Philippine E-Journals

Voices of the Linguistically Curious: English Majors’ Language Learning Journey

Angela Gabrielle B Bacang | Roxanne Z Futalan | Jenilyn O Entong | Mick Ian M Cornelia

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

This inquiry applied the principles of phenomenology to capture the English majors’ lived experiences in English language learning. Six BSED English students (English majors) enrolled during the school year 2020-2021 were selected as the study’s participants. An in-depth and semi-structured interview with open-ended questions was then conducted to collect data. Due to the pandemic restrictions, the interviews were performed via Zoom Meetings instead of face-to-face. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. For data analysis, Colaizzi’s method was utilized wherein significant statements (SS) were extracted from the transcriptions, and formulated meanings (FMs) were created based on the SS. The SS and FMs were then used to identify one emergent theme “Eclectic Influences to Entry,” which consists of the following six subthemes: 1) Positive Family Clout; 2) Noteworthy Childhood Exposure; 3) Meritorious Church Involvement; 4) Favorable Encounters with Learning Materials; 5) Interesting Personal Reasons; and 6) Cogent Teacher Forces. The findings of the study revealed that the English majors had intrinsic motivation to learn the English language and held a positive attitude towards the language, the speakers of the language, and the learning process itself. Moreover, factors such as family involvement, teacher support, technology and media, and exposure to native speakers played a significant role in the English majors’ passion for learning. The study concluded that strong family support, reading books, watching online videos and television, and using English in daily conversations had a positive impact on the English majors' competency in the language.