The English-Speaking Skills of the Meranaw Students Coming from a Mono-Cultural Community vs. a Multicultural Community

This study explores the speaking skills of Meranaw students enrolled in the Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English program at Mindanao State University–Lanao del Norte Agricultural College (MSU-LNAC), with a particular focus on the influence of their community exposure. The study compares students from mono-cultural Meranaw communities and multi-cultural communities to determine whether their speaking proficiency—measured in terms of enunciation, diction, fluency, and grammar—differs significantly based on their environment. The research utilizes a descriptive-correlational design, with 30 purposively selected Meranaw student respondents. Data were collected through survey questionnaires and performance assessments in poem reading, storytelling, and extemporaneous speech. Findings show that students from multi-cultural communities demonstrated significantly higher speaking proficiency across all categories. The study identifies years of residence, language exposure, and linguistic input as factors significantly affecting speaking performance. Anchored in theories such as Bandura’s Social Learning Theory and Hymes’ Communicative Competence, the study reveals that environmental diversity enriches linguistic capabilities and communicative competence. These findings carry implications for educational policy, classroom inclusivity, and culturally responsive pedagogy. The study recommends tailored instructional strategies to enhance the speaking skills of Meranaw students, particularly those from mono-cultural backgrounds, to bridge language performance gaps and support equitable language development in multicultural academic settings.