English Proficiency as Related to Academic Performance

Introduction
English language cannot simply be neglected for enhancing the educational attainment of students. Students who have so much difficulties with their communication skill in English language may not function effectively, not only in their everyday life but also in their academic success and this is no reason than the fact that English language in Philippines today is the language of text-books and the language of instruction in schools. When Students’ Proficiency in English Language is high, it will definitely affect and improve the academic performance of such students.

Nowadays, the English language plays a very important role not only in the daily lives of every Filipino but also in its economy as a whole. In a blog written by Dave Llorito on 2007, he said that Sixty percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product is accounted for by the “globalized” sectors of economy. Some of these sectors include remittances, merchandize exports and outsourcing. According to him, these are economic activities that are conducted, processed and concluded through the English language. Given the structure of the Philippine economy, there’s no doubt where our national interest lies.

With the efforts of our government and non-government sectors to improve the English proficiency of Filipinos, more specifically affecting the business students, it is vitally important to determine if students are really growing more proficiency on the English language. Most especially when we all know that success in one’s chosen college degree lies on his ability to communicate. And as we all know, most of our communication happens in English language. It is almost impossible for one to achieve a Bachelor’s Degree without having to at least be able to understand the English language. It is mostly evident on the curriculum presented to the Business Management students in Taguig City University where most of the subjects are taught in English.

Learning English aims at helping students use the language effectively for real life purposes. Students need to use English to become functional in professional, academic and social settings. In the Philippines, English proficiency is found out to be declining. A recent language test result showed that the Philippines is no longer the top one English-speaking country in Asia. This brought up an alarming impact towards job-providing industries in and out of the country, and is currently driving the Department of Education to intensify the effort of providing an educational system that will improve student’s mastery in English. However, programs and projects conducted by schools are not enough to promote the development of English language proficiency among Filipino students. Learning experiences that will help students reach the optimum level of their communicative ability must be provided.

In this study, we will aim to determine the different influences of learning English language in relation to the academic performance of students especially in the College of Business Management in Taguig City University. Background of the Study

In 1935, English was officially added as an official language together with Spanish in the 1935 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. Thirty-eight years later, during the promulgation of the 1973 Constitution, English remained as an official language adding Filipino and dropping Spanish during the process. The stature of English as an official language remains until today as stated by the 1987 Constitution.

Based on the census released by the Philippine government in 2005, it shows that the Philippines has the total of 45,900,000 English speakers making it the 5th largest English-speaking nation behind the United States, India, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom.

English is used in the Philippines by media and various educated Filipinos. English is widely used in the education field. It is considered as a major subject and is taught in the Philippines from grade one to college and is the medium of instructions in many schools. Most school textbooks for subjects such as Biology, Physics, Mathematics and others are printed in English and are rarely has Filipino versions. Also, for highly technical subjects such as nursing, medicine, computing, and calculus, English is the preferred medium for textbooks, communication, etc. Aside from education, it is also used religious affairs, print and broadcast media, and business.

Formal education in the Philippines has well-established the English language. English was introduced into the formal educational system when the United States of America colonized the Philippines (Bautista and Bolton, 2008).

In 2010, lawmakers have urged Congress to fast track the passage of a proposed measure using English as the medium of instruction in Philippine schools. House Bill 5619 or the Act Strengthening and Enhancing the Use of English as Medium of Instruction seeks to raise the English language proficiency level of Filipino students and graduates in order to increase their employability and global competitiveness. According to Raul V. Del Mar, “This measure shall align the education of the young with the requirements and realities of business life and make them competitive in the global environment by strengthening, enhancing and developing the use of the English language as the medium of instruction in all levels of education from the preschool to the tertiary level.”

Despite the fact that Filipinos have English as a primary language, studies have shown a decline on Filipinos’ English proficiency especially on the ability to speak the language. Today, university professors are facing problems regarding the inability of college students to comprehend and express themselves in English. The most alarming, however, is the Social Weather Survey on National Proficiency in English Declines commissioned by Promoting English Proficiency (PEP) in March 2006 which shows that Filipinos’ self-assessed proficiency in the English language has declined over the past twelve years as compared to earlier SWS surveys in December 1993 and September 2000.

Supporters of House Bill 5619 believe that adopting English as medium of instruction would address the problem of declining English proficiency among Filipino students and graduates and improve competitiveness of the Filipino labor force. According to Tess B. Macasinag, the problem on declining English proficiency among Filipinos can be addressed through the collaboration of different government and non-government organizations.

The local government of the Philippines recognizes the decline in the nation’s English proficiency and has been initiating efforts in trying to reverse this decline.
In May 17, 2003, to address this problem of decreasing competence in English among Filipinos, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Executive Order 210. The order recognized that there is a need to develop the aptitude, competence and proficiency of our students in the English language to maintain and improve their competitive edge in emerging and fast-growing local and international industries. Statement of the Problem

This study was undertaken to determine the assessment of the Business Management students to assess their Proficiency Level in English Communication Skills. The results of which shall be used as basis in coming up with valuable recommendations to improve the proficiency level of the Business Management students. 1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

a. Age
b. Gender
c. Year Level
2. What is the Proficiency Level in English Communication Skills of Business Management Students in Taguig City University based on the administered tests? a. Vocabulary
b. Grammar
c. Spelling
3. What is the mean percentage score of the respondent student based on the administered test? Scope, Limitation and Delimitation
The main purpose of the study is to provide information regarding English Proficiency and how being an English proficient student affects the academic performance of the student. The study considers the student’s personal information such as their gender, age, and year level.

The researchers limited the study to 100 male and female Business Management students enrolled in the second semester of school year 2014-2015 of Taguig City University. Each of the respondents was given a questionnaire to answer. The students selected came from different year levels to allow admission of unbiased perceptions.

In order to assure manageability of the collected data, the questionnaire only included multiple choice items, likert scale, checklist and ranking/rating questions and did not include open-ended response items. Hypothesis

H1: English proficient students show excellence in academic performance compared to those who fail in English subjects.
H0: English proficient students have the same academic performance compared to those who fail in English subjects. Assumption
The study will be conducted based on the following assumptions. 1. Student’s progression in their English Communication skills are required through teacher structured teaching in school. 2. Proficiency in English language is achieved through constant monitoring, evaluation and reinforcement of the teacher. 3. Expressiveness in English will make them well prepared in their career paths as well as became globally competitive. 4. Poor Communication skills affect the performance of the students. Definition of Terms

In order to understand fully this study, the following terms were operationally defined. English – is the variety of English used in the Philippines by the media and the vast majority of educated Filipinos. Proficiency – it refers to the state or quality being skilled, fluent or competent. Aptitude – a natural ability to do something.

Academic Performance – is the outcome of education — the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their educational goals.