Basic English Speaking Skills of Workers of Business Establishments in the Ground Level

of Gaisano Grand Mall Catarman, Northern Samar

Prepared by:

Hazmaign Jaqueline Arzadon

China Marie Cornico

Prepared for:

Maam Florence Caceres

 CHAPTER ONE

INRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Statement of the Problem

Objectives of the Study

Scope and Limitations of the Study

Significance of the Study

Theoretical Framework

Conceptual Framework

Paradigm

Hypothesis

Definition of Terms
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Speaking is known to be a persons basic tool. It is impossible for people to live, to think,

and to act without using any words to express their thoughts and ideas. It is a way of

communicating to others by exchanging ideas and wording it out. According to statistics, English

is the most spoken language worldwide. It shows that 1,500 million people speak English, and

375 million of them are native speakers. 1 The English language is derived from Germanic

languages, which is derived from Indo-European languages. The history of this language began

when the Germanic tribes, the Angles, Saxons, and the Jutes invaded Great Britain. 2 In these

days, mastery in English speaking is highly significant especially in the society. It can be

considered as a status symbol, or it can let others see how high ones educational

accomplishment is. Many people use English in most of their activities, specifically in

communicating. This language is usually opted to be used in the lives of most people.

Specifically in work, all sectors are required to possess skills in understanding and speaking

English. All employees in both public and private sectors are needed to have proficient

communicating skills especially in English to ensure that their clients, colleagues, customers, and

visitors are accommodated and are pleased by the offered services. Effective communication in

1
The Most Spoken Languages Worldwide (Speakers and Native Speakers in Millions) retrieved on
February 6, 2016, http:/www.statista.com/statistics/266808/the-most-spoken-languages-worldwide/
2
Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge, International Ed. (United States of America: Grolier
Incorporated, 1995), p. 54.
the said language is a skill that is often sought for in an employee. An employee with good

communicating skills can be more efficient when working and is more accommodating to the

people. Not being able to communicate in English proficiently, can lead to difficulties in work.

The misunderstanding between the worker and the customer or client may cause the reduction of

profit for the workers of certain business establishments. Thus, English speaking skills is a

necessity in all career forms.

In the country, the English language is taught in almost all schools whether it is a public

or private school. All levels of education, may it be elementary, secondary, and tertiary levels are

taught different forms and levels of English. Thus, it is expected that most people have

knowledge in the said language. But it is a reality in the society of the country that not all people

is given the chance to be educated, due to poverty, early marriage, illnesses or disability, lack of

access to education, and lack of interest in learning. Hence, these people may not be proficient

in English, nor fluent in speaking the language. If this is the case, they may encounter

difficulties in communicating to others and trouble in understanding English. Especially in

working, some jobs require workers to comprehend and to talk in the language. Business

establishment workers or employees are needed to extra laborious to make their work extra great.

If these workers are not proficient in English, they may not accommodate or give the services

expected by the clients thus, giving them an unfavorable impression. The ability to express

fluently in both written as well as oral form of language is very much essential for the career

growth of workers of business establishments. No matter what career a person choose, having a

good background of English can increase ones odds of success.

 In connection with this, the people benefited will boost their learning of the English

language and they can improve their speaking skills using the language. Particularly in their

careers, they need their skill and capability in speaking English fluently. Increasing ones

knowledge of English will impress people and make a person respectable and well-informed.

English is the commonly used language in the corporate world, making it the one of the most

important employability skill. Proper English does not mean only the ability to make

grammatically correct sentences. It means other related skills for effective communication used

in ones career choice. This study aimed to discover the business establishment workers English

speaking skills and to improve their capabilities.

Objectives of the Study

This study sought to determine the basic English speaking skills of speaking skills of

workers of the business establishments in Gaisano Grand Mall, Catarman, Northern Samar.

Specifically, this study is aimed to:

1. To determine the demographic-profile of the workers according to their:

a. Age
b. Gender
c. Civil status
d. Educational attainment
2. To find out the level of the basic English speaking skills of the respondents.
3. To ascertain if there is a significant relationship between the socio-demographic profile of

the respondents and the basic English speaking skills of the business establishment

workers of Catarman, Northern Samar.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

 This study was conducted in Catarman, Northern Samar and limited for the time-frame

2016-2017. The main purpose of this study was to determine what socio-demographic

characteristics affect the English speaking skills of the respondents and to discover the level of

Basic English speaking skills of workers of certain business establishments in the said locale.

The uncertified cooperation and attention of the respondents, the limited time, and the un-

guaranteed cooperation of the respondents regarding the operation of the oral test served as the

limitations in this study.

Significance of the Study

In ones career choice, it is necessary to attain basic knowledge of the English language.

English speaking skills is one sought after skill in a worker. This study greatly focused on the

basic English speaking skills of the workers. The findings of this study will make one to be

aware of the level of speaking skills of the respondents using English. Having a good

background in English can make a worker improve in his career. Thus, this can help the

respondents amend in this particular aspect.

