Causes of Failures in English Placement Test Among BEED

Freshman Enrollees in University of Eastern Philippines Laoang

Campus

JOHN CARL S. RONATO

An Action Research
1

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree
BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION
University of Eastern Philippines Laoang Campus
Laoang, Northern Samar

January, 2013
APPROVAL SHEET
This action research entitled, Causes of Failures in English
Placement Test Among BEED Freshman Enrollees in UEP Laoang
prepared and submitted by John Carl S. Ronato, in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the English-411 for the degree Bachelor of
Secondary Education has been examined and is hereby recommended
for final defense.

MA. ASUNCION G. DESALES, MAT

Adviser
Date:______________
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommended for acceptance and approval.

PANEL OF EXAMINERS

ARLENE A. PADILLA, MALT

Member
Date:_____________

TEODY M.CORACHEA, MAEd

2

Chairperson
Date:_____________
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the Subject English-411 for the degree Bachelor of Secondary
Education.

JOCELYN P. IGDON, MSBED

Chair, College of Education
Date:_____________
TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

TITLE PAGE
APPROVAL SHEET
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.

Introduction

II.

Identification of the problem

III.

Analysis of the Problem

IV.

Hypothesis

V.
VI.

Definition of Terms
Collection and Interpretation of Data
A. Subjects
B. Instrument
C. Procedures

VII. Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data

Strategies in Learning English Used by Students
Teachers Strategies Used in Teaching English as Perceived
by Students
Results of the English Placement Test of the Respondents
VIII. Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
Summary
Conclusions
Recommendations

BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDICES
A. Questionnaire
B. Letter to the Head of Guidance and Testing Center
C. Letter to the Chair of Teacher Education Department
D. Letter to the Subject Teacher
E. Letter to the Respondents
F. Certification of the Reading Committee
G. Rating Form on Oral Examination

I. Introduction
English is the worlds dynamic language; may its variety be
American or British, it stays as the most widely used language globally.
Here in the Philippines, English is used in government offices,
educational institutions, trading and industrial corporations; as a matter
5

of fact, it is one of our official languages other than Filipino 1 and has
been used as a medium of instruction dating back to the American
occupation. This is the reason why English is a vital part of our
curriculum and why educational institutions throughout the country
especially in the tertiary level require freshman enrollees to take the
English placement test. They want to prepare the Filipino youth so they
may be well-versed in English and become more globally competitive.
In the University of Eastern Philippines Laoang (UEPL) Campus,
taking the English placement test is one of the most crucial stages a
freshman enrollee has to go through. Through this test, the Guidance
and Testing Center can determine which English subject an enrollee
should take; that is, if an applicant passed the test, he/she can then
proceed to English III, but if otherwise, the applicant must take English
Plus, a subject which is prerequisite of English III, that is basically a
review of the English grammar.
Sadly, since 2011 there is a greater of number freshman enrollees
in UEPL who fail in the English placement tests. Last year, there were
222 out of 347 takers who failed in the English placement test and this
1For purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of
the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English,
Article XIV, Section 7, 1987 Philippine Constitution.
6

year there were 347 out of 562 takers2 who failed.This indicates that even
though English has been used as the medium of instruction from
elementary onwards, many college freshman enrollees still find the
English language difficult to study and use in and out of school.
There are many factors which can lead to these failures. There are
physical factors wherein a learner may have speech and language
disorders or auditory or visual impairments which hinder them in the
acquisition of linguistic skills particularly in English; the teaching styles
and methodologies used by their past English teachers in high school
and the learners attitude toward the learning; the degree of exposure of
the learners to the second language through media and literature; and,
the learners personal usage of the second language, among others.
Hence, this paper is focused on learning strategies of the students and
the strategies their teachers used in the classroom since the researcher
believes that these two are the closest and most influential. This study
attempted to justify if these two factors are related to the causes why the
respondents failed in their English placement test.

2Guidance and Testing Center, English Placement Test Result S.Y. 2010-2011
and 2011-2012, data as of June, 2012.
7

II.

