Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.

7015878, ISSN 2822-4353

Research Article

English Proficiency Level and Scholastic Performance of Grade 11 Students in a

Private Higher Education Institution: Basis for an Intervention Material

Barbara R. Azarcon*, Consolacion P. Zabala

For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.

Abstract

The study determined the English proficiency level of the Grade 11 students and their scholastic performance
in Reading and Writing, an English course in the curriculum. She identified the profile of the respondents in
terms of age, gender, type of school where they finished their junior high school, their academic strand, their
English proficiency level, and their scholastic performance in the said course. After which, she investigated if
there was a significant difference in the English proficiency level of the respondents when grouped according
to their profile and if there was a significant relationship between the English proficiency level and the
scholastic performance. The findings revealed that out of 1,970 respondents (Mage = 16.7, SD = 0.702), the
majority of them were females (65.3%) who came from a public school in Grade 10 (76.7%) and primarily
enrolled in STEM academic strand (48.9%). On the other hand, respondents reported Approaching Proficiency
scores on English proficiency exam (M = 63.4, SD = 13.4, on a scale of 0-100), and they got high scores (Very
Satisfactory) on scholastic performance (M = 90.3, SD = 5.38, on a scale of 0-100). Furthermore, the results
depicted no significant differences in the students’ English proficiency level when their age and gender were
considered, but there were differences on the type of school where they finished Grade 10 and on the
academic strand. It was likewise revealed that there was a small, positive, and statistically significant
relationship between the English proficiency level and their scholastic performance, r (N = 1970) =.252, p
< .001. This means that those who reported higher English proficiency levels also reported higher scholastic
performance. The researcher recommended using intervention materials or curated supplementary materials in
Reading and Writing to help the students improve their scores in the English proficiency level.

Keywords: English Proficiency Level, Scholastic Performance, Intervention Material

Introduction It cannot be denied that several agencies claimed that

the quality of education in the Philippines is gradually
In a report published by Global English Corporation declining. For instance, the Department of Education
(2012), cited by Racca and Lasaten (2016), the (DepEd, 2018) reported that the performance of the
Philippines was named as the world's best nation in Grade 6 students in the National Achievement Test
business English. GlobalEnglish released the results of (NAT) had been consistently declining over the most
its annual Business English Index (BEI) in 2012, recent three years, placing them at the 'low mastery'
which is the only index that measures English business descriptive level. The 2018 NAT results illustrated that
proficiency in the workplace. The results demonstrated for the third straight year, the national average means
that from 76 nations around the world, the Philippines percentage score (MPS) in the Grade 6 NAT continued
was the only country that accomplished a score above the downward trajectory that made it the weakest
7.0, which is a BEI level inside the scope of a high performance in the history of the standardized
proficiency that shows a capacity to play a functioning examination of the DepEd.
job in business conversations and generally performs Moreover, Racca and Lasaten (2016) mentioned that
complex undertakings. It was noted that the country's the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC)
business English capability is a marker of its economic reported that the passers of board examinations in all
growth and business success. fields of endeavor continue to decline. This incident
can be attributed to the student's poor academic
On the contrary, the Business World (2019) published
performance, and this low academic performance
an article, The Philippines English Proficiency Erodes,
might be the influence by their low proficiency in the
highlighting that the English Proficiency Index (EPI)
English language. In fact, Aina, Ogundele, and
results placed the Philippines in the 20th spot out of
Olanipekun (2013) underscored that the relevance of
100 economies whose people are not native English the English language for improving educational
speakers. This result showed an erosion of the attainment through enhanced communication capacity
country's proficiency from its 14th ranking in 2018. could never be over underlined. This only means that
students who have found English language

Azarcon & Zabala

2/14
Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7015878, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

communication hard may not be able to function require such communication skills.
effectively, not only in the use of the language but also
in their scholastic performance. In the Philippines, the course Reading and Writing
Skills is a core subject for Grade 11 students. This
The continuing decline of English proficiency is not course aims to the reading and writing skills as applied
just a concern in the Philippines but also in some non- to a wide range of materials other than poetry, fiction
English speaking countries internationally. The EF and drama. Because this course separately focuses on
English Proficiency Index (EPI, 2019) published its the development and mastery of the reading and
key findings of the survey and revealed that English writing skills of the students, the teachers in the Senior
proficiency in Asia declined slightly compared to High School find the subject very challenging because
2018, with over half the countries surveyed registering the English language is the country's other language.
a drop in score. As was the case in 2018, Asia is the In fact, the DepEd has released DepEd Order 36,
region with the widest range of proficiency levels—an S.2006, which is about the implementing rules and
unsurprising finding, given its size. Though China has regulations on the Executive Order No.210-
consolidated its progress over the past decade, moving Establishing the policy to strengthen the use of the
from low to moderate proficiency for the first time, it English language as a medium of instruction in the
is still clear that the trend in decline is seen in Asian educational system, it says that English shall be taught
countries. It is with this problem that the present study as a second language starting with Grade 1.
would want to investigate.
On the other hand, RA 10533, also known as an Act
Many educators concurred that proficiency in the Enhancing the Philippine Basic Education System by
English language is the foundation for the students' Strengthening its Curriculum and Increasing the
success in academic endeavors, and English language Number of Years for Basic Education, provided in
proficiency is an avenue to which a desirable academic Section 4 that the DepEd shall provide a mother
performance is achieved. A person who is not language transition program from Grade 4 to 6 so that
proficient in the English language may not have access Filipino and English shall be gradually introduced as
to the world's scientific and technological discoveries languages of instruction until such time when these
that are predominantly written in English. The students two languages can become the primary languages of
instruction at the secondary level.
must be proficient in the English language, especially
in reading and writing, for them to have a full grasp of
A myriad of studies regarding the English proficiency
knowledge in all aspects of human learning.
of the students and several researchers have explored
similar variables, but the present study is different
The macro-skills such as reading and writing are tasks
since it examined the reading and writing skills of the
that are based on language skills. Reading is a process
students at Senior High School level. Moreover, the
of breaking down images to comprehend the message
investigation was conducted online through Canvas.
passed on by the sender. A learner reads by retaining
By probing the English proficiency level of the
the letter sets, breaking down the sounds per letter, and
students in reading and writing, this study may derive
applying it with the goal for him/her to understand the
salient findings and recommendations from helping
message given by the sender. Reading takes a great
augment the English proficiency of the Filipino
deal of training for a person to translate the messages
students in the country and of the other Asian students.
being transmitted. This only means that if the receiver
decodes the message successfully but does not Thus, the researchers were driven to conduct the study
understand what he/she has read, communication to have a clear understanding of the proficiency level
falters. of the students and to provide better learning
experiences for the Grade 11 Senior High School
On the other hand, writing, which is probably the most
students in a private higher education institution in
complex skill in communication, takes time and Quezon City.
practice to master the skill. It is a way in which an
individual can express his/her thoughts and feelings Research Questions
through symbols. It is a tool that can help develop and
fortify human connections and society. It is believed This study sought to measure the English Proficiency
that when the student's proficiency in reading and level of the Grade 11 SHS students and test the
writing is high, it will absolutely influence and correlation between English Proficiency level in
improve the scholastic performance of the students not Reading and Writing of Grade 11 students and their
just in the subject but also in some other subjects that scholastic performance in the Reading and Writing

