COMMUNICATION SKILLS: HALLMARK OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING

ABSTRACT
Successful instructional activities are caused by the effective performance of the teacher
in his/her use of varied communication skills. This quantitative-qualitative study aimed to
identify the strengths and weaknesses of preservice teachers of Quirino State University in terms
of their communications skills. Using phenomenological data, it sought to provide pertinent data
and information about what constitutes effective communication skills using the journal
reflections of preservice teachers. The strengths and weaknesses of the informants were
categorized using content analysis which involves the identification of the common themes of
their responses. The data were also tabulated and ranked to bring out the quantitative nature of
the study. After which, an interview was conducted to validate their journal entries. This process
also allowed the triangulation of data and the qualitative aspect of this research. The preservice
teachers’ strengths and weaknesses were classified into three general categories such as:
paralinguistic features like tone, register, and pitch; interpersonal aspects such as smiling,
nodding, placing hands on hips; and linguistic features such as pronunciation, enunciation, and
voice projection. The use of the proper language at the proper context is also considered giving
emphasis on English and the mother tongue as media of instructions. This study, therefore,
recommends that preservice teachers’ beliefs and experiences would be considered in the
designing of courses in the curriculum for teacher education.
Keywords: Communication skills, pedagogy, preservice teachers, Quirino State University,
phenomenology, triangulation

INTRODUCTION
Effective communication skills play a vital role in the delivery of pedagogy, classroom
management and interaction with the class. It is for this reason that every teacher should possess
varied and effective communication skills so as to cause success in every instructional activity.

A variety of skills are needed in effective teaching. According to Ehindero and Ajibade,
(2000), in order to have effective teaching, the teacher is required with good communication
skills such as good language command, good classroom management, updated knowledge and
pleasing personality. No one can teach effectively without having these basics skills of teaching.

Communication deals with the process of adopting while sharing his / her views with
others. It is necessary for a teacher to manage good communication skills so that students would
be able to connect with him/her easily. Effective communication skills also facilitate the
teaching-learning process, hence, students are aided in achieving the instructional goals.
Effectiveness of teaching is not only dependent on the technicalities but also on the method
adopted by the teacher while teaching the students. (Loss, J. 2000).

Maes, Weldy & Icenogle (1997) posits that the performance of the teacher in classroom
totally depends upon his/her communication skills. If the teacher has good communication skills,
he can easily convey his /her message and deliver the lesson in a comprehensive manner.

This study traces the development in the pre-service teachers’ perception of their
communications and its implications in communicating their lessons in the class. As they go
through the process of training they also undergo four kinds of perceptual change as mentioned
by Shapiro (1991). Firstly, they may discover that their initial beliefs or images have been
incorrect. Secondly, they acquire the needed technical know-how. Then they discover new ways
of categorizing experiences until they acquire new self-knowledge.

A study done by Lee (1997) reveals the significance of communication for effective
teaching. She asserts that people involved in the process are the center of schools and
communication is serves as the foundation. Her study shows that preservice teachers bring to
their teacher education program some knowledge of communication skills though they may not
be able to describe this. Her study proves that communication skills should be taught explicitly
and implicitly through the teacher trainer’s modeling of communication skills. In the teacher
education program, preservice teachers should identify the relationship between theoretical
learning and practical application of communication skills.

Another study done by Jones and Fong (1999) discovers that at the initial stage of teacher
education, preservice teachers perceive themselves as the center of communication and
transmitter of knowledge. After they have completed their practical internship in the schools,
they recognize the importance of the communication interaction between the teacher and the
class. They have learned to integrate communication skills into their teaching practice (Jones and
Fong, 1999).

This study sought to provide pertinent data and information about what constitutes
effective communication skills using the journal reflections of preservice teachers. Specifically,
it is guided by the research question: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the preservice
teachers in terms of their communication skills?

The present study integrates the findings about the relationship between teachers’ beliefs
and their communications skills in the studies done by Jones and Fong (1999), Lee (1997), and
Shapiro (1991) into a theoretical framework.

This theoretical model shows that teachers’ communication skills in the classroom are
influenced by both their inner beliefs and about what constitute good communication skills and
external forces in the form of societal perception of the status of institutional practices. For this
reason, it is important to examine preservice teachers’ perception of their communication
strengths and weaknesses.

It is imperative that preservice teachers must be conditioned to the development of their

communication skills to prepare them into the real world of teaching. Teachers’ beliefs play a
role on how information on teaching is translated into classroom practices. In addition,
understanding these beliefs is essential in improving teaching practices and teacher education
programs (Kagan, 1992).

