UIC Research Journal Print ISSN 1656-0604AND

ACCOUNTANCY • Online ISSN

BUSINESS 2244-6532
ADMINISTRATION
Vol. 20 No. 1 April 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.17158/541
International Peer Reviewed Faculty Research Journal Available online at http://research.uic.edu.ph/ojs/

ACADEMIC SELFCONCEPT AND THE ENGLISH

COMPETENCIES AMONG ENGLISH LEARNERS IN THE
UNIVERSITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Maureen D. Aguisando
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0517-8073
maureenaguisando@gmail.com
University of the Immaculate Conception

ABSTRACT

English is the dominant international language in communications, science,

aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy. The global spread of English
becomes a serious economic and political disadvantage to those who do not
possess a reasonable command of the language since English remains the primary
language used in schools and universities and majority of educational materials and
references are printed in English. Learning to use English is of great importance
today because academic communication tasks relate primarily in the use of
English in international context. The purpose of this study was to investigate the
relationship between the academic self-concept and the competencies in English
among English learners in the University of Immaculate Conception. This study
made use of the descriptive correlation method to determine the relationship of
academic self-concept and the English competencies among the English learners
in UIC. Stratified random sampling was used to determine the appropriate
sample size per program. Based on the results of this study, self-confidence in
academics as one of the indicators of the academic self-concept has a significant
relationship with one of the competencies in English among the respondents.
Thus, the teachers should be offered methodological guidance in order to work
on this psycho-educational intervention that may serve as an avenue to improve
academic performance.

KEYWORDS

Self-concept, English competencies, Descriptive-correlation, stratified

random sampling, University of the Immaculate Conception, Davao City,
Philippines

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INTRODUCTION

Language has been considered important for most human beings. It does not
only channel the expression of thoughts, perceptions, values, and characteristics
of a community but it also represents the expression of social identity.
English is the dominant international language in communications,
science, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy. It is an important tool
for operating on the world stage. The ability to speak and understand English is
mandatory in certain fields, professions, and occupations. In fact, English is so
widely spoken, it is referred to as the “lingua franca” of the modern era.
The global spread of English becomes a serious economic and political
disadvantage to those who do not possess a reasonable command of the language.
In the future, those mono lingual English graduates will face bleaker economic
prospects as qualified multilingual graduates in the competitive advantage
of global companies and organizations. English has acquired its world-wide
reputation due to large part in globalized power relations, those companies and
governments employing well-trained non-native speakers for their international
business communication needs will obviously see the advantage of hiring non-
native speakers of the English language with multilingual talents.
In the Philippines, it is highly valued not only because it is functional and
practical that washes over Filipinos constantly, but more importantly, because it
is a widely used skill that can be used to increase one’s position, respectability and
marketability. In addition, English is important to the Filipino masses seeking
employment abroad.
According to the report of International English Language Testing System
(IELTS, 2008), the English skills of Filipinos are now a disappointment. In an
article written by Karl Wilson which was published online by The National, in
2008, Filipinos scored an overall mean of 6.69 for listening, writing, reading and
speaking- a very low number based on international standards.
In an article published written by Carlos Conde last October 20, 2006
(Business Herald International Tribune), Davao City is one of the several
areas outside Manila where call-center companies have been venturing to take
advantage of the low labor costs and excess manpower in the provinces. But
there has been concern lately that the industry’s growth may be limited by the
deterioration of its main advantage: the English proficiency of the work force.
According to a study by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines,
75% of the more than 400,000 Filipino students that graduated from college
each year have “sub-standard English skills.” The Philippine Congress responded

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to this issue directing the Senate Committee of Educations Arts and Culture
to conduct and inquiry into the alleged sub-standard English skills of Filipino
college graduates in order to recommend policy measure in addressing the rapid
decline of Filipino’s English competency.
It was also mentioned on this article a survey in June 2006 by the Business
Processing Association of the Philippines that English proficiency is among the
top three areas the country should seek to improve, behind only the Philippines’
poor international image and political stability. “English proficiency is also an
urgent impediment to growth,” the group said in the study.
Since English remains the primary language used in schools and universities
and majority of educational materials and references are printed in English, learning
to use English is of great importance today because academic communication
tasks relate primarily in the use of English in international context.
In the context of education, academic self-concept is an important
psychological construct because it has to be both a cause and an effect of academic
achievement (Guay, Marsh & Boivin, 2003).
It has been observed that students who are aloof and quite in class have
significant lower academic achievements than those who relate to others. Also,
students who have good grades have established their respective ways of studying
the language.
As a language teacher, the researcher has observed that the use of English
language is deteriorating amidst the different techniques and teaching strategies
that teachers employed. Learning English as a second language is difficult for the
students especially in UIC. Their deteriorating language proficiency is reflected
in their academic achievement in classes.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between
the academic self-concept and the competencies in English among English
learners in the University of Immaculate Conception.
Specifically, this study sought to show the level of the student’s academic
self-concept in terms of effort, dimension, satisfaction with grades, study habit,
peer evaluation of academic ability, self-confidence in academics, satisfaction
with school, and self-doubt about ability; to present the level of competencies
in English of the students of University of Immaculate Conception in terms
of article, prepositions, pronoun– antecedent agreement, tenses, subject-verb