Azarcon & Zabala

3/14
Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7015878, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

class. The results of this study were considered as a (STEM) strand. These subjects include Language,
basis for developing an intervention material. Humanities, Communication, Mathematics, Science,
Specifically, this study answered the following Social Science, Philosophy, and PE and Health
questions: subjects. One of these core subjects in Language is
Reading and Writing, which is viewed as a
1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents fundamental subject across all disciplines. This means
in terms of: that regardless of the academic strand, the students
1.1 age, will have to take Reading and Writing in Grade 11.
1.2 gender,
1.3 type of school in Grade 10 (public, private), and Selangan (2015), as cited by Jaca et al. (2019),
1.4 academic strand? mentioned that the teachers have observed and seen
2. What is the English Proficiency level of the Grade the eroding reading and writing skills among students
11 SHS students in Reading and Writing? as reflected in their performance tasks. This situation
3. What is the scholastic performance of SHS Grade expects instructors to ponder how they are teaching the
11 students in Reading and Writing for the School year students in the said subject and will likewise have
2020-2021? suggestions on what the educational program requires
4. Is there a significant difference in the English them to do so. It is well said that the Philippines
Proficiency level of Grade 11 students in Reading and obviously has a high reading capacity rate of about
Writing when grouped according to the demographic 88.6 %; however, many Filipinos can hardly read and
profile? write.
5. Is there a significant relationship between the
English Proficiency level in Reading and Writing of The Reading and Writing subject, as part of the K-12
Grade 11 students and their scholastic performance? Curriculum educational program and instructional
6. What intervention material can be crafted based on activities, are in a straight line pretentious in the
the findings of the study? educative cycle and substantially more in language
rules. The SHS went up against challenges in writing
essays and reading comprehension that have to be
Literature Review addressed by the teachers and the instructional
supervisor.
The Teaching of Reading and Writing in Senior
The teachers of the subject and the supervisor should
High School
provide the students the knowledge, skills, and attitude
The Philippines' Senior High School (SHS) curriculum they need in order to be prepared in venturing tertiary
implementation has been a pivotal issue in the K+12 education. Pablo and Lasaten (2018) investigation
educational change. The difficulties experienced by revealed that the Grade 11 (SHS) students in the
various partners and stakeholders drive educational Schools Division of Laoag City experienced
plan implementers to archive their journey on how the difficulties in writing essays. Students outputs were
educational program is spread out in the homeroom found out to be lacking in the diversity of concepts as
setup. The educational change experts guarantee that to the topic and thoughts, insufficiency in the
the planned learning results laid by the expected association of thoughts, wrong term or phrases and the
curriculum be obviously met among the graduates of choice of words, complex up sentence structures, the
the SHS program to be internationally capable in the utilization of the first individual pronoun in connection
scholastic field and the work environment. The K to 12 of traditionalism and unbiasedness, and the proper
Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of referencing and citations.
fundamental instruction (six years of essential training,
four years of Junior High School, and two years of The English Proficiency Level in Reading and
Senior High School (SHS) to give adequate time Writing
mastery of concepts and aptitudes, shape life-long
learners, and prepare the graduates for tertiary The Filipino people are known to be one of the best
instruction, and for middle-level skills development. non-native speakers of the English language, perhaps
because of the rich colonial history. In fact, up until
The Senior High School (SHS) students will have to today, the influence of western culture is still prevalent
undertake fifteen (15) core subjects. Two of these are in the country may it be in media, business, or
unique in the event that the student is under the academe. A quick analysis done by TeleDevelopment
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Services published in February 2017 highlighted the

