Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

English proficiency among high school students remains crucial in today's globalized world. In an era
characterized by international communication, trade, and cultural exchange, a strong command of the English language is
indispensable. It does not only support academic success, but it also enables students to comprehend and excel in their
academic activities and prepares them for a competitive job market where English proficiency is often a prerequisite.
Therefore, investing in English language education for high school students is an investment in their future success, both
academically and professionally.

According to UniSQ (2016), English Language Proficiency is the capacity to create and express meaning in oral
and written contexts using the English language. Suelto (2018) defines it as the skill that students have to be able to read,
write, speak and comprehend English within academic settings. In the Philippines, English is the primary medium of
instruction in education (Cabigon, 2015) and the language of business, science, technology, government, and international
communication (Santos et al., 2022). Language usage is frequently required in academic subjects like Science, Math, and
English. The language functions are very important for the critical and analytical thinking needed for scientific and math
topics, as well as in effective understanding and communication of ideas in other subject areas.

Students' ability to think more effectively increases as they become more fluent in the language. The greater the
learner’s proficiency in the English language, the greater the likelihood that they will succeed in their academic
disciplines. For this reason, to learn effectively, learners must be proficient in writing, reading, speaking, and
understanding the English language. Furthermore, since the country now has twelve years of basic education, it is
expected that students already possessed proficiency in using the English language upon completing Senior High School.
With the two additional years, SHS learners are presumed to be more competent and equipped with the language
proficiency and skills needed in the workplace or in higher education (Manuel, 2022). However, concerns were raised
recently because of the issues showing that English proficiency among students are going down the slope.

Over the past years, gradual decline can be observed in the country’s ranking in EF English Proficiency Index (EF
EPI), the world’s largest annual ranking of countries based on (presumably) the average level of English proficiency
among their residents who took their test. In 2022, the Philippines dropped to 22 nd place among 111 countries from 18 th
place in 2021. This was actually a significant recovery because the country ranked 27 th in 2020. However, it is still far
from its previous rankings as 14th place in 2018 and 13th place in 2016 (EF EPI, 2022).

Moreover, results of the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an international study by
the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that assess the knowledge in reading,
mathematics and science of 15-year-old learners who are about to finish their compulsory basic education, indicates that
the Philippines ranked last in reading comprehension among the 79 participating countries, obtaining an average score of
340 points in Overall Reading Literacy which was significantly lower than the OECD average of 487 points (San Juan,
2019). In this examination, Reading Literacy was assessed as the major domain and only 19.4% or one out of five Filipino
students achieved at least the minimum proficiency level (Level 2) in Overall Reading Literacy (World Bank, 2020).

Numerous actions and interventions were taken by schools to help improve the learners’ English Language
proficiency. However, many students still encounter difficulties and possess low proficiency levels. Results of the
National Achievement Test (NAT) in the secondary level showed that the overall rating for Grade 10 is only 44.08 in
School Year 2016-2017. Similarly, there was no significant increase in School Year 2017-2018 with only 44.59 overall
rating. For Grade 12, the overall rating of 36.71 was recorded in in School Year 2017-2018 and 36.45 in School Year
2018-2019 which is slightly lower compared with the previous year’s result. This signifies that the academic performance
of the students suddenly dropped from a proficient level to a low proficient level, especially in Math, Science, and English
(Behiga, 2022).

In the previous school year, the learners were given the Regional Diagnostic Assessment. In the Senior High
School English, two core subjects were assessed. Based on the available data submitted by schools in the Division of
Pampanga that was obtained by the researcher, in Reading and Writing Skills, only 20.40% of learners who took the test
achieved or exceeded the minimum proficiency level (MPL), while in 21 st Century Literature from the Philippines and the
World, 20.47% of learners who took the assessment attained or exceeded the MPL.

Additionally, in the Regional Mid-Year Assessment (RMYA) conducted in School Year 2022-2023, the Division
percentage of Learners who Attained or Exceeded the MPL (LAEMPL) in Reading and Writing was 42.82%, while in 21 st
Century Literature from the Philippines and the World, the percentage of LAEMPL was 39.38%. Oral Communication in
Context obtain a little higher LAEMPL percentage which is 47.03%. This was based on the available data submitted to the
Division obtained by the researcher from the ICT Coordinator.

Localized results of these assessments emphasized the gravity of need for intervention. In the school level,
Regional Diagnostic Assessment scores showed a low percentage of learners who achieved or exceeded the MPL, with
only 6.62% in Reading and Writing and 17.95% in the subject 21 st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World.
In addition, when the learners took the Regional Mid-Year Assessment, only 32.19% of the total Grade 11 learners who
took the test achieved or exceeded the MPL in Reading and Writing Skills, and only 4.78% in the 21 st Century Literature
from the Philippines and the World. Meanwhile, only 35% of Grade 12 learners who took the RMYA in Oral
Communication in Context achieved or exceeded the MPL.