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agreement and, determine the significant relationship between academic self-

concept and the competencies in English among the English Learners in the
University of Immaculate Conception.

FRAMEWORK

This study is anchored on the theory of Pajares and Schunk (2001) that
there is a mutual causality between the academic self-concept and the academic
achievement of a student.
On the other hand, Bandura in 1997 mentioned academic self-concept
influenced achievement directly as well as indirectly by raising students’ grade
goals. It means that students who have higher academic self-concept will tend to
increase their grades.

METHOD

This study made use of the descriptive correlation survey method to

determine the relationship of academic self-concept and the English competencies
among the English learners in the University of Immaculate Conception.
Stratified random sampling was used to determine the appropriate sample
size per program.
The statistical tools used in interpreting and analyzing the data gathered
in this study were the mean to determine the level of academic self-concept
and the level of competencies in English among the students and the Pearson
Product Moment Correlation (Pearson r) to determine the significance of the
relationship between the academic self-concept and the competencies in English
of the freshmen students.

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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Summary of Academic Self-Concept

Table 1. Summary of academic self-concept

Academic Self - Concept Mean Descriptive Quivalent

Effort Dimension 3.68 High

Satisfaction with Grades 4.12 High
Study Habit 3.63 High
Peer Evaluation 3.01 Average
Self-Confidence 3.53 High
Satisfaction w/School Work 3.75 High
Self Doubt 3.25 Average
Overall Mean 3.57 High

Based on the table, in terms of effort dimension, the respondents obtained a

mean score of 3.68 or equivalent to a High. Findings show that they often do well
given the time to study. Also, they often ask assistance from classmates when in
doubt. Likewise, the students often take time to listen in the discussion. However,
they sometimes spend time in studying and participate in board activity.
The level of academic self-concept of UIC freshmen students in terms
of satisfaction with grades is High (M = 4.12). This finding means that the
students are highly satisfied with the grades they have received. It only shows
that whatever grades their teacher gave, they are highly contented. Thus, they
always feel good when their teachers recognize their performance. Besides, they
often get a deserving grade. The students are also often satisfied with their grades.
They often try to study hard to get good grades. In addition, they often feel sad
in getting a low grade.
The level of academic self-concept of UIC freshmen students in terms of
study habit is also High (M = 3.63). This means that the respondents frequently
practice the habit of studying. They often have a well- scheduled time in studying.
The students also often study before the exam. They often take down notes and
make outline of every topic. Moreover, they often focus entirely on the lesson
when studying. However, they sometimes scan their notes after class discussion.
The level of academic self-concept of UIC freshmen students in terms of peer

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evaluation on academic ability is Average (M = 3.01). It means that the students

often claim that others think they are good students. Although sometimes they
claim they are intelligent, best in English, know the right answer and better than
most students of their ages in the English subject.
The level of academic self-concept of UIC freshmen students in terms of
self-confidence in academics is High (M = 3.53). They often feel confident in
taking the test in English; claim that English is a challenging subject; work alone
in answering English exercises and understand easily the lessons even with just
one example but sometimes help others with their English class work.
The level of academic of self-concept of UIC freshmen students in terms of
satisfaction with school/school work is High (M = 3.75). It means that they often
satisfy the teacher’s performance; like their teacher in English because he/she
motivated them to be interested in English; satisfy the work they do in school;
feel contented with the structure of the classroom; and like their teacher and
classmates because they assist in analyzing, discovering and correcting errors and
inaccuracies.
The level of academic self-concept of UIC freshmen students in terms
of self-doubt regarding ability is Average (M = 3.35). All of the items have a
qualitative description of Average. They sometimes feel that English is difficult
for them. It means that they sometimes find it hard to catch up lesson in English
if their classmates are not helpful; think of not able to solve English problem
if it is not presented in an orderly manner; lack of interest in solving English
problems when they are not satisfied with the English activities in the classroom;
and feel that when they do not understand a new topic in English initially, they
may never really understand it.
The overall mean reveals that the level academic self-concept of the
respondents is High. It implies that the respondents develop and maintain their
self-concept through the process of taking action and then reflecting on what they
have done. It supports the idea of Brigham (1996) that individual’s reflection is
based on actual and possible actions in comparison to one’s own expectations
and the expectations of others and to the characteristics and accomplishments
of others. Furthermore, Franklen (1994) pointed out that self-concept is not
innate, but is constructed and developed by the individual through interaction
with environment and reflecting on that interaction.