Azarcon & Zabala

4/14
Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7015878, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Filipino spoken and written English. It is fascinating to their compulsory basic education. Implemented by the
note that the writing score has improved from 2014; Organization for Economic Cooperation and
however, it is by and by still a long way from the Development (OECD), PISA looks into the learners’
spoken marks. ability to apply their knowledge in formal education to
everyday situations. The PISA results can provide
On the other hand, the Programme for International relevant insights on student performance and inform
Student Assessment (PISA) of the Organization for policy decisions of the Department. The Department of
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Education (DepEd) participated in the 2018 cycle
reported in 2018 some key findings of the reading because of its commitment to engage in various
literacy of the Filipinos. PISA reported that Filipino national and international system assessments to guide
students obtained an average score of 340 points in its efforts to address the challenge of improving the
Overall Reading Literacy, which was significantly quality of basic education.
lower than the OECD average of 487 points.
The study conducted by Jaca, et al., (2019),
It also found out that only 1 out of 5 Filipino students investigated the Teachers’ Perspectives on the Reading
(19.4%) achieved at least the minimum proficiency and Writing Subject of the Senior High School
level (Level 2) in overall reading literacy. Likewise, it Curriculum. It presented the Senior High School
was revealed that among the participating ASEAN teachers’ perceptions of the reading and writing
countries, Filipino students performed closest to but subject in the SHS curriculum derived from the
significantly behind Indonesian students by 31 points teachers’ classroom experiences. It utilized the
in Overall Reading Literacy. Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
(SWOT) analysis model. It made use of the qualitative
Moreover, among the Process tasks, Filipino students
data gathered to categorize the respondents’ expressed
obtained the highest mean scores in Locate
concerns as they were grouped and clustered based on
Information and between the two reading source
the topics and teaching and learning activities
subscales, they attained a higher average score in
performed in the classroom.
Source - Multiple (341 points).
Their study revealed that contents are organized from
It was also noted that in the Philippines, female
simple to complex, and the competencies are skills-
students performed significantly better than male
based to improve the critical and analytical thinking of
students in overall reading literacy, with a 27-point
the students and give them more exposure in reading
difference. The majority of male students (84.82%)
and writing. On the other hand, the lessons, topics, and
and female students (76.90%) did not obtain the
competencies set very high standards for the learners
minimum proficiency level (Level 2) in Overall
and most of the topics embedded in the course are
Reading Literacy.
idealistic, complicated, and demanding. This is
Another significant finding was also noted that basically the reason why the objectives were not
Filipino students from private schools averaged 390 achieved in a given context due to time constraints.
points, which was significantly higher than public Furthermore, the teachers communicated that a few
school students who averaged 328 points. SHS exercises should be contextualized to make them
students' mean Reading Literacy score (428 points) pertinent to tailor-fit to the students’ degree of
was significantly higher than that of JHS students (339 appreciation and their adapting needs. As another
points). educational program, most instructors were simply
needed to teach the subject even with restricted
The results also underscored that the National Capital foundational knowledge on the themes that lead to
Region (NCR), Region 7 (Central Visayas), and various translations and shifted classroom
Region 11 (Southern Mindanao) achieved the highest implementations. This resulted to teachers’ incapacity
Overall Reading Literacy average performance for to give quick and quality input on students’ outputs
their respective island groups, and the mean Reading and performances. It is then prescribed that the
Literacy score of students residing in urban curriculum be revisited to consolidate the teachers’
communities (355 points) was significantly higher than input in order to have a successful and proficient
the mean score of those living in rural communities execution to accomplish the expected learning
(313 points). outcomes.

This PISA is a triennial international assessment The problem on the students’ downgrading proficiency
administered to 15-year old learners near the end of level in reading and writing is not only an issue in the

Azarcon & Zabala

5/14
Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7015878, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Philippines. There have been a lot of studies that the main reasons for ELLs' anxiety in writing. These
investigated the reading and writing skills of basic causes may also be the same reasons why students in
education students. In Ghana, Nyarko, et al.,(2018), SHS have difficulty in completing outputs in reading
investigated the English Reading Proficiency and and writing.
Academic Performance Among Lower Primary School
Children in Ghana. They probed on how reading
proficiency might influence the academic performance Methodology
of the children. A cross-sectional design examined 383
students (Grades 1-3) in Accra. The students were The study employed descriptive-evaluative,
given a questionnaire that assessed their English comparative, correlational research designs. The
reading proficiency, paternal involvement, maternal descriptive- evaluative design was used to determine
involvement, financial situation, and demographic the English proficiency level of the Grade 11 students
characteristics, as well as their academic performance. in Reading and Writing as to beginning, developing,
approaching proficiency, proficient and advanced. It
The results demonstrated that the reading proficiency was also used to evaluate the scholastic performance
was significantly and positively related to the students’ of the students in Reading and Writing. On the other
performance on all standard performance tests after hand, descriptive comparative was utilized to identify
controlling for paternal involvement, maternal the proficiency levels of the students when grouped
involvement, financial situation, and age. It was according to their strands such as Accountancy,
similarly noted that the type of school has potentially Business and Management (ABM), Science,
influenced the students' academic performance; Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM),
however, no gender differences were observed in the Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) and
students’ academic performance. General Academic Strand (GAS). The descriptive
correlational design will be employed to see the
Moreover, there was a study that investigated the
relationship between the English proficiency level of
students’ anxiety in writing in English. Chia-Pei Wu &
the students and their final grade of the subject,
Huey-Ju Lin (2016), in their research, Learning
Reading, and Writing.
Strategies in Alleviating English Writing Anxiety for
English Language Learners (ELLs) with Limited Daing (2017) cited Polit and Beck (2011), who
English Proficiency (LEP), scrutinized the relationship emphasized that the descriptive research design
between learning strategies and English writing attempts to describe, explain and interpret conditions,
anxiety in 102 university-level English language practices, structures, differences or relationships that
learners with limited English Proficiency in a exist, opinions held, processes or trends that are
university in Taiwan. The study employed the Oxford evident.
Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and
an English writing anxiety scale to evaluate the Participants
correlation of the interplaying variables. Utilizing the
Kruskal Wallis Test, it was found out that there was no The research included all the Grade 11 students, both
significant association between learning strategies and male and female, enrolled in the School Year,
English writing anxiety. However, the interview data 2020-2021 in a private higher education institution
indicated that ELLs suffered considerably from writing since they all have a Reading and Writing course in the
anxiety. curriculum. Approximately the age range of these
students is from 16 years old to 18 years old. Getting
The study also highlighted salient findings as to the the whole population will definitely yield better
causes of the ELLs anxiety in English language. The reports or data that will be of true representation.
four macro-skills in communication such as reading, However, those who were enrolled in modular
writing, speaking, and listening were investigated. In modality were excluded as respondents since the data
terms of the ELLs anxiety in reading, it was found out collection was done through an online platform. The
that limited vocabulary was the main cause of reading total population was3,829 in all strands; however,
anxiety. This only means that when a student does not there were 656 students who were enrolled in modular
have a rich vocabulary, he/she becomes anxious in all modality. The target population was 3,173; however,
reading activities in the classroom, perhaps because of only 1,970 respondents answered the English
the fear of not comprehending of what he/she has been Proficiency Test due to poor internet connection,
reading. Conversely, knowledge of English phrases, power interruptions, shortage of data, non-availability
difficulty using vocabulary, and limited vocabulary are of the respondents on the time the exam was

