IDENTIFICATION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEEDS OF THE AUTOMOTIVE

SERVICING INDUSTRY: BASIS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT

A Basic Research
Presented to the Department of Education - Region XI
Under the Basic Education Research Fund

DAREEN LOUISE M. GUISEHAN

Division of Panabo City

November 2017
IDENTIFICATION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEEDS OF THE AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICING INDUSTRY: BASIS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS
DEVELOPMENT

Dareen Louise M. Guisehan

Division of Panabo City

ABSTRACT

This research is designed to address the deficit in knowledge regarding the English
language needs of the automotive servicing industry, including the lack of data
about specific language skills in delivering service in the automotive industry.
Descriptive method was used involving 30 industry practitioners (i.e. TESDA
assessors, auto mechanics) using a researcher-made English language needs
analysis questionnaire. Findings reveal that the listening skill is the most
important skill among the macro skills in the industry, comprehension on following
directions on manuals and workplace documents are the most needed reading
skills, cohesion and coherence in writing is important in the industry, social
communication skills such as negotiating with clients and facilitating discussions
are most needed speaking skills, and understanding and evaluating visual
information are most needed in terms of viewing skill. Instructional materials and
activities should be designed according to the identified language needs. Senior
high school language teachers handling TVL students should conduct needs
analysis to contextualize instruction. Furthermore, this study should be duplicated
in other TVL strands to identify the language needs of other industries to keep the
education sector abreast with the demands of the industries.

Keywords: English for specific purposes; needs analysis; language function; senior
high school curriculum; language teaching
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

It is a pleasure to express my gratitude to the following persons whom without

them, this research would never be possible.
First and foremost, I would like to return all the glory and honor to the Almighty
Father for the wisdom, strength, and motivation He has given me.
To the Automotive Servicing National Certificate assessors of Toyozu Technical
School Foundation, Inc. and Valiant Technical Institute and Assessment Cener, thank
you for the insightful comments which guided the creation of instructional materials.
My sincere gratitude also goes to the automotive mechanics of Davao City
Engineer’s Motor Pool, Panabo City Engineer’s Motor Pool, Astrobuilt Construction and
Development Company, Pitstop Bosch Car Service, and Banawe All-Auto Parts, who
provided me valuable industry-based perspectives. Without their precious time, it
would not be possible to conduct this research.
I would also like to thank the experts who were involved in the validation of the
research instruments and who also helped me find suitable respondents: Ms. Jo Janine
Nikkie I. Tuna, Ms. Maria Lucille O. Mejias, and to Mr. Jonard P. Leona, for helping me
analyze the data statistically.
To the Deparment of Education – Region XI and Panabo City Division, especially
to Ma’am Aileen B. Añonuevo and Sir Erick Dalumpines, thank you for entrusting me
with this opportunity.
Last but certainly not the least, I am profoundly grateful to my principal, Ma’am
Myrna E. Purificacion for the support and encouragement throughout the conduct of
this research.
This accomplishment would not have been possible without them.

The Researcher
 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND RELATED LITERATURE

Introduction

In globalized industries, English was accorded the privilege to become the

language of international communication. Its acquisition can guarantee the availability

of opportunities to employment, travelling, higher education, and even better life

(McKay, 2002). English is not merely a school subject but also a skill that requires

considerable content knowledge. Because of the necessity of English, there is generally

high standard of everyday English communication skills among students (Chen, 2016).

In the current Senior High School curriculum, especially in the Technical

Vocational and Livelihood Track, the offered English subjects are not specified for the

language needs of each TVL strand (e.g., automotive servicing, housekeeping, etc.).

Additionally, learners need more career-oriented English skills to meet industry

requirements since senior high school program aims to produce students who are

equipped in the world of work, business, and higher education. Thus, teaching English

in context is crucial in improving English instruction and is equally vital for students

who are about to enter the workplace. Such students must acquire as much knowledge

as possible on their target situation and most importantly, develop their English

language skills according to the prescribed standards of the target industry (Chen and

Chang, 2016).

Hence, developing the English language skills of students in Senior High School

(Technical – Vocational Livelihood Track), specifically the Automotive Servicing Strand,

is crucial to succeed in their chosen industry where English is the language of both oral

and written communication. The aptitude of the students to communicate effectively, in

oral and written contexts, and to comprehend texts, graphical representations, and

audio are indispensable prerequisites to survive in the industry they have chosen after

finishing the Senior High School Program.

To address the gap between the English skills requirements of the automotive

industry and the current English skills level of Senior High School students, this study

aims to identify the English language needs in the automotive servicing industry.

Specifically, this study aims to profile the macro skills, along with its micro skills, most

useful in the automotive servicing industry to aid the crafting of an industry-based

instructional materials for the automotive servicing students of Quezon High School –

PNHS Annex.

Literature Review

English for Specific Purposes

According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987), the origins of ESP stems from the

radical scientific, technical, and economic activities after the Second World War and the

Oil Crisis of the 1970s led many people to learn English for specific reasons rather than

simply for pleasure and prestige.

However, in an attempt to establish an appropriate definition of ESP, Johns and

Dudley – Evans (1993) propose the general definition provided by Strevens (1988).

According to this definition, First, ESP is considered as the basis for broad divisions of

various English for Academic Purposes (EAP) which includes English for Science and

Technology (EST), English for Occupational Purposes (EOP), and English for Vocational

Purposes (EVP). Second, Strevens describes ESP with its possible characteristics. He
differentiates “four absolute characteristics” from “two variable characteristics”.

