Research Report

on

A PROPOSED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY ENHANCEMENT STRATEGY TOWARDS

EXCELLENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS

Donatos, Trixie C.

G10-Constellation

March _____,2019
 Table of Contents

Title Page

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………...1

Background of the Study……………………………………………………………1

Objective of the Study………..……………………………………………………..2

Significance of the Study……………………………………………………………3

Literature Review…………………………………………………………………..4

Body……………………………………………………………………………………….…6

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………10

References
 Introduction

A. Background Information

English is known to be the universal language. It is one of the widely-known

languages to be used in over 70 countries. In the latest study conducted by the English

Proficiency Index (EPI) there were 18 countries from Asia that was included in the list. It

was found that Malaysia, Singapore and India attained the highest levels of English

language proficiency. Although, Philippines is excluded in this study, the world cannot

deny the greatness the Filipinos achieved to be well known in the field of English

speaking. According to an Educational Testing Service (ETS) ranking based on Test of

English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores for 2010, the Philippines ranked 35th out

of 163 countries worldwide.

According to the CCSSO, A fully English proficient student is able to use English

to ask questions, to understand teachers, and reading materials, to test ideas, and to

challenge what is being asked in the classroom. The CCSSO also added that there are

also four language skills that contribute to proficiency, these are reading, listening, writing

and speaking.

These four language skills that can contribute to English proficiency as follows:

Reading, the ability to comprehend and interpret text at the age and grade-appropriate

level. Listening, the ability to understand the language of the teacher and instruction,

comprehend and extract information, and follow the instructional discourse through which

teachers provide information. Writing is the ability to produce written text with content and

format fulfilling classroom assignments at the age and grade-appropriate level. Lastly,

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Speaking, the ability to use oral language appropriately and effectively in learning

activities (such as peer tutoring, collaborative learning activities, and question/answer

sessions) within the classroom and in social interactions within the school.

B. Objectives of Study

The study a Proposed English Proficiency Enhancement Strategy Towards

Excellent Academic Performance of Education Students in University of Batangas seeks

to answer the following questions:

1. How can English proficiency affect the students’ academic performance?

2. What are the difficulties encountered by the students in developing English

proficiency?

3. What English Proficiency enhancement strategies may be proposed?

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C. Significance of the Study

Some target beneficiaries and expected users of this study’s outputs are indicated

here under.

For Commission on Higher Education (CHED), they can use the results of the

study to put together course that will focus exclusively in learning the English language

to gain proficiency in English.

For Department of Education (DEPED), they can use the results of the study to

possibly formulate new ideas or curriculum that can help strengthen the English

proficiency of the students. They can also use this to guide the teachers in making better

lessons that are effective.

For University Administrators and Supervisors, they can use the results of the

study as a reference in formulating school policies and programs for the students’ learning

progress; they can also initiate in-service trainings/seminars based on the learners’ needs

in terms of English language learning.

For Language Teachers, they can use the essential information here as basis of

adjustments in terms of teaching methodologies,

3 classroom management as well as

discipline according to the nature and need of the learners they have at hand.

For Guidance Counselors and Staff of University of Batangas, they can use this as

a reference in improving their communication skills in the delivery of their services. It can

also help in their different endeavors in life.

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 For Students, as beneficiaries of this study, students will find essential information

about language learning strategies that will provide guidance and direction on better

English language skills development, for more improved language performance.

For Future Researchers, they can use the research findings as enrichment to their

future works on better English language performance through the use of appropriate

learning strategies.

D. Literature Review

According to Cortez (2001), English Proficiency is the ability of an individual to

speak or perform in a target language. It is the ability of the person to speak, read, and

write in English. For students to be considered truly proficient, they should manifest

advanced abilities in all three areas of communication. Achieving proficiency in any

second language may mean working on it the person’s entire life. Cortez cited that the

best way to improve one’s proficiency is to make sure that one’s foundation and

understanding in all grammatical concepts is adequate and secure and that he continues
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to work on using the language as much as possible. The current trend of rapid

globalization with the prevalence of English in work and professional fields calls for better

ways for students whose first language is not English to achieve proficiency in the

language. The more proficient a person’s English is, the more doors that can open for

him in his life and career.

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 According to CCSSO (2012), a fully English proficient student is able to use

English to ask questions, to understand teachers, and reading materials, to test ideas,

and to challenge what is being asked in the classroom. He also added that there are four

language skills that contribute to proficiency which is reading, writing, speaking and

listening.

In the study of Matsumoto (2009), international students learning English as a

second language in Australia were studied to find how their perception of teachers' level

of commitment to teach them English associated with their own motivation to study

English. A questionnaire survey was administered to the learners at three different levels

of proficiency to also identify the relationship between the levels of study and the learners'

perception of the teacher as a factor associating with the learners' motivation. The results

showed that there is a positive correlation between the learners' motivation and their

perception of their teachers' commitment to teach, though there are some differences

among the three levels. These findings support the general claim that language teachers

are one of the most important factors influencing learners' motivation, but the learners'

level of proficiency may need to be taken into consideration for a further discussion

regarding the validity of a certain teaching strategy to motivate second language learners.

