English Language Proficiency in the Philippines: An Overview

Abstract

The Philippines is considered one of the largest English-speaking nations in the world. In fact, English is one of the official languages in the Philippines. But throughout the years, a gradual deterioration in English language proficiency can be observed among Filipinos based on the EF English Proficiency Index, Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC), and the average score of Filipino IELTS takers. This paper aims to discuss the different factors behind the descending Filipino English proficiency, such as learners’ motivation, parental involvement, learning environment, teaching strategies, comprehensive input, learners’ socio-economic status, and learners' age. Several articles have been reviewed and examined for the authors to come up with the following conclusions: 1) Continuous practice and usage of the English language could help us further cement our economy; 2) there is still a huge room for improvement in terms of grammar which could also help alleviate learners’ anxiousness, and 3) we still need to strike a balance in polishing the English language education and nurturing our local and cultural languages. This review will help the teachers in planning and implementing English classes to improve students' English proficiency, the educational institutions that aim to uplift the quality of English language teaching, and curriculum developers in constructing innovative English proficiency learning materials.