1. Chapter IV
DISCUSSION
This study aims to establish the reliability and validity of the Panukat ng Maligoy
na Pagpapahayag (PMP). This chapter presents the interpretation of results gathered
from 215 Filipino college students for reliability test and 226 Filipino college students for
validity test.
The results of the study are in line with the hypotheses, proving that PMP is
reliable and valid. The scale yielded a good and stable internal consistency attest with the
three different sets of respondents.
PMP has an established validity based on the positive correlation between PMP’s
indirectness scores and CIS’s indirectness scores; and PMP’s indirectness scores and
PP’s pagpapahiwatig scores; as well as the negative correlation between PMP’s
indirectness scores and SRAS’s assertiveness scores.
Reliability
The findings confirm our hypothesis that the PMP demonstrates good internal
consistency with Kuder-Richardson 20 coefficients of .864 (N= 28), .785 (N= 215) and
.913 (N= 226) among the different samples done in three separate reliability tests. In
Beltran et al.’s (2011) study, PMP obtained a Kuder-Richardson 20 coefficient of .805
(N= 154). The results show that PMP has a good internal consistency as shown in the
results. PMP is a reliable scale that measures indirectness and directness in
communication.

2. 31
Items of an internally consistent scale are highly correlated and measure a single
variable (DeVellis, 1991). Item 11, “Ikaw ay binigyan ng iyong kapatid ng regalong
hindi mo nagustuhan” (You are given by your sibling a gift which you don’t like) has
indirect option of “Bibiruin mo siya na pangit ang regalo niya” (You will teasingly say
that his or her gift is ugly) and direct option of “Magpapasalamat ka ngunit sasabihing
hindi mo ito natipuhan” (You will say thank you but admit that you did not like the gift).
Item 28, “Dumating sa isang handaan ang iyong kaibigan na hindi wasto ang
pananamit.” (Your friend arrives to a party wearing inappropriate clothing) has direct
option of “Palihim mong ibubulong sa kanya na hindi wasto ang kanyang pananamit”
(Quietly whisper to your friend that his or her attire is not appropriate for the occasion)
and indirect option of “Sasabihin mo sa kanya na kakaiba ang kanyang istilo” (You will
tell him or her that his or her manner of dressing is unique). Both items measure the same
construct as shown by the responses garnered from different samples. The responses for
each item express directness and indirectness of an individual.
Items of the scale are tailored to identify the natural response of individuals to
daily experiences. Casual language which most Filipinos relate to is used in the
construction of sentences for both scenario and responses. Items vary from asking favors
to criticizing one’s behavior. The dichotomous scale simultaneously measures the
construct of indirect communication (maligoy na pagpapahayag) and direct
communication (di-maligoy na pagpapahayag). Item 8, “Naiinis ka sa iyong
kaibigan”(You are irritated to your friend) has the first option “Ipapahayag mo ang
nararamdaman mo para sa kanya” (You will explicitly tell the person what you feel

3. 32
towards him or her) and second, “Sa tuwing kakausapin ka niya, malamig mo siyang
pakikitunguhan at magiging “isang tanong, isang sagot ka lang”(Every time your friend
comes, you will dismiss him or her immediately).A person who wants to express ideas
directly will choose the first option or will choose the second if circuitous communication
is preferred. The first option entails an honest admittance of irritation to someone while
the second aims to show the one’s irritation across by being unresponsive and indifferent.
A probable reason why PMP is deemed reliable is because scenarios used in items
were written by Filipino college researchers and was tested among Filipino college
students. The internal consistency shows that PMP is a reliable instrument which can
assess an individual’s directness or indirectness in communication.
Concurrent Validation
The PMP was found to measure the same construct of Conversational Indirectness
Scale (CIS) based on the gathered results.
Conversational indirectness occurs when the speaker’s meaning is inconsistent
with the listener’s interpretation of the message (Burks, Koo, Lee, Nisbett, Choi & Zhao,
2003). Indirectness may be performed by a speaker who aims to protect one’s real
motives. It can also be done by a receiver who interprets the remarks of others with
several meanings. (Zhang & Hua, 2009). Similarly, Holtgraves (1997) defines
conversational indirectness as the tendency of a person to speak indirectly (production
dimension) and to look for implied messages in the remarks of others (interpretation
dimension). A person who speaks indirectly tends to search for deeper meanings in the
remarks of others and vice versa. An example of this is item 11 in CIS, “Often times