The finding of this study will provide significant contributions of the following

beneficiaries:

Respondents, This study will give information to the workers of Catarman, N. Samar

regarding their skills in speaking basic English. The study will also help them know how to

improve their ability, and enable them to understand the importance of having knowledge in

communicating to their customers using the English language. Furthermore, the result of this
study will help them understand the necessity of knowing the basic English speaking skills not

only to show other people that they are eloquent, but also to prevent misunderstanding between

the customer and the respondent.

Customer, This study will be very helpful to them as this can enable them to know if the

workers of business establishments in the ground level of Gaisano Grand Mall of Catarman, N.

Samar are capable of speaking and understanding basic English. Also, they will be

accommodated in an effective way by the workers with good English speaking skills.

Manager/Owner, The findings of this study will benefit the owner of the business

estblishments as this can lessen the difficulty to manage their workers as they can assist

customers without their supervision. Also, for the managers or owners part, they can

communicate to people and customers in English in the most effective way.

Future Researchers, The results of this study will serve as a basis and reference if ever

they conduct a study related to this. Our future researchers will also have knowledge and ideas

that may help them to gain more information about similar studies.

Theoretical Framework

The Theory on Habit Formation anchored this research study.3 This theory states that

learning to speak well is like learning any other significant skill. It begins with the determination

and the desire to learn. It improves with the help of practice. Language is a habit, thus it can only

be developed by practice.
 In recent times, the importance of workers to have good communication skills in English

is highly demanded in careers. Betsy Stevens, an associate professor of business in Zayed

University of Business, reported that employers believed that a low proficiency language skill

was a difficult factor for employment. He also maintained that many students with low

proficiency English language skills cannot be employed because of clients expectations. In the

workplace contexts, employees need oral communication skills in English language to be

successful in their jobs as they must carry out different communicative tasks such as

presentations, meetings and negotiations.4 Workers in any business form believed that employees

having little knowledge of English cannot be employed easily due to what clients and customers

expect. In order for workers to do their job well, they must be at least oriented in oral English. In

working, employees are expected to communicate in the business language effectively, especially

when dealing with professional people. Oral communication is not the only skill a good worker

must possess, but also writing in the language efficiently. That is why having good English

speaking skills is essential for employment and career growth.

This study was also supported by Hymes Theory on Communicative Competence and

Profile which attributes communicative competence to the fact that a normal child acquires

knowledge of sentences not only as grammatical structures but also of what is appropriate. 5 The

respondents are different from one other, meaning they came from different families and place of

origin. The theory holds the idea that communicative competence can be determined by the

individuals profile in terms of language spoken at home, availability of reading materials, co-

3
Wendy Wood and Dennis Runger, Psychology of Habit, Theory on Habit Formation, (Annual Review,
Copyright 2016).
4
Betsy Stevens, What Communication Skills Do Employers Want? English fir Specific Purposes
retrieved on February 13, 2016, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812052822
curricular activities, last school attended, and the language they commonly speak in

conversations.

This study was also anchored on William Letterwoods Theory on Functional

Communicative Activities.6 The principle underlying this theory is that the workers or

employees discuss, organize, share information and discover situations for certain

communication tasks among themselves through the use of the communicative approach, that is

allowing the learning and improvement experience to take place independently. In this case,

learners develop and improve their speaking skills leading towards greater communicative

ability.

Conceptual Framework

The researchers hypothesized that the respondents basic English speaking skills will be

affected by their socio-demographic profile, such as age, gender, civil status, and educational

attainment. These independent variables will be affected by the ability of the workers basic

English speaking skills.

Furthermore, the researchers believed that if the workers would accept English as the

language to use in their career, they could be proficient in their speaking skills using the lingua

franca. The researchers also believe that if the respondents can be fluent in English speaking,

they can grow in their career, which is a step to higher recognitions.

5
Hymes Dell, Direction in Socio-linguistic. 2nd Edition (USA: McMillan Publishing Co., 2006) pp. 31-32.
6
William Letterwood, Communicative Competence. (USA: McMillan Publishing Co., 2006) pp. 18-19.
Paradigm

Independent Variables Dependent Variable

Socio-demographic
Profile of the
Respondents: Basic English
Age Speaking Skills
Gender
Civil Status
Educational
Attainment

Null Hypothesis

There is no significant relationship between the socio-demographic profile and the basic

English speaking skills of the workers of business establishments in the gound level of Gaisano

Grand Mall in Catarman, Northern Samar.

Definition of Terms

In order to have an easy and better understanding, the following terminologies are

defined by the researchers conceptually and operationally.

 English, It is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England

and is now a global lingua franca. Operationally, it is the basis of the speaking skills of the

respondents in this study.

Worker, It is defined as person who does a particular job to earn money. It is defined as

the respondents of this study, specifically workers of the business establishments.

Speaking Skills, It is defined as to say words to express thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

In this study, it was defined to as the skills of the respondents in speaking the English language.

Age, It was defined as the years old of the respondents that will answer the questions.

Gender, It was defined as the sex of the respondents, whether the respondents are male or

female.