Identification of the Problem

This study aimed to answer the following:

1. What are the learning strategies used by the respondents during

high school?
2. What are the strategies used by the teachers in teaching English as
perceived by the respondents?
3. What is the result of the English placement test of the
respondents?
4. What is the relation of the learning strategies used by the
respondents during high school with the result of the respondents
English placement test?
5. What is the relation of the strategies used by the teacher in
teaching English with the result of the respondents English
placement test?
III.

Analysis of the Problem

English is used as an official language of instruction other than

Filipino (e.g., Filipino and Social Studies) in the Philippine educational
system. However, in a local perspective, many students with English
subjects find it difficult to apply in the classroom or even at home.
Because of this, they tend to have low English linguistic skills.

The conditions prevailing in the school where a learner studied, the

competence of teachers and the personal circumstances of the learner
are the determinants that affected the linguistic skills of the students
that led to their failure in the English placement test3.
Most of the students do not practice English at all. Most of them
have only a functional literacy in English because they do not discover
ways for them to improve in the second language.
Even though Tejero (1990) claims that we are the third largest
English-speaking nation in the world, this still remains a myth especially
when we look at the state of our local educational system. One columnist
even said, Does it mean a deep knowledge of English, or functional
English just enough to get by?4 This claim can perhaps be applicable
only to those students who receive expensive quality education in the
cities.

IV.

Hypothesis

3 Carolina Z. Bucal, Ed. D., Determinants of the English Competency of Call

Center Employees: A Possible Springboard for Instructional Intervention, (An Action
Research: Manila, Philippines, 2010), p. 7.

4Remoto, Danton, Never Fear English, abs-cbnNEWS.com.

9

This study sought to attest that lack of practice of the language is

the primary reason why students have poor linguistic skills in English
causing them to fail in the English placement test.

V.

Definition of Terms
English Placement Test. This refers to the type of test
which measures the English proficiency of freshman enrollees to
determine what English subject they should take (i.e., English III
or English Plus in UEPL).
Functional Literacy. It refers to the basic knowledge
required to function adequately in ones immediate environment5.
Learning Strategies. Refer to rules, principles, and
procedures used to facilitate learning, frequently applicable to a
variety of specific learning tasks6.
Linguistic Skills. Refer to acquisition and use of vocabulary
and the syntactic aspects of language in order to communicate in
the oral and written realms7.

5Carol Sullivan Spafford, Ed. D., et. al., The Cyclopedic Education Dictionary,
(Albany, New York: Delmar Publishers, 1998), p. 111.
6 http://www.education.com/definition/learning-strategies/

7Spafford., Op. Cit., p. 158.

10

Literacy. This refers to the acquisition and use of basic

written

and

oral

language

skills

necessary

for

adequate

communication and life-functioning in a society. Literacy includes

the notion of cultural literacy or the importance of possessing
necessary cultural information in order to be socially productive
and accepted8.
Placement Test. This refers to the test assigned to students
to courses: a test given to students entering a school, college or
university to find the most appropriate course or classes for them9.

VI.

Collection and Interpretation of Data

A. Subject
This study was confined to forty-nine (49) freshman enrollees of

UEPLaoang (now enrolled in the course Bachelor of Elementary

Education) who had taken English Plus, that is, those who failed in the
English Placement Test conducted by the Guidance and Testing Center in
the summer of 2012 during the enrollment for the first semester of the
School Year 2012-2013.
8 Ibid.

9 Encarta Dictionaries. Microsoft Encarta 2007. 1996-2006 Microsoft

Corporation.
11

B. Research Instrument
A survey questionnaire was used as the primary instrument to
gather data on finding out the causes of failure of the respondents in the
English placement test. The survey questionnaire was composed of two
parts. The first part dealt with the strategies of the respondents in
learning English when they were in high school. It contained 15 different
learning strategies adapted from the SILL Questionnaire (Strategies
Inventory of Language Learning) by Oxford (1990) which was used in the
study of Aiqun Li titled A Look at Chinese ESL Students Use of Learning
Strategies in Relation to Their English Language Proficiency, Gender and
Perceived Language Difficulties A Quantitative Study. The SILL
Questionnaire a two part questionnaire under Learning Strategies
Questionnaire was originally composed of 50 learning strategies; the
researcher hand-picked the most common strategies used by a typical
student and rephrased them to be used as the questionnaire of this
study.
The second part dealt with the strategies used by the teachers in
teaching English during high school as perceived by the respondents. It
contained 15 different strategies used by a teacher in teaching English
12