4. 33
there are many different ways in which my remarks can be interpreted”, which states a
person’s habitual inclination to speak indirectly. Human conversation is an activity that
requires cooperation from both the speaker and the receiver (Pinker, Nowak & Lee,
2007). Thus, the success of an indirect remark relies on the receiver’s ability to
comprehend the indirect message. CIS item 4, “I try to consider all interpretations of a
person’s remarks before deciding what he or she really meant” is an example how the
receiver can successfully comprehend the message of others. This is also true for item 5,
“Many times it is important to deeply analyze what people say in order to understand
their real meaning” and item 16, “I try to be a successful communicator by uncovering a
speaker’s deeper meaning”. In a high context culture such as the Philippines, indirect
communication is preferred (Maggay, 2002). A receiver is expected to perceive messages
as indirect and hence needs interpretation (Del Villar, 2012). For both items, the receiver
must be able to classify messages as indirect where underlying meanings should be
considered.
The production of indirect responses is more explicitly stated in PMP where
specific scenarios and possible reactions are clearly stated. As illustrated in PMP item 30,
“Ikaw ay naipareha sa isa mong kamag-aral na hindi mo nais makasama sa proyekto”
(You are grouped with a classmate who you dislike for a school project), one is given a
task to work with a classmate whom one dislikes. Direct option states “Sasabihin mo sa
kanyang hindi mo siya gusting maka-grupo at hihingi ng permiso sa inyong guro upang
mapalitan ang kapareha” (Tell your classmate that you do not want to work with him
then ask teacher’s permission to get another group mate) while the indirect option states

5. 34
“Imumungkahi sa kamag-aral na mas maganda kung makaka-grupo ang kani-kaniyang
mga kaibigan para sa proyektong ito.” (Suggest to your classmate that it is better if you
will be grouped with your own friends). The literal interpretation of the indirect response
means that it will be better to work with close peers for that particular task. However
when the receiver interprets the implied message, it may mean that the speaker does not
like to work with that person so he or she tries to convince the listener that it would be
better to work with their own friends.
Holtgraves (1997) points out that the negative implication of indirectness is the
ability to manipulate the listener or the receiver of the message. Because an indirect
remark has multiple meanings, the speaker has the privilege of denying the receiver’s
interpretation. An example of this is seen in item 2 of PMP where one and one’s cousin is
in a mall and one wants to buy clothes, the indirect option states, “Magpaparinig ka sa
iyong pinsan na kulang ang iyong pera.” (You will subtly imply that you need money).
Instead of clearly asking for one’s cousin’s help, one tries to insinuate that one needs
money to buy the clothes one wants. If the listener interprets the message clearly it is
only then that one will be prompted to lend money to the speaker. Moreover, if the
receiver interprets the message and is offended by being asked to return the money, the
speaker can deny the receiver’s claim. The negative repercussion of indirectness is a
western perspective and may be different from a Filipino’s perspective. As what had been
stated in the review of literature, Filipinos have positive and different grounds for using
indirectness in communication. The objective is also to save the other’s face and avoid
any misunderstanding.

6. 35
The concept of conversational indirectness and maligoy na pagpapahayag are
almost the same because both constructs aims to deliver messages that can be interpreted
in many ways. Correlation between CIS and PMP is established because both
demonstrate production of indirect responses. Similar to the production dimension of
CIS, PMP’s indirect choices comprises of verbal responses or implied meaning conveyed
through actions and gestures. As in Holtgraves’ study (1997), individuals who scored
high in production dimension also score high in interpretation. Individuals who use
indirect communication also tend to interpret statements of others.
Convergent Validation
Results suggest that the maligoy na pagpapahayag scores are correlated with
pagpapahiwatig scores. This supports our hypothesis that there is a positive relationship
between PMP scores and Panukat ng Pagpapahiwatig (PP) scores.
Pahiwatig is a form of communication used by Filipinos in which the message
being conveyed is expected to be understood even if it is not directly expressed.
Pagpapahiwatig is performed to save one’s face and lessen the harshness of a negative
remark. Pahiwatig can be verbal, non-verbal or a combination of both (Maggay, 2002).
The items of PMP are rooted in the verbal ways of pagpapahiwatig which are teasing
(alaskahan), making a joke (pagbibiro), and insinuation (pagpaparinig). The mentioned
verbal ways of pagpapahiwatig are evident in some of the items in PMP.
In item 1 of PMP, “Hiniraman ka ng iyong kaibigan ng malaking halaga. Paano
mo sasabihin sa kaniyang kailangan mo na ang pera ngayon?” (Your friend borrowed a
large sum of money. How will you tell your friend that you need them to pay it back?).

