CHAPTER I

The Problem and Its Setting

Introduction

The need to be proficient in the use of English among non-native speakers

has become a global phenomenon. Today, educators are faced with the challenge of

addressing the needs of the growing number of students whose primarily language

is not English. While mastering other skills and content in other subject areas, there

is the necessity for these learners to gain proficiency in English (Martin, 2008).

English proficiency refers to the restricted ability to read, speak, write, or

understand English as the primarily language. It is the way in which language is

used to communicate a message. English Education is a such a rich and various

field that could begin at the any place. These subjects make sense as a starting

point in a text about English (Milner and Milner, 2003)

A limited English proficient student is one who comes from a non-English

background and who has sufficient difficulty in speaking, reading, writing, or

understanding the English language and whose difficulties may deny such individual

to the opportunity to learn successfully in the classrooms where the language of

instruction is English or participate fully in our society.

Proficient speakers demonstrate accuracy and fluency, and use variety of

strategies but a high number of native speakers of a language can be fluent without

being considered proficient. Teachers further noted that English is an

“intellectualized language” and a valuable tool to source information technology

(Amamio, 2000).

Since the Philippines embraced the English language from the American

colonizers, the Philippines today is the fifth largest English-speaking country in the

world and second in the continent of Asia. Filipinos should be proud of this because

English is the “world language,” the lingua franca of the modern era ( Martin, 2008)

Moreover, social networking is used as a communication and collaboration

tool of choice in business and higher education. It is being used as a way of

communication whether that is asking a question about what to do for homework, or

what friends are doing over the weekend. People can discuss topics for class and

ask questions which can get answered. Social networking poses a problem in the

use of poor language. Most sites do not use proper spelling or grammar which is

inappropriate for someone who does not yet have logistic confidence. People are

mostly able to discern the morally questionable content, but they cannot yet defend

themselves against illiteracy.

Due to the effect brought about by the computer machines on the social

behavior of the adolescents, investigation is deemed necessary to determine

whether Facebook really affects the English proficiency of the students, considering

the fact that Facebook, just like television and other computer games, are utilized

nowadays as an entertainment medium.

Background of the Study

The computer and Internet Industry is the fastest growing industry in the

world. The use of the internet has grown faster than any technology including the

telephone, computer, video games, and CD players (Choi, 2007)

Facebook is so popular these days that almost everybody that has access to

the Internet is a part of this online social network. This has a great impact on human

society because it captured the hearts and imagination of so many people specially

teenagers.

Facebook is an online social networking community that connects people

through network of friends for daring or making new friends. This is similar to

MySpace and Friendster that work in the same way where you can post picture,

search for classmates, add friends, share videos, view profiles and much more.

Facebook applies a trust based system, which is typical to real life human relations

when it comes to friendship. In order to be part of the circle, people usually assigned

degrees in terms of the relationship we have with other people. Those under first-

degree relations include friends who have a real and existing relationship- those

often see and talk with each other to further nurture the bond. Hat sometimes tends

students to have negligence in their studies. Students just usually spent their free

time in school surfing the net through Facebook that really affect heir English

proficiency, that result to the lowering of their grades.

The Problem of the Study

The main purpose of this research is to find out the relationship of time spent

in Facebook to English proficiency among Education students of SLSU during the

school year 2010-2011.

Specially, this sought to find answer to the following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents?

2. How many hours did the students spend in studying their lessons in

English per day?

3. How many hours did the students spend in using Facebook per day?

4. What is the English proficiency of the respondents?

5. Is there a significant relationship between students’ time spent in using

Facebook and English proficiency?

6. Is there a significant relationship between students’ time spent in studying

and English proficiency?

Significance of the Study

Knowing the relationship of Facebook to English proficiency of Education

Students of Southern Luzon State University Alabat, Campus, this research may:

1. Help motivate the parents to observe how their children make use of their

free time in Facebook and regulate their time for productive leisure like

reading books.
 2. Prompt the teachers/instructor to supervise the students on the proper use

of internet by implementing guidelines regarding the use of any social

networking site.

3. Assist future researcher to replicate the study considering other variables

which shows the relationship of time spent in Facebook to grammar,

reading, speaking and writing as components of English subject and

increase the respondents of study for better result.

Scope and limitation

This is study focuses mainly on how the hours spent in Facebook relates to

students’ English proficiency. The respondents of this study are the Education

students of Southern Luzon State University, Alabat, Campus enrolled during the

school year 2010-2011.

However, the English proficiency test was limited on the items that assess

their grammar, reading, and listening skills. The speaking skill is not included in the

test due to lack o0f testing instruments. The questionnaire is composed of 30 items

only.

Definitions of Terms

Facebook. Is an Online social networking community that connects people

through network of friends for datind or making new friends.It is an online

social network service.

Time spent. It refers to the length of hours students’ used in Facebook.

Social Networking. Refers to the process of initiating, developing and

maintaining friendship and collegial or professional relationship for mutual

benefit.

Internet. It sometimes called the “Information Superhighway,” is a worldwide,

publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit

data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). It is a

“network of network” that consist of millions of smaller domestic, academic,

business, and government networks” which together carry various information

and services.

English proficiency. It is the ability to demonstrate competence in English

grammar based on the scores on the students got in the test.