adapted from the survey questionnaire of Jeong-Ah Lees dissertation

titled Teachers Sense of Efficacy in Teaching English, Perceived English
Language Proficiency, and Attitudes Toward the English Language: A
Case of Korean PublicElementary School Teachers. The items were
rephrased and modified according to the learners perspective.
This researcher had chosen to pattern his questionnaire on the
above stated studies by researchers of Asian descent since their studies
dealt with how individuals respond to English as a second language
taught in the classroom.
Regarding the scoring and interpretation, the items for the
questionnaire used a five-level Likert-type scale10 with the following
scales and interpretation:
5 - Always
4 - Often
3 - Sometimes
2 - Rarely
1 - Never
10 Likert scale or Likert-type scalea psychometric scale commonly
involved in research that employs questionnaires. The scale is named after its
inventor, psychologist Rensis Likert.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Likert_scale)
13

C. Data Gathering Procedure

After the finalization of the

questionnaire,

the

researcher

conducted the survey during the respondents English Plus class after
asking permission from the College Dean and their subject teacher.
After gathering the questionnaires, the researcher asked for the
names of the respondents from the subject teacher and asked for their
English placement test result from the Guidance and Testing Center.
After tabulating the data from the questionnaires, the researcher
computed the mean of each item according to the given weighted points
of the scale. And after tabulating the results of the respondents English
placement test, the researcher also computed the mean of each section
and their total average score. The researcher, then, consulted a
statistician to validate the results of the tabulation and the computation.
The researcher determined the degree of usage of the respondents
strategies in learning English and strategies used by their teachers in
teaching English. The statistical tools used were mostly on frequency
counts, mean, weighted mean, ranking and percentage.
The computation for the data gathered from the Guidance and
Testing Center for the scores of the respondents in each section of the

14

English placement test is total number of scores divided by total number

of items multiplied by 50 plus 50.

2 Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation of Data

The following sections are the textual and tabular presentations of
the data collected from the 30-item questionnaire answered by the 49
BEEd respondents.
A. Strategies in Learning English Used by Students
The data on Table 1 shows the strategies that the respondents
used in learning English when they are in high school; it is ranked from
the most used strategy to the least used. Items 1, I used to go to school
every day so that I would not miss my subjects especially in English and
8, I read English books and/or watched English programs so that I
would improve my vocabulary and/or pronunciation ties up at the
highest rank with a weighted mean of 4.49 interpreted as good; next
are items 2, I used to listen carefully and take down notes in our English
class so that I may review my lessons at home and 6, I used the
dictionary every time I encountered new words to improve my
vocabulary tying up at second with the weighted mean of 4.14
interpreted as good; and, items 4, I used skimming when I read
English passages to get the main idea, and then I go back and read it
15

again so that I would fully understand what I was reading and 12, I
wrote down or remembered my mistakes which I made during class
recitation so that I could correct myself next time tying up at third with
a weighted mean of 3.8 interpreted as good. All of the items with the
most frequency of usage have interpretations as Good.
On the other hand, item 10, I gave/paid attention to someone
fluent in speaking English and tried to speak as fluent as him/her so
that I could also be a good English speaker with a weighted mean of
3.24 interpreted as fair; next was item 13, I set objectives for me to
improve my English and become a better English speaker got the least
frequency of usage with a weighted mean of 3.27 interpreted as fair;
and item 11, I tried to find as many ways as I could to use my English
with a weighted mean of 3.29 interpreted as fair. All of the items with
the least frequency of usage had interpretations as Fair.
The table indicated in general that the respondents had good
strategies in learning English when they were in high school. However
items 3, 9, 10, 11 and 13 which got the lowest ranks with Fair
including I used to memorize the grammar rules in English so that I
would speak and write better (3) and I tried to speak with fluency using

16

English during class recitation (9).The students had good learning

strategies when they were in high school.
Table 1
Strategies in Learning English Used by Students
WM

RANK

IN

1. I used to go to school every day so that I would not miss my

subjects especially in English.

