Effects of Native Language Usage to Second Language Acquisition among Grade Seven Students of Padre Garcia National High School

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

The scores of PGNHS students on English during the National Achievement Test have been decreasing for the past three school years. A new study is exploring how a person's native language affects the acquisition and understanding of their second language. The results of this study would be a great help to increase the comprehension and performance rate of students on the English subject.

METHODS

The participants are 45 Grade 7 students at Padre Garcia National High School. Researchers used random sampling on choosing their research respondents. To obtain the target, participants were presented with survey questionnaires and they were asked to put a check mark in the box that answers the questions. The first set of survey questionnaires aims to know the reasons for students having a hard time understanding the English language. The second set was then formulated to evaluate the effects of first language usage on second language acquisition. Lastly, the third set was designed to determine the strategies suggested to improve the skills of students on the English language.

RESULTS

The findings of this study show that too much reliance on our native language has been the main reason for having a hard time understanding English. In fact, 100% of the respondents stated that they often prefer to use "Filipino" rather than English. Moreover, this study pointed out that the major effect of our first language towards the usage and acceptance of our second language which amounted to 60% of all the respondents is the act of having difficulties with the diction and pronunciation of English words. Lastly, to be able to deal with this problem, 97% of the respondents got interested in switching the operating language of their mobile phones into English as well as on writing down new words that they have learned daily in a special notebook and reviewing them on a regular basis.

DISCUSSIONS

Overall, the survey findings suggest that using "Filipino" as our first dialect has a big impact on the acquisition of English which is our second language. The responses suggested that there is a big need for educators to design and formulate different programs and activities suited for the English comprehension skills of students. As what the findings suggest, students are more likely to be active in participating with the learning process if there is an engagement of modern technology. With this, qualitative investigators must conduct research regarding students' motivation to learn, accept, and use the English language.