According to Strevens (1988), the former correspond to the identified needs of the

learner, the topics under study and the content to be taught, contrasting with "general

English" and related to "syntax, lexis, discourse, semantics, etc., activities" (Johns and

Dudley-Evans, 1993), and finally discourse analysis. In fact, they are the necessary

features to identify such a process as being ESP. But the latter characteristics are that

they may or may not be part of the whole process in particular situations. They consist

in, first, teaching ESP without following any existing methodology simply because it

may not be appropriate in certain cases, and secondly, restricting teaching the skill or

skills to be learned. Briefly saying, these characteristics can be considered as the

necessary criteria for the fulfilment of ESP teaching which focuses on the learner's

needs seeking for successful learning and without wasting time.

As for a broader definition of ESP, Hutchinson and Waters (1987) theorize, "ESP

is an approach to language teaching in which all decisions as to content and method

are based on the learner's reason for learning". Anthony (1997) notes that, it is not

clear where ESP courses end and general English courses begin; numerous non-

specialist ESL instructors use an ESP approach in that their syllabi are based on

analysis of learner needs and their own personal specialist knowledge of using English

for real communication.

Since ESP capitalizes in the learners’ specific language needs, Hutchinson and

Waters (1987) cite psychology as the final reason of the emergence of ESP rather than

linguistics. Rather than simply focus on the method of language delivery, more

attention was given to the ways in which learners acquire language and the differences
in the ways language is acquired. This reinforces the use of needs analysis in

identifying the specific language needs relevant to the learners’ interests.

What makes an ESP course highly specialized than the general English subject

is that it centers on the analysis on learners’ needs (Basturkmen, 2010). However, as

Long (2005) observes, although English language curriculum developers spend large

amount of money in developing their curricula, they often neglect the process of needs

analysis, which is considered a crucial factor in developing any language curriculum.

Needs Analysis

Needs analysis is considered to be the main driving factor in ESP curriculum

development. In the domain of language program design, needs analysis refers to a

number of means for identifying and validating the needs and establishes priorities

among those. Brown defines needs analysis as “the activities involved in gathering

information that will serve as the basis for developing a curriculum that will meet the

learning needs of a particular group of learners”. Ellis and Johnson view needs analysis

as a method of obtaining a description of a learner’s needs (or group of learner’s needs).

Their definition of needs analysis is almost similar to Brown’s. Thus the goals of needs

analysis are to find out what learners want to use the language for and what level of

competencies they have in the language at present. Data collection about the course

materials is also necessary. Richards observes that needs analysis is the requirement

for fact-finding or the collection of data from various sources, for example the data

about learners, the materials and so on. Westerfield views, “In the needs assessment

process, the ESP practitioner does his/her best to find out information about the needs

of the sponsor organization, the needs and wants of the learner, and the context in
which the learning will take place. This will involve conducting a Target Situation

Analysis (what does the learner need to be able to do with the language in the future), a

Present Situation Analysis (what can the learner do with the language now), and a

Context Analysis (what is the environment in which the learning will take place)”.

From the above explanation it is obvious that the investigation of needs analysis

may be conducted in three different areas which are- Target Situation Analysis, Present

Situation Analysis and Context Analysis. These can be done by “examining both

qualitative and quantitative information based on questionnaires, tests, interviews and

observations”. And the ultimate goal of needs analysis is to design a curriculum and

develop appropriate teaching techniques, as view, “The results of needs analysis can be

used to determine a syllabus and suitable teaching techniques”. This is necessary

because “…in a learner-centered classroom, key decisions about what will be taught,

how it will be taught, when it will be taught, and how it will be assessed will be made

with reference to the learner. Information from learners, and where feasible, from

learners, will be used to answer the key questions of what, how, when and how well”.

With the use of the needs analysis, the researcher will be able to identify the

most needed language skills which will become the basis of developing an industry-

based instructional materials for automotive servicing students.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The purpose of this study is to identify the needs in terms of language skills

based on the perceptions of the automotive servicing industry practitioners. To do so,

this research investigated the following:

1. What are the specific English language needs demanded by the Automotive

Servicing industry in terms of:

a) Reading skill;

b) Writing skill;

c) Listening skill;

d) Speaking skill;

e) Viewing skill?

SCOPE AND LIMITATION

The research’s purpose is to identify the specific needs and demands of the

Automotive Servicing industry practitioners which would become the basis for the

crafting of industry-based instructional materials for the senior high school program.

Furthermore, this study is limited in terms of its scale and situation-unique

conditions. The areas under discussion in this study are restricted to a small number

of automotive servicing industry practitioners in the research locale. Thus, the research

findings may not be generalized to other populations in other locales.

Moreover, the research findings are still subject to further confirmation and

modification through additional analysis and experimentation. Future researchers are

suggested to involve other industry practitioners in a larger scale to further validate the

findings of this study.

 CHAPTER II

METHODS

In this part, the researcher describes the methods used specifically the sampling

method and respondents and the data gathering procedure.

Sample

This study involved 30 automotive servicing industry practitioner-respondents of

both Panabo City and Davao City, namely, Panabo City Engineer’s Motor Pool, Davao

City Engineer’s Motor Pool, Astrobuilt Construction and Development Company, Toyozu

Technical School Foundation, Inc., Banawe All-Auto Parts and Valiant Technical

Institute and Assessment Center. These respondents include TESDA Assessors and

automotive mechanics. The respondents were randomly selected. Table 1 shows the

distribution of the respondents by institution and company.

Table 1. Distribution of respondents.

Number of
Institution
respondents
Davao City Engineer’s Motor Pool 5
Panabo City Engineer’s Motor Pool 5
Toyozu Technical School Foundation, Inc. 5
Astrobuilt Construction and Development
5
Company
Valiant Technical Institute and Assessment Center 5
Banawe All-Auto Parts 5
Total 30

Data Collection
 The following steps were followed in gathering the data:

Creation of research instrument. The questionnaire used in this study was

researcher made. It was presented to the panel of experts for validation. The automotive

servicing industry language needs questionnaire consisted of three parts. The first part

aimed the collection of general background information of the respondents. A part of

the questionnaire also was designed to classroom activities in an English classroom.

