Why do foreigners study English in the Philippines?

Introduction

The Philippines is Asia’s most popular destination for foreigners to learn English.
There are native English-speaking countries like the USA, Canada, Australia,
Ireland and the UK. However, the Philippines has a very outstanding track record.
The Philippines is quickly becoming the education center of Asia. The country’s
low prices, open culture, and quality schools are attracting record numbers of
foreign students. Koreans are leading the way with the Chinese, Japanese,
Indonesians, and many others following suit.
The Philippines is in a unique position to benefit from the global demand for
English education. American colonialism brought the English language in the
country in the early twentieth century. Although it is not the native language of
most Filipinos, English is an official language here. Today, the Philippines markets
itself as the world’s third-largest English speaking country.
This paper will answer the question “Why do foreigners study English in the
Philippines”, and will identify possible solutions for the benefit of the
government, particularly the Department of Tourism.

Conceptual Framework

This study investigates why foreign student study the English language in the
Philippines. In particular, the nationalities of the major foreign students will be
identified as well as the reasons behind their coming to the Philippines will be
established.
Figure 1 shows the factors, variables, and measurements that were identified and
established.
(1)
Foreign students who
study English in the
Philippines are: Korean,
Chinese, Japanese,
Indonesian, Thai, Libyan,
Brazilian, Russian, others
NOTE:
BOX1 shows the major nationalities of the foreigners who study English in the
Philippines.
(2) (3)
- Surveys, data, and - Government to
information from promote the
credible sources country as a top
global destination
- Based on the 9th for studying
edition of English
EDUCATION
FIRST’s (EF) English - The Department of
Proficiency Index Tourism should
(EPI), the take the lead in
Philippines is promoting the
ranked 2nd with an country since it
EPI of 60.14(High leads to increasing
Proficiency) and travel and tourism
92% of Filipinos from many
speak English countries
- The Philippines is
the largest English-
speaking nation in
Asia
- Costs of studying
English in the
Philippines are low
compared to other
countries
BOX2 indicates the sources and data of the study
BOX3 contains recommendations on what government can do to improve and
take advantage of the opportunities presented by the inflow of foreign students
in to the country.

Statement of the Problem

“Why do foreigners study English in the Philippines?” is the question that needs
to be answered. Thus, objective is to find out the answers to this question and
formulate strategies so that the government, particularly the Department of
Tourism, can take advantage of this opportunity for the benefit of the country.
The influx of foreign students into the country presents a major concern to our
country, particularly our government, because of the need to be able to manage
the situation so that our country will benefit from this development.

Significance of the Study

This study will benefit those who are concerned with and responsible for
managing the influx of foreign students in the country. In particular, the
Department of Tourism is identified as the government agency that can address
the situation and take advantage of the opportunity presented by the influx of
foreigners into the country. The conclusion and recommendations of the study
will be additional inputs for concerned entities especially the government,
particularly the Department of Tourism.

Scope and Delimitation

This paper, entitled “Why do Foreigners Study in the Philippines?”, seeks to find
out the answers to the questions based on surveys and data from credible
sources including the government. This paper relies on the accuracy and
relevance of the surveys and data utilized.