Azarcon & Zabala

6/14
Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7015878, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

administered. The respondents were informed by their subject

teachers that they would be taking the examination for
Instruments of the Study the purpose of assessing their English proficiency in
Reading and Writing. The teachers also discussed the
The English Proficiency Test for Reading and Writing provisions of the Informed Consent Form to the
is authored by the English teachers of the said students before they agreed to participate in the
institution. Bajon et al. (2019) drafted the test to examination. After taking the exam, the researchers
measure the proficiency level of the Grade 11 students and the subject teachers processed and explained the
in terms of vocabulary, subject-verb agreement, activity or the examination that the students had just
sentence completion, synonyms, and reading taken. They were assured that the results would just be
comprehension. The researcher obtained permission taken for the research purpose and would not, in any
from the authors to use the existing questionnaire to way, affect their performance in the subject.
draft a modified, adapted questionnaire. Some parts
that were modified were the number of items from 100 To facilitate the English Proficiency Test, the
to 60 items, questions about the selected university, researcher sought the help of her fellow teachers
and some words from the analogy section. handling Reading and Writing for the first semester of
SY 2020-2021. They answered the Proficiency exam
Part I of the tool obtained details of the respondents as through CANVAS, and right after the test, the students
to age, gender, type of school in grade 10 if private or got to see the exam results.
public, and academic strand that they are enrolled.
All the actions referring to the conduct of the study
Part II is the English Proficiency Test that is composed were based on the expert advice of the researcher’s
of Vocabulary in which students had to choose the thesis adviser. After the administration of the test, the
correct meaning of the word in each item. It was researchers obtained the result from the canvas, tallied
followed by Analogy, in which the students simply the scores, and submitted the data to the statistician for
chose the letter of the word that was related the same statistical treatment. Then, the researchers analyzed
way as the other pair of words. Next was the Matching and interpreted the data.
type, in which students were expected to match the
Ethical Considerations
meaning of the underlined word in each item. The
Subject-Verb Agreement came after in which the
The researcher strongly followed the ethical standards
students had to choose the correct verb to make each
expected from the conduct of quality research, which
sentence grammatically correct. Next was Sentence
included the ethical approval for the conduct of the
Completion, which allowed students to complete the
study that was acquired from Our Lady of Fatima
sentence's meaning by simply choosing a word or
University Institutional Ethics Review Committee
words. Synonyms followed this, and lastly, the
(IERC).
Reading Comprehension which students had to read
passages then unlock the meanings of the unfamiliar Moreover, the researcher applied some ethical
words used in the text. principles in conducting the present study. These
ethical principles include the consent of the parents
There was no translation of the questionnaire to the who were sought first by the researcher before
local language since the respondents were including the students as respondents of the study
knowledgeable and capable of comprehending the since the target respondents were all 18 years old and
provisions of the tool in Reading and Writing. below. Another principle was anonymity, in which
there would be no part of the test that the student’s
Procedure name was revealed. During the tallying of data, the
student’s responses were coded using cardinal
The researchers sought permission from the Office of
numbers. Likewise, the respondents were given
the Senior High School Administrator through a enough time to answer the English Proficiency Test
written formal request letter stating the purpose of the and were informed about the confidentiality of the
research. Likewise, included in the letter was the results of the proficiency test.
permission to obtain the data regarding the grades of
the students from the registrar’s office. Another letter The researcher ensured that no harm was inflicted to
was prepared by the researcher and was personally the respondents and that there would be no force or
emailed to the coordinator of the English Department coercion to ask them to complete the test. If after
once the letter was approved. participating in the research, the respondents might

Azarcon & Zabala

7/14
Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7015878, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

feel some medical, physical, emotional, and enrollment for the school year 2019-2020. On the
psychological stress and risks, they were assured that other hand, based on the records of the institution, the
they would be helped immediately by the investigator female students outnumbered the male students
through consultations and endorsements to proper enrolled for the SY 2020-2021.
authorities to seek professional help like counseling
that the Center can provide for Guidance Services of An article written by Reysio-Cruz (2019) expressed
the university through concierge program. that the female students enrolled in secondary schools
and in college are at fundamentally higher rates than
All resources that were used in the study were properly those of male students, according to the annual report
cited to avoid plagiarism. The complete manuscript that assesses gender equality in 153 countries.
underwent the Similarity Index Test using the Turnitin Moreover, he highlighted that the 2020 Global Gender
software that yielded an acceptable index of 9%. Gap Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF)
noted that 71.3 percent of females who are enrolled in
The data collected by the researcher were saved in an secondary education.
internal hard drive, and all folders used were secured
with a password to ensure that no information would With these reports, it can be assumed that more
be utilized in any way except for the purpose of the females were enrolled in schools than males, which
research. explains why in this particular study, 65.3% of the
total respondents became the participants.
The results would help the students understand their
English proficiency and academic performance in When it comes to the type of schools they finished
Reading and Writing and would motivate them to their junior high school, 1511 out of 1970 graduated
strive to achieve an excellent scholastic performance if from public schools. This number only proves that the
necessary. Moreover, the academic community will institution, though private, does not only accommodate
also benefit from the study because the findings can be students from private schools. Because it accepts the
utilized as a basis for improving the teaching vouchers from DepEd, junior high school graduates
techniques and the content of the course to ascertain from the nearby localities would want to pursue their
the proficiency of students in Reading and Writing. Senior High School education at the university.

