English Language Proficiency among Grade 12 Students in Private and Public Schools

Abstract

English language proficiency remains a critical competency for senior high school students in the Philippines, yet disparities persist across educational contexts. This quantitative comparative study examined and contrasted the English language proficiency of Grade 12 students from one private and one public senior high school in a component city in Negros Occidental, Philippines. Using stratified random sampling, 218 students (n = 137 private, n = 81 public) completed a validated English Proficiency Test measuring listening, reading, speaking, and writing. Independent-samples t-tests were used to compare proficiency levels across school types, and descriptive statistics identified contributing factors and preferred improvement strategies.
Results indicated that students overall were Proficient in receptive skills—listening (M = 3.90, SD = 0.62) and reading (M = 3.83, SD = 0.68)—but only Moderately Proficient in productive skills—speaking (M = 3.47, SD = 0.75) and writing (M = 3.46, SD = 0.71). Private school students scored significantly higher than public school students in reading, writing, and speaking, with large effect sizes (d = 0.79–0.91), though no significant difference emerged in listening. Students identified access to English media and teacher quality as the strongest contributors to proficiency. They expressed the strongest preference for speaking and listening practice and technology-supported instruction as improvement strategies.