METHODOLOGY

This quantitative-qualitative study employed both descriptive method and

phenomenological approach. It makes use of simple frequency distribution to determine levels
and categories of the skills of the informants. Moreover, the informants’ lived experiences are
described as related to a phenomenon they have in common. This approach is based on the
premise that reality consists of objects and events as they are perceived or understood in human
consciousness and not anything independent of human consciousness. This study used content
analysis as its research methodology which includes a close reading of the reflections made by
the informants.

Preservice teachers who are currently conducting their practice teaching were chosen as
informants in this study. Full enumeration sampling was used by considering all the 87
preservice teachers enrolled for the current semester who are specializing in English, Biological
Science, Mathematics, and Technology and Livelihood Education. They are deployed at the
eight public secondary schools in the DepEd Division of Quirino.

The researcher instructed the preservice teachers to write in their journals their reflection
of their strengths and weaknesses in terms of their communication skills. Their reflection is part
of their journal writing in their Student Teaching subject. The researcher read first their
reflections for an overall understanding of their communication strengths and weaknesses. Then,
in the analysis of data, the researcher applied content analysis wherein the types of
communication strengths and weaknesses they identified were coded and categorized into the
following areas: paralinguistic cues, interpersonal qualities and linguistic features. The
respondents also reflected on their medium of instruction.

The frequency of these specified views were counted and compiled in tables. This
quantitative compilation of quality data allowed the researchers to make a judgment of the
prevalence of views about the preservice teachers’ communicative strengths and weaknesses.
The answers were also validated through face-to-face interview with some chosen informants.
This process brought out the qualitative nature of the study and triangulation of data.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The following diagram illustrates the logical order of the different strengths and
weaknesses of the preservice teachers after the first reading of their journal reflections:
COMMUNICATION SKILLS (STRENGTHS) FREQUENCY
speaks fluently the language 77
explains the lesson with proper voice projection 69
delivers the ideas in clear manner 57
pronounces words properly and effectively 56
articulates every word 49
knows how to codeswitch 49
varies tone and pitch of the voice 36
uses gestures/ expressions when explaining (e.g. smiling,nodding, hands on 35
hips)
maintains good eye contact 34
contextualizes ideas for better understanding 34
develops good rapport with the students 28
employs good listening ability 26

COMMUNICATION SKILLS (WEAKNESSES) FREQUENCY

speaks too fast when explaining 72
unable to die emotions during discussions 63
mispronounces words sometimes 62
forms incorrect sentences 56
lacks vocabulary in speaking 55
fails to vary voice 47
keeps on stuttering 43
gasps when talking 43
generalizes ideas slowly 43
listens to students poorly 34
avoiding eye contact 32
mumbles frequently 30

Figure 1. Order of the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Preservice Teachers