4.49

1.5

Good

2. I used to listen carefully and take down notes in our English

class so that I may review my lessons at home.

4.14

3.5

Good

3. I used to memorize the grammar rules in English so that I

would speak and write better.

3.31

12

Fair

3.8

5.5

Good

5. I tried not to translate paragraphs in English word-for-word

but translated them by what they generally mean.

3.53

10

Good

6. I used the dictionary every time I encountered new words to

improve my vocabulary.

4.14

3.5

Good

7. I reviewed my English lessons regularly especially the topics

which I found difficult.

3.67

Good

8. I read English books and/or watched English programs so

that I would improve my vocabulary and/or pronunciation.

4.49

1.5

Good

9. I tried to speak with fluency using English during class

recitation.

3.37

11

Fair

10. I gave/paid attention to someone fluent in speaking English

and tried to speak as fluent as him/her so that I could also
be a good English speaker.

3.24

15

Fair

11. I tried to find as many ways as I could to use my English.

3.29

13

Fair

12. I wrote down or remembered my mistakes which I made

during class recitation so that I could correct myself next
time.

3.8

5.5

Good

3.27

14

Fair

4. I used skimming when I read English passages to get the

main idea, and then I go back and read it again so that I
would fully understand what I was reading.

13. I set objectives for me to improve my English and become a

better English speaker.

17

14. I asked some of my friends who were good in English to

correct me every time I made mistakes in speaking or
writing in English.

3.76

Good

15. I asked my teachers help on the areas which I found

difficult in English.

3.65

Good

GRAND MEAN:

3.67

Good

Legend: WMWeighted Mean INInterpretation

B. Teachers Strategies Used in Teaching English as Perceived

by Students
The data on Table 2 showed the strategies that the respondents
teachers used in teaching English when they were in high school; it was
ranked from the most used strategy to the least used. Item 1, The
teachers introduced the grammar rules and gave examples before getting
us to practice got the highest rank with a weighted mean of 4.61
interpreted as Very Good; next is item 14, The teachers provided a
healthy English-speaking environment in the classroom to help us
improve our proficiency in English with a mean of 4.53 interpreted as
Good; tying up at third are items 2, The teachers administered drills in
speaking, listening, reading and writing for us to become more proficient
in English; 5, The teachers gave us varied assessment tools to measure
our linguistic skills; and 15, The teachers asked us to cite the areas

18

which we found difficult in English so that they would be improved with

a weighted mean of 4.41 interpreted as Good.
Meanwhile, item 10, The teachers gave remedial classes to those
students who had difficulties in the subject with a weighted mean of
3.37 interpreted as Fair; item 4, The teachers used a wide variety of
instructional materials to effectively teach English with a weighted mean
of 3.49 interpreted as Fair; and, item 12, The teacher encouraged us
to watch English films and television programs to help us develop our
linguistic skills with a weighted mean of 3.53 interpreted as Good.
The table indicated in general that the respondents perceived their
teachers in high school as having good strategies in teaching English.
Items 1 only got an interpretation of very good and items 4 and 10 with
fair interpretation while the rest of the indicators with good
interpretation. The teachers used good strategies in teaching English.
Table 2
Teachers Strategies Used in Teaching English as Perceived by
Students
WM

RANK

IN

1.

The teachers introduced the grammar rules and gave

examples before getting us to practice.

4.61

Very
Good

2.

The teachers administered drills in speaking, listening,

reading and writing for us to become more proficient in
English.

4.41

Good

4.1

10

Good

3.

The teachers used a wide variety of teaching strategies to

19

effectively teach English. (Brainstorming, small-group

discussion, demonstration, games, question & answer,
role-playing, etc.)
4.

The teachers used a wide variety of instructional

materials to effectively teach English. (Posters, pictures,
handouts, slides, audiotapes, films, videos, etc.)

3.49

14

Fair

The teachers gave us varied assessment tools to measure

our linguistic skills. (Quizzes, reports, drawing and
writing activities, book reports, etc.)

4.41

Good

6.

The teachers corrected me whenever I committed errors

in constructing sentences during class recitation.

4.37

Good

7.

The teachers helped me in translating my sentences into

English if I used Tagalog or Waray.

3.96

11

Good

8.