The study's respondents would be informed regarding Table 1. Summary of the Demographic Profile of the
the progress of the present research by their English Respondents
teachers and would be ascertained that the research
findings would be made available to them by the
researcher. They will have to write a letter of request
stating the purpose of such an endeavor.

Results and Discussion

Demographic Profile of the Respondents

The sample of this study consisted of 1970 Grade 11

students whose average age is 16-17 years old with a
standard deviation of 0.072. It can be gleaned on the
table that the majority of the respondents were English Proficiency Level of Grade 11 Students in
females, with 65.3% who came from public schools in Reading and Writing
Grade 10 (76.7%) and primarily were enrolled in
STEM academic strand (48.9%). As shown in Table 2, the mean score of the 1970 SHS
students enrolled in Reading and Writing who took up
In the official statement on enrollment published by the Proficiency examination in the said subject is 63.4,
the Department of Education (DepEd) on July 17, with a standard deviation of 13.4. The respondents had
2020, it reported a total of 21,344,915 enrollees in scores in the proficiency exam, which is qualitatively
basic education for the combined public and private described as Approaching Proficiency when it comes
schools for School Year 2020-2021 at the end of the to the proficiency level.
enrollment period. This number represents 76% of the

Azarcon & Zabala

8/14
Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7015878, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

It can be seen from the table that out of the 1970 topics, and the competencies expected to be developed
respond en ts, 838 of them (42.54%) are in among students overlap each other. They expressed
the Approaching Proficiency while there were still 732 that the coverage of the lessons becomes so general
students (37.16%) were in the Developing stage. In and that the students' performance tasks do not allow
this stage, it means that the students already possess enough time to have an opportunity for teachers to do
the minimum knowledge and skills and core the feedbacking session.
understandings, but need help throughout the
performance of authentic tasks. The study's findings may prove that the students in the
subject were not given adequate time to raise their
While it can be noted that there were 298 respondents questions or concerns regarding some lessons. It can
(15.13%) who were in the Proficient level, there were also be assumed that the teachers might have just
still seven (7) students who exhibited Beginning level accomplished all the lessons to be taught without
in the proficiency in the said course. considering the mastery of the skills or the
development of the learning competencies. As
The DepEd Order (DO) 73, s. 2012 also known as the emphasized by the writers, one of the subject's
Guidelines on the Assessment and Rating of Learning weaknesses is that some topics have high expectations
Outcomes Under the K to 12 Basic Education that cannot be materialized due to time constraints.
Curriculum, expressed that the student's performance
after the academic year should be described based on The way the English proficiency examination was
the levels of proficiency such as Beginning, administered could also be why there were still
D e v e lo p in g , Ap p ro a ch i n g Proficiency, students in the Approaching
Proficient, and Advanced. Proficiency and Developing stages. With the help of
the university’s Learning Management System, the
The proficiency exam results only entail that the examination items were encoded in there, and there
students in Reading and Writing have developed the was only one item displayed on the screen before a
fundamental knowledge and skills and core student could answer the next item. Moreover, the
understandings and, with little guidance from the students were only given one attempt to answer the
teacher and/or with some assistance from peers, can exam and could not review the previous items before
transfer these understandings through authentic submitting. Another contributing factor that the
performance tasks. The instructions on what to do researcher noted was the student’s inattention to
should be apparent to them to perform the given tasks. the Next and Submit buttons. Some students pressed
Likewise, the teacher's guidance as the facilitator of the Submit button instead of next; that is why their
learning should be evident and available whenever the scores in the examination were automatically low
students need it before the execution, during, and after because there was no way to change the setting of the
the execution of the performance tasks. examination.

In their research titled, The Impact of Authentic Table 2. Summary of Results for Scores on English
Materials and Tasks on Students’ Communicative
Proficiency Exam of Grade 11 Students in Reading and
Competence at a Colombian Language School, Losada
Writing
et al. (2017) articulated that the materials are essential
in a language classroom because these materials and
tasks are the means utilized by the teacher to facilitate
teaching-learning experiences. Moreover, Tan & Nie
(2015) expressed that teachers broadly recognize
authentic tasks to encourage and hone the desirable
21st Century learning dispositions among all students,
specifically in inspired and engaged learning. All these
authentic tasks can be performed well with the aid of
the subject teacher.

On the other hand, Jaca et al. (2019) highlighted that Scholastic Performance of the Grade 11 Students in
Reading and Writing as a core subject in the Senior Reading and Writing for School Year 2020-2021
High School Curriculum has to address various
concerns among teachers who handle the subject. They Table 3 reflects the scholastic performance of the
found out in their study that the subject has congested

Azarcon & Zabala

9/14
Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7015878, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Grade 11 students in the course Reading and Writing. scholastic performance in Reading and Writing.
It can be gleaned on the table that out of 1,970
respondents, 1, 038 (52.7%) exhibited a Very Table 3. Summary of the Scholastic Performance of
Satisfactory performance in Reading and Writing Grade 11 Students in Reading and Writing
while 565 students were rated Outstanding in the
course. This can be interpreted that the respondents in
the course for the school year 2020-2021 reported high
scores on scholastic performance.

