Proficiency of Sophomore English Language Students on the Use of APA Citation
Authors: Paleyan Jessa S. , Fausto Howard B. 
Published: August 2024

Having the ease in accessibility of information around the world with the rise of technology, the number of plagiarism both intentional and unintentional is alarmingly increasing as a form of improper documentation. This study intends to identify the proficiency level of Sophomore Bachelor of Arts in English Language Studies students on the use of APA Citation. Quantitative approach specifically descriptive design was used in the study and a total enumeration was used to identify the respondents. These were the 51 sophomore BAEL students enrolled in the first semester of school year 2022-2023 at Benguet State University. The study was conducted in the month of October 2022 at Benguet State University through online Google Form questionnaire which comprises 20-items Multiple Choice Test Questionnaire or a Mini Exercise on APA Citation and 20-items Checklist Questionnaire on the factors affecting the Citation Performance. Results showed that the BAEL sophomore students are not proficient in using the latest edition (7th) of the APA Citation. Moreover, the following are identified as the main factors behind their performance on the citation: 82.35% have not attended in any workshop, seminars, and trainings; 82.35% do not have the understanding of the concepts of the types of the different citation formats; 64.71% of them are having difficulty in recognizing the types and kinds of citation to be used; and 62.75% are not aware of the changes of the latest edition of APA Citation. Hence, the BAEL sophomore students have the probability to commit intentional and unintentional plagiarism and are more exposed to such cases. Based on the conclusion of the study, the following recommendations are forwarded: (1) All undergraduate students including the Sophomore BAEL students should be trained and should master the use of APA Citation as early as they can to prepare themselves for the academic requirements that require the use of APA. It will help them to produce quality and scholastic research and thesis works; (2) The BSU Colleges and Faculty staff members, including the College of Arts and Humanities, are suggested to conduct a regular training, seminar, and/or workshop for all students on the importance of APA Citation and on how APA Citation is used in academic requirements. This will make the students get used to applying the concepts of APA Citation that are taught in some of their major course subjects; (3) The BSU Colleges shall have an Ethics Committee that shall oversee the application of APA Citation in all academic requirements of students such as researches and dissertations; (4)The policy makers, module/course guide makers, and syllabus makers are also suggested to allot enough or longer time for intensive and interactive class discussion and task-based requirements when discussing the application of APA Citation and its related topics in subjects like English 21, research and thesis courses, and others; and (5) The future researchers are recommended to have wider scope of population for a possible comparative analysis.