7. 36
The direct response is “Kailangan mo nang bayaran ang hiniram mong pera” (You need
to pay the money you owe me). The indirect option, “Hala! Wala na akong pera. May
kailangan pa man din akong bilhin” (Oh no! I ran out of money just when I need to buy
something) implies that the speaker will make an insinuation (parinig) to save not only
one’s own face from asking the friend to return the money but also the friend’s face who
borrowed a large sum of money. Item 18 of PMP, “Kumakain kayo ng kaibigan mo.
Napansin mong may kanin ito sa buhok” (You are eating with your friend when you
noticed there is rice stuck on his or her hair) has direct option of “Sasabihin mong may
kanin siya sa buhok” (You will tell your friend directly that there is rice stuck in his or
her hair) and an indirect option of “Bibiruin mong kumakain rin ang buhok niya” (You
will make fun of him or her by saying that his or her hair is also eating). The indirect
option expresses a joke (pagbibiro). The scenario and the indirect response conveyed
through a joke are very common in the Filipino setting. Making a joke out of the
situation usually lightens the mood and softens the blow of the remark the speaker is
expressing. This may be a case where the speaker of the message will appear as laughing
with the receiver rather than at the receiver. This is applicable to Filipinos who prefer to
lighten up a tense or sensitive situation by making jokes.
Teasing (alaskahan) is integrated in item 24 of PMP “Dumating ang iyong
kaibigan na magulo ang buhok. Ano ang gagawin mo?” (Your friend arrives with a
messy hair, what are you going to do?), by having the indirect option of “Tatanungin mo
siya kung mahangin sa labas” (You will ask your friend if it is windy outside). Teasing
(alaskahan) is more evident between two or more people who share close relationship.

8. 37
Through indirect statements, messages can be expressed and at the same time avoid the
risk of offending someone. Receivers of indirect response may appreciate the speaker's
indirectness as this may mean that the speaker is aware of other's dignity and emotions
(Pinker, Nowak & Lee, 2007).
Accordingly, items of PMP with concept of teasing (alaskahan) are common
situations among family and friends. Utterances that serve as a strategy among Filipinos
in conveying messages indirectly like parang are in the PMP items (See items 22 and 27
in Appendix B). Similar to insinuation (pagpaparinig), the indirect communication
considers the sense of propriety (hiya) of both the speaker and the receiver (Enriquez,
1982). According to Worthington et al. (2010), Filipinos are inclined to social harmony
and non-confrontational communication. In essence, both concepts attempt to save one’s
face or diminish the harshness of a negative truth, remark and opinion through the use of
indirect communication. The similarity of insinuation and maligoy na pagpapahayag
explains why the two concepts have a positive correlation. Hence, higher indirect
responses in PMP produce the higher the score in PP.
Assertiveness is the ability to express beliefs and feelings in a truthful way.
People who are considered to be assertive lack ambiguity in stating their emotions
(Jakubowski & Lange, 1978). Being assertive involves recognizing our wants and needs
without uttering it in an indirect and confusing approach (Hickson & Boxford, 1999).
Individuals act in this manner to communicate their intentions clearly and to feel
confident about themselves (Alberti & Emmons, 1970, as cited in Jakubowski & Lange,
1978).

9. 38
Assertiveness is said to be correlated with directness which is the ability to assert
one’s self and engage in a direct and honest communication (Tingley, 2001). Assertive
individuals explicitly convey their true feelings (Rathus, 1973) and emotions (Pipas &
Jaradat, 2010). The results show a significant and strong inverse relationship between
indirect (maligoy na pagpagpapahayag) responses and SRAS scores.
Item 4 in PMP, “Nais mo ng sabihin sa iyong kaibigan na may gusto ka sa
kanya” (You want to tell your friend that you like him or her) can be answered in an
indirect option, “Lagi mo siyang babatiin tuwing kayo ay nagkikita”(You will greet your
friend every time you see each other) or in a direct option, “Diretso mong sasabihin kung
gaano mo siya ka gusto” (You will tell your friend directly how much you like him or
her). The latter option straightforwardly communicates true feelings to his or her friend.
There is no need to convey one’s feelings through implied actions as stated in the indirect
option because feelings are verbally stated. Another example is item 25, “Nanghihiram
sa iyo ng libro ang isang kaklase. Usap-usapan sa inyo na madalas itong hindi magsauli
ng gamit. Ano ang sasabihin mo? (A classmate wants to borrow your book. There are
reports that he or she doesn’t know how to return things. What will you say?). This item
can be answered in an indirect manner, “May iba na ng humiram. (Kahit ito ay na sa iyo
pa)” (“It was already borrowed by someone else.” (Even if your book is still with you),
or in a direct and assertive manner, “Ayaw ko”(“I don’t want to”).According to Bower
and Bower (1991), assertive people can answer “no” or disagree straightaway without
any hesitance or guilt. The refusal is stated directly and there is no need to interpret what
the person really means.