The teachers criticized my written outputs if my

grammar was incorrect or had wrong spellings, and then,
they showed me how to write/spell them correctly.

4.18

Good

The teachers would re-teach the lessons on grammar if

we did not understand them.

4.35

Good

10. The teachers gave remedial classes to those students who

had difficulties in the subject.

3.37

15

Fair

11. The teachers encouraged us to memorize grammar rules

to value accuracy in using English.

3.82

12

Good

12. The teacher encouraged us to watch English films and

television programs to help us develop our linguistic
skills.

3.53

13

Good

13. The teachers encouraged us to read books written in

English to help us widen our vocabulary in English.

4.31

Good

14. The teachers provided a healthy English-speaking

environment in the classroom to help us improve our
proficiency in English.

4.53

Good

15. The teachers asked us to cite the areas which we found

difficult in English so that they would be improved.

4.41

Good

5.

9.

GRAND MEAN:

4.12

Good

Legend: WMWeighted Mean INInterpretation

C. Results of the English Placement Test of the Respondents

20

The data on Table 3 showed the tally of results of the 49

respondents English Placement Test acquired from the Guidance and
Testing Center. In Choice of Words, 4 got 86-90%, 15 got 81-85%, 15
got 75-80% and 15 got 74%-below. In Correct Usage, only one got 8690%, 2 got 81-85%, 13 got 75-80% and 33 got 74%-below. In Word
Order, only one got 86-90%, 12 got 75-80% and 36 got 74%-below. In
Cloze Test, 2 got 81-85%, 10 got 75-80% and 36 got 74%-below. In
Logical Organization, only 1 got 96%-above, 4 got 86-90%, 17 got 7580% and 27 got 74%-below. In Letter Writing, only one got 81-85%, 3
got 75-80% and 45 got 74%-below.
The table showed that Letter Writing has the most number of
respondents who got 74%-below and only one respondent got 96%-above
in Logical Organization.
Table 3
Results of the English Placement Test of the Respondents
Rating

Choice of
Words

Correct
Usage

Word
Order

Cloze
Test

Logical
Organization

Letter
Writing

96 above

91 95

86 90

21

81 85

15

75 80

15

13

12

10

17

74 below

15

33

36

37

27

45

D. Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

Summary
This study is titled Causes of Failure in English Placement Test
among

BEED

Freshman

Enrollees

in

the

University

of

Eastern

Philippines aimed to determine the causes of failure of BEED freshmen

in the English placement test conducted by the Guidance and Testing
Center last summer during the enrollment period for the first semester,
S.Y. 2012-2013. The study was conducted to forty-nine (49) BEED
students enrolled in English Plus under Inst. Pedrito Espia in the first
semester, S.Y. 2012-2013 in UEP Laoang, Laoang, Northern Samar.
A questionnaire was primarily used in this study which contained
the strategies used by the respondents during high school and the
strategies used by their teachers in teaching English as perceived by the
respondents and relating their responses in the questionnaire to their
English placement test result. The respondents English placement test
results were also secured from the Guidance and Testing Center. The
data were analyzed using frequency counts, percentage and mean.
22

The findings of the survey revealed that the respondents in general

had good strategies in learning English when they were in high school.
The respondents often used to go to school every day so that they would
not miss their subjects especially in English and they often read English
books and/or watched English programs so that they would improve
their vocabulary and/or pronunciation. However, giving/paying attention
to someone who was fluent in speaking English and trying to speak as
fluent as him/her so that they could also be a good English speaker was
the least in the rank. Moreover, setting objectives for them to improve
their English and became a better English speaker, finding as many ways
as they could to use their English, memorizing the grammar rules and
speaking with fluency using English during class recitation were among
the strategies with fair usage.
The findings of the survey also revealed that the respondents had
observed that their teachers had good strategies in teaching English
during high school. The teachers always introduced the grammar rules
and gave examples to the students before getting them to practice. But
they would occasionally give remedial classes to those students who had
difficulties in the subject. They had also observed that in teaching

23

English their teachers only used a rather limited variety of instructional

materials.
In the English placement test, Letter Writing had the most
number of respondents who got 74%-below and only one respondent got
96%-above in Logical Organization.

