism theory is a cognitive learning paradigm

that stresses active knowledge creation by learners through their experiences

and interactions with their surroundings. It asserts that people actively construct

their understanding and knowledge by integrating new information into their pre-

existing mental frameworks.

Recent research has looked into the use of constructivism theory in

language schools, highlighting its usefulness in improving language acquisition

and competency. Cárdenas (2018), for example, conducted a study on the

impact of constructivism theory on HUMSS students' English language learning

and discovered that student-centered approaches and collaborative activities

promoted language growth. Similarly, Li and Fan (2020) studied the impact of a

constructivist-oriented instructional paradigm on HUMSS students' English

writing skill, demonstrating considerable improvements.

LINGUISTIC THEORY

This study also supported by the Noam Chomsky's linguistic theory.

Linguistic theory illuminates the formal features of language, assisting learners in

understanding the rules and patterns that govern language use. Learners can
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improve their comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation skills by

studying language structures and aspects. Linguistic theory also contributes to

the development of language awareness by allowing students to assess and

critically evaluate language use in various circumstances.

Recent studies have looked into the role of linguistic theory in language

learning, specifically in the context of English competency. Zhang (2019), for

example, studied the effect of syntactic awareness on English reading

comprehension among HUMSS students. The study discovered that a better

understanding of syntactic structures was substantially associated to better

reading comprehension skills. Furthermore, Lu (2021) investigated the effects of

explicit instruction on English grammar acquisition among HUMSS students,

finding that it had a beneficial impact on grammatical accuracy and proficiency.

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION THEORY

Lastly, Jean Piaget's language acquisition theory describes the process

through which people learn and internalize a language, whether it is their first or

second language. It includes a number of ideas and frameworks that attempt to

explain how language abilities are acquired, developed, and applied.

Recent studies have explored language acquisition theories in relation to

English language learning among HUMSS students. For instance, Chen and

Wang (2018) examined the impact of sociocultural theory on oral English

proficiency development and found that collaborative activities and authentic

communication opportunities fostered language acquisition. Furthermore, Park

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and Kang (2022) investigated the role of cognitive factors, such as working

memory capacity, in English vocabulary acquisition, highlighting its significance

in language learning outcomes.

Conceptual framework

The primary concept of this study is focused on Language Barriers to

English Proficiency, the Challenges encountered by HUMSS students at Agusan

National High School, A.D. Curato St., Butuan City, 8600 Agusan Del Norte.

Figure 1: shows the conceptual framework for this study, which

investigates the relationship between language barriers to English proficiency

and the challenges faced in learning a second foreign language, as well as the

strategies they employ to overcome these challenges.

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Demographic Profile Challenges Proposed Action

encountered by the Plan
 Age
students
 Sex
 Gender
 Ethnicity
Language Barriers
 Physical
 Psychological
 Social

Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Study

Statement of the Problem

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This study aimed to determine how Language Barriers to English Proficiency,

the Challenges encountered by HUMSS students’ ability to communicate in

English.

Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the participants?

1.1 age;

1.2 sex; and gender;

1.3 ethnicity

2. What is the extent of language barriers encountered by the participants in

learning English in terms of:

2.1 physical;

2.2 psychological;

2.3 social

3. What is the level of challenges in language barriers to English proficiency

encountered by the participants?

4. Based on the findings, what action plan may be proposed?

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study focused on eleventh-grade children in the transitional stage of

language learning. Their experiences may offer insightful information about how

non-native English speakers improve their English competence. The study

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gathered information from Grade 11-HUMSS using a quantitative descriptive

research approach, such as focus groups or interviews.

The study's limitation was a small sample size, which doesn’t necessarily

represent all Grade-11 HUMMS students. The study was restricted to Agusan

National High School, A.D. Curato St., Butuan City, which would limit how

broadly the results could be applied.

Significance of the Study

The study can assist in identifying the particular language barriers that

Grade-11 HUMSS students encounter and exploring practical solutions to these

issues. Recognizing these obstacles can help educators and decision-makers

create suitable techniques and interventions to aid English language learners,

particularly those in Grade-11, improve their English proficiency.

The result of the study will also benefit the following:

Students. The study can help non-native English speakers in grade 11

HUMSS become more aware of their unique language learning difficulties. These

students will better comprehend the causes of their difficulties and come up with

solutions.

Teachers. The result of the study can inform teaching practices that consider

the unique challenges faced by non-native English speakers in grade 11-

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HUMSS. This can lead to more effective instruction, improved outcomes for

students, and ultimately, better preparedness for academic and career success.

Parents. The study's results can help non-native English speakers' parents

by giving them a better knowledge of their children’s difficulties when learning

English.

School Administrator. The study's findings can help the school

administration understand the unique challenges that grade 11-HUMSS

encounter. This may result in more intervention programs and more effective

education.

Future Researchers. The result of the study can assist in better

comprehension of the process of acquiring a language, particularly the unique

difficulties in grade 11-HUMSS. This could help researchers create new theories

and models to explain language learning and improve curriculum and programs

for language learning.

Definition of Terms

To understand objectively the reference of the terms included in this study,

technical meaning and operational definitions are provided:

Age. This refers to the chronological age of the grade 11-HUMSS

learners.
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English language learning. This refers to the process by which non-

native speakers of English in grade 11-HUMSS learn the language and become

proficient in it.

Ethnicity. This is defined as the ethnic background of the grade 11-

HUMSS learners.

Gender. This refers to the gender identities of the grade 11-HUMSS

learners.

Grade 11 Learners. This refers to the grade 11-HUMSS students who are

non-native English speakers and the study participants.

Language Barriers. This refers to the obstacles or difficulties that may

occur when individuals from different linguistic backgrounds try to communicate

with each other.

Language Proficiency. This refers to the proficiency in the English

language attained by non-native speakers by the end of grade 11.

Participants. This refers to grade 11-HUMSS learners learning English as

a second or foreign language instead of their mother tongue.

Physical. This refers to the spoken language of the physiological and

physical nature of speaking and hearing.

Psychological. This refers to the speaker's psychological state as they

talk in English.

Sex. This refers to the biological sex of the grade 11-HUMSS learners.
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Social. This refers to where the speaker was born, grew up, now lives,

educates, works, and ages are all mentioned here.