Macro Communication Skills and Anglo-American Literary Competence of Grade 9 Students in a Public High School

Abstract

Aims: This paper assessed the levels of macro communication skills in terms of reading and viewing and the levels of Anglo-American literary competence of the Grade 9 students in a public high school in Cadiz City during the school year 2022-2023. It also determined the significant differences in students' reading and writing skills and Anglo-American literary competence when grouped according to birth order, parents’ highest educational attainment, and class classification. Lastly, it determined whether a significant relationship exists between the students’ macro communication skills and Anglo-American literary competence. Study Design: This quantitative study utilized descriptive, comparative, and correlational research approaches. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted among the Grade 9 junior high school students in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, Philippines, during 2022-2023. Methodology: The study was responded to by 290 stratified randomly sampled students using a validated and reliability-tested researcher-made test questionnaire. In assessing the study, it utilized the scale in ascending order: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. Data analysis procedures employed mean, standard deviation, frequency count, percentage, rank, Kruskal Wallis, and Spearman rank correlation. Results: Generally, the grade 9 students attained a moderate level of macro communication skills in terms of reading (M=10.97, SD=3.92) and viewing (M=9.80, SD=5.54), and a moderate level of Anglo-American literary competence (M=8.33, SD=3.86). In terms of birth order, there were no significant differences found in students’ reading skills [χ2(4)=1.249, p=0.870], viewing skills [χ2(4) =5.108, p=0.276], and Anglo-American literary competence [χ2(4)=8.287, p=0.082]. When grouped according to parents’ highest educational attainment, significant differences were found in their reading skills [χ2(5) =16.726, p=0.005], viewing skills [χ2(5)=13.329, p=0.020], and Anglo-American literary competence [χ2(5)=12.224, p=0.032]. Additionally, in terms of class classification, significant differences were found in students’ reading skills [χ2(2) =46.851, p=0.000], viewing skills [χ2(2)=69.761, p=0.000], and Anglo-American literary competence [χ2(2)=72.247, p=0.000]. Lastly, a significant relationship was found between students’ reading skills and Anglo-American literary competence [rs(288)=0.495, p=0.000], and a significant relationship between viewing skills and Anglo-American literary competence [rs(288)=0.550, p=0.000]. Conclusion: The findings indicate the need for further practice, improvement, and intervention to improve students’ macro communication skills and Anglo-American literary competence. Employing differentiated teaching interventions and strategies plays a vital role in addressing these aspects.