The results somehow blend with the English

proficiency level of the students in the said subject. In
the university, the Grade 11 students are graded based
on their quarterly examination results, which comprise
40% of the total score, and on their performance tasks Significant Difference on the English Proficiency
such as quizzes, assignments, projects, and classroom Level in Reading and Writing when Grouped
engagements or participation that comprise the 60% of
according to Profile
the total grade.
Manifested in Table 4 are the results of the test of the
The quarterly examination is like the traditional pencil-
significant difference in the English Proficiency level
paper test in which the students have to read each item
of the respondents in Reading and Writing when their
and identify the correct answer either in a multiple
profile is considered. The researcher conducted the
choice question (MCQ) type, true-false question,
Kruskal-Wallis H test to examine if there was a
simple recall, among others, while in the performance
significant difference in the scores of ages 16, 17, 18,
tasks, the teacher prefers to give projects or outputs in
and 19 participants on the English proficiency exam in
which the students demonstrate mastery of the lesson
Reading and Writing. The results showed that there
through different performances such as essays, audio-
was no significant difference in the proficiency exam
video recordings, and many others.
scores, X 2(3) = 0.943, p = 0.815, E2 =0.000.
In order to assess the performance of the students,
teachers use rubrics. Rubrics usually contain the It can be interpreted that the demographic profile of
performance standards and objectives in a specific task the Grade 11 students in terms of age and gender does
and are presented before the execution of the task to not have any correlation with their results in the
guide the students on what to do and on what is English Proficiency examination in the subject,
expected from them. This is in this grading component Reading and Writing. In a study conducted by
in which the students get the chance to obtain good Serquina & Batang (2017) titled, Demographic,
scores in the subject since they are provided the Psychological Factors and English Proficiency of ESL
opportunities to improve and enhance their works Students, it found out that age, gender, and other
before submission; hence, they get high scores in the profiles they considered in the study were not related
performance tasks. to the students’ English proficiency scores. The
findings that there were no significant differences in
In this particular study, it can also be assumed that the the English proficiency level of the Grade 11 students
teachers of the said course for this school year were when grouped according to age and gender just
very considerate in grading the performance tasks disproved some studies that mentioned that as age
submitted by the students, perhaps because of develops, the learner's proficiency progresses and
the compassionate relief the teachers have been those males are more proficient than females or vice
reminded to; hence, they were rating the tasks high. versa.

Chowdhury (2018) underscored that rubrics are On the other hand, the results of the study conducted
essential to grading the students that reflect reliable, by Meisani et al., (2020) titled, Factors Affecting the
valid, and transparent assessments. It is further Indonesian Learners’ English Proficiency
explained that rubrics are tools to use to increase Level revealed that the age was not related to the
objectivity and transparency and diminish subjectivity. English proficiency of the respondents. However,
Since the students are instructed on what to do, they gender was related to the English proficiency level.
have the time to enhance their performances. This can
be the reason why the respondents exhibited high

Azarcon & Zabala

10/14
 Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7015878, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Plenty of research has explored the relationship the private schools performed well in the components
between gender and learners' English proficiency level covered in the Proficiency examination, such as
and has proven that it has a significant influence on the vocabulary, analogy, matching type, subject-verb
students’ English learning. agreement, sentence completion, synonyms, and
reading comprehension. Their performance in the said
Table 4. Test of Difference in English Proficiency when examination can also be attributed to their attitude
Grouped according to Age towards Reading and Writing, as an English subject.
Ibnian (2017) expressed that though both students
from public and private schools have a positive
attitude towards learning English, students from
private schools have more positive attitudes towards
English.

Table 6. Test of Difference in English Proficiency when

Grouped According to Type of School
Table 5 reflects the English proficiency exam scores of
the students when grouped according to gender. The
Mann-Whitney U test was used to examine the
significant difference in the scores of female and male
participants, and the results also showed that there was
no significant difference in the proficiency exam
scores in Reading and Writing between males and
females, U = 433250, p = 0.602, r =0.01.

Table 5. Test of Difference in English Proficiency when Table 7 explains the results of the English proficiency
Grouped According to Gender exam scores when grouped according to strand. The
researcher employed the Kruskal Wallis H Test. It can
be seen that there was a significant difference in the
proficiency exam scores, X2 (3) = 9.57, p = 0.023,
E2=0.004. Finally, a pairwise two-sided multiple
comparison analysis was performed using the Dwass-
Steel-Critchlow-Fligner method, and it revealed a
significant difference in all academic strands (p =
0.010).
Table 6 presents the English proficiency exam scores
of the respondents when grouped according to the type This only entails that those students enrolled in
of school they completed in their junior high school academic strands such as STEM and ABM performed
and the academic strand they were enrolled. To better in the English proficiency examination in
examine the significant difference in the scores of Reading and Writing than other academic strands such
public and private participants, the researcher used the as GAS and HUMSS.
Mann-Whitney U test . It is depicted that there was a
The students in the STEM and ABM strands have the
significant difference in the proficiency exam scores
highest English proficiency scores in the subject. From
among students who came from public and private, U
this result, it is understood that though the strands
= 317571, p = 0.006, r = 0.08. The result only means prepare the students for a science-related course and
that in this particular study, those respondents who accountancy and business-inclined courses in tertiary
completed their junior high school from the private education by intensifying the concepts of Math and
schools scored higher than those who finished in the Science, Accountancy, Business and Management, the
public schools. There was no specific published students in this particular school year, 2020-2021 in
research comparing the scores of the students from this private higher education institution exhibited
private and public schools in Reading and Writing. commendable scores in English proficiency
examination in Reading and Writing, which is an
It can be assumed that the respondents coming from
English-related subject.

