Chapter 2

Review of Related Studies

Foreign

Study on Identifying Factors Related to Students’ English Proficiency Levels

Through a Segmentation Method

English is used worldwide in a variety of fields and is used as a medium for

global communication (Jeraltin Vency, & Ramganesh, 2013). Graddol (2007) suggests

that English has spread due to globalization and likewise globalization has spread owing

to English. In an increasing number of international companies, workers are supposed to

communicate in English. In popular culture, many games are produced in English.

English is also the language that is most commonly used within the academic field. As a

consequence of the need to communicate in English, several forms of assessment are

being utilized to gather information on language learners’ abilities and/or achievement in

using the language (Brindley, 2006). This study focused on the test scores of a language

proficiency exam and with variables related to a number of student background factors.

English is regarded as the global language of the contemporary world (Stephen, Welman,

& An, 2004). English is being more widely used in international contexts and this causes

English programs to be more preferred (Matsuda, 2012). The definition of language

proficiency according to Llurda (2000) is to use the language by transforming the

knowledge of the skills needed into practice. According to Davies (1997), a test used for

language proficiency should measure the learned level of the foreign language. While

designing these tests, training and the objectives in the syllabus of any course should not

be considered within the content of a proficiency test (Hughes, 2003). Proficiency tests

should not be prepared to meet the requirements of a particular program or curriculum;

instead, they should assess test takers’ overall ability at developmental levels (Coombe,

Folse, & Hubley, 2007).

Study on English Language Needs and Language Proficiency of Academic

Professionals as a Basis for Developing Language Training

Tytti Ekola stated in his study that the position of the English language, be it in

the field of entertainment, business or science, is undeniably dominant. English is an

international language with speakers all over the world. In fact, the number of second and

foreign language speakers of English has exceeded the native speakers and English has

gained a lingua franca status in different fields (Jenkins 2003: 2). English has been the

language of especially science and research for centuries.

According to what the researcher claimed in his study, it is in this domain where

the use of English can be considered essential if a researcher aims to be acknowledged as

an important member of the academic community. Moreover, this lingua franca enables

people with different native languages to come together and contribute to the science

community through their knowledge. As globalization advances, the demand for people

with good skills in multiple languages in working life increases (Karjalainen and

Lehtonen 2005). More often than not, it seems that the most common language needed

and used, regardless of the sector or field, is English. Its popularity in the field of science

is no doubt due to the fact that cooperation between scientists all over the world is vital

and important for the knowledge to reach people worldwide. Although the field of

business and its use of English have been studied reasonably thoroughly in terms of

language needs, the needs of professionals in the field of science have not been at the
center of attention to the same extent. By comparing these language needs with language

proficiency, the aim is to achieve a more accurate picture of the language use of academic

researchers.

Local

Study on English Language Proficiency and Academic Performance of Philippine

Science High School Students

This study conducted by Robelle Millie Ann B. Racca and Ronald Candy S.

Lasaten, states that in a report published by called Business English Index (BEI),

Philippines was tagged as the world’s best country in business English proficiency, in not

just one but two consecutive years. Based on the BEI Report in 2012, only the

Philippines attained a score above 7.0, putting the country within range of a high

proficiency that indicates an ability to lead business discussions and perform complex

tasks. Moreover, in 2013 BEI report, the Philippines earned 7.95 score, an improved BEI

score over the prior year. This maybe the reason why the Philippines has taken over India

as a hub for call centers in Asia. However, various studies reveal that the quality of

education in the Philippines is continuously declining.

Agreeing to the researchers, this notion is based on the results of achievement

tests and board examinations. Not only the elementary and secondary graduates are

affected but also the college graduates. The Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC)

reports that passers of board examinations in all fields of endeavor continue to go down.

One of the important causes for this phenomenon is the low academic performance in the

elementary and secondary levels. This academic performance of the students can be
attributed to their proficiency in the English language. Educators agree that proficiency in

the English language is the basis for success in academic pursuits. Reading, writing, and

working with numbers are tasks that are based on language skills, describes this as the

interplay between everyday language skills and more advanced communication skills.

Indeed, language proficiency is a key to academic performance. As claim, language

proficiency in English is significantly related to academic performance. Academic

subjects like Science, Mathematics and English often requires the use of language

functions. The language functions play a significant role in critical and analytical thinking

required in science and mathematics subjects. Thus, the more the students are proficient

with the English language, the more they are likely to perform well in their academic

subjects.