Conclusions
The overall result of the survey revealed that the respondents had
good learning strategies during high school, however, the respondents
fairly used the learning strategies on memorizing grammar rules,
speaking English, trying to speak as good as others who speak the
language so well and find ways to use English which affected the result
of their test which required the application of the rules in English
grammar.
Letter Writing, one of the sections in the test, was more on
application of the rules they learned in English grammar. Many of the
respondents failed here. Looking back at the result of the learning
strategies they used in studying English, the respondents lacked practice
and purpose in becoming a good English speaker.
As the respondents perceived it, their teachers had good strategies
in teaching but there were areas of insufficiency like giving remedial
24

classes and using varied instructional materials which affected their test
result. This caused the respondents to have low retention. Most of the
rules had been forgotten and their level of comprehension in English
lowered which also worsened by lack of practice.
The findings inferred that the primary cause of failure of the
respondents in the English placement test was in their lack of practice of
the English language. Even if their teachers gave little remediation and
used little instructional materials which caused low retention or even if
the teachers lacked in giving encouragement, the respondents were still
most responsible for their failure.

Recommendations
As this study dealt with finding out the causes of failures of
students in the English placement test, the present study provides
possible direction for future research as follows:
1. All of the BEED students who took the English placement test
should be the subject of another study not only those who
failed. This is to compare the learning strategies of those who
passed and those who failed. Moreover, their educational
background and including an assessment of the services of
25

their past schools should also be included in the study to see if

there are underlying factors that affected their ability to
effectively learn English inside the school.
2. To avoid bias, as this study deals only with teachers strategies
as perceived by the respondents, it is recommended to conduct
another survey-questionnaire for the secondary school teachers
regarding the strategies they use in teaching English similar
with the student-respondents questionnaire. This is to compare
the strategies used in class in the students perspective and in
the teachers perspective. The teacher-respondents would be
coming from the secondary schools where the respondents
studied high school.
3. An English proficiency test similar to the English placement test
conducted by the Guidance and Testing Center should be
administered to all the respondents to see if there is an
improvement regarding their English proficiency, thus, when
the respondent had taken up English Plus, does the subject
help the respondent develop a more established linguistic skill
in English.

26

Bibliography
General Reference
Spafford, Carol, et. al., The Cyclopedic Education Dictionary, (Albany,
New York: Delmar Publishers, 1998).

Unpublished Studies

Bucal, Carolina Z., Ed. D., Determinants of the English Competency of

Call Center Employees: A Possible Springboard for Instructional
Intervention, (An Action Research: Manila, Philippines, 2010).
Lee,

Jeong-Ah, M.A., Teachers Sense of Efficacy in Teaching

English,Perceived English Language Proficiency, and Attitudes
Toward the English Language: A Case of Korean Public Elementary
School Teachers, (A Dissertation, The Ohio State University, 2009).

Li, Aiqun, A Look at Chinese ESL Students Use of Learning Strategies in

Relation to Their English Language Proficiency, Gender and
Perceived Language Difficulties A Quantitative Study, (Massey
University, Wellington, New Zealand, 2005).

Websites
Encarta Dictionaries. Microsoft Encarta 2007. 1996-2006 Microsoft
Corporation.
http://www.education.com/definition/learning-strategies.
Remoto, Danton, Never fear English, abs-cbnNEWS.com.

27

APPENDIX A
Questionnaire on Causes of Failures in English Placement Test
Among BEED Freshman Enrollees in UEP Laoang
Name________________________________________________________ (Optional)
Note: Please read all the directions carefully before answering each
section. All the items are in the past tense presuming that you have
used the following learning strategies and observed the strategies used
by your past English teachers in teaching English when you were a high
school student.
A. Strategies in Learning English Used by Students
Directions: Encircle the number that corresponds to the degree of how
you used the following strategies in learning English when you were in
high school based on the scales below:
5 - Always
4 Often
3 Sometimes

2 - Rarely
1 - Never

1. I used to go to school every day so that I would not

miss my subjects especially in English.

2. I used to listen carefully and take down notes in

our English class so that I may review my lessons
at home.

3. I used to memorize the grammar rules in English

so that I would speak and write better.