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 Body

How English Affects Students’ Academic Performance

Abedi (2001) assessed the effect of the proficiency of the medium of instruction

on students‘ performance in mathematics. Analysis revealed that students‘ performance

may be connected with their proficiency level of the text language. In view of this, students

with high proficiency of the language of instruction (English) can perform better than those

with low proficiency of the medium of instruction which is the second language. This is a

clear indication that proficiency in the language of instruction by students learning

mathematics can influence their performance in the subject. Adegoke (2010) in his study,

found that among the Yoruba people in Nigeria, students who were rated with good

understanding in the second language did significantly better in mathematics than their

colleagues who were classified as being low understanding of the second language.

Adeyemi &Adeyemi (2012) in their study on effect of the second language on

Junior Secondary School performance in social studies in Nigeria observed that the

government, in recognizing the importance of language, enacted a language policy and

documented in the National Policy on Education. This makes English language play a

significant role in the Nigerian education sector.,Adegboye (1993) affirmed that choosing

English as language of instruction in teaching and learning mathematics counts a lot in

determining the level of students performance in mathematics. He further maintained that

lack of proficiency in English language is one of the factors contributing to poor

performance in Mathematics. In his research, he observed that the performance of

students in Mathematics examination at SSCE is poor but further stated that the
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performance in English is more than that of Mathematics and this he linked to poor

reading ability.

Difficulties Encountered by Students in Developing English

According to Cicerchia (2016), there are three common difficulties encountered by

students in reading English text. First is the issue with decoding or when children are able

to put sounds to letters in order to sound out written language. It’s common for beginner

readers to struggle when they meet new or unfamiliar terms, but typically decoding

becomes easier with phonics instruction and repeated practice with reading out loud. Next

common difficulty is poor comprehension. It can result when a student struggles with

decoding, has a limited vocabulary or attempts to read a text that is at too high of a level.

Another difficulty in reading English text is speed. The more students read, the more they

encounter unfamiliar terms. Quite often the context in which these new words are found

gives children all of the clues they need to guess at meaning.

According to Morham (2016), there is nothing more frustrating than staring at a

blank piece of paper or computer screen. But that is often the reality when starting an

essay. Whether it's a narrative, a persuasive piece or a research paper, writing an essay

is often quite challenging. The writing process as a whole is a long road of false starts

and lengthy revisions. Not to mention dodging the bullet of writer's block and plagiarism.

Correctly citing sources, writing a thesis statement and elaborating on ideas are a few

common problems one may face.

Munro and Derwing (1998) claimed that too many genres of accented speech

would result in a significant reduction in comprehension. Fan (1993) pointed out that

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usually ESL/EFL listeners are used to “their teacher’s accent or to the standard variety of

British or American English”. In this case teachers have to familiarize the students both

British and American accent. It is an endless debate that what is the Standard English?

Some says the British English is the standard. But English is spoken all over the world by

Indian, Australian, Chinese, Turkish, and so on. In my opinion the best one is the one you

can communicate.

Zhang (2009) argued that speaking remains the most difficult skill to master for the

majority of English learners, and they are still incompetent in communicating orally in

English. According to Ur (1996), there are many factors that cause difficulty in speaking,

and they areas follows:

1.Inhibition. Students are worried about making mistakes, fearful of criticism, or

simply shy.

2.Nothing to say. Students have no motive to express themselves.

3.Low or uneven participation. Only one participant can talk at a time because of

large classes and the tendency of some learners to dominate, while others speak very

little or not at all.

4.Mother-tongue use. Learners who share the same mother tongue tend to use it

because it is easier and because learners feel less exposed if they are speaking their

mother tongue.

In addition, Rababa’h (2005) pointed out that there are many factors that cause

difficulties in speaking English among EFL learners. Some of these factors are related to

the learners themselves, the teaching strategies, the curriculum, and the environment.
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For example, many learners lack the necessary vocabulary to get their meaning across,

and consequently, they cannot keep the interaction going. Inadequate strategic

competence and communication competence can be another reason as well for not being

able to keep the interaction going. Some learners also lack the motivation to speak

English. They do not see a real need to learn or speak English. Actually ―motivation is

the crucial force which determines whether a learner embarks in a task at all, how much

energy he devotes to it, and how long he preservers‖ (Littlewood, 1984, p.53). The

development of communicative skills can only take place if learners have the motivation

and opportunity to express their own identity and relate with the people around them

(Littlewood, 1981).

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Proposed English Enhancement Strategy

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 Conclusion

From the findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn.

1. Students‘ performance may be connected with their proficiency level of the

text language. In view of this, students with high proficiency of the language

of instruction can perform better than those with low proficiency of the medium

of instruction which is the second language.

2. There are three common difficulties encountered by students in reading

English text including the issue with decoding, poor comprehension and

speed.

3. The proposed strategies for the enhancement of English proficiency may be

presented to the administrators, teachers and especially the students.

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References