On the other hand, the respondents enrolled in the

Azarcon & Zabala

11/14
 Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7015878, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

GAS and HUMSS strands scored a little low compared relationship between the English Proficiency and the
to the two other strands. The results are a surprise scholastic performance of the Grade 11 in Reading and
because both the GAS and HUMSS strands highlight Writing. The researcher used a Spearman Rank
the basic subjects in Social Sciences and Languages. Correlation to examine the relationship between
Those who chose to enroll in the said strands have English proficiency level and scholastic performance.
inclinations to journalism, communication arts, liberal The result showed a small, positive, and statistically
arts, education, and other social-related programs in significant relationship between the two variables, r (N
college who may have been influenced by the use of = 1970 ) =.252, p < .001. This result rejects the null
the English language and whose attitude toward hypothesis that there is no significant relationship
English is positive. between the students' English proficiency in Reading
and Writing and their scholastic performance in the
Table 7. Test of Difference in English Proficiency when said subject. It can be interpreted that if the student
Grouped According to Type of Strand performs well in the proficiency examination, he/she
probably has a good grade in Reading and Writing.

Though the findings depicted a small relationship, it

was positive and statistically significant. This only
means that students with higher English proficiency
scores in Reading and Writing also have higher
scholastic performance in the course.
Table 8 summarizes the significant difference between
the demographic variables such as age, gender, type of These present results corroborate with the findings in
school they finished Junior high school, and the the research conducted by Stoffelsma & Spooren
academic strand the respondents were enrolled in. (2019). They tested the relationship between English
There was no significant difference in the respondents' reading proficiency and the academic performance of
scores in English proficiency exam when their age and the university students in Ghana who were enrolled in
gender were considered. On the contrary, their scores first-year science and mathematics. From a sample of
were significantly different when grouped according to 133 students, using three various mediation analyses,
the typed of school they obtained in their junior high the study revealed that there was a medium-sized
school. Moreover, there was a significant difference in effect of English reading proficiency on students’
the scores of the students on the English proficiency grade point average (GPA) by the end of the first year
exam when the academic strand they enrolled in was and a small but significant indirect relationship
considered. between reading proficiency and the final GPA scores
by the end of year 4. These findings only proved that
Table 8. Summary of Test of Significant Difference the academic English reading proficiency of the
between the Demographic Variables and English students in a multilingual academic context is essential
Proficiency in Reading and Writing to their scholastic performance.

Conversely, on the published study authored by

Orlanda-Ventayen in 2019, it probed on the
relationship between students' academic performances
in English courses compared to other courses. The
results manifested no significant relationship between
the academic performance in core courses and in
English proficiency of the students.

Table 9. Bivariate Correlations between English Proficiency

and Scholastic Performance in Reading and Writing
Significant Relationship between the English
Proficiency and Scholastic Performance of Grade
11 Students in Reading and Writing

Table 9 presents the results of the test of a significant

Azarcon & Zabala

12/14
Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7015878, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

the English proficiency examination in Reading and

Writing (M = 38.1, SD = 8.02, on a scale of 0-
Intervention Material for Reading and Writing
100).The participants reported high scores on
Based on the study's findings, the researcher scholastic performance, which is their final grade in
recommends that the English Department consider Reading and Writing as their English subject (M =
crafting an intervention material in Reading and 90.3, SD = 5.38, on a scale of 0-100).There were no
Writing to help the Grade 11 students in the mastery of significant differences in the English proficiency
some of the components the department has included examination scores when the respondents’ age and
in the English Proficiency examination. gender were considered; however, there were
significant differences on the English proficiency
The Intervention Material in Reading and Writing exam scores when the type of school where they
should focus on three areas: Vocabulary Development, finished junior high school and the type of academic
S u b j e c t - V e r b A g r e e m e n t , and R e a d in g strands they were enrolled. Significant differences
Comprehension. Since vocabulary plays a significant were noted in STEM and HUMSS academic strands.
role in Reading Comprehension, the material should
The null hypothesis that there is no significant
provide more activities in which the students will have
relationship between the English proficiency level and
to read passages or texts and then, later on, unlock the
the scholastic performance of the Grade 11 students in
meanings of the unfamiliar words used in the text.
reading and Writing was rejected. Therefore, there was
Similarly, the material should offer learning
a small, positive, and significant relationship between
engagements for the students to apply the rules in
the two variables tested. Moreover, to help improve
grammar in their reading and writing activities.
the English proficiency level of the students in the said
The research findings revealed that though the students course, an intervention material is being proposed.
had a good scholastic performance in Reading and
Writing, their English Proficiency level in the said References
course is in the Approaching Proficiency stage. The
result only means that the institution has to do more of Aina, J.K. Ogundele, A.G. & Olanipekun,S.S.(2013). Students’
the task to improve their level to Proficient level. This Proficiency in English Language Relationship with Academic
can only be achieved if an Intervention Material is Performance in Science and Technical Education. American Journal
of Educational Research, Vol. 1, No. 9, 355-358.
provided for the students to practice, which will
eventually propel their performance in proficiency Chia-Pei Wu & Huey-Ju Li.(2016). Learning Strategies in
examination. Alleviating English Writing Anxiety for English Language Learners
(ELLs) with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Canadian Center of
The researcher crafted an 18-day sessions intervention S c i e n c e a n d E d u c a t i o n , Vo l. 9 , No. 9 .
h t t p : / / d x . d o i . o rg / 1 0 . 5 5 3 9 / e l t . v 9 n 9 p 5 2
material that can be utilized in their Reading and
Writing class during asynchronous class (Appendix L). Chiew Fen Ng &PohKiat Ng. (2012). Enhancing English
Similarly, the researcher curated audiovisual lectures Proficiency: A Conceptual Framework on Teaching Strategies. 7th
to supplement the students' understanding of some of Malaysia International Conference on Languages, Literatures, and
Cultures, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
the contents of the course.
Cummins, J. (1992). Language Proficiency, Bilingualism and
Academic Achievement, White Plains, NY: Longman.
Conclusion
Daing, C. (2020). School Administrators’ Instructional Leadership
Skills and Teachers’ Performance andEfficacy in Senior High
Based on the study's findings, the following Schools in the National Capital Region,
Ph i li pp in e s . DO I: 1 0 . 1 3 1 4 0 / RG . 2 . 2 . 2 0 6 4 0 . 9 4 7 22 / 1
conclusions were found out about the English
proficiency level and the scholastic performance of the Dev, S. &Qiqieh, S. (2016). The Relationship between English
Grade 11 students in an identified private higher Language Proficiency, Academic Achievement and Self-esteem of
education institution. The population of the study Non-native-English-Speaking Students. International Education
Studies; Vol. 9, No. 5. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ies.v9n5p147
consisted of 1,970 Grade 11 students (Mage = 16.7,
SD = 0.702). The majority of the respondents were DO 73, s. 2012 – Guidelines on the Assessment and Rating of
females (65.3%), came from a public school in Grade Learning Outcomes Under the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum.
10 (76.7%), and mostly enrolled in STEM academic Department of Education. (2012, September 5).
strand (48.9%).The respondents reported low scores on Gee, G., Walsemann,K. &Takeuchi, D. (2010). English Proficiency
and Language Preference: Testing the Equivalence of Two