Study on English Proficiency of College Students

A study showed by Virginia J. Magbanua has proven that college students’ low

English proficiency has received increasing attention in Taiwan these years. The

Philippines is recognized globally as one of the largest English-speaking nations with

majority of its population having at least some degree of fluency in the language. English

has always been one of the official languages of the Philippines and is spoken by more

than 14 million Filipinos. It is the language of commerce and law, as well as the primary

medium of instruction in education. Proficiency in the language is also one of the

country’s strengths that has helped drive the economy and even made the Philippines the

top voice outsourcing destination in the world, surpassing India in 2012.

 According to her, the influx of foreign learners of English is also on the rise due

to the relatively more affordable but quality English as a Second Language (ESL)

programs being offered locally.However, in a recent roundtable discussion organized by

the British Council, key stakeholders from the government, academe, private, and non-

government sectors acknowledged that even if the Philippines is doing fine in terms of

English competency, concerns on how much of a competitive advantage it still is for the

country were raised. The stakeholders agreed that the country needs to step up its efforts

in improving the teaching and learning of English, developing it as a vital skill of the

workforce. This is an initiative that could potentially strengthen the Philippines' distinct

advantage in this part of the world, particularly with the upcoming ASEAN economic

integration (Cabigon, 2016).In view of this, this study is conducted to find out the

proficiency of college students in one of the institutions here in the Philippines.

Review of Related Literature

Foreign

Fostering Literacy Development in English Language Learners

The article written by Karen Ford says that research has shown that alphabet

knowledge and phonological awareness are strong predictors of successful literacy

development in children (for a review see Adams, 1990; Lonigan, Burgess, & Anthony,

2000; Wagner et al., 1997). In processing both spoken and written language, the human

brain employs a phonological code to represent linguistic information. This code is

unique for each individual language, as each language has its own distinct set of sounds,

with very specific rules that govern how those sounds can be combined into syllables and
words (for discussion see Cohn, 2003). Phonological awareness is the ability to

manipulate language at the phonological level, that is, to "reflect on the component

sounds of spoken words, rather than on their meanings" (Goswami, 2000, p. 251).

Phonological awareness skills are known to develop in a predictable pattern, which is the

same from one language to another (i.e., from larger to smaller units of sound - from

word to syllable to onset-rime to phoneme). Phonological awareness skills developed in

one language can transfer to another language, even while those skills are still in the

process of being developed (Cisero & Royer, 1995).

Karen Ford claimed in her study that the ability of phonological awareness skills

to transfer from one language to another presents advantages that are readily apparent;

however, transfer can also bring disadvantages. Sometimes L2 learners inappropriately

generalize their first language's rules of syntax, spelling, phonology, or pragmatics to

their second language. This tendency, commonly referred to as negative transfer, or

interference, can have an adverse effect on L2 literacy acquisition (Bialystok, 2002; Brice

& Roseberry-McKibbin, 2001; Francis, 1998).

An important factor here may be the type of phonological skill in question. As

Durgunoglu (2002) notes, "there are certain literacy concepts and strategies that can be

universal and operate across languages. These insights and skills need to be acquired only

once and apply in all languages of LLs. However, there are also language-specific

concepts and knowledge; for example, orthographic patterns that are specific to a

language" (p. 192).

Teaching Literacy in English to K-5 English Learners

The article done by What Works Clearinghouse of U.S. Department of Education

says that English learners can learn to read at the same rate as their native English-

speaking peers but may need extra support. A comprehensive core reading program

includes well-developed assessment systems for identifying student needs. The field of

beginning reading has a well-known set of instruments to assess phonological processing,

letter knowledge, and word and text reading which give teachers solid information about

their students' reading development. The same English language instruments that are used

with native English speakers can also be used with English learners.

According to them, teachers can use these measures to determine which students

need support and what kind of support they need. By the middle of kindergarten, after

students have received some instruction, these formative assessments are a valid indicator

of whether or not a student is at risk for reading problems. Students at a higher risk will

require frequent monitoring - as often as several times per month.

The author also claimed that starting in kindergarten, academic English should be

taught explicitly in specific blocks of time throughout the day - during content area

instruction, reading instruction, and English language development. Students should learn

the structure of the language, grammar, how words and phrases are used. They need to

learn the technical vocabulary in content areas as well as general academic words.