4. I used skimming when I read English passages to

get the main idea, and then I go back and read it
again so that I would fully understand what I was
reading.

28

5. I tried not to translate paragraphs in English wordfor-word but translated them by what they
5
generally mean.

6. I used the dictionary every time I encountered

new words to improve my vocabulary.

7. I reviewed my English lessons regularly

especially the topics which I found difficult.

8. I read English books and/or watched English

programs so that I would improve my
vocabulary and/or pronunciation.

9. I tried to speak with fluency using English

during class recitation.

10.I gave/paid attention to someone fluent in

speaking English and tried to speak as fluent
as him/her so that I could also be a good
English speaker.

11.I tried to find as many ways as I could to use

my English.

12.I wrote down or remembered my mistakes

which I made during class recitation so that I
could correct myself next time.

13.I set objectives for me to improve my English

and become a better English speaker.

14.I asked some of my friends who were good in

English to correct me every time I made
mistakes in speaking or writing in English.

15.I asked my teachers help on the areas which I

found difficult in English.

29

B. Teachers Strategies Used in Teaching English as Perceived by

Students
Directions: Please encircle the number which corresponds to the degree
of how all your teachers used the following strategies in teaching English
when you were in high school based on the scales below:
5 Always
4 Often
3 Sometimes

2 - Rarely
1 - Never

1. The teachers introduced the grammar rules

and gave examples before getting us to practice.

2. The teachers administered drills in speaking,

listening, reading and writing for us to become
more proficient in English.

3. The teachers used a wide variety of teaching

strategies to effectively teach English.
(Brainstorming, small-group discussion,
demonstration, games, question & answer, roleplaying, etc.)

4. The teachers used a wide variety of

instructional materials to effectively teach
English. (Posters, pictures, handouts, slides,
audiotapes, films, videos, etc.)

5. The teachers gave us varied assessment tools to

measure our linguistic skills. (Quizzes, reports,
drawing and writing activities, book reports,
etc.)

6. The teachers corrected me whenever I

committed errors in constructing sentences
during class recitation.

7. The teachers helped me in translating my

1
30

sentences into English if I used Tagalog or

Waray.
8. The teachers criticized my written outputs if my
grammar was incorrect or had wrong spellings,
and then, they showed me how to write/spell
them correctly.

9. The teachers would re-teach the lessons on

grammar if we did not understand them.

10.The teachers gave remedial classes to those

students who had difficulties in the subject.

11.The teachers encouraged us to memorize

grammar rules to value accuracy in using
English.

12.The teacher encouraged us to watch English

films and television programs to help us
develop our linguistic skills.

13.The teachers encouraged us to read books

written in English to help us widen our
vocabulary in English.

14.The teachers provided a healthy Englishspeaking environment in the classroom to help

us improve our proficiency in English.

15.The teachers asked us to cite the areas which

we found difficult in English so that they would
be improved.

31

APPENDIX B
Letter to Secure English Placement Test Results
Republic of the Philippines
University of Eastern Philippines Laoang Campus
Laoang, Northern Samar
Inst. Marciana L. Irinco
Head, Guidance and Testing Center
UEP Laoang Campus
Laoang, Northern Samar
Madam:
The undersigned will be conducting a survey for his action
research titled, Causes of Failure in English Placement Test among
BEED Freshmen in the University of Eastern Philippines Laoang
Campus in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree

32

Bachelor of Secondary Education at University of Eastern Philippines

Laoang Campus, Laoang, Northern Samar.
In this connection, he would like to request permission from your
office to allow him to secure the results of the English Placement Test of
the freshmen for the first semester of the School Year 2012-2013 since
they are the target respondents of his study.

you.