The preservice teachers believe that the most important skill for a teacher to possess is
the fluency of the language used. For those who use English as a medium of instruction, it is a
necessity for them to master the structure of the language as this is what they need whenever
they explain the lesson. In the reflection journal of one student, she says “Though I am not an
English major student, I still need to have at least average knowledge on the linguistic structures
of the language for me not to commit errors whenever I explain the lesson in class. It’s hard but I
need to study.” It shows that the preservice teacher is determined to follow the school’s language
policy on medium of instruction.
On the other hand, one preservice teacher says “it is also good to switch to the mother
tongue when explaining a particular part on the lesson to address the multilingual capabilities of
the students. In this way, they understand the lesson better. The teacher will just gradually lead
them to the target language after making them understand the concept in their mother tongue.”
The students’ mother tongue therefore serves as a tool to building identity and personal
relationships while the use of English was used to set the professional image of the teacher and
setting a role model for the use of the language. The duality of attitude in the use of English and
mother tongue is also emphasized in another preservice teacher’s journal:
“English is very important and the teacher must be the role model. If the mother tongue is
used, it shows the lack of proficiency. However, if there is a need to build relationships and
understanding, the teacher may use the mother tongue to preserve identity”. It seems that the
preservice teachers consider using both language at the right time and context. They feel that
English can be useful in giving instructions and delivering the subject matter but the mother
tongue can build rapport with the students.
In terms of paralinguistic aspects of speech, the informants concluded that their strengths
were on their ability to adapt the proper pitch and tone of voice to their audience. According to a
few of them:
“There is a need to speak using a variety of tone, pitch, and even the rate of articulation
and talking to get the interest of the audience. The teacher must not only be knowledgeable on
the content of the lesson but also be approachable and easy to go along with. He/she needs to
showcase some non-verbal cues such as eye -contact, relaxed stanch, and encouraging smiles.
The informants also consider the essence of their communicative competency in the light
of teaching. They mentioned that the delivery of the subject matter is affected by how a teacher
organizes his/her thought effectively in a way that he/she is easily understood. “A teacher must
be very confident in delivering the lesson, able to explain well ideas and theories and can relate
to the students properly, He/she must also know how to listen and be able to deal and appreciate
the students’ queries and answers respectively.
Along the weaknesses of the informants, many among them identified the pace of
speaking, control of the voice and maintaining eye contact. They reflected that they speak too
fast to the extent that they their listeners could not comprehend them anymore.
As to non-verbal language, a number of the informants were conscious and they fail to
maintain eye contact with their students. This may lead the students to conclude that they are not
sincere or perhaps they are rude. One of them admitted that this lack of eye contact is a state of
self-esteem. She also claimed that she is also emotional when communicating. So, she believes
that teachers must be calm and composed. Failure to use body language is another weakness that
they possess. One informant says “I have a problem with my posture and gestures. I can’t get
away from folding my arms or placing my arms on my hips when communicating. She was
afraid her students would get her wrong and felt that as a teacher, she should not let her body
language to reveal her emotions.
Many among the informants reflected that they lapsed in the use of English as a medium
of instruction which is a direct disobedience of the language policy in the school. One of them
admitted that his/her weakness relates to his inability to articulate words and his
mispronunciation can lead to miscommunication. “Sometimes, I find difficulty to produce the
proper sound and I use to say ah, uhh, eh, before arriving at the right sounds. Sometimes, I feel
embarrassed.”
One informant also related her experience on her inability to grasp the right vocabulary
and the other one explains her weakness on phrasing words. There are three of them who said
they stutter when they feel nervous while speaking in front of the class.
CONCLUSIONS
It can be deduced from the reflections of the preservice teachers that their skills in
communication include with the following areas: paralinguistic features like tone, register, and
pitch; interpersonal aspects such as smiling, nodding, placing hands on hips; and linguistic
features such as pronunciation, enunciation, and voice projection. The use of the proper language
at the proper context is also considered giving emphasis on English and the mother tongue as a
media of instructions. Cornett-DeVito and Worley (2005) were right on their contention that
instructional communicative competence is the teacher’s motivation, knowledge and skill to
select, enact, and evaluate effective and appropriate, verbal and non-verbal, interpersonal and
instructional messages filtered by student-learners’ perceptions, resulting in cognitive, affective
and behavioral student-learner development and reciprocal feedback”
The informants are also conscious about the dual roles that teacher play: model of the
English language and as someone who builds rapport with the student. This relates to the claim
of Jones and Fong (1999) that teachers consider the significance of communication skills not
only inside the classroom but also in creating interpersonal relationships with the students.
The preservice teachers recognized the importance of the affective aspect of
communication. Aside from the use of non-verbal forms of language, they realized the role of the
mother tongue in building the rapport with the students. In some studies, teachers describe
effective communications skills as consisting knowledge on content plus the way how to
communicate that knowledge by engaging students.
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is important to carry out research studies on the importance of communication skills for
teachers. These reflections of preservice teachers on their strengths and weakness will eventually
have an implication on their self-confidence especially when they stand in front of the class.
Moreover, the multilingual environment of teaching has an impact in the language choice and
use of teachers. They are faced with the challenge as they are concerned both of the professional
image and the way they maintain rapport with their students.
The results of this study will have an implication on the language policy of the country,
the design of communication curriculum courses in teacher education and even in the
development of instructional policies.
It is therefore recommended that preservice teachers’ beliefs and experiences would be
considered in the designing of courses in the curriculum for teacher education. Somehow, there
is a need to gather data as references from the actual setting before coming up with policies for
language education in the top level.
 REFERENCES

Cornett-DeVito, M. & Worley, D. W. (2005). A front row seat: A phenomenological

investigation of students with learning disabilities. Communication Education, 54, 312–333.

Ehindero, OJ, Ajibade YA (2000). What our student say about how we teach. Ife J. Educ.
Studies. 7(1), 1-9.
Hornby, A.S., Gatenby, E.V & Wakefield, H. (2005). “Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary International Students Edition (7th ed): London Oxford University Press.
Jones, J.F. and Fong, P.M. (2007). The impact of teachers’ beliefs and educational
experiences on EFL classroom practices in secondary schools, Asian Journal of English
Language Teaching, 17, 27-47.
Lee, Patty (1997). Collaborative practices for educators: Strategies for effective
communication. Peytral Public, Minnesota.
Loss, J. (2000). The communications contract. The Internal Auditor, 57(6), 88.
Maes, J. D., Weldy, T. G., &Icenogle, M. L. (1997). A managerial perspective: Oral
communication competency is most important for business students in the workplace. Journal of
Business Communication, 34(1), 67-80.
Shapiro, B. L. A. (1991) Collaborative Approach to help novice science teachers reflect
on changes in their construction of the role of the science teacher. Alberta Journal of Educational
Research 37 pp119-132.