Teaching strategies include daily instruction, supplemental curricula to accompany core

reading and mathematics series, and professional development.

Local

State of English in the Philippines: Should We Be Concerned?

Mike Cabigon wrote in his article that proficiency in language is also one of the

country’s strengths that have helped drive the economy and even made the Philippines

the top voice outsourcing destination in the world, surpassing India in 2012. The influx of

foreign learners of English is also on the rise due to the relatively more affordable but

quality English as a Second Language (ESL) programs being offered locally. However, in

a recent roundtable discussion organized by the British Council, key stakeholders from

the government, academe, private, and non-government sectors acknowledged that even

if the Philippines is doing fine in terms of English competency, concerns on how much of

a competitive advantage it still is for the country were raised. The stakeholders agreed

that the country needs to step up its efforts in improving the teaching and learning of

English, developing it as a vital skill of the workforce.

Dr. Rosario Alonzo, Dean of the University of the Philippines College of

Education, says that the College ensures this by emphasizing to its students that English

is a skill to be used for communication. Education students focus on learner-centered

teaching, and are taught to ask learners to do meaningful tasks using English. “Our future

teachers should ensure that English is a means of communication, rather than a set of

facts to be learned,” says Dr. Alonzo.

His article also stated that representatives from the private sector also suggested

corporate social responsibility programs to support teacher development, particularly in

English language proficiency in teaching other subjects. They also recommend

collaboration between the government and the private sector to address teacher and

student language proficiency in the outlying communities.

English proficiency as a competitive edge

Butch Hernandez claimed in his work that the availability of quality human

resources is one of the Philippines’ key advantages, according to the Board of

Investments. “Our people are highly educated. The literacy rate is 94 percent and 70

percent of the population are fluent in English, making us one of the largest English-

speaking countries in the world. Filipinos also have strong customer service orientation

and are highly trainable,” says the BOI. Based on various surveys, the Philippines is

anywhere from the third to the sixth country in the world with the largest English-

speaking population. We can’t claim to be native English speakers as much as we would

like to, but our talent pool can speak, read and write in this language even at a

rudimentary level.

Helping young learners master their mother tongue significantly heightens their

competency to acquire the globally dominant English language. The Department of

Education itself recognizes that English proficiency is a competitive edge that previous

generations of Filipinos used to enjoy. Sadly, there is no denying that many of today’s

high school or even college graduates have difficulty in expressing their thoughts clearly

and logically in English, in Filipino, or sometimes even in their mother tongue. However,

it is almost certain that graduates of the new K-to-12 curriculum with MTBMLE will be

better prepared for the challenges of the 21st-century workplace. The fact remains,

however, that employers still turn away many of our youth because their English skills
are below par, despite the Philippines being a country where the English language is

deeply entrenched in local culture.

Hernandez also stated that the size of the skill gap is huge. When 70 percent of

your global workforce speaks English as a second language, communication across

global teams can be tricky and frustrating—even counterproductive. Every global

company today is composed of an untold number of very smart employees with cutting-

edge knowledge who simply are unable to contribute meaningfully to their global teams.

Evidence continues to mount that poor English proficiency is fueling—at best—

misunderstandings and misalignment across global operations. At worst, so many

mistakes are made and delays caused, that productivity plummets destructively.
References

 Bekdaş, B. (2015, May). Identifying Factors Related to Students’ English

Proficiency Levels Through a Segmentation Method. Retrieved from

www.thesis.bilkent.edu.tr
 Ekola, T. (2016, December). English Language Needs and Language Proficiency

of Academic Professionals as a Basis for Developing Language Training.

Retrieved from jyx.jyu.fi

 Racca, R.M. and Lasaten, R.C. (2016, June). English Language Proficiency and

Academic Performance of Philippine Science High School Students. Retrieved

from www.ijlll.org
 Magbanua, V. (2016, November). English Proficiency of College Students.

Retrieved from www.ijsrp.org

 Ford, K. Fostering Literacy Development in English Language Learners.

Retrieved from www.colorincolorado.org/article/fostering-literacy-development-

english-language-learners
 U.S. Department of Education, Teaching Literacy in English to K-5 English

Learners. Retrieved from www.readingrockets.org/article/teaching-literacy-

english-k-5-english-learners
 Cabigon, M. English in the Philippines: Should We Be Concerned?. Retrieved

from www.britishcouncil.ph/teach/state-english-philippines-should-we-be-

concerned-2
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