English Proficiency Levels of Junior High School Teachers: Implication for Developing Training Program

Abstract

MOST NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS AROUND THE WORLD SPEAK ENGLISH AS A SECOND OR THIRD LANGUAGE, RATHER THAN AS THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE. FOR MANY OF THESE TEACHERS, THEIR LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH MAY NOT MEET THE STANDARDS EXPECTED BY SCHOOL HEADS, COLLEAGUES, AND LEARNERS, WHICH RAISES THE ISSUE ADDRESSED IN THIS RESEARCH. THIS STUDY, USING A DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH DESIGN, AIMED TO EXPLORE THE PERCEPTIONS OF SCHOOL HEADS, TEACHERS, AND LEARNERS REGARDING THE ENGLISH PROFICIENCY LEVEL OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS IN TERMS OF ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION. IT ALSO EXAMINED THE LEVEL OF LEARNER PERFORMANCE IN ENGLISH. THE GOAL WAS TO ENCOURAGE TEACHERS TO CONTINUALLY STRIVE FOR IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR TEACHING PRACTICES, PROVIDING LEARNERS WITH A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT THAT INSPIRES THEM TO BECOME BETTER LEARNERS. TO ANALYZE THE DATA, THE RESEARCHER EMPLOYED SEVERAL STATISTICAL METHODS, INCLUDING FREQUENCY COUNT, PERCENTAGE, T-TEST OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UNEQUAL SAMPLES, WEIGHTED MEAN, KRUSKAL-WALLIS TEST OF CHANGE, AND PEARSON R PRODUCT-MOMENT CORRELATION. THE FINDINGS INDICATED THAT THE ENGLISH PROFICIENCY LEVEL OF TEACHERS, AS WELL AS THE LEARNERS’ PERFORMANCE IN ACADEMIC LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION, WERE BOTH PROFICIENT. ADDITIONALLY, THE RESULTS REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ENGLISH PROFICIENCY LEVEL OF TEACHERS AND THE LEARNERS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, BASED ON THE COMPONENTS CONSIDERED IN THE STUDY. IN LIGHT OF THESE FINDINGS, A TRAINING PROGRAM TO ENHANCE THE ENGLISH PROFICIENCY LEVEL OF TEACHERS WAS PROPOSED, AIMING TO IMPROVE THE OVERALL QUALITY OF INSTRUCTION AND LEARNERS OUTCOMES IN ENGLISH.