MOTHER TONGUE INTERFERENCE: ITS EFFECT TO THE ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION SKILLS OF BA ELS STUDENTS IN A UNIVERSITY IN SULU, PHILIPPINES

This study investigated the effect of mother tongue interference on the English pronunciation skills of the BA ELS students of Mindanao State University-Sulu. Specifically, this study dealt with the following objectives: (1) to determine the profile of the respondents in terms of gender, age and year level; (2) to identify the level of English pronunciation skills of selected BA ELS students of MSU-Sulu; (3) to identify the effect of mother tongue interference to the English pronunciation skills of the said students; and (4) to ascertain if there is a significant difference on the level of students’ English pronunciation skills when the data are grouped according to the profile. Descriptive research survey was used in this study. This study focused only on the BA ELS students who were officially enrolled during school year 2022-2023. Forty respondents were selected using stratified random sampling. The researchers used self-developed questionnaire as the instrument of this study. Frequency, percentage, weighted arithmetic mean, t-test for independent samples and one-way analysis of variance were the statistical tools used in this study to answer the stated research questions. The findings revealed that the level of English pronunciation skills of the students is very satisfactory. In addition, the respondents agreed that mother tongue interference has negative effects on their English pronunciation skills. Furthermore, it revealed that there is no significant difference in level of English pronunciation skills of the students when the data are grouped according to the profile. In view of the findings, the researchers suggested that teachers may monitor the pronunciation skills of the students especially during class hour, and may look for teaching methods and instructional strategies that can motivate the students to frequently speak in English. Finally, the school administration may create measures for improvement of the speaking ability of the BA ELS students.