The third part of the questionnaire constitutes to the respondents’ English language

needs in which they have to rate the 50 English language sub-skills related to the five

macro skills, namely reading, writing, listening, speaking and viewing using 5-point-

Likert scale: (1) Exceptionally Unimportant, (2) Unimportant, (3) Neutral, (4) Important,

and (5) Exceptionally Important.

Establishment of the questionnaire’s reliability. The researcher-made

questionnaire was pilot-tested after the experts’ validation. The reliability was

established using Cronbach’s Alpha. Values closer to 1 indicate strong reliability of the

test items (Vanderstoep and Johnston, 2009).

Table 2. Questionnaire’s reliability

Number of
Cronbach’s Alpha
items

.944 50

*.944 signifies that all items are reliable

Administration of the questionnaire to the industry-practitioner-respondents. The

50 – item needs analysis questionnaire was personally administered to the industry-

practitioner-respondents from Davao City Engineer’s Motor Pool, Panabo City

Engineer’s Motor Pool, Toyozu Technical School Foundation, Inc., Astrobuilt

Construction and Development Company, Valiant Technical Institute and Assessment

Center, and Banawe All-Auto Parts.

Retrieval, tabulation, and recording of the data in the master data sheet. After the

respondents had completed the questionnaire, the researcher retrieved, tabulated, and

recorded the data in the master data sheet in preparation for the statistical treatment.

Data Analysis

The following statistics were used in analyzing the data:

Descriptive analysis, such as the mean score, was used to determine the specific

language needs needed in the automotive servicing industry.

 CHAPTER III

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This part of the paper deals with the results which are presented and discussed

under the following subhead: (1) English language needs as perceived by the

automotive servicing industry practitioners in terms of (a) reading skill, (b) writing skill,

(c) listening skill, (d) speaking skill, and (e) viewing skill.

Profile of English language needs as perceived by the

Automotive servicing industry practitioners

In order to create industry-based instructional materials for automotive servicing

strand, this study investigated the most needed English language needs in the

automotive servicing industry. Table 3 shows the overall most important English

language skill in automotive servicing workplace.

Table 3. Degree of importance of English language skills as perceived

by automotive servicing industry practitioners

Item Item Descriptive

Skills Needed
No. Mean Equivalent
1 Reading skill 3.82 Important
2 Writing skill 3.76 Important
3 Listening skill 3.98 Important
4 Speaking skill 3.92 Important
5 Viewing skill 3.95 Important
Scale: 1.00 – 1.80 Exceptionally unimportant
1.81 – 2.60 Unimportant
2.61 – 3.40 Neutral
3.41 – 4.20 Important
4.21 – 5.00 Exceptionally important
 Though the current high school curriculum puts greater emphasis on reading

comprehension of various texts, writing and composition, which are all in support of

critical and creative thinking development (K-12 Toolkit), the current study posits that

the skills: listening, speaking, and the new addition to language skill, viewing, should

also be given equal emphasis, specifically in the automotive servicing strand of the

senior high school curriculum.

As Table 3 shows, the automotive servicing industry practitioners perceived that

all language skills as important. However, it is good to note that among the language

skills, the listening skill (M=3.98) ranked first, followed by the viewing skill (M = 3.95),

speaking skill (M = 3.92), reading skill (M = 3.82), and writing skill (M = 3.76).

This suggests that there is a discrepancy between what the automotive servicing

industry actually needs and what the current curriculum instruction emphasizes in

terms of language skills.

Thus, the instructional materials and activities to be crafted based on these

results should put more emphasis on the development of the students’ listening,

speaking, and viewing skills within the context of automotive servicing industry.

However, both reading and writing skills will still be incorporated, but with much

accent to industry-related contexts.

Table 4 shows the degree of importance of the reading subskills. It was already

established that the reading skill was accorded greater emphasis than the other macro

skills (K-12 Toolkit), however, in the current study, though it is still thought to be

important in the automotive servicing industry (M=3.82), it ranked second to the last

among the macro skills most needed in the automotive servicing industry.
Table 4. Degree of importance of the Reading subskills

Item Item Descriptive

Item Description
No. Mean Equivalent
Identify similar ideas in automotive
1 3.77 Important
industry related texts
Identify contrasting ideas in automotive 3.77
2 Important
industry related texts
Draw conclusions from research articles 3.77
3 Important
and automotive industry related texts
4 Read to follow instructions in manuals 4.17 Important
Derive meaning of unfamiliar terms in 3.87
5 Important
automotive industry related texts
Identify details and facts from 3.70
6 Important
automotive industry related texts
Read to generate conclusions from 3.73
7 Important
automotive industry related texts
Point out implications of automotive 3.83
8 Important
industry related investigations
Infer context that is not explicit by 3.60
9 Important
using world knowledge
Read to understand workplace 4.00
10 Important
documents
Scale: 1.00 – 1.80 Exceptionally unimportant 1.81– 2.60 Unimportant
3.41 – 4.20 Important 4.21 – 5.00 Exceptionally important
2.61 – 3.40 Neutral

In terms of the reading subskill, all of the items were deemed important by the

automotive servicing industry practitioners as shown in Table 4. However, it is best to

notice that the subskill, read to follow instructions in manual (M= 4.17), ranked first

among all the other subskills, followed by read to understand workplace documents

(M=4.00). This strongly suggests that reading comprehension should still be given

importance, giving much emphasis on work-related texts. Moreover, the study also

shows that automotive servicing industry deals more on reading operation manuals,
and that students should ideally achieve mastery level on the syntactic skill on

imperative verbs and transition words.

In addition, the subskill, derive meaning of unfamiliar terms in automotive

servicing industry related texts (M=3.87), ranked as third most needed reading subskill.