Based on the diagnostic assessment given by the researcher at the beginning of the school year to identify the
English Language proficiency of the 75 Grade 12 Humanities and Social Sciences learners, it was found out that only 30
students or 40% of the total number of learners who took the diagnostic test obtained or exceeded the minimum
proficiency level of 30 points. The computation for the MPL and LAEMPL was based or patterned after the Regional
Diagnostic Assessment for a 50-item test. The mean score obtained for the teacher-made English diagnostic test was
25.92.

Item analysis of the said diagnostic assessment showed that the learners’ least learned competencies included
correct verb usage, correct use of prepositions, connectors and transitional devices, vocabulary, and reading
comprehension. Furthermore, during the focus group discussion conducted among Senior High School teachers, majority
of them complained that there are students who have poor grammar and were having difficulties in constructing sentences
in English. Others are having trouble in subject-verb agreement and verb tenses, as well as in comprehending academic
texts.

Clearly, academic achievement is closely correlated with English language proficiency. Many studies were
conducted which claimed that that the level of English language proficiency directly impact the learners’ academic
achievement. In the study of Martirosyan et al., (2015), low academic success in school is caused by several factors, such
as language ability, multilingualism, and difficulty in terms of speaking, reading, writing, and listening. Genelza (2022)
also found out in the descriptive correlational study she conducted that there was a highly significant relationship between
English proficiency of high school learners and their academic achievement, and that other elements such as learning
styles, instructional approaches, education-learning technologies, exposure to the English language, as well as other
contextual and environmental factors may influence students' academic achievement and English proficiency.

Additionally, the study of Racca and Lasaten (2016) revealed that the academic performance in Science,
Mathematics and English of learners is significantly influenced by their command of the English Language. The same
results were asserted by Ghenhesh (2015) that there is a significant but moderate positive correlation between the
students’ proficiency in English and their overall academic success.
 Given that English Language proficiency has a significant impact in the academic performance of students, the
researcher was impelled to craft an intervention activity that would help the Senior High School learners develop their
competencies in the use of the English language. Aside from the fact that the SHS Curriculum has a number of
communication and writing subjects where language competencies are essential, majority of subjects uses English as the
language for instruction. For these reasons, learners need to be English Language proficient in order to perform well and
succeed in these subjects. This is not only for future integration when they pursue higher education or join the business
world, but first and foremost, to succeed academically in their Senior High School subjects. However, very little attention
was given to the language proficiency problem since grammar lessons are no longer emphasized in the new curriculum.

By adopting a strategy coined as Language FLEX- Language Fluency and Literacy through Extended Activities,
the researcher hopes to contribute to the discovery of remedies to learners' low English proficiency. In this intervention
strategy, the researcher will conduct an extended discussion on the identified least mastered skills in the English Language
and provide extended activities that will enable the learners to practice their skills to help improve their English
proficiency. This will be tested on an experimental group to see how effective it is, and the materials will be checked
evaluated by an English Master Teacher and two other English teachers before they are given or used for the intervention
program. Based on the findings of the intervention conducted, conclusions will be presented.

The researcher believes that through guided discussions, provision of specialized activities for deliberate practice
and proper monitoring and feedbacking, she would be able to pave way for the improvement of the students’ English
Language proficiency. This would help them succeed not only in their academic activities in the Senior High School
subjects which requires proficiency of the English Language, but also after they finish their basic education, whether they
would pursue higher education or join the workplace and the business world. Having equipped with language skills and
proficiency, learners will be able to explore and succeed in their chosen path, competently and confidently.

competencies in the use of the English language. Aside from the fact that the SHS Curriculum has a number of
communication and writing subjects where language competencies are essential, majority of subjects uses English as the
language for instruction. For these reasons, learners need to be English Language proficient in order to perform well and
succeed in these subjects. This is not only for future integration when they pursue higher education or join the business
world, but first and foremost, to succeed academically in their Senior High School subjects. However, very little attention
was given to the language proficiency problem since grammar lessons are no longer emphasized in the new curriculum.

By adopting a strategy coined as Language FLEX- Language Fluency and Literacy through Extended Activities,
the researcher hopes to contribute to the discovery of remedies to learners' low English proficiency. In this intervention
strategy, the researcher will conduct an extended discussion on the identified least mastered skills in the English Language
and provide extended activities that will enable the learners to practice their skills to help improve their English
proficiency. This will be tested on an experimental group to see how effective it is, and the materials will be checked
evaluated by an English Master Teacher and two other English teachers before they are given or used for the intervention
program. Based on the findings of the intervention conducted, conclusions will be presented.

The researcher believes that through guided discussions, provision of specialized activities for deliberate practice
and proper monitoring and feedbacking, she would be able to pave way for the improvement of the students’ English
Language proficiency. This would help them succeed not only in their academic activities in the Senior High School
subjects which requires proficiency of the English Language, but also after they finish their basic education, whether they
would pursue higher education or join the workplace and the business world. Having equipped with language skills and
proficiency, learners will be able to explore and succeed in their chosen path, competently and confidently.