10. 39
Indirectness is negatively correlated to assertiveness. People who are assertive are
known to stand up for their rights and allow other people to clearly understand their
feelings and opinions (Jakubowski & Lange, 1978) whereas unassertive people prefer to
speak indirectly and circuitously (Kolb & Griffith, 2009).
Other Findings
The direct (di-maligoy) responses were correlated with CIS, PP and Assertiveness
scores. There are significant and strong inverse correlations between direct responses and
conversational indirectness scores and between direct responses and pagpapahiwatig
scores. There is a significant and strong positive correlation between direct responses and
assertiveness scores. These strong significant correlations strengthen the existence of the
direct dimension of PMP.
Limitations
Like every research, this study has several limitations. Concurrent and convergent
validation of this study only focused on the indirect dimension. The study did not include
the validation of direct dimension.
The PMP measured the indirectness and directness in communication among 441
Filipino college students. The generalization of the results is limited as the sample is not
representative of the entire Filipino society. Discussion about the construct di-maligoy na
pagpapahayag (directness) was not elaborated compared to the greater scope of literature
on maligoy na pagpapahayag (indirectness)
Moreover, constant conditions during test administration were not observed. A
professor was present in the room during the reliability testing in one school. However,

11. 40
the presence of the professor did not affect the results as separate computations showed
that there was no discrepancy between other classes without professors.
Norming was not observed in the study, thus, the cut score for indirectness and
directness was not established. A participant’s performance on the test could not be
compared to the scores of other participants because a defined population was not
established. The scale can only approximate if the person scored high or low in directness
or indirectness.
Implications
The study implies that conversational indirectness and pagpapahiwatig can be
measured through PMP. Assertiveness is correlated with the direct responses of PMP as
both measures the same construct. Moreover, it suggests that indirectness in
conversations exists among Filipino college students. The promising results of the study
raise probable questions about the mechanisms that underlie indirectness. PMP scale can
be used as a tool to study the concept of indirectness among Filipinos. Based on the
review of literature, the need to be indirect (maligoy) in conversations through pahiwatig
is not only done to save the face of both the speaker and the receiver but also to preserve
smooth interpersonal relationship. This is deemed significant in a culture where conflicts
and offending others are frowned upon because they value pakikisama and
pakikipagkapwa.
Based on our knowledge, there is no indirectness scale that solely focuses on
Filipino’s style in verbal communications. Scales which measure indirectness have been
made by foreigners and may not reflect the culture of Filipinos. The PMP was written

12. 41
based on Filipino’s personal experiences and the choices were made to reflect the
Filipino’s style of conversing with others. Compared to a Likert type scale, only two
opposite or extreme choices were given for each item to clearly distinguish which remark
they would most likely make. People who will use the scale will be made aware of the
type of communication they use in conversations. Being aware of the communication
used will help in determining how one interprets messages of others.
The validation of PMP can contribute to the field of Filipino Psychology
(Sikolohiyang Pilipino). This study offers a step toward understanding the psychological
nature of Filipinos. Filipino researchers and psychologists can use the scale as an
instrument to further understand the prevailing culture and values of modern Filipino
college students.
This study can help researchers understand the underlying reasons why Filipinos
prefer to be indirect in conversations. Filipinos respect for other person’s (kapwa’s) face
is observed because they value dignity (dangal) and personhood (pagkatao) (Maggay,
2002). This way, pleasant relationship will be encouraged. Future research which will
focus on Filipino’s attitudes and behavior toward communication may use PMP to assess
both directness and indirectness of an individual. The items of PMP convey and reflect
culture and language of Filipinos. Filipinos who will answer the scale will be able to
relate to the scenarios and responses presented in the items and choices.