This implies that senior high school students should have rich industry-based

vocabulary. To do so, selected industry-based reading materials should possess rich

amount of vocabulary. More importantly, vocabulary building activities should be

incorporated in reading activities and students should be introduced to the industry

jargons.

On the other hand, the remaining reading subskills: point out implications

(M=3.83), identify similar ideas and contrasting ideas in automotive servicing related

texts (M = 3.77), draw conclusions (M=77), identify details and facts (M=3.70), and infer

context that is not explicit (M = 3.60) all direct to the ability to comprehend texts

critically. These subskills were all identified as important in the automotive servicing

industry. Hence, developing students’ reading comprehension is still vital for their

success in the workplace. Still, the selection of reading materials should be rigorously

screened and should be based in the automotive servicing industry to achieve

authenticity.

In summary, the following are the specific needs of the automotive servicing

industry in terms of reading skill:

(a) ability to critically comprehend instructions;

(b) workplace documents; and

(c) automotive servicing industry related texts.

 For the writing skill, Table 5 presents in details the degree of importance of its

subskills. Though the writing skill was still believed to be important by the automotive

servicing industry (M=3.76), it ranked last among the other macro skills needed most in

the automotive servicing industry.

Table 5. Degree of importance of the Writing subskills

Item Item
Descriptive
No. Item Description Mea
Equivalent
n
1 Write reports 3.73 Important
2 Develop outlines for reports 3.60 Important
Define technical terms in writing 3.60
3 Important
paragraphs
Write procedures of industry-related 4.07
4 problem solving cases (i.e. Important
troubleshooting engines)
Use acceptable grammatical systems in 3.67
5 Important
written discourse
Organize ideas into graphical 3.63
6 Important
presentations
7 Summarize data gathered from activities 3.80 Important
Write description of tools and materials 4.10
8 Important
used
Use discourse markers in written 3.67
9 Important
discourse
10 Complete written workplace documents 3.80 Important
Scale: 1.00 – 1.80 Exceptionally unimportant 1.81– 2.60 Unimportant
3.41 – 4.20 Important 4.21 – 5.00 Exceptionally important
2.61 – 3.40 Neutral

Based on Table 4, all of the writing sub-skills were still perceived important by

the automotive servicing industry practitioners (M = 3.60 to M = 4.10). Also, it is

noticeable that the sub-skill: writing description of tools and materials used, ranked as

the most needed sub-skill in writing for the automotive industry (M = 4.10). This

implies that senior high school students who are taking automotive servicing should

have a grasp on the basics of descriptive writing. To do so, students should not only
have rich vocabulary, as emphasized also in the reading subskill: derive meaning from

unfamiliar terms, but more importantly, students should be able to select vivid

adjectives and be able to distinguish shades of meaning among closely related

adjectives to enhance their writing.

Additionally, the sub-skill: writing procedures of industry-related problem solving

cases (i.e. troubleshooting engines), ranked second as the most needed writing skill in

the automotive servicing industry (M = 4.07). Similar to the reading subskill: read to

follow directions, this writing subskill also requires senior high school students that

they should be able to distinguish and use discourse markers or transition words.

On the other hand, the sub-skills: completing written workplace documents and

summarizing data gathered from workplace activities (M = 3.80), write reports (M = 3.73),

use acceptable grammatical systems and discourse markers (M=3.67), organize ideas

into graphical representations (M=3.63), develop outlines and define technical terms in

writing paragraphs (M=3.60) were also deemed important. These writing subskills are

all attuned to writing for the workplace. This postulates that there is really a need to

train students with authentic workplace written communication. This may be in the

shape of short forms such as incident reports, minutes, business letters, and filling out

information in documents. In addition, writing for a specific context should be

emphasized, in this case, the automotive servicing industry.

In summary, though the writing skill is the least needed macro skill in the

automotive servicing industry, the following subskills were identified important in

terms of the writing skill in the said industry:

(a) write to describe materials and procedures used in industry-related problem

solving cases; and

(b) write for workplace communication.

 Listening occupies about 45% of the time adults spend in communication. This

is significantly more than speaking, which accounts for 30%, and reading and writing,

which make 16% and 9% respectively (Mendelsohn, 1994). Yet, the status quo puts

much weight on reading and writing in the high school curriculum (K to 12 Toolkit).

This supports the study’s advances that the listening skill is the most needed among

other macro skills in the automotive servicing industry (M=3.98). In terms of the

listening skill, Table 6 illustrates the degree of importance of its subskills.

Table 6. Degree of importance of the Listening subskills

Item Item Descriptive

Item Description
No. Mean Equivalent
Exceptionally
1 Listen to ask questions 4.23
Important
2 Listen to trace flow of discussions 4.17 Important
Listen to follow workplace safety 4.27 Exceptionally
3
requirements Important
4 Listen to answer the questions raised 3.87 Important
5 Listen to follow stages in a process 4.10 Important
Distinguish between major and minor 3.80
6 Important
ideas during discussions
Carry out verbal instructions from 3.93
7 Important
supervisors and others
Infer links and connections between 3.83
8 Important
events
Identify purpose and scope of 3.80
9 Important
discussions
Deduce meanings of words from oral 3.83
10 Important
discussions
Scale: 1.00 – 1.80 Exceptionally unimportant 1.81– 2.60 Unimportant
3.41 – 4.20 Important 4.21 – 5.00 Exceptionally important
2.61 – 3.40 Neutral

Two of its subskills, listen to follow workplace safety requirements (M = 4.27) and

listen to ask questions (M= 4.23) were considered as both exceptionally important. This
is followed by the subskills: listen to trace flow of discussions (M = 4.17) and listen to

follow stages in a process (M = 4.10). Also, the subskills: carry out verbal instructions

listened from supervisors (3.93), listen to answer questions raised (M = 3.87), infer links

and connections between events and deduce meanings of words from oral discussions (M

= 3.83), distinguish major and minor ideas and identify purpose and scope of

discussions (M = 3.80) were all believed to be important listening skills in the

automotive servicing industry.