Hoping for your favorable consideration for this request. Thank

Respectfully yours,
(Sgd.) JOHN CARL S. RONATO
Researcher

Noted:

(Sgd.) MA. ASUNCION G. DESALES, MAT

Action Research Adviser
(Sgd.) TEODY M. CORACHEA, MAEd
Research Instructor
Approved:
(Sgd.) MARCIANA L. IRINCO

Head, Guidance and Testing Center

APPENDIX C
Letter to Conduct the Study
Republic of the Philippines
University of Eastern Philippines Laoang Campus
Laoang, Northern Samar

Prof. Jocelyn P. Igdon

Chair, College of Education
UEP Laoang Campus

September 6, 2012

33

Madam:
The undersigned will be conducting a survey for his action
research titled, Causes of Failure in English Placement Test among
BEED Freshmen in the University of Eastern Philippines Laoang
Campus in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
Bachelor of Secondary Education at University of Eastern Philippines
Laoang Campus, Laoang, Northern Samar.
In this connection, he would like to request permission from your
office for him to distribute the survey questionnaire among the freshman
BEEd students for they are the target respondents of his study.
Hoping for your favorable consideration for this request. Thank you
so much.
Respectfully yours,
(Sgd.) JOHN CARL S. RONATO
Researcher
Noted:
(Sgd.) MA. ASUNCION G. DESALES, MAT
Action Research Adviser
(Sgd.) TEODY M. CORACHEA, MAEd
Research Instructor
Approved:
(Sgd.)JOCELYN P. IGDON, MSBEd
Chair, College of Education
APPENDIX D
Letter to the Subject Teacher
Republic of the Philippines
University of Eastern Philippines Laoang Campus
Laoang, Northern Samar
34

September 6, 2012
Inst. Pedrito S. Espia
Subject Teacher
UEP Laoang Campus
Sir:
The undersigned will be conducting a survey for his action
research titled, Causes of Failure in English Placement Test among
BEED Freshmen in the University of Eastern Philippines Laoang
Campus in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
Bachelor of Secondary Education at University of Eastern Philippines
Laoang Campus, Laoang, Northern Samar.
In this connection, he would like to request permission from you
for him to distribute the survey questionnaire among the freshman BEEd
students in your class for they are the target respondents of his study.
Hoping for your favorable consideration for this request. Thank you
so much.
Respectfully yours,
(Sgd.) JOHN CARL S. RONATO
Researcher
Noted:
(Sgd.) MA. ASUNCION G. DESALES, MAT
Action Research Adviser
(Sgd.) TEODY M. CORACHEA, MAEd
Research Instructor
Approved:
(Sgd.) PEDRITO S. ESPIA
35

Subject Teacher

APPENDIX E
Letter to the Respondents
Republic of the Philippines
University of Eastern Philippines Laoang Campus
Laoang, Northern Samar

September 6, 2012
Dear Respondents:
The undersigned will be conducting a survey for his action
research titled, Causes of Failure in English Placement Test among
BEED Freshmen in the University of Eastern Philippines Laoang
Campus in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
Bachelor of Secondary Education at University of Eastern Philippines
Laoang Campus, Laoang, Northern Samar.
In this connection, he would like to ask your cooperation by
answering the survey questionnaires that will be distributed to yu in
relation to the above mentioned study.
He strongly believes that the success of this study depends upon
your active participation. Thank you and God bless.

Respectfully yours,
(Sgd.) JOHN CARL S. RONATO
Researcher
Noted:
(Sgd.) MA. ASUNCION G. DESALES, MAT
Action Research Adviser
(Sgd.) TEODY M. CORACHEA, MAEd
36

Research Instructor

APPENDIX F
Certificate of Proofreading

CERTIFICATION
This is to certify that the research conducted by John Carl S.
Ronato titled CAUSES OF FAILURES IN ENGLISH PLACEMENT TEST
AMONG BEED FRESHMAN ENROLEES IN UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN
PHILIPPINES LAOANG CAMPUS had been reviewed and proofread by
the undersigned.

(Sgd.) ARLENE A. PADILLA, MALT

37

APPENDIX G
Rating Form On Oral Examination
University of Eastern Philippines Laoang Campus
College of Education
Laoang, Northern Samar

ORAL EXAMINATION
Title

Researcher :

CAUSES OF FAILURES IN ENGLISH PLACEMENT

TEST AMONG BEED FRESHMAN ENROLEES IN
UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN PHILIPPINES LAOANG
CAMPUS

JOHN CARL S. RONATO

38

Rating

PASSED

PANEL OF EXAMINERS

ARLENE A. PADILLA, MALT

Member

TEODY M.CORACHEA, MAEd

Chairperson

Date: October 17, 2012

39