Speaking Difficulties of Grade 12 Indigenous Students in English at International School of Asia and the Pacific-Kalinga

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the speaking difficulties in English among Grade 12 Indigenous learners at the International School of Asia and the Pacific–Kalinga during the Academic Year 2024–2025. Guided by Canale and Swain’s (1980) Communicative Competence Theory, the study employed a quantitative-descriptive design with comparative and correlational components. Using total enumeration sampling, nineteen (19) Grade 12 Indigenous students served as participants. Data were gathered through a validated survey questionnaire focusing on five areas of speaking difficulty: pronunciation, grammar and sentence structure, vocabulary, fluency, and confidence. The findings revealed that the respondents generally experienced moderate difficulty in speaking English. Among the five indicators, grammar and sentence structure obtained the highest mean, while confidence recorded the lowest. Statistical analyses showed no significant difference in the speaking difficulties when respondents were grouped according to sex, age, strand, and parents’ educational attainment. The results indicate that speaking challenges are shared across all demographic groups and are influenced more by linguistic and affective factors than by personal characteristics. Based on these findings, a plan of action was proposed to enhance learners’ English-speaking competence through grammar reinforcement, pronunciation and fluency activities, and confidence-building strategies anchored on communicative and culturally responsive instruction.