It can be inferred that all of these subskills refer to listening comprehension

skills. As Kaus and Lee (2006) claimed, listening skills are one of the fundamental skills

that employers look for in employee. However, Osada (2004) stated that listening is not

very important for both teachers and learners, moreover, learners learn only listening

but not listening comprehension. Consequently, it remains the most neglected aspect of

language teaching even if it is the most needed macro skill in the industry, specifically,

in the automotive servicing industry.

Furthermore, this study posits that listening comprehension activities should be

included in the crafting of instructional materials in the context of the automotive

industry. These activities include listening strategies such as first, cognitive strategy.

This refers to one’s ability to understand linguistic input and obtain data, examples of

which are predicting content though asking questions, and deduce meanings of words

from oral discussions. Second, students should be taught metacognitive strategy – a

strategy in learners are conscious when listening to text cautiously. This method deals

with how to monitor gathered information from the listening part (Holden, 2004).

Lastly, students should be taught with the socio-affective listening

comprehension strategy. Vandergrift (2003) defined this as the strategy listeners

employ to collaborate with others, to verify understanding, and to ensure positive

reactions. This is vital since not only do automotive service technicians and mechanics

deal with their colleagues but they also spend time dealing with other people such as

their clients, may it be a local citizen or a non-national.

Hence, the listening skill should be given an equal footing along with other

macro skills in language teaching since it is the most needed skill in the industry, in

this context, the automotive servicing industry.

Similar with the listening skill, speaking skill was also deemed important in the

automotive servicing industry (M=3.92). Presented in Table 7 is the degree of

importance of speaking subskills.

Table 7. Degree of importance of the Speaking subskills

Item Item Descriptive

Item Description
No. Mean Equivalent
Speak to describe processes/procedures
1 4.10 Important
in automotive servicing
Give directions during automotive 4.27 Exceptionally
2
servicing workshops Important
Explaining terms in automotive servicing 3.93
3 Important
vocabulary to clients
Facilitate discussions in workplace 3.77
4 Important
procedures
Share work-related information to other 4.03
5 Important
team members
6 Give and receive feedback from clients 3.97 Important
Use appropriate registers and 4.00
7 Important
conventions in telephone conversations
8 Ask and answer queries to clients 3.83 Important
Use facial features and body language 3.57
9 along with verbal language to convey Important
meaning
10 Use negotiating skills during discussions 3.73 Important
Scale: 1.00 – 1.80 Exceptionally unimportant 1.81– 2.60 Unimportant
3.41 – 4.20 Important 4.21 – 5.00 Exceptionally important
2.61 – 3.40 Neutral
 The table shows that all of the speaking subskills are all important in the

automotive servicing industry, however, the subskill, give directions during automotive

servicing workshops (M=4.27) indicates that it is exceptionally important. This is

followed by the subskill, speak to describe processes and procedures in automotive

servicing (M = 4.10). Although these skills are identified as necessary and important in

the automotive servicing industry, the language of these situations are seldom taught

in context to the students at school. Thus, there is truly a need in teaching students to

speak in context for them to be ready in the workplace.

Industry practitioners’ feedback suggest that they place considerable importance

on collaborative work and frequent discussions in the form of sharing work-related

information to other members (M = 4.03), using appropriate registers and conventions in

telephone conversations (M = 4.00), giving and receiving feedback from clients (M = 3.97),

explaining terms in automotive servicing to clients (M = 3.93), asking and answering

queries to clients (M = 3.83), facilitating discussions (M = 3.77), using negotiation skills

(M = 3.73). This finding can be linked to the study of Thomas (2007) which states that

the functional nature of organizations shifts as work becomes more customer focused.

Hence, students should have sound technical knowledge for the to be able to

facilitate discussions about processes and directions in automotive servicing. They

should be immersed in contextualized interaction activities that deals with customer

service. Additionally, they should be trained in terms of the speaking skills required in

ensuring customer satisfaction.

 For the last macro skill, viewing skill was ranked second most needed macro

skill in the automotive servicing industry (M = 3.95). Table 8 shows the degree of

importance of the viewing skills.

Table 8. Degree of importance of the Viewing subskills

Item Item Descriptive

Item Description
No. Mean Equivalent
Interpret visual images like symbols
1 3.97 Important
and charts
Follow directions and instructions in 4.03
2 Important
diagrams and charts
Identify relationships of concepts 4.00
3 Important
presented in diagrams
Determine symbols used in 4.07
4 Important
illustrations and diagrams
Determine the cause and effect 3.93
5 relationships of processes in Important
illustrations
Relate relationships and concepts 3.87
6 Important
presented in diagrams
7 Identify data in charts and graphs 3.80 Important
Follow sequence in illustrations 3.77
8 Important
presented
Identify ideas presented in graphic 4.03
9 Important
organizers
Distinguish between major and minor 4.03
10 Important
ideas in diagrams or illustrations
Scale: 1.00 – 1.80 Exceptionally unimportant 1.81– 2.60 Unimportant
3.41 – 4.20 Important 4.21 – 5.00 Exceptionally important
2.61 – 3.40 Neutral

As shown in the table, the subskills are all considered important in the

automotive servicing industry. It is good to note that the subskill, determine symbols

used in illustrations and diagrams (M = 4.07) ranked first among the most needed
viewing subskill. This indicates that the automotive industry demands that students

should know how to perceive meanings out of visual representations.

Next are the subskills: distinguish between major and minor ideas in diagrams or

illustrations, identify ideas presented in graphic organizers, follow directions in diagrams

and charts, (M = 4.03), and identify of concepts presented in diagrams (M = 4.00).