Azarcon & Zabala

13/14
Psych Educ, Document ID: PEMJ0, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7015878, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Measures, American Journal of Public Health, Vol 100, No. Language Courses and English Proficiency on Academic
3. https://dx.doi.org/10.2105%2FAJPH.2008.156976. Performance of Junior Business Administrators. SSRN.

Global English Corporation, “Philippines: World's Best Country in Programme for International Student Assessment. (2018). National
Business English,” Business English Index (BEI), vol. 23, no. 4. Report of thePhilippines.
pp.35-40, September 2014.
Setyowati, L. &Sukmawan, S. (2016). EFL_ Indonesian Students’
Grisso, L.C. (2018). The Relationship between English language Attitude Toward Writing in English. Arab World English Journal
Proficiency and Academic Achievement in English Language (AWEJ ) Volume.7 Number.4, pp. 365 -37 8.
Learners. Unpublished Doctorate’s Dissertation, Liberty University, https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2898636
Lynchburg, VA.
Racca, R.M.A. &Lasaten, R.C. (2016). English Language
Huang, Y.-Y., Liu, C.-C., Wang, Y., Tsai, C.-C., & Lin, H.-M. Proficiency and Academic Performance of Philippine Science High
(2017). Student Engagement in Long-term School Students. International Journal of Languages, Literature and
CollaborativeEFLStorytellingActivities: An Analysis of Learners Linguistics, Vol. 2, No. 2, June 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2020, from,
with English Proficiency Differences. Educational Technology http://www.ijlll.org/vol2/65-LL0011.pdf
&Society, 20 (3), 95–109.
Reysio-Cruz, M. (2019, December 27). More women in HS, college
Ibnian, S. S. K. (2017, June 1). Attitudes of Public and Private than men in PH, says report. INQUIRER.
S c hoo l s ' S tu de nt s t ow a rd s L e a r ni ng EFL . ASJ P.
h t t p s : / / w w w. a s j p . c e r i s t . d z / e n / a r t i c l e / 5 3 7 4 4 . Rosenthal, J. W. (1996). Teaching Science to Language Minority
Students. England: Multilingual Matters Ltd., pp. 329-340.
Jaca, C.A., Jaluague, J., Lonoy, C., Mendoza,E.L., Mercado, R. &
Sandimas, P. (2019). Teachers’ Perspectives on the Reading and Serquina, E., &Batang, B. (2017, November 30). Demographic,
WritingSubject of the Senior High School Curriculum. International Psychological Factors and English Proficiency of ESL Students.
Journal of Education and Research, Vol. 7 No. 6. TESOL International Journal. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1244107.

Losada, C., Insuasty, E. A., & Osorio, M. F. (2017). The Impact of Stoffelsma, L., &Spooren, W. (2019). The Relationship Between
Authentic Materials and Tasks on Students Communicative English Reading Proficiency and ... Springer Link.
Competence at Colombian Language School. Profile Issues in
Teachers' Professional Development, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 89-104, Tan, J. P-L., &Nie, Y. (2015). The role of authentic tasks in
2017. promoting twenty-first century learning dispositions. In Y. H. Cho,
I. S. Caleon, & M. Kapur (Eds.), Authentic Problem Solving and
Martirosyan, N. M., Hwang, E., &Wanjohi, R. (2015). Impact of
Learning in the 21st Century (pp. 19-39). Singapore: Springer
English Proficiency on Academic Performance of International Science+Business Media.
Students. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1052835.pdf.

Meisani, D. R., Hamied, F. A., Musthafa, B., &Purnawarman, P. Affiliations and Corresponding Information
(2020). Factors affecting indonesian young learners' english
proficiency level. TEFLIN Journal.
http://journal.teflin.org/index.php/journal/article/view/1028.
Barbara R. Azarcon
College of Arts and Sciences
Nyarko, K., Kugbey, N., Kofi, C.C., Cole, Y.A.&Adentwi,K.I. Our Lady of Fatima University, Philippines
(2018). English Reading Proficiency and AcademicPerformance
among Lower PrimarySchoolChildren in Ghana, SAGE Open, Dr. Consolacion P. Zabala
Our Lady of Fatima University - Graduate School
Official Statement on enrollment data. Department of Education.
(2020, July 17).
Philippines

Orlanda-Ventayen, C. C. (2019, July 9). Impact of English

Azarcon & Zabala

14/14