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Level of Competencies in English

Table 2. Level of English competencies

English Competencies Mean Descriptive Interpretation

Article 55 Average
Prepositions 71 High
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement 51 Average
Tenses 45 Average
Subject-Verb Agreement 52 Average
Mean 56 Average

The level of competencies in English UIC freshmen students was measured

through a researcher-made questionnaire validated by the field experts. This
was patterned from the standardized English test which is TOEIC that cover
the concepts on article; prepositions; pronoun-antecedent agreement; tense and
subject-verb agreement.
These five concepts in learning competencies in English were also aligned
with the concepts that the students should master in their English 1 subject.
The result of the study yielded that the level of competencies in English of UIC
freshmen students was Average with an overall mean score of 56. This means that
the UIC freshmen students have an average mastery on grammatical structures
covered in the competencies in English. Among the five indicators in the English
competency is the concept of correct usage of preposition as the highest in which
the respondents obtained a mean 71 equivalent to high level. This means that
students have high mastery on the different rules of using correct prepositions.
In terms of the following competencies the respondents obtained an average
level of competency: for correct article usage, they obtained a mean score of 55;
for pronoun– antecedent agreement concept, they obtained a mean score of 51;
for subject– verb agreement rule, they attained a mean of 52. This means that
UIC freshmen students have an average mastery on the concepts of correct article
usage, pronoun-antecedent agreement and subject-verb agreement. Among the
five indicators in the competencies of English, the concept of tenses was the least
in which they obtained a mean of 45 but still equivalent to average level. This
only indicated that UIC freshmen students have a difficulty comprehending the
concept of tenses.

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Table 3. Test for the significant relationship between academic

self-concept and English competencies

Academic English Computed p-values Decision on

self-concept (X) Competencies (y) r-values Ho @ α=0.05

Articles 0.066 0.238 Accepted

Prepositions 0.021 0.709 Accepted
Effort Dimension Pronoun 0.048 0.395 Accepted
Tenses 0.026 0.648 Accepted
Subject-Verb 0.048 0.291 Accepted
Articles 0.063 0.259 Accepted
Prepositions 0.082 0.146 Accepted
Satisfaction Pronoun 0.059 0.293 Accepted
w/ Grades Tenses 0.090 0.110 Accepted
Subject-Verb 0.183 0.001 Rejected
Articles 0.023 0.683 Accepted
Prepositions 0.109 0.052 Accepted
Pronoun 0.141 0.012 Rejected
Study Habit Tenses 0.020 0.726 Accepted
Subject-Verb 0.006 0.917 Accepted
Articles 0.069 0.221 Accepted
Prepositions 0.122 0.030 Rejected
Pronoun 0.047 0.405 Accepted
Peer Evaluation Tenses 0.005 0.931 Accepted
Subject-Verb 0.039 0.486 Accepted
Articles 0.077 0.169 Accepted
Prepositions 0.134 0.017 Rejected
Pronoun 0.092 0.101 Accepted
Tenses 0.076 0.177 Accepted
Self-Confidence Subject-Verb 0.130 0.020 Rejected
Articles 0.041 0.465 Rejected
Prepositions 0.070 0.211 Accepted
Pronoun 0.058 0.304 Accepted
Satisfaction with Tenses 0.019 0.735 Accepted
School Work Subject-Verb 0.089 0.122 Accepted
Articles -0.043 0.439 Accepted
Prepositions -0.107 0.056 Accepted
Pronoun -0.237 0.000 Rejected
Tenses -0.047 0.402 Accepted
Self-Doubt Subject-Verb -0.121 0.031 Rejected
Articles 0.030 0.599 Accepted
Prepositions 0.040 0.478 Accepted
Pronoun 0.039 0.448 Accepted
Tenses 0.019 0.736 Accepted
Overall Mean Subject-Verb 0.078 0.166 Accepted
Overall 0.038 0.497 Accepted

