Second Language Learning of the Foreign Students in Um Institute of Languages

Chapter 1

PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Background of the Study

        No one achieves an accomplishment without undergoing certain processes. These processes may take days, months and years just to perfectly attain it. Learning a language is one example.  Attaining a language is an achievement.  A lot more happiness it brings when an individual obtains not only one language but many languages, especially if these languages may not be a native nor a second language. We take into consideration the foreign students migrating to other countries and attending to schools and institutions in learning languages. At some point, we tend to be curious of how these foreign students learn these languages. Discovering their situations and academic progress provides new insight for us to better understand their learning capabilities.

        One of the most important tools in the history of humanity is language. Language is the capability of obtaining and using simple to complex systems of communication, spoken or written, to express ideas, thoughts, and emotions in its most conventional way. Learning a language is a long process, especially if it is a global need to do so. English has been known as the global language. Certain explanations led English to become an international language (Campbell, 1996).

Tracing back the history, such affairs on politics, military and geography mainly contributed the English language’s position. Great nations such as United States of America and Great Britain were the forerunners of this advent. Up until this generation, English still claims the term “global language”. The language is widely dominant even if it has not yet reached on becoming a global language (Stevenson, 1994). He also considered that English justified as becoming the best choice for a global language position. It makes English as the renowned language to be acquired and learned with. In the Philippines, it is known to be the second language learned after the national language, Filipino. Essentially, foreign students will not only be learning the English language only, but also Filipino language incorporated with undertaking Filipino subjects.

        Now the difficulty for them arises both in daily conversation and in academic setting (Edwards, de Guzman, Brown and Kumru, 2006). The curriculum offered in the Philippines requires all students to undergo learning Filipino subject, which basically opens a way for them to better study Filipino language. Foreign students have to adjust with the curriculum each school offers. This is why foreign students have been migrating in the country to study English in a much cheaper price with good quality of education that our country provides (Guttierez, 2011). On top of the list are the Korean students totalling over 6,000 all over in the Philippines (Hicap, 2009). In order to have better communication with the land they live currently, they are engaged in learning not just English but also the Filipino language. This is actually one way of establishing good understanding since not all Filipinos can speak nor understand English. Filipino language’s current lexicon is not purely in Filipino – loaned words for English are also used (Rubrico, 1998).

        Inevitably, problems encountered by the foreign student are not all catered by the schools and universities. In Davao City, particularly in the University of Mindanao Institute of Language, foreign students have to take Filipino subjects as well as attend special classes on Filipino language. In this way, the university will know their learning performance, the learning styles and their experiences with learning the language.

        The learning performance is in line with the academic performance that evaluates the progress achieved by the foreign students. Having other knowledge on a foreign language can further improve the background learning of the student in English language, particularly in grammar structures and terminologies (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2004). This means that the learning performance achieved by the foreign students in their Filipino language learning can add up knowledge in learning also the English language. The proficiency on diction of a second language increases student cognition and capabilities in oral and written communication skills as well as in other fields of education (Saville-Troike, 1984).

        Learning techniques refer to an individual’s preferred means of learning. Grasha (1990) explained that learning techniques are students’ choices on analytical thinking, social relations and other kinds of classroom surroundings and experiences. This also means that learning style can also be subject to change according with the environment a student is into.

        In the study of Graham (1997), she showed different reasons of a student’s difficulty in language learning.  Littlewood (2006) expounded the errors committed by second language learners. In another research, Graham (1997) stressed the importance of the teacher’s role in language learning. Furthermore, she showed different reasons for a learner’s difficulty in language learning and gave varieties of learning strategies to bridge the gap. Another research made by Gonzales (2004) focuses on the cultural adaptation of the international graduate students with the American culture. She interviewed some international graduate students and provided analysis with the variables that influence the cultural and social adaptation of these graduate students.

Research Questions

        This study aimed to explore and investigate the learning strategies used in learning Filipino as a second language by the foreign students of the University of Mindanao. Moreover, it sought to answer the following questions:

        1. What is the average grade of the participants in the two Filipino Courses namely: Filipino 1A and 2A during summer 2014? Is it an indicative of their Filipino language learning?

        2. What are the individual learning styles and strategies used by foreign students in learning Filipino as second language?

        3. What are the favorable and unfavorable experiences encountered by the students in their Filipino language learning?

Purpose of the Study

        The results of the study will enable the UM Institute of Languages to enhance their teaching method and in teaching foreign students regardless of their age, sex, race, ethnicity and year level in their schooling years in the university. Secondly, the data gathered may be used to determine and respond the distinct needs of the foreign students in language learning. For the future researcher (or the researchers), the study might help them discover diverse learning strategies and the performance level of the foreign students in their study in Filipino as a second language. Also, this is expected to integrate ideas for improvements as future educators in a multicultural classroom setting.