As previously established in this study, the writing skill is the least needed

macro skill in the automotive servicing industry (M = 3.76), this further asserts that in

this context, ideas are best represented in terms of diagrams, charts, and illustrations.

This supports the study of Georgis (1999) and Valmont (2003) emphasizing that visual

literacy is not only about understanding the symbols but also to construct effective

visuals in order to convey ideas to others.

Additionally, it is best to note that because of the technology integration in the

classrooms, viewing literacy and comprehension are not limited to diagrams,

illustration and charts but also include multimedia presentations.

 CHAPTER IV

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The purpose of this study is to determine the specific needs of the automotive

servicing industry in terms of English language skills. Based on the findings, this study

concludes that:

1. Among the five macro skills, the listening skill ranked first as the most

important language skill in the automotive servicing industry, followed by the

viewing skill, speaking skill, reading skill, and the writing skill. Accordingly,

the industry needs critical listeners who have the ability to understand what

was listened to.

2. In terms of reading skill, the comprehension is essential in the industry but

with much emphasis on workplace documents, following directions on

operation manuals.

3. In terms of writing skill, cohesion and coherence in writing is needed since

the industry deals more on procedures and processes.

4. In terms of speaking skill, the automotive servicing industry needs social

communication skills such as facilitating discussions in collaborative works

and dealing with the clientele.

5. In terms of viewing skill, the automotive industry needs critical viewers who

have the ability to carefully comprehend and evaluate visual information.

Recommendations

Based on the conclusions made, this present study recommends the following:

1. For teaching English in the Automotive Servicing SHS Curriculum, activities

should be anchored in the context of the industry.

2. Instructional materials such as modules highly contextualized in the

language needs of the automotive servicing industry should be developed.

3. Senior High School language teachers should conduct language needs

analysis in the TVL strands to contextualize language teaching.

4. This study should be duplicated in other TVL strands to find out the

language needs of other industries to keep the education sector abreast with

the demands of the industries.

 DISSEMINATION OF ADVOCACY PLAN

This research sheds light on what automotive industry really demands when it

comes to language skills. The table shows the plan for dissemination and utilization of

the research results.

Tools A. Academic Community

 Presentation in LAC sessions
 Presentations in research
conferences
 Publication in peer-reviewed journals
 Utilization of the research results
through seminar-workshops
B. Policy Makers
 Project presentations based on
research recommendations to the
policy makers

Audience A. Academic Community: Students, Teachers,

and Principal
B. Policy Makers: Division and Regional
Personnel
C. Immersion SHS Teacher
Assessment Method A. Number of LAC sessions initiated
B. Number of presentations in research
conferences
C. Number of publications and their citations
D. Number of attendees and feedback
collected
E. Minutes of conferences and sessions
Facilities/Equipmen Laptop, LCD projector, extension wires, internet
t connection, printer, sound system

REFERENCES
Anthony, L. (1998). Defining English for specific purposes and the role of the ESP
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Basturkmen, H. (2010). Developing courses in English for specific purposes.

Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Broad, K., Evans, M., Gambhir, M., & Gaskell, J. (2008). Characterizing initial teacher
education in Canada: Themes and issues. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education,
University of Toronto.

Dudley-Evans, T. (1998). Developments in English for specific purposes: A multi-

disciplinary approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Holden, W. R. (2004). Facilitating Listening Comprehension: Acquiring Successful

Strategies. Bulletin of Hokiruku University, 28, 257-266.

Hovde M. R. (2005). Preparing Students For Global Engineering Workplace

Communication, American Society for Engineering Education. IL/IN Sectional
Conference, Session C-T-3-1,1-8.

Hutchinson,T. and Waters, A. (1987). English for specific purposes: A learning-centred

approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Kaur, S., & Lee, S. H. (2006). Analysing Workplace Oral Communication Needs in
English among IT Graduates. English for Specific Purposes World, 5(1), 12.

Long, M. H. (2005). Overview: A rationale for needs analysis and needs analysis
research. In Long, M. H., (Ed.) Second Language Needs Analysis. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1-16.

Mackay, R. (1978). “Identifying the nature of the learner’s needs”. In R. Mackay and A.J
Mountford. English for Specific Purposes: A Case Study Approach, pp. 21-37. London:
Longman.

Mendelsohn, D.J. (1994). Learning to listen : A strategy-based approach for the second
language learner. San Diego: Dominie Press.

Osada, N. (2004). Listening Comprehension Research: A Brief Review of the Last Thirty
Years. 2004 TALK,Japan.
Strevens, P. (1988). "ESP after twenty years: A re-appraisal". In M. Tickoo (Ed.), ESP:
State of the art, pp. 1-13. SEAMEO Regional Language Centre.

Vandergrift, L. (2003). Orchestrating Strategy Use: Towards a Model of the Skilled L2

Listener. Languagelearning, 53, 461-491. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-9922.00232

Vandergrift, L. (2007). Recent Development in Second Language Listening

Comprehension Research. InGraeme Porte (Ed.), Language Teaching: Surveys and
Studies. (pp. 291-210) Cambridge University Press,Canada.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0261444807004338

Van Nuland, S. (2011). Teacher education in Canada. Journal of Education for

Teaching, Volume 37 (4). DOI: 10.1080/02607476.2011.611222

APPENDIX A - RESEARCH TOOL

 AUTOMOTIVE SERVICING INDUSTRY ENGLISH LANGUAGE
NEEDS ANALYSIS QUESTIONNAIRE

ABOUT THIS QUESTIONNAIRE

This questionnaire is designed to gather information about the English language needs of the
automotive servicing students. The results of this survey will be used in developing an English Enhancement
Program and instructional materials, specifically, a module and other learning platforms, catered to the specific
English language needs of the said clientele.

A. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Below are items that ask about your background information. Please mark the appropriate boxes.

1. Name (optional):
2. Gender: Female Q Male
3. Educational Attainment:
Post-graduate
degree College
degree Vocational
High School
Elementary
4. Occupation:

B. AUTOMOTIVE SERVICING STUDENTS ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEEDS

5. Do you think English is very much needed in your chosen profession?

YES NO

6.
Which language skill do you think is much needed in your industry (i.e. automotive

o viewing speaking reading

o listening writing

7. What type of materials do you think the English course in Senior High School should include?
a. Textbooks, instruction/equipment manuals, CDs, DVDs, videotapes, and other
materials used in content courses or to train people for a job.
b. Materials used on a job, such as work forms, charts, and samples of relevant course
assignments and student papers.
c. Materials from websites like business letters, dialogues, instructions, telephone
conversations, podcasts, vodcasts, etc.
d. Combination of all these.
Others:
 Identify the degree of importance of communicative skills in automotive servicing. (Check the
appropriate box that corresponds to your answer)

Exceptionally Unimportant -1
Unimportant -2
Neutral -3
Important -4
Exceptionally Important -5

1 2 3 4 5
a. Reading Skill
Identify similar ideas in automotive industry related
texts

Identify contrasting ideas in automotive industry

related
texts
Draw conclusions from research articles and
automotive
industry related texts
Read to follow instructions in manuals

Derive meanings of unfamiliar terms in automotive

industry related texts

1 2 3 4 5
Identify details and facts from automotive industry
related texts

Read to generate conclusions from automotive

industry
related texts
Point out implications of automotive industry related
investigations

Infer context that is not explicit by using world

knowledge

Read and understand workplace documents

b. Writing Skill
Write reports from observations

Develop outlines for reports

Define technical terms in writing paragraphs

Write procedures of industry-related problem solving

cases (i.e troubleshooting engines)

Use acceptable grammatical systems in written

discourse

Organize ideas into graphical presentations

Summarize data gathered from hands-on automotive

laboratory activities

Write descriptions of tools and materials used in

automotive workshops

Use cohesive devices (example: next, then, first,

secondly) in written discourse

Complete written workplace documents, forms, and

logs
c. Listening Skill
Listen to answer questions

Listen to trace the flow of discussions

Listen to follow workplace safety requirements.

Listen to answer the questions raised

Listen to follow stages in a process

Distinguish between major and minor ideas during

discussions

Carry out verbal instructions from supervisors and

others

Infer links and connections between events

Identify purpose and scope of discussions

Deduce meanings of words from oral discussions

d. Speaking Skill
Speak to describe processes/ procedures in
automotive
servicing
Give directions during automotive servicing
workshops
1 2 3 4 5
Define terms in automotive servicing vocabulary

Facilitate discussions in workplace procedures

Share work-related information with other team-

members
Follow directions and instructions in diagrams and
chartsand receive feedback from clients
Give

Identify
Ask relationships
and answer queries of concepts presented in
to clients
diagrams
Determine
Use symbols used
appropriate in illustrations
registers and diagrams
and conventions in
telephone
Determine cause and effect relationships of
conversations
processes in illustrations
Use facial features and body language along with
Relate relationships and concepts presented in
verbal language to convey meaning
Use
diagrams
negotiating skills during discussions
e. Viewingdata
Identify Skillin charts and graphs
Follow sequence
Interpret in scientific
visual images illustrations
like symbols presented
and charts
Identify ideas presented in graphic organizers

Distinguish between major and minor ideas in

diagrams or illustrations
• Others (please specify):
Signature:
Date:
APPENDIX B

Proposed Instructional Material

Worktext

With the need to develop learners who are equipped in the world of
work, business, and higher education, this worktext aims to provide
Senior High School students with career-oriented English skills to
meet industry requirements. Hence, English for the Automotive
Servicing Industry was conceived.

This worktext is a product of the English language needs analysis of

the automotive industry. Five units compose the entire worktext
comprised with the activities that enhance students’ listening,
viewing, reading, writing, and speaking skills with relevant grammar
lessons most needed in the industry.

Specifically, this worktext is designed to address the language needs

of the automotive servicing industry. It is aimed to help automotive
servicing students of the Senior High School to become proficient in
using industry terminologies in sentences, comprehend workplace documents relevant to the industry, practice
social communication skills in the industry context, and become critical listeners.

Lastly, the author claims that as future automotive technicians and mechanics, Senior High School students
taking this strand must not only be adept with the technicalities in the industry but should also possess
English language skills and communicative competence to effectively become functional automotive
technicians and mechanics
DAREEN LOUISE M. GUISEHAN
Teacher II, Quezon National High School
Senior High School, Division of Panabo City
Mobile #: 0917-825-1844
[email protected]

EDUCATION

Degree : Master of Education in Language Teaching (on-going)

School : University of Southeastern Philippines
Barrio Obrero, Davao City
Period : June 2015 - present

Degree : Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English

School : University of Southeastern Philippines
Barrio Obrero, Davao City
Period : June 2010 – April 2014
Merit : Cum Laude

PROFESSIONAL AND WORK EXPERIENCE

Research Evaluator Department of Education RO XI

July – August 2020
Evaluated research proposals for BERF 2020

Content Editor Panabo City Division Development Team

TV Based Instruction
September 2020

Language Expert Panabo City Division

 Reading and Writing Team
LMs Development – SHS
September 2020

Illustrator and Book Panabo City LRMDS Team

Designer MTB – MLE Group
September 2018

CAREER POSITIONS HELD

Position : Research Coordinator

Institution : Quezon National High School
Senior High School
Quezon, Panabo City
June 2018 – present

Position : SHS ICT Coordinator

Institution : Quezon National High School
Senior High School
Quezon, Panabo City
June 2019 – present

Position : SHS LIS Coordinator

Institution : Quezon National High School
Senior High School
Quezon, Panabo City
June 2018 – present

Position : SHS Guidance Advocate

Institution : Quezon National High School
Senior High School
Quezon, Panabo City
June 2017 – present

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

3rd Runner Up Regional Level –

Illustrator for Grade 3 Category during the conduct of 3rd National
Competition on Sotybook Design and Illustration
December 2019

Oral Presenter at the 23rd ICTEL 2019 - International Conference on

Teaching, Education and Learning at the National University of
Singapore, November 2019
 CHAMPION - BOOKMAKING CONTEST Citywide Anti-Drug Campaign,
November 2019 (Coach) – SHS Category

Most Extensive Research (Lone Special Award given) at the Action

Research, Action Learning International Research Conference, College of
Education, De La Salle University - Manila, May 2019

Oral Presenter at the 2019 ARAL - International Conference on Action

Research, De La Salle Univeristy - Manila, May 2019

1st Place Best Research Paper,

Division Research Summit, November 2018, Panabo City

2nd Place Best Oral Research Presenter, Division Research Summit,

November 2018, Panabo City

CHAMPION - BOOKMAKING CONTEST Citywide Anti-Drug Campaign,

November 2018 (Coach) – High School Category

Microsoft Education Ambassador 2019

Microsoft Philippines - University of Mindanao 2019

Top Ten Short-Listed Best Research in Region XI, July 2018,

Screening for the National Curriculum Research Conference

2nd Runner – up in
Radio Broadcasting and Scriptwriting Competition University
of the Philippines Mindanao Campus
Speak-Up Competition, Abreeza Ayala Mall, Davao City
February 2017

Special Awards:
Best in Sports News
Best in Technical Application

RESEARCH CONDUCTED

Custom-Fit Learning: Integration of Industry-based Instructional Materials in

Language Teaching in Senior High School – Automotive Strand
Department of Education – Panabo City Division

 Presented (Oral Presentation) at the 23 rd ICTEL 2019 - International

Conference on Teaching, Education and Learning in Singapore,
November 2019
 Most Extensive Research at the 2019 Action Research, Action
Learning International Research Conference,
De La Salle University, Manila
  1st Place Best Research Paper, Division Research Summit, November
2018, Panabo City
 2nd Place Best Oral Research Presenter, Division Research Summit,
November 2018, Panabo City

Identification of English Language Needs in the Automotive Servicing Industry:

Basis for Instructional Materials Development
Department of Education – Region XI
Basic Education Research Fund

 Top Ten Short-Listed Best Research in Region XI, July 2018

 Poster Presenter at 2nd Regional Research Forum, October 2017
 Oral Presenter at Division Research Congress, December 2017

Language Needs Analysis of Biological Sciences Pre-Service Teachers, February

2016
University of Southeastern Philippines
Coursework for English for Specific Purposes
Master of Education in Language Teaching

SEMINARS FACILITATED

 Resource Speaker during the Division-wide

Webinar on MS Office 365 - April 30, 2020

 Resource Speaker on
Action Research Phase 2
Panabo City Division-Wide Training for Teachers
August 15-16, 2019

 Resource Speaker on
Career Guidance Advocacy Program Module Roll-Out
Panabo City Division-Wide Training for SHS Teachers

 Resource Speaker on
Radio Broadcasting and Scriptwriting
Panabo South District Campus Journalism Training
September 14, 2018

SEMINARS AND TRAININGS

 Training on Evaluating Basic Researches and Crafting Policy
Briefs - DEPED RO XI July 2020

 WE, ELF, EIL, GE: Pedagogical Implications for ELT in the

Philippines, University of Mindanao - July 27, 2020

 Reflexivity in Qualitative Research

De La Salle University – Manila
Lasallian Institute for Development and Educational Research,
June 17, 2020

 Reflexivity in Qualitative Research

De La Salle University – Manila
Lasallian Institute for Development and Educational Research,
June 17, 2020

 Empowering Teachers through Action Research: Methods and

the Writing Process in Focus
De La Salle University – Manila
Lasallian Institute for Development and Educational Research,
June 9, 2020

 Remote Learning using Microsoft Teams and Office 365 -

Microsoft Philippines/ Department of Education, May 11-22,
2020

 Microsoft Office 365 Special Training for Teachers

University of Mindanao – Matina Cmpus
May 2019

 Training – Workshop on School-Based LRMDS

Management and Evaluation, Phase 1 & 2
September 11-13, 2018 & September 26-28, 2018
Division of Panabo City

 1st Regional Assembly of Education Leaders

DepEd Region XI
May 2-5, 2018, Davao City

 National Seminar – Workshop on Radio Broadcasting

and Campus Journalism
Philippine Pedagogical Institute
August 12 – 14, 2017, Baguio City

 International Seminar-Workshop on Quantitative and

Qualitative Research
Philippine Association for the Career Advancement of
Educators, May 15 – 17, 2017, Davao City
  Mass Training for Career Advocates for Grade 11
Department of Education – Region XI
May 9 -12, 2017, Digos City

 National Seminar – Workshop on Writing for the Campus Paper

Center for the Professional Advancement of Educators, October
7 – 9, 2016

 Teachers’ Induction Program CY:2016

Different Subject Areas
Division of Panabo City
September 4, 2016

 Regional Mass Training of Teachers for Grade 11

Subject Group 1 - A
Department of Education – Region XI
June 18 – July 31, 2016

 Regional Mass Training of Teachers for Grade 11

Common Topics
Department of Education – Region XI
June 27 – 30, 2016

SPECIAL TRAINING

 Microsoft Ambassadors Program – Philippines

University of Mindanao – Bolton Campus
April 2019
1