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The data revealed that there was no significant relationship between

academic self-concept and the competencies in English. This supports the results
of the study of He Jing (2007) which states that self-concept negatively affected
students’ self-academic competency since both have different concepts. The idea
of self-concept says that achievement comes first and that self-concept follows.
Self-academic competency states that sense of self-academic competency leads
the way and achievement trails behind. Self-concept can take care of itself. It
will develop almost naturally when children have accomplished something
worthwhile. In addition, Gage and Berliner (1992) found on their research on
the relationship between self-concept and school achievement that general or
academic self-concept are not significantly related to school achievement. It is
at the level of every specific subject, for example, Reading, Mathematics and
Science begin to have a relatively strong relationship between self-concept that
measures academic success. It therefore suggests that success in a particular
subject area is not really changing one’s self-concept but rather is impacting on
one’s expectations about future success on one’s past experience.
Based on the result of the study, satisfaction with grades has a significant
relationship with one of the indicators with the English competency which is
the Subject-Verb Agreement. This result affirms the study of Cokley (2000)
which states that students with higher grade had statistically higher academic
self-concept scores than students with lower cumulative grade. This indicates
that students’ satisfaction with their grades could affect their performance in
academic especially in English.
The results also show that, study habits have a significant relationship with
one of the indicators in English competency and it is in the Pronoun– Antecedent
Agreement. This means that academic self-concept in terms of study habits is
directly related to the competencies in English. It further implies that the lower
the study habits, the lower are the mastery of competencies in English. As what
Ikegbunan (1998) points, that poor study habits are one of the major causes of
poor performance among Nigerian University Students. Efficient study habits
can strengthen mastery of concepts in any subject areas.
Meanwhile, peer evaluation of academic ability as an indicator of
academic self-concept has a significant relationship with one of the indicators of
competencies in English and it is in the prepositions. This affirms the statement
of Pajares, et al. (2000), that those with positive academic reputation tends
to earn high grades. This implies that peer evaluation of academic ability can
help improve students’ academic performance which results to improvement of
grades. Furthermore, this is also consistent with the statement of Guay, Boivin

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and Hodges (1999) which hold that student’s academic self-concept are increased
when they view themselves as more capable than their peers which would result
to higher academic achievement but lowered when others are viewed as more
capable.
In the same way, self- confidence in academics as an indicator of academic
self-concept has a significant relationship with the two indicators of competencies
in English and these are prepositions and subject-verb agreement. This means
that there is a significant relationship between self-confidence in academics
and competencies in English. It further implies that the higher the academic
self-concept in terms of self-confidence in academics, the higher the mastery
of competencies in English. This affirms the statement of Lezlee (2005) that
students with low self-confidence and low self-esteem do not excel in academics
and the learning competencies in any subjects are low.
Finally, self-doubt regarding ability in academics as an indicator of academic
self-concept has a significant relationship with one of the indicators in the English
competencies and this is in the Subject-Verb Agreement. This confirms to the
study of Butkowsky and Willows (1996) that students who have self-doubt are
those who have given up. They are convinced that their lack of achievement
reflects their lack of ability. They see little hope for success. At this level, students
feel that they can no longer avoid failure and they take up a helpless, hopeless
position which directly affects their academic standing.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the respondents did not obtain low on their level of competency
in English, the school administrators should provide programs like training
and seminars for teachers in order for them to learn new teaching strategies
that would help the learners in mastering the learning competencies in English.
Specifically, based on the result of this study, self-confidence in academics as one
of the indicators of the academic self-concept has a significant relationship with
one of the competencies in English among the respondents. The teachers should
be offered methodological guidance in order to work on this psycho-educational
intervention that may serve as an avenue to improve academic performance.
Based on the result of the study satisfaction with grades as one of the
indicators of the academic self-concept, it has a significant relationship with
one of the competencies in English. The teachers should inform the students
of their progress throughout the semester. Such information can motivate the

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students to improve if they are doing poorly or to maintain their performance

if they are doing well. Since study habit also has a significant relationship with
one of the competencies in English among the respondents, the guidance office
of the university should create a program that would enhance the students study
habits as this would contribute to a successful academic future. Given that
self-confidence and self-doubt as indicators for academic self-concept have a
significant relationship with the English competencies among the respondents;
the teacher with the support of school administrators should establish a self-
confidence building curriculum that would boost the confidence of the students
to pave the way to a better academic outlook.

LITERATURE CITED

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Bandura, A.
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Brigham, J.
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Butkowski, I.S. & Willows, D.M.

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Cokley, K.
2000 An investigation of academic self-concept and its relationship to
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Franklen, R.
1994 Human motivation (3rd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole
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Gage, N. & Berliner, D.